1/15 - SIUE
2/26 - Greensfelder
3/12 - Matson Hill
3/26 - Indian Camp Creek
4/9 - Greensfelder
4/23 - Matson Hill
5/14 - Castlewood
5/21 - Cliff Cave
6/4 - Indian Camp Creek
December Meeting at TAP ROOM
Just a friendly reminder that next week's December 1st GORC monthly meeting will be held at the usual location - the Schlafly Taproom downtown at 7pm.
Come on out as it's our last meeting for 2010 and we hope to see everyone there.
Come on out as it's our last meeting for 2010 and we hope to see everyone there.
Poll Question - Integration or Not? Read On...
Being a more complicated poll to explain, I've added a description here so you can be more informed.
The club has been approached to join forces with IMBA and integrate into their membership system. IMBA is pushing a Chapter program. Basically, all the membership would go through IMBA and we the club would receive 40% of the fees people pay to IMBA. All independent fund raising would still be 100% ours. Insurance costs would still be our responsibility. IMBA would take care of all the membership expenses with renewals, cards, that sort of thing. The GORC website would theoretically be a content managed site using IMBA's back-end civiCRM data-driven system. The website would look more like a portal website (joomla-based more than likely) and would also keep track of members.
In other words, regarding the poll below, would you be willing to join IMBA to support GORC or would you rather us (GORC) remain independent and we get 100% of the funds (your membership and donations). The big unknown is whether our members are BOTH IMBA and GORC members simultaneously.
Make sense? Now go cast your vote to let us know your thoughts. Feel free to comment on the forum or on this blog post.
The club has been approached to join forces with IMBA and integrate into their membership system. IMBA is pushing a Chapter program. Basically, all the membership would go through IMBA and we the club would receive 40% of the fees people pay to IMBA. All independent fund raising would still be 100% ours. Insurance costs would still be our responsibility. IMBA would take care of all the membership expenses with renewals, cards, that sort of thing. The GORC website would theoretically be a content managed site using IMBA's back-end civiCRM data-driven system. The website would look more like a portal website (joomla-based more than likely) and would also keep track of members.
In other words, regarding the poll below, would you be willing to join IMBA to support GORC or would you rather us (GORC) remain independent and we get 100% of the funds (your membership and donations). The big unknown is whether our members are BOTH IMBA and GORC members simultaneously.
Make sense? Now go cast your vote to let us know your thoughts. Feel free to comment on the forum or on this blog post.
Rock Hollow Workday-- Saturday, November 20th 9am-1pm
This Saturday, Nov 20th at 9am is the first workday in Rock Hollow. We will construct one of the difficult creek crossings on the east side of the hollow, to demonstrate our skills, and to provide a model for the PTBA bidders that will eventually build the trail.
Sue Bell, County Parks volunteer coordinator, projects there will be 80+ people there, so we need as many workday leaders as we can muster. We will meet at the Ridge Meadows School parking lot, on Ridge Rd, just south of Old State Rd.
Please everyone, show up, we need to make a good show. More information, including directions can be found here.
Sue Bell, County Parks volunteer coordinator, projects there will be 80+ people there, so we need as many workday leaders as we can muster. We will meet at the Ridge Meadows School parking lot, on Ridge Rd, just south of Old State Rd.
Please everyone, show up, we need to make a good show. More information, including directions can be found here.
Cranksgiving 2010: A Pictorial
Lisa and I decided, at the last minute, to check out the 2010 Cranksgiving ride last weekend. I'd heard about the charity ride a couple of years ago but never got around to actually participating.
It's pretty cool to say the least. Cranksgiving is an organized ride approximately 24 miles in length, is a loop on commonly ridden roads - think Dogfish training ride, and stops by five supermarkets. Participants are asked to buy in total about $10-$20 worth of canned goods at one or more of the grocery stores. Riders are asked to carry the goods back to the start where they are displayed to show the enormity of hundreds of people donating the goods to Food Outreach. However, at a few stops the St. Louis Adventure Group (SLAG) worked sag so riders didn't have to lug heavy cans on their backs - you definitely want a messenger bag or backpack.
Apparently the St. Louis version is the fastest growing and had the largest turnout last year - 500 riders. This year's addition saw over 800 people and it was quite impressive seeing everyone riding single file (mostly) down Adams Road to Ballas.
We went in style as I borrowed the GORC full-squish BOB trailer and towed all the goods we purchased back to the start/finish. The cross bike felt a little squirrely near the end with about 30 pounds of canned goods following behind. And let me clarify the importance of the start/finish ..... at the Schlafly Bottleworks in Maplewood. The organizers, BicycleWorks, among others, know what riders want after a workout. Yup. Carbs.
Yes, it wasn't on dirt, and no, it didn't involve building trail, but it was for a good cause, got us on our bikes, and was very enjoyable... and great beer. I'd recommend it to other GORCers to attend the 2011 edition.
Here's some snaps we captured throughout the day.
Hybrid Turkey
Rolling start in Maplewood with police escort
Straub's in Webster Groves getting the treatment. Pick your canned goods wisely or you will pay, literally.
Determining the dynamic load bearing optimization flow ratio. I never solved the equation.
World's most useful kickstand
Approaching Cranksgiving headquarters - I smell hops. Notice the World Cup socks driving the bus that failed to achieve any semblance of speed and proved my lack of endurance and stamina is, in fact, quite real.
The wall of donations that arrived by bike. This is an early shot before the sag wagons arrived with about the same amount of goods.
Bottleworks bike parking. We saw the entire range of two-wheeled rides; cross bikes, clapped out beaters, tandems, NEXT/Pacific/enter-chinese-extreme-brand-here 11 inch travel freeride rigs, mountain bikes, hybrids, road bikes made of rusty steel, "" made of nice steel, titanium wonder rigs, carbon fibre - that's proper English - for the French-made Look featherweights, vintage Klein crust bikes featuring never-before-seen Brooks premium saddles, a bike with a fur saddle (extinct megafauna?), kids bikes, trikes for adults who never learned to ride and would prefer to slide under a Prius at a 4-way stop, hippies on 75cm road bikes with head tubes longer than your top tube, racers on race bikes, moms on race bikes, moms on hybrids, dads on powder blue Varsities, and on and on. You get the idea. All walks of life, all budgets, all liking the bike riding part. Better than the Moonlight Ramble (not as crowded), safer than the old Critical Mass disasters (less scary participants featuring kwik-kopy manifestos).
Drink on, you deserve it. Hot Liquor Porter, I'll have another. Next year - wide right turns tandem with BOB trailer?
It's pretty cool to say the least. Cranksgiving is an organized ride approximately 24 miles in length, is a loop on commonly ridden roads - think Dogfish training ride, and stops by five supermarkets. Participants are asked to buy in total about $10-$20 worth of canned goods at one or more of the grocery stores. Riders are asked to carry the goods back to the start where they are displayed to show the enormity of hundreds of people donating the goods to Food Outreach. However, at a few stops the St. Louis Adventure Group (SLAG) worked sag so riders didn't have to lug heavy cans on their backs - you definitely want a messenger bag or backpack.
Apparently the St. Louis version is the fastest growing and had the largest turnout last year - 500 riders. This year's addition saw over 800 people and it was quite impressive seeing everyone riding single file (mostly) down Adams Road to Ballas.
We went in style as I borrowed the GORC full-squish BOB trailer and towed all the goods we purchased back to the start/finish. The cross bike felt a little squirrely near the end with about 30 pounds of canned goods following behind. And let me clarify the importance of the start/finish ..... at the Schlafly Bottleworks in Maplewood. The organizers, BicycleWorks, among others, know what riders want after a workout. Yup. Carbs.
Yes, it wasn't on dirt, and no, it didn't involve building trail, but it was for a good cause, got us on our bikes, and was very enjoyable... and great beer. I'd recommend it to other GORCers to attend the 2011 edition.
Here's some snaps we captured throughout the day.
Hybrid Turkey
Rolling start in Maplewood with police escort
Straub's in Webster Groves getting the treatment. Pick your canned goods wisely or you will pay, literally.
Determining the dynamic load bearing optimization flow ratio. I never solved the equation.
World's most useful kickstand
Approaching Cranksgiving headquarters - I smell hops. Notice the World Cup socks driving the bus that failed to achieve any semblance of speed and proved my lack of endurance and stamina is, in fact, quite real.
The wall of donations that arrived by bike. This is an early shot before the sag wagons arrived with about the same amount of goods.
Bottleworks bike parking. We saw the entire range of two-wheeled rides; cross bikes, clapped out beaters, tandems, NEXT/Pacific/enter-chinese-extreme-brand-here 11 inch travel freeride rigs, mountain bikes, hybrids, road bikes made of rusty steel, "" made of nice steel, titanium wonder rigs, carbon fibre - that's proper English - for the French-made Look featherweights, vintage Klein crust bikes featuring never-before-seen Brooks premium saddles, a bike with a fur saddle (extinct megafauna?), kids bikes, trikes for adults who never learned to ride and would prefer to slide under a Prius at a 4-way stop, hippies on 75cm road bikes with head tubes longer than your top tube, racers on race bikes, moms on race bikes, moms on hybrids, dads on powder blue Varsities, and on and on. You get the idea. All walks of life, all budgets, all liking the bike riding part. Better than the Moonlight Ramble (not as crowded), safer than the old Critical Mass disasters (less scary participants featuring kwik-kopy manifestos).
Drink on, you deserve it. Hot Liquor Porter, I'll have another. Next year - wide right turns tandem with BOB trailer?Cliff Cave Map
Well, it was 5 years in the making, but it's finally here! The official GORC map for Cliff Cave County Park.
This can serve as another example of how someone who wants a trail somewhere decides that they're going to do what it takes to make it happen. There was no map, because there was no one with such an interest in Cliff Cave until recently. Enjoy the trails. The pdf version of the file will be here shortly.
GORC Water Bottles
Momentum Cycles now stocks water bottles with the ultra exclusive GORC logo emblazoned on them. Proceed at once to your local Momentum shop and pick up one, two or a dozen. Momentum has graciously offered to share $1 from the sale of each water bottle with GORC. So, you get to stay hydrated, Momentum get's your business and GORC get's your money to help build trail! Supplies are limited, so don't delay.
Cliff Cave Workday/Appreciation Party-- Saturday, Oct. 30th
When: Saturday October 30th
Where: Cliff Cave Park
Directions: From I-255 take Telegraph Rd. south 1.7 miles to Cliff Cave Rd.
Turn left onto Cliff Cave Rd. and continue 1 mile into park.
Details: We will meet at the pavilion. Start time is 9:00am and will work until 12:30 or so.
What to bring: Sturdy shoes, gloves, eye protection and something to drink. For a more detailed description, it's a good idea to read Pilznr's post at http://gorctrails.com/board/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=3711
Please contact Sue Bell if you plan to attend.
314-615-8822 or e-mail sbell@stlouiscounty.com
Lunch will be provided by St. Louis County Parks, so please let Sue know if you are coming so she can plan for food.
Those that attend the workday will be rewarded with an opportunity to win an attendance prize provided by:
South County Cyclery and Olde Towne Fenton Cyclery, as well as Crusoe's Restaurant!
What we're doing: Cliff Cave Park has 2 trails Spring Valley and Bluff Trail.
We will be concentrating first on the Bluff Trail, we have 1/2 mile of new trail to build. This will eliminate several unsustainable sections and provide for a fun ride in both directions.
We also have several short re routes flagged on the Spring Valley loop. These will eliminate a couple short, non draining spots.
If attendance provides, we will put these in as well, so everyone come out and help!!
After the workday will be GORCs annual Appreciation Party!!!
Will have a ride, mother nature permitting.
More info on the message board.
Where: Cliff Cave Park
Directions: From I-255 take Telegraph Rd. south 1.7 miles to Cliff Cave Rd.
Turn left onto Cliff Cave Rd. and continue 1 mile into park.
Details: We will meet at the pavilion. Start time is 9:00am and will work until 12:30 or so.
What to bring: Sturdy shoes, gloves, eye protection and something to drink. For a more detailed description, it's a good idea to read Pilznr's post at http://gorctrails.com/board/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=3711
Please contact Sue Bell if you plan to attend.
314-615-8822 or e-mail sbell@stlouiscounty.com
Lunch will be provided by St. Louis County Parks, so please let Sue know if you are coming so she can plan for food.
Those that attend the workday will be rewarded with an opportunity to win an attendance prize provided by:
South County Cyclery and Olde Towne Fenton Cyclery, as well as Crusoe's Restaurant!
What we're doing: Cliff Cave Park has 2 trails Spring Valley and Bluff Trail.
We will be concentrating first on the Bluff Trail, we have 1/2 mile of new trail to build. This will eliminate several unsustainable sections and provide for a fun ride in both directions.
We also have several short re routes flagged on the Spring Valley loop. These will eliminate a couple short, non draining spots.
If attendance provides, we will put these in as well, so everyone come out and help!!
After the workday will be GORCs annual Appreciation Party!!!
Will have a ride, mother nature permitting.
More info on the message board.
Of Berryman and Men
The Berryman is amazing.
The Berryman is difficult.
The Berryman is slowly wasting away.
These statements are all true. They have been for 20+ years. While I do not want to write a small book on the trail I will, however, explain the benefits of having the Berryman Loop within 120 miles of your front door.
The Berryman Trail is a loop of singletrack in the Mark Twain National Forest that serves hikers, equestrians and within the last 30 years, mountain bikers. It was built by the Civilian Conservation Corp - CCC for short - which was instituted shortly after the Great Depression. The Berryman Trail is an approximately 24 mile loop that features over 2,400 feet of climbing, several creek crossings and the scaling of over 12 Ozark hillsides. The trail follows creek valleys, climbs ancient Ozark hills and descends into several rocky outcroppings.
The Berryman Trail was classified as an IMBA Epic in 2002. The trail best features the "feel" of Missouri backcountry trail riding. There are many reasons that bikers continue to ride the Berryman.
But there's one major draw… The Berryman Trail is a LOOP.
You can't say that about any other portion of the Ozark Trail network. The Berryman Trail may be the largest loop in Missouri that doesn't need other trail connectors or roads to call it a true loop.
And the best part that the original designers may or may not have grasped is that there are several legitimate bailout options. Options that allow injured or destroyed folks to limp back to their cars via the "central" firewood that pierces the trail's core. On top of that, there are two major trailheads that feature camping.
True, the Berryman is suffering every trail's worst nightmare. Continued use in the muddy season, motorized use (ATV/dirtbike) and fall-line climbs are contributing to its "erosion issues". All of these issues combined would absolutely murder an average trail. But for some reason the Berryman is losing its foothold much more slowly. Sure, the switchbacks in some areas are grossly eroded but then think, really think, of the sweet, glossy-buff sections of trail that thread through the pines or hug the edge of a precipice. In the dry season the Berryman rails but in the wet the trail leaves you for dead. But you shouldn't be riding it when it's wet, remember?
Ignoring the switchbacks that would be more accurately called slides that drop into the Brazil Creek campground and the areas that require riders to know how to loft their front end chin-high in spots, the Berryman isn't out to destroy you - it simply wants to make you a better Missouri Ozark trail rider. If you use the Berryman as your training ground then you will be almost unstoppable - except West Virginia.
Simply put, the mere FACT that you can link up the Ozark Trail (hundreds of miles!) and Council Bluff is unfathomable to other folks. Missouri has a trail network that other states would die for - and it's all about 120 miles from your kitchen sink.
Spread the word.
The Berryman is difficult.
The Berryman is slowly wasting away.
These statements are all true. They have been for 20+ years. While I do not want to write a small book on the trail I will, however, explain the benefits of having the Berryman Loop within 120 miles of your front door.
The Berryman Trail is a loop of singletrack in the Mark Twain National Forest that serves hikers, equestrians and within the last 30 years, mountain bikers. It was built by the Civilian Conservation Corp - CCC for short - which was instituted shortly after the Great Depression. The Berryman Trail is an approximately 24 mile loop that features over 2,400 feet of climbing, several creek crossings and the scaling of over 12 Ozark hillsides. The trail follows creek valleys, climbs ancient Ozark hills and descends into several rocky outcroppings.
The Berryman Trail was classified as an IMBA Epic in 2002. The trail best features the "feel" of Missouri backcountry trail riding. There are many reasons that bikers continue to ride the Berryman.
But there's one major draw… The Berryman Trail is a LOOP.
You can't say that about any other portion of the Ozark Trail network. The Berryman Trail may be the largest loop in Missouri that doesn't need other trail connectors or roads to call it a true loop.
And the best part that the original designers may or may not have grasped is that there are several legitimate bailout options. Options that allow injured or destroyed folks to limp back to their cars via the "central" firewood that pierces the trail's core. On top of that, there are two major trailheads that feature camping.
True, the Berryman is suffering every trail's worst nightmare. Continued use in the muddy season, motorized use (ATV/dirtbike) and fall-line climbs are contributing to its "erosion issues". All of these issues combined would absolutely murder an average trail. But for some reason the Berryman is losing its foothold much more slowly. Sure, the switchbacks in some areas are grossly eroded but then think, really think, of the sweet, glossy-buff sections of trail that thread through the pines or hug the edge of a precipice. In the dry season the Berryman rails but in the wet the trail leaves you for dead. But you shouldn't be riding it when it's wet, remember?
Ignoring the switchbacks that would be more accurately called slides that drop into the Brazil Creek campground and the areas that require riders to know how to loft their front end chin-high in spots, the Berryman isn't out to destroy you - it simply wants to make you a better Missouri Ozark trail rider. If you use the Berryman as your training ground then you will be almost unstoppable - except West Virginia.
Simply put, the mere FACT that you can link up the Ozark Trail (hundreds of miles!) and Council Bluff is unfathomable to other folks. Missouri has a trail network that other states would die for - and it's all about 120 miles from your kitchen sink.
Spread the word.
2010 Brown County Break Down - Pictorial
Lisa and I (Matt) decided to check out the Brown County Break Down after riding there multiple times and reading about the event. So on a whim we signed up and checked it out.
Here's a quick pictorial of the event. There aren't many photos because the trails are too fun to slow down and snap pics...
Everyone waiting to get started - about 500 riders
Here's a quick pictorial of the event. There aren't many photos because the trails are too fun to slow down and snap pics...
Everyone waiting to get started - about 500 riders
Near the homebase setup headquarters
Riders were staged based on distance (100/75/60/40/20 miles) and within the mileage by speed - fast, average, leisurely.
About to enter the first trail. On Saturday this parking lot was full of product demos from Scott, Trek, Cannondale and Giant.
Hesitation Point - at the top of the 2 mile climb then doesn't womp you on the way up. Very fun on the way down and where they hold their Super D races earlier in the year.
A small sampling of their trail armoring work. With 95% of Brown County's trail being dirt they take great care to ensure the singletrack doesn't erode or become a bog.
At the 40 mile end point - featuring live bluegrass music and food.
A view of the historic cabin and live bandIf you ever find yourself wondering about Brown County State Park then check this out.
Annual GORC Appreciation Party
This edition of the volunteer appreciation party will feature a poker run. Yep. We are holding the party earlier this year instead of the traditional GORC birthday of December 12th when we typically freeze to death. We're hoping for great weather and a large turnout so we better see you October 30th. Bring candy, too, Matt says so.
Look for more details on the GORC website either on the message board or home page as the date nears. We would like to get a head count so be sure to post up on the board.
DON'T FORGET YOUR COSTUME -- it's halloween weekend after all!
St. Louis County Parks Trail Hotline
With last year's trail vandalism at the Chubb and now with the painful extraction of some monkeyheads at Greensfelder we at GORC felt it was high time to post the St. Louis County Parks Trail Hotline - 314-615-8911. Now we can all help police our favorite trails.
This hotline is for St. Louis County parks only. Parks include West Tyson (Chubb), Cliff Cave, Creve Coeur, Greensfelder and ALL of St. Louis County's parks.
If you encounter somebody destroying trail first-hand be sure to get involved by calling the hotline at 314-615-8911. Approach the individual if you feel comfortable and respectfully explain that he or she is wrecking the trail through their grooming actions.
Never start a confrontation and remember they probably think they are IMPROVING the trail. However, no matter the situation, always let the county parks staff know that this is occurring so they can better protect their valuable trails.
This hotline is for St. Louis County parks only. Parks include West Tyson (Chubb), Cliff Cave, Creve Coeur, Greensfelder and ALL of St. Louis County's parks.
If you encounter somebody destroying trail first-hand be sure to get involved by calling the hotline at 314-615-8911. Approach the individual if you feel comfortable and respectfully explain that he or she is wrecking the trail through their grooming actions.
Never start a confrontation and remember they probably think they are IMPROVING the trail. However, no matter the situation, always let the county parks staff know that this is occurring so they can better protect their valuable trails.
BERRYMAN Epic-alness
October 23rd, Berryman Epic, version 3.0
Look out for some great racing on some of the best backcountry Missouri trails with 200+ of your racing friends. The race is on Saturday so you can party down through the night, stumbling back to your campsite at the ever-so-friendly Bass River Resort.
Get ready for 56 miles of BEST EVER.
GORC will be assisting the organizers in preparing the course in the coming weeks by cutting out any deadfall and securing the route.
We will see you there!
Look out for some great racing on some of the best backcountry Missouri trails with 200+ of your racing friends. The race is on Saturday so you can party down through the night, stumbling back to your campsite at the ever-so-friendly Bass River Resort.
Get ready for 56 miles of BEST EVER.
GORC will be assisting the organizers in preparing the course in the coming weeks by cutting out any deadfall and securing the route.
We will see you there!
BURNIN!
It's time for the 7th Annual Burnin' at the Bluff - this weekend. The classes are completely stacked this year and the weather outlook is absolutely killer. Several GORC members will be racing the 12 hour challenge around Council Bluff Lake and a few others will be PATROLLING the course to keep everyone safe. If you see a patroller out there let them know you appreciate their presence.
See everyone this weekend!!!!!
See everyone this weekend!!!!!
Lost Valley Workday- Saturday, October 2nd
We're going to do some well-needed maintenance at Lost Valley. Mostly Focusing on the trail we've built over the last two seasons. Just an effort to tune it up and remove/mitigate some minor problems we've experienced.
We'll need as many able bodies as we can get. Perhaps you think that maintenance workdays are not as sexy as building new trail, but this work is really needed and will help the trail immensely.
The Specifics:
When: Saturday Oct 2nd
9am - 1pm (please arrive by 8:45 or so in order to "shuttle" in to the work site)
Where: Lost Valley "Upper Parking lot" aka The Mound, ~2miles south of hwy 40 on hwy 94 just around the bend from the High School.
Details: Bring: Water, gloves, sturdy shoes, dress for the weather.
Expect: Enjoyable but strenuous work, camaraderie and good times.
We'll Ride after lunch too!! As always.
Misc... As always, FREE LUNCH, sponsored by the Missouri Department of Conservation will be provided after the work.
BONUS: Morning Coffee to be provided by the 2nd Street Bike Stop and Cafe
Sign-up and more info can be found on the message board.
We'll need as many able bodies as we can get. Perhaps you think that maintenance workdays are not as sexy as building new trail, but this work is really needed and will help the trail immensely.
The Specifics:
When: Saturday Oct 2nd
9am - 1pm (please arrive by 8:45 or so in order to "shuttle" in to the work site)
Where: Lost Valley "Upper Parking lot" aka The Mound, ~2miles south of hwy 40 on hwy 94 just around the bend from the High School.
Details: Bring: Water, gloves, sturdy shoes, dress for the weather.
Expect: Enjoyable but strenuous work, camaraderie and good times.
We'll Ride after lunch too!! As always.
Misc... As always, FREE LUNCH, sponsored by the Missouri Department of Conservation will be provided after the work.
BONUS: Morning Coffee to be provided by the 2nd Street Bike Stop and Cafe
Sign-up and more info can be found on the message board.
Greensfelder Workday-- Saturday, Sept. 25th 9am-1pm
We're going to do some maintenance work on the Eagle Valley singletrack, and try to complete one of the two switchbacks on the DeClue extension. Don't know where the singletrack is on Eagle Valley? Come and help out this Saturday, and you can find out.
If we can get the trail in good enough shape this fall, we can start working on a connector from the current end of the DeClue singletrack at Scenic Loop Rd. down to the junction with Eagle Valley on the valley floor(a potential route is shown in orange on the map). This will complete a loop of somewhere around 9 miles that will be ~ 99% singletrack, and ridable in both directions.
There will be fewer St. Louis County Parks volunteers than usual at this workday, so we really need a good turnout from GORC volunteers. You can find sign up, and find out more info on the message board.
Take A Kid Mountain Biking Day
Once again, GORC is teaming up with St. Charles County Parks to host Take A Kid Mountain Biking Day. This years event will be held at Frontier Park in St. Charles, and on the trails at Bangert Island on Oct. 9th, beginning at 10am. You can volunteer, or find out more information on the GORC message board.
Hazel Creek out n'(barely) back
Big Jim Mac and I seized a weekday opportunity to beat the crowds on the OT Curtois section earlier this week. The impromptu "plan" was to explore south from Berryman base camp down to Hazel Creek camp (if possible) for an out n' back trip of about 26 or 27 miles...
...ambitious, no?
The temps were moderate in the low 80's but the humidity was quite high. "High" as in it-started-raining-by-the-end, which made a not insignificant contribution to the overall epic-ness of the ride.
The section from Berryman down to highway 8 was generally similar to the hillier sections of Berryman proper including some babyheads, roots, pea-sized gravel, pine trees, and cool hillside rock formations. The Lost Creek crossing made for a good foot soaking and the sandy run after really put the grindies to our drivetrains. After that the trail generally climbs and descends some cool Ozark topography with a nice variety of lowland riding in lush valleys, and singletrack laced along the hillsides. There were some trees down here and there that killed the flow a little but we removed as many as possible (we were just going to have to ride over them again on the way back anyhow). Jim also spotted some flagging that looked like a re-route or two were in the works for some short steep and/or eroded sections.
In general, the trail surface itself had more duff and organic material on it than most of the trails that get heavier bike traffic but it was all quite rideable, just a bit slower and softer. Many of the hollows and north-facing slopes had awesome moss-covered rock outcrops and ferns lining the trail.
Progress was pretty slow overall, mostly because I was having persistent front tire trouble. I even violated one of basic mountain biking's more simple tenets: thou shalt always check thine tyre for offending objects before installing a new tube... lest ye pop it straight away. It was looking like it was going to be a pretty long ride either way so we turned around at Snapps Branch, about 2 miles shy of our original destination (not to mention one moderate hill + one huge hill, both to be repeated after reversing at Hazel Creek). It's a neat little stream that trickles over a nearly uniform rock surface.
Horses had been through the few miles leading to and from our turnaround spot and the chewed up trail surface made for some more slow going. It was kind of a bummer that I'd slowed us up so much that we fell short of the campground we were both curious to see, but it does leave me with an additional reason to make the drive to ride the rest of that OT section in the future. And even with a popped air mat, a headlamp that croaked in the night, a rainfly that self destructed into a sticky silicone mess, a dented downtube, multiple flats, grindy drivetrains, leg cramps, falling completely over into some manky sludge puddle, and rain on the ride back... I would definitely head back to get some more OT.
...ambitious, no?
The temps were moderate in the low 80's but the humidity was quite high. "High" as in it-started-raining-by-the-end, which made a not insignificant contribution to the overall epic-ness of the ride.
The section from Berryman down to highway 8 was generally similar to the hillier sections of Berryman proper including some babyheads, roots, pea-sized gravel, pine trees, and cool hillside rock formations. The Lost Creek crossing made for a good foot soaking and the sandy run after really put the grindies to our drivetrains. After that the trail generally climbs and descends some cool Ozark topography with a nice variety of lowland riding in lush valleys, and singletrack laced along the hillsides. There were some trees down here and there that killed the flow a little but we removed as many as possible (we were just going to have to ride over them again on the way back anyhow). Jim also spotted some flagging that looked like a re-route or two were in the works for some short steep and/or eroded sections.
In general, the trail surface itself had more duff and organic material on it than most of the trails that get heavier bike traffic but it was all quite rideable, just a bit slower and softer. Many of the hollows and north-facing slopes had awesome moss-covered rock outcrops and ferns lining the trail.
Progress was pretty slow overall, mostly because I was having persistent front tire trouble. I even violated one of basic mountain biking's more simple tenets: thou shalt always check thine tyre for offending objects before installing a new tube... lest ye pop it straight away. It was looking like it was going to be a pretty long ride either way so we turned around at Snapps Branch, about 2 miles shy of our original destination (not to mention one moderate hill + one huge hill, both to be repeated after reversing at Hazel Creek). It's a neat little stream that trickles over a nearly uniform rock surface.
Horses had been through the few miles leading to and from our turnaround spot and the chewed up trail surface made for some more slow going. It was kind of a bummer that I'd slowed us up so much that we fell short of the campground we were both curious to see, but it does leave me with an additional reason to make the drive to ride the rest of that OT section in the future. And even with a popped air mat, a headlamp that croaked in the night, a rainfly that self destructed into a sticky silicone mess, a dented downtube, multiple flats, grindy drivetrains, leg cramps, falling completely over into some manky sludge puddle, and rain on the ride back... I would definitely head back to get some more OT.
Creve Coeur Workday-- Sat., Sept. 18th, 9am-1pm
The Fall workday season kicks off this Saturday on the Bootlegger's Run Trail, at Creve Coeur Park. It wasn't so long ago that this trail didn't even exist, and now there are 3.25 miles of singletrack right in the middle of everything.
Come out and help do some maintenance to ensure that the trail remains in great shape for years to come. Details and sign-up are on the message board.
Fall/Early Winter 2010 Workday Schedule
September is here already and so is the workday season. With a mix of maintenance, and new trail construction there's a lot to be done, so mark your calendar. More information on each workday can be found here as the date approaches.
Sept 18 Creve Coeur Park
Sept 25 Greensfelder Park
Oct 2 Lost Valley
Oct 16 Chubb
Oct 17 North Trace Sawyer Run
Oct 30 Cliff Cave | Appreciation Party
Nov 6 Greensfelder Park
Nov 13 SIUE (Southern Illinois University – Edwardsville)
Nov 20 Rock Hollow
Dec 4 Matson Hill Park
Dec 11 Matson Hill Park
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