February 2004 Ride Report Page    
Here you will find the reports of our exploits for the month February 2004 more or less as they happened. I will publish any ride reports that I receive. Please send them to  bikebob@crocker.com and you too can get yourself published on the web!

Sunday 2-1: Today we went out to Norm's house for a snowshoe hike. I arrived at his house with ME, Steph and Helen at 12:00 and soon after arrived we were joined by 8 other "shoers". After a brief tour of Norm's house we went outside to put our snowshoes on and headed out for the trails. There were 14 snowshoers in all for the 5 mile hike through the woods behind Sam and Norm's house in Erving. It was a Sunny day with calm winds and 25 degree temperature. The group headed out with Norm in the lead and the rest of us right behind. Our plan was for all of us to go out to the Hermits Cave and if anyone was tired they could turn around there and head back, while the rest of the hikers would continue up the hill to the M&M trail. We hiked out on pretty well packed trails at a brisk pace to the Hermit's Cave. We stopped several times to re-group and take some photos on the way out to the cave. We all had a good time hiking through the beautiful woods on some very nice trails which led us to the cliffs in which the cave is located. After a short stop at the cave, everyone wanted to continue so we headed up the steep hill to the ridge which overlooks the Millers River valley. MaryEllen's sister Helen had never been out on snowshoes before and she did very well negotiating the difficult terrain. Up front was Norm leading the faster hikers (Jeff, Laura, Curt, Jack, Steph and Mike S.). MaryEllen led the middle group while Sam and Betsey were the sweeps. I hiked with all the groups and managed to get some nice photos as I hiked along. (Curt and Walter were also taking pictures and I will put them up on the photo page.) We finally made it up to the lookout where my camera broke.  I thought that the batteries had died but when I put in fresh one's, the camera still didn't work. I thought that I could fix it by swearing and jumping up and down, but alas it was to no avail. After I got through with my "fixing" of the camera I noticed that the rest of the hikers had now gotten quite a ways up the trail and were in fact out of sight. At this point I double timed it  and soon  I caught up with the group. I rejoined the group just as they started down the hill to begin the return trip to Norm's house. Norm, Walter, Katherine and Curt led the group along some pretty tough trails. I waited at the turn and I hiked back to Norm's house with ME, Helen, Sam and Betsey.  It was a really fun hike and if it snows on Tuesday we will do another hike on Wednesday. Go to the photo page to see some more of the photo's that were taken today.

Sunday, Feb. 1st

Click for a larger photo

Today we had a great snowshoe outing at Norm's home (with plenty of food afterward). Things are pretty busy for me this week, so I don't have the time to do the write-up that the outing deserves. We ended up hiking about 5 miles on some trails in Erving. These trails look like they'll be lots of fun to explore on bikes this summer. The only part of the hike that would be tough on bikes was the last half mile or so which we spent mostly bushwhacking down a streambed. There were three of us on this walk that had digital cameras along (Bob, Walter and myself), so this is probably the most photographically covered outing of the year. Many thanks to Norm and Sam for hosting us! (submitted by Curt)

Sunday 2-8: It has been a rough week for outdoor activities. First it was the snow and rain on Tuesday then it was the cold which froze the mess solid. We were unable to ride or snowshoe until today when we traveled back out to Erving. Today we were the guests of Jack who opened his home to us to host the snowshoe hike through the Erving State Forest. We had 13 snowshoers that left Jack's house for the hike to the forest. Joining Jack for the hike was Ant PennyOnePole (Ant PennyOnePole tells me that people from Vermont only need one pole 'cause they always take right turns), Jamie, Sam, Norm. ME, Helen, Keith, Curt, Betsey, Mike S., Steph, and me. We left Jack's house and walked the short distance down the road to the trailhead where we put our snow shoes and headed into the woods. There was a thick layer of ice on the snow which made the going tough for the lead hiker (Not the mystery man to the left!!) , but once the crust was broken the following hikers were able to walk on the powder snow underneath the ice. The trail was mostly up hill on a fairly narrow path for the first mile or so and I was able to get to the front and capture Jamie in action. We hiked up a fairly long hill and then down the other side to the Laurel Lake road where the group photo was taken. After we took the pictures we headed off to climb the next hill. ME and Keith were in the lead as we followed the snowmobile track and by the time we got to the turn onto the steep slope they were quite a bit ahead of us. I continued up the hill behind Helen and Curt and we had ME and Keith in sight until the top of the hill when our group slowed up a bit and soon they were out of sight. We never saw them again until the end of the hike when Steph and I caught up with them. We caught up with them at the lumber yard and we all had to back track to where everyone else was waiting. We ended the hike by walking a short way back to Jack's house where we feasted on Stephanie's chili as well as some deserts provided by the other hikers. Ant PennyOnePole made Jack make some coffee for us, but I did not get any of the first pot. Jack was nice enough to make a second and I got some of that. Also this was the first time Steph took her coffee "natural". Many thanks to Jack for inviting us to his house.

Sunday, Feb 8th

The conditions for riding on the trails were still not very good, so Jack invited us all up to his place in Erving to explore more of the trails in the area on our snowshoes. The trails had a fresh coat of snow (powder covered by a hard crust), but Jack had gone out on part of the loop the day before to break things up.

It was a bit colder than it had been for last week's hike. I was dressed right on the edge of being too cold, It took me forever to warm up at the beginning of the walk, and whenever we stopped for even a few minutes I got pretty chilly until we had been moving again for a while.

Despite what Bob said before the start, the trail was pretty hilly. We started off with a long climb (not too steep, but relentless) followed by a equally long descent. After a short break for a group photo, we started on the second part of the walk which was a repeat of the first section: a long steady climb followed by a long descent. If I had brought my GPS, I would guess that the route profile of today's hike would be like a giant letter 'M'.

The group got pulled apart on this second section. MaryEllen sprinted ahead with Keith, while the largest part of the group slogged up the hill slowly. Once we got over the top I took a headcount and couldn't find any sign of Betsy or Penny. I let the group go on ahead and just a minute later they both caught up to me. We three finished the walk together and, because of a shortcut across a meadow, met the main part of the group just as they were taking their gear off at the paved road.

We all ended up back at Jack's house where we were force-fed brownies, coffee and other goodies of all types including some Chili contributed by Stephanie. Calories burnt: 1500+. Calories consumed: 2000+ Oh well... (submitted by Curt)

Tuesday, Feb 11th Distance - 26.91 Average - 16.7 Temp - ~40° Ending Mileage - 102.9

Yahoo! A real ride!

I was dreading having to get on the trainer tonight when I got an email from Michelle inviting me to join her on a mid-afternoon road ride from her place in Northfield. I immediately started to re-arrange my day so I could make the ride.

By 3:00, I was at her apartment. She had also been able to reach Jamie, so the three of us made ready for our first Spring ride of the year. Just after 3:30 we hit the road.

The roads were still wet in many places, and there were also spots of snow and ice in the shade as we made our way West on 10 toward Bernardston. One sure sign of how early in the season our ride was when we spied a snowmobile crossing the road a few hundred feet ahead of us.

The broken up pavement on 5&10 South out of Bernardston has gotten a few degrees worse over the Winter. We spent quite a bit of time far off the shoulder trying to avoid the worst of the hazards.

I was feeling pretty weak for the first several miles and didn't really feel that I had any energy until we were almost at the Greenfield town line. I was wondering if there were going to be any 'town line games' today, but decided that nobody would be that cruel on such an early ride... until Michelle went sprinting by me to take the Greenfield town line. Damn.

We made a quick stop at Bob's to rub his face in the fact that we were riding and he wasn't. He countered that in a few weeks he was going to be riding in Arizona while we were stuck in the frozen Northeast. Game point: Bob.

After leaving the shop, we went over the ridge into Turners then up the Third St. Hill (another first for the year). I made a half-hearted effort for the Millers Falls town line (and was the first across the line on the SOUTH side of the bridge) but didn't realize until too late that the REAL town line sign was on the North side of the bridge. Michelle came around me to take it on the line. Double damn.

Finally we were on the rolling hills of 63 North and one more chance for a town line. As we started down the long hill leading to the line, I signaled for Jamie that I was slowing and dropped off Michelle's wheel. I built up a good gap, then accelerated past her heading to the line. I started off pretty early and didn't see any pursuit, but I didn't want to rest too early and loose it so kept pushing all the way past the sign only to find out that I took it uncontested.

I think we were all starting to tire as we reached the wide-shouldered section of 63. Our light was also starting to fail as the sun set in a pink sky to our West. By the time we turned once again onto 10 West, oncoming cars had their headlights on and the temperature was slowly dropping. One last climb up 10, then the final hill onto the NMH campus and we were done.

This ride felt GREAT and was just what I needed. We made plans to keep our eyes out for any other opportunities for Tuesday rides before heading home. Once home, I threw all my mud-soaked clothes in the wash and gave my bike a nice wash and lube, ready for the next Springtime ride. :) (submitted by Curt)

Thursday 2-12: Tonight was the first ride that we had in the last couple of weeks. The trails have either been too soft or they were too icy for us to ride. On Sunday I got an email from Peter Gagarin and he said that the trails were perfect. It was too warm on Tuesday to ride, but the temperature has been falling for the last few days so we decided to give it a try. At 6:00 I left the shop and headed over to the Bookmill parking lot. I was met there by Curt, PJW, Steph, Mike S., and Homer. After getting our gear ready we headed for the trails. It was a pretty nice night with no wind and temperatures in the high twenties. As we pedaled up the road we met up with Mark C., who told us not to try the Telephone Pole Trail as it still hadn't been ridden on after the last snow/ice storm. I then led the group over to Old Northfield Road which we followed to the beginning of the Banked Trail. We rode down the trail for a little way and soon discovered that it was blocked by a big pile of snow. I looked over the pile and I could see that the trail was not packed so we turned around and went back out to the road which we took all the way out to the power lines. Mark, Curt, Steph and Homer went on ahead and I stayed back with Penny and Mike. We followed Mark and his group for a little ways on the Banked Trail but they soon were out of sight. Mike was having some difficulty with his tires breaking through the crust of the snow, so I let some air out and soon he was motoring right along. After Mike got going, I sprinted up to where the other four riders were waiting and I told them to head out and do a loop over Willis Hill. I told them to meet us back on Red Rock and they headed out. Soon after that PJW and Mike came along and we set out to do a loop over to the BPT Trail. I had PJW lead and I followed Mike on the trip out to Willis Hill. I found the trails to be mostly hard packed and with the proper tire pressure you could float right along on top of the snowmobile trail. After we got to the BPT we paused briefly before heading towards Red Rock. PJW said that she was not up for riding over the hill so I said that we would ride around it and meet up with the group at the sand pit. When we got to the brook crossing we stopped for a minute and as we were getting ready to leave I noticed the rest of the group coming down Middle Road. It seems that they did not take the Swamp Road as planned. They said that the trail was a lot of fun and Steph kept saying that she wanted to do it again. I told Steph that she was welcome to ride back up the hill and we would wait for her to come down again, but she decided to stick with the group. After a brief discussion we decided to split up, Steph and her crew heading over Red Rock while PJW, Mike and myself rode around the hill on the trails that lead to the Sand Pit. My group set a steady pace and we were waiting at the sand pit when the Curt and Co. came over the hill at Red Rock. We watched as some of them crashed on the way down but they all got up and were OK when they arrived at the sand pit. After everyone was set we then headed out to the power lines again. I rode at a pretty high pace all the way down the power lines to Old Northfield Road. At that point PJW decided to take the road while I led the rest of the riders down the Telephone Pole Trail to the Bernardo Drive cut over where we all met up with PJW. At this point Mark headed home and we rode back to the parking lot, packed up our stuff and then headed for home. I would have to say that the trails were in perfect condition and couple that with the comfortable temperatures, it made for a very enjoyable ride.

Thursday, February 12.  After a two and a half week hiatus, we were once again able to ride…yay!  All this talk of moving was starting to get to me a little, so I was really glad when I got Bob’s email about a ride.  I drove up to the shop to make sure my tire pressure was good, and Bob, AntPennyOnePole, Michelle and I headed over to the Plains.  We were joined in the parking lot by Mike and Curt.  As we stood around in the parking lot getting ready for the ride, many of us didn’t feel cold…in fact this was a balmy day compared to our December/January rides, with the temperature hovering around 32 degrees.  Although we didn’t confess till about 10 minutes into the ride, many of us were feeling hot, so at our first major stop, we took the chance to unzip, change gloves, etc.  Just before the railroad bridge, we were met by Mark C. who announced that we shouldn’t even attempt the Telephone Pole Trail…we later discovered at the end of our ride that not even the snowmobiles had broken any trail there and it was unrideable.  Instead, we continued further up the paved road and turned off onto a trail that would lead us to the power lines.  Very soon into the ride, it became apparent that the girls would dominate tonight’s ride due to our smaller mass…we were light enough to more or less glide on top of the snow, which had a very icy quality.  Any pressure lost over the back tire would send it spinning freely, and before you knew it, you were mired down with little hope of recovering (short of absolutely grinding your way out).  After the first few minutes, all my thoughts seemed distant, and I was concentrating on my down stroke, trying to keep my heels down and put up a good spin.  I was thinking of the beauty of the woods at night, and the welcomed “warmth” of the ride.  I was thinking of how I love to ride, how I feel like an extension of my wheels.  It’s weird to say, but biking is almost my religion…riding tonight felt spiritual, like food for the soul.  It gives me comfort and connects me to nature.  It makes me feel whole.  Ok, enough of the gushing…and back to the ride report.  Soon after getting to the power lines, Bob decided to split the group up…Penny, Mike, and he would continue on to Big Pine Tree trail, while Mark, Curt, Michelle, and I would head up to Willis Hill and then down Swamp Road.  This proved to be the highlight of the ride…Michelle and I took off and kept up a fast pace, giving the boys a run for their money.  They eventually caught up and Curt razzed us for our display of prowess.  Not really.  We began our ascent up to Willis Hill, and when faced with the choice to head up the left or right, I instinctively went right…wrong!  Mark headed up left and kept going…while the rest of us made it up the firs steep slope and then had to stop.  We hiked for a short bit, and then got back on the bikes.  It was obvious that this part of the slope gets a lot of sun, because any time our tires went off the center snowmobile track, we sunk in the soft snow.  Michelle and I both fell victim and when we fell in the snow, it was like quicksand!  It was very hard to get up, and on the way, the hill added insult to injury by moving a picker bush under me as I fell…the nerve!  After a bit, we made it to the base of Willis Hill and stopped for a snack.  Mark and I both marveled at the delicious, delectable chocolate Gu (which tasted good at the time, but gave me a horrible cramp later on!)  We turned left onto Swamp Road…the absolute highlight!  It was fast riding there, and there were lots of opportunities to get airborne.  We sped down the trail and it was all over too soon.  We all came to the end feeling high on adrenaline, wanting to do it again!  At this point, we met up with Bob, Penny, and Mike and decided that we would begin to head for home.  We again split up, the three taking the low road, and us four going up over Red Rock.  I was proud at making it without having to dab, and the downhill was fun…until we got to a short section that claimed all of us at one point.  I sank down and ended up in the “quicksand” snow, Michelle got stuck, I think Curt got stuck, and once we met Bob at the sand pit, Mark announced that he had just gone endo over the bars.  Yikes…at least it was snow!  We cruised back to the TPT…Bob had a lot of spunk tonight and really put on a show, mashing it across the flats.  I was doing okay despite the split in my side.  We eventually made it out to the road, and headed back to the cars.  We talked a while and all felt like we had a great ride.  It was so good to get out, and I’m jealous that I can’t ride on Sunday!  Enjoy riding this week, and we’ll see you after we get back from AZ!

Thursday, Feb 12th

Tonight was our first trip to the plains in quite a while (over three weeks according to my log). After a few snowstorms that kept us on the road or snowshoes, the trail report from Mark finally indicated that some of the trails may be packed enough to make them rideable.

Seven of us met at the Bookmill parking lot (Bob, Mark, Stephanie, Penny, Mike, Michelle and me). Being so warm while getting ready for the ride was strange. Over the past few months, we've gotten used to getting quite cold while rushing to get ready in subfreezing temperatures, but things felt almost balmy tonight. We bypassed the usual entrance to the trails. Mark told us that the telephone pole trail was too chewed up to ride so we entered via a road and trail I've never been on before.

The trail felt like an uphill ride both ways. We managed to ride along on top of the crust for long sections, but eventually a wheel would break through the thin packed crust into the soft powdery snow below. If we were lucky and had some speed built up, we could ride back up onto the crust. If not our bikes would grind to a halt.

Bob took Penny and Mike on some trails that avoided any major climbs while sending the rest of us towards Willis Hill. There was a lot of walking for me on the hill since the sun had softened the snow a bit here and it wouldn't hold my weight. Michelle and Stephanie had a better time of it, being quite a bit lighter while Mark crossed over and used the trail on the other side of the power lines which turned out to be even more packed.

Mark got to the bottom of the final steep part of the hill first and played on it while waiting for the rest of us to show up. Once there we took a short break then headed toward Red Rock. I thought we were going to head down Swamp road, which would take us to the top of Red Rock, but once on the trail we took a left at one of the branches instead of turning right and ended up on a trail that dropped down to the bottom of Red Rock. This trail was great. Sweeping packed downhill's with plenty of dips and jumps to have fun on. I was in front and am a little more cautious on the descents than a lot of people, so was probably holding Michelle, Stephanie and Mark back from going as fast as they would have liked.

After meeting up with Bob, he sent us up and over Red Rock while he took Mike and "Holy Shit Penny" on a trail that skirted the climb. When we came down the other side, Bob was waiting having sent the other two off for a head start down the power lines.

We took the power lines then the top of the telephone pole trail all the way to the firepit, then took a quick right I have never been on before that had us back at the road in no time. After a quick (warm) sprint on the paved road, we were back at the cars. The ride was strenuous due to all the extra effort needed to push through the soft snow, but I felt great at the end. We'll be coming back here during the day Sunday and hopefully it will be a little more frozen and packed by then. (submitted by Curt)

My original intent was to write a ride report about our trip today. Then I quickly realized we were not riding but snowshoeing. Secondly I have no idea what trails Walterss took us on. Therefore I have no wonderful names for the trails like " TOILET BOWL TRAIL" on the Montague Plains. Well here goes anyway. Betsey (Curt's wife) met me at the bike shop while Curt and Bob headed over to the Plains to bike. We headed to South Deerfield to pick up my sister Helen. She was right ready and off we went to Conway. After missing Walter's turn we backtracked and arrived a little after noon. Walter was there and shortly afterwards a couple, friends of Walters arrived. Bob had provided some extra shoes so that they could also enjoy the fun of snowshoeing. As is tradition the camera came out (Thanks to Betsey for bringing it.) to document our efforts. So all in all the six of us, well actually that is not true, because Walters dogs Luna and Daisy came with us. So eight of us headed out to the trails. The trails were awesome. Walter had prepared them for us with his snowmobile. They were wide, rolling up and down hills. I never realized that there was so much land out behind Walters. The weather was ideal. The sun shining brightly and clear skies. I have no idea what the temperature was but I did not feel cold at all.  I was actually a little overdressed and I had to take a few layers off. Walterss, our intrepid guide even with his hand all wrapped up, chatted and made it fun. He bushwhacked through a very small section (reminiscent of last weeks hike) that led us back to the main trail. We stopped at one point so I could take a picture with Betsey in it, but there was a problem with the battery so no picture, but we will vouch that she was there. We got to see a "Smiling Tree" and lots of beautiful woods. We went a total of about three miles. Hopefully we will get to go again and take a picture of the "Smiling Tree". I know that we were all smiling at the end having been lucky enough to be outside enjoying once again a beautiful day. Thanks Walterss, you're the best.!!

Sunday 2-15: Today was supposed to be a really windy cold day with wind chills in negative numbers, but when I left to go over to the shop there was no wind and the temperatures were in the teens. I was met at the shop by Curt and we loaded the van with the bikes and soon we were heading over to the plains. MaryEllen and Betsey took a load of snowshoes and headed up to Walterss house to snowshoe with him. When I arrived at the parking spot we were met there by Jack, Sean L., Ben L., Liam (Bicyclist Liam O'Brien of South Deerfield), Michelle, and Norm. I led the group down the road and we all felt the cold as the wind hit our faces, it really get cold when you are on the road at this time of the year. I took the group over to the Bernardo Drive trailhead and we got out of wind and into the woods. Liam was in the lead and I was right behind him as we made our way out to the Telephone Pole Trail. We continued on the Telephone Pole Trail all the way out to Old Northfield Road where Liam stopped to change his gloves and Sean got a repair to his seatpost. After the repair we headed off along the power lines to the Banked Trails. All the trails were just like highways, perfectly smooth and hard as concrete. We kept the pace high on the way out to Willis Hill Road, which was easy to do on the snow highway and when we got to the turn we just kept on going. Liam was in the lead, with Jack and myself right behind him, as we made our way onto the first climb. I passed Jack about half way up and then I got into my rhythm and was able to climb all the way up the hill without any difficulty. I arrived at the top of the hill and waited for everyone to catch up. Sean was a little way back so we gave him a breather before heading out. We decided to do the Middle Road trail back down to Red Rock Road and then climb up Red Rock to do another loop over to Willis Hill. I followed Jack and Liam down the hill and I have to say that the trail was a lot of fun to ride. Unlike the summertime when we have to watch out for slippery rocks and roots as well as several large vernal pools, this was a perfectly smooth trail of frozen snow. When we got to the bottom of the hill we turned right and headed up to Red Rock. I had trouble shifting and was the last to make the climb. As I came down the over the top I crashed into some soft snow and then had to walk the rest of the way up. At the top of the hill we could see that the Swamp Trail was not rideable so we decided to head straight down to the sand pit. I walked over to the edge of the descent and I could see that there was a lot of open ground on the right side of the trail so I decided to hike down the hill to check out the trail conditions. I went a little way down the hill and found that the trail was quite rideable. Jack was the first to ride down the hill followed by Liam and Ben and then the rest of us followed. Michelle walked down the hill to capture the action on her helmet camera. At the bottom of the hill we saw a trail that headed over to the sand pit and it looked like we could ride it, but several hundred feet into the woods, we were all walking. After the short hike we all headed off on the Rambler's Road which brought us back to the Banked Trails. At this point I went to the back of the group and rode with Sean over to the power lines. When we got to the power lines Jack had to head home so he rode the power lines back to Old Northfield Road while the rest of us took the Banked Trail over to the Telephone Pole Trail. We finished the ride on the Bernardo Drive Trail and then took the road back to the parking spot.  We did a total of 9.6 miles according to my GPS and I hope that Curt will be able to use the data to make some maps. It was a very nice day to be outside and we hope to do it again on Tuesday night.

Sunday, Feb. 15th

More fun on the plains today. I met Bob at the shop, at the same time dropping off Betsy who continued on to Walter's house for a snowshoe hike with MaryEllen, her sister, Walter and others.

On the way to Montague, Bob and I drove through Plains road so we could check out the condition of Parrot's Passage. We could see from the road that it was completely un-traveled, so we scratched that one off our list of trails for today's ride.

Things were feeling pretty cold today since we have gotten used to some warmer temperatures in the past week or so. Once we got to the Bookmill parking lot we were met by Jack, Michelle, Sean, Liam and Brad(? not 100% sure on the name...). Mark C and Chris Koh were also supposed to be there, but there was no sign of them by the start so we headed off without them. I was planning on doing more mapping with my GPS, but I couldn't get it to power on for more than a few seconds. I think it is time to send it out for repair. Sean had his GPS but wasn't sure if it was set up to record the track. Bob had his GPS, he knew how to work it, and it wasn't broken. So we were 1 for 3 :(

The wind-chill out on the paved road heading for the trails was harsh. I got an instant headache where the skin on my forehead was exposed. We rolled past the Telephone Pole trail (still not packed) and entered via the way we rode out on our Sunday trip.

The trails were much harder today. The cold temperatures really froze things up and most of the trails were as hard as pavement. Once in a while I would still break through for a split second, but never enough to kill my momentum. We stayed on some of the bigger better traveled trails as we made our way to Willis Hill. We had learned our lesson on Thursday about the right hand side of this climb, so today made sure to take the left route up. I only had to hike once when I couldn't keep traction with my rear wheel and spun to a stop on the steepest section. When I reached the top, I took a few more pounds of air out of my rear tire and didn't have that problem anymore.

From Willis Hill, we turned left and took the same trail we had taken on Thursday to the bottom of Red Rock. Liam and some of the others must have really flown on this nice section since they arrived at the bottom a good minute before the rest of the group.

I lost track of just what trails we were on from here. We went up over Red Rock with plans of taking Swamp road back to Willis hill, but the trail on Swamp road looked very soft so we kept going straight. Michelle and Bob got video and photos of some riders coming down the steep drop on the backside of Red Rock, then we turned right for a hike over a VERY soft trail that wasn't very rideable. Jack left us at the power lines to head out while the rest of us continued on. Several twisting trails later (Bob was doing his best to get us all lost) we came to a section of trail that had seen no traffic at all. We hiked our bikes for 50 yards or so before coming back out onto the road.

Brad and Liam left us here to do another hour or so of riding. The remains of the group followed the road out and back to the parking area. This was another great min-Winter ride that I'm glad I didn't miss. (submitted by Curt)

Tuesday 2-17: At 6:00 I left the shop with Curt and followed him over to the Bookmill parking spot where we were met by Ben, MPM, Jack, and Liam. We got ready and soon we were heading out of the parking lot. It was a really nice day today with plenty of sunshine and fairly warm temperatures (mid twenties) so I assumed that the ride tonight would be a warmer than the ride on Sunday. I was wrong! I was leading the group down the road to the trails and I though that I was going to freeze to death. Boy it was cold out in the open! I got the group over to the Bernardo Drive Trail and soon we were out on the Telephone Pole Trail. Our plan was to do the ride up Dry Hill and then turn around and come back. I was personally hoping that I could find a way to make a loop , but I haven't been up on the hill in quite some time and I wasn't sure the trails would be open. I led the group over to County Road and then up the hill to Sirum's field. At this point Ben went to the front to lead us up the hill. I kept pace for most of the way up the steep climb but I lost traction on a icy patch about 3/4 of the way to the top. I must admit that I was pretty whipped when I started walking and I was off and on the bike for the rest of the way. Ben, Liam and Jack were waiting at Sirum's driveway which cuts the trail about half way to the top. After a brief rest we headed off to the next climb (where Liam was waiting for us) and we all were sweating buckets by the time we got to the turn-around point. We had discussed briefly continuing on, but some of the lights were starting to dim and we still had a 45 minute return to do. We agreed to head back and soon we all were flying down the hill. I was behind Jack until he misjudged a hill and wound up in the wrong gear and lying on the snow. MPM, Curt and I waited until he got up and we were sure he was OK before continuing. I was a little tentative on the lower part of the trail as there was several sections of ice near the bottom. Everyone negotiated the ice without a problem and soon we were crossing the highway and getting back onto the Plains. We had to stop at one point to let some nice folks on snowmobiles pass. They were very nice and soon we were heading back up the hill to the Telephone Pole Trail. I led the group down to Bernardo Drive Trail and then out onto the hardtop road which leads us back to the parking lot. I got my gear off and we all decided to head over to Ben's house for some refreshments. We broke into Ben's house whilst he was off with Liam securing the refreshments at a local store. When Ben came home he found us waiting in his kitchen and his family was upstairs unaware of the intruders. We all commenced to enjoy the refreshments Ben and Liam got as well as a cake that Jack had provided. After spending some time in front of the wood stove we all headed off for home. A really nice ride.

Tuesday, Feb. 17th

Originally, the plan for this ride was to hit the plains again and go up the backside of Willis Hill. But after hearing about Ben and Liam's ride on 'Dry Hill' Sunday, we decided to give it a try.

I've never been on the trail before, so it was new to me. We entered the plains via the trail we've been using instead of the lower part of the telephone pole trail, then rode the upper section of that trail until we hit the power lines. Instead of turning left here onto the power lines like we always have in the past, we continued straight through until we came to Lake Pleasant Road. We cut right and stayed on some off-camber snowmobile trails that went along the tops of the snow banks along the road then dropped onto the road itself just before crossing the rail tracks. Halfway up the short hill Jacks light turned yellow and died. We stopped on the road for a few minutes so he could swap batteries. Ben took advantage of the stop to put some more air into his rear shock, then we were ready to continue on.

Just a bit further down the road we crossed Rte 63 and headed into the trails. This trail was an nicely packed as some of the plains trails have been, and the cold weather meant that they were rock-hard. Things started off flat then transitioned to a gentle climb. The grade continued to get steeper until eventually I was in my granny gear. Just when I was starting to really feel some burning and didn't know how much longer I could keep pushing the pedals around, Ben mentioned that just around the corner 'it got steep'.

I wasn't alone in getting off and hiking this short section, which was steep enough that even walking was a bit of a workout. This hill just kept going and going and soon I was in my 'What the hell do I do this for?' frame of mind. A few more steep sections, another short hike or two, and we reached a road crossing. This was the top of the steepest bit of the climb. I was told that everything ahead was just rolling hills.

I had a great time for the next few miles. I had dropped off the back of the group, but could still see the train of bike lights and Bob's blinking safety light 50 yards ahead as I swept along the perfect trails. After riding out for a bit, we reached an intersection and stopped to decide on a route from here. Basically, the consensus was that any route from here would make too long of a loop to do tonight, so we decided to turn back and just to the ride as an 'out and back'.

The ride back to the road crossing turned out to be more down than up from here. I remembered one short sharp dip in the trail that might be a challenge and was sure to be in the right gear when I dropped down into it. Bob, Mark and Jack hadn't made it up the other side, but I hit it just right and powered my way up it just as they pulled their bikes out of the trail to make room for me. In no time at all we were all back at the road ready for the sharp descent back to the trail entrance.

I was worried as we started down that the trail might be too steep to ride comfortably, but it was one sweet ride. Wide sweeping turns, short drops, small jumps made by the snowmobiles... it almost made up for the pain I suffered while climbing UP it!

Once back on Lake Pleasant road, we made our way back toward the plains, stopping once to let 3 snowmobiles pass us in the other direction. After a short section of trail, we were back at the intersection of the telephone pole trail and the power lines.

At this point the question was raised. Go right, heading for another 45 minutes of biking or turn Left for beer.

After our left turn (the vote was unanimous), we rolled back do the side trail we used to access the road and back to the cars. The evening ended with beer and snacks at Ben's house.

Thursday 2-19: It was a fairly warm day today and I wasn't too sure if we would be able to ride. The temperature got up to 37 degrees this afternoon, but quickly dropped to below freezing when the sun went down. I left the shop at 6:00 and headed over to Montague where I met up with tonight's group which included Mike S., , Michelle, Jack, and Curt. I arrived and got my gear ready and was going to put my Camelbak on when I realized that I had left it at the shop. I switched gears and got a water bottle out of the back of the van and soon we were on our way. I led the group over to Bernardo Drive Trail and then to the fire pit where we re-grouped. The trails were pretty firm and I had no problems getting to this point so I thought that we would head over to the Banked Trail. This proved to be a challenge! The trail was pretty hard packed by snowmobiles, but it was softer than the Telephone Pole Trail. Mike had a hard time riding it so when he caught up to us on the road, I let about half the air out of his tires. I have been running on about 15 to 20 PSI when we are on the snow and this seems to be the optimum pressure for traction as well as float. After getting Mike squared away we then hiked through the woods for 100 yards to the Banked trails where we were able to ride. We rode out to the power lines and then we headed west. We rode over to the sand pit where I suggested that we take Jake's Trail to Willis Hill. Big mistake! We rode/fell/walked for about a mile or so on a rarely used snowmobile trail. I had thought that the snowmobiles would have used this route to get over to Willis Hill, but apparently they only came through here once or twice. When we got to the climb it was all walking until we got three quarters of the way up the hill, at which point we encountered two snowmobiles coming down the hill. We stepped off the trail to let them by and I thought that they would have packed the trail down enough to let us ride it. Nope, they just made it worse! Michelle tried to ride it but she only got a few feet before sinking into the snow and dismounting. I watched as some of the other riders tried to get going but everyone met the same fate. We hiked over to the Pine Forest Trail and we were then able to get back on and ride all the way to the top of Willis Hill. From there we were able to ride on really nice hard packed trails all the way down Middle Road to Red Rock Road. I took up the sweep behind Mike and I left a large gap so that when I got to the downhill I was able to let it rip on the wonderful sweeping turns and jumps that the snowmobiles made. When I got to the bottom we all headed over to the BPT trail where I had Mike take a shorter loop while the rest of us did the trail over to Willis Hill Road and then back to Plain's Road where Mike was waiting. We took the Plain's Road back to the power lines and then turned left and headed back to the Telephone Pole Trail. The trails were in perfect condition and we kept a fairly high pace all the way back to Bernardo Drive where we regrouped for the ride back to the parking lot. The temperatures were much milder than the last few rides that we did and I did not feel cold at all. When we got back to the parking lot we loaded the cars and headed for home. All in all we did 10.5 miles in 1-1/2 hours which was pretty good considering how much hiking we did.

Thursday, Feb. 19th

Things were pretty warm today, which is probably one of the reasons that only a few people showed for tonight's ride (Bob, Michelle, Jack, Mike and myself). We were expecting the trails to be soft and a little tough to ride.

Our expectations were proven correct. The first trail we used to enter the plains was fine, as it had been in the shade all day. But once at the telephone pole trail Bob led us left onto a trail that was very soft and very chewed up by snowmobile traffic. I was having a lot of problem staying on top of the snow, so soon fell off the back of the group and had to walk much of it. When we got back out to Old Northfield RD both Mike and I let quite a bit of air out of our tires (I thought I already had them low, but today's warmer temps had them feeling hard). After dropping several lbs of pressure, the rest of the ride was much easier.

Bob took us back into the woods onto a trail that existed nowhere but in his own mind. It had not been traveled or packed for at least the last few storms, so we didn't even try to ride it. We had to get through it so we could connect to the Banked trail on the other end.

As soon as we were on a more traveled trail the riding improved quite a bit. We kept up a good pace until leaving this 'highway' to turn back onto smaller trails. This is where things started to get fun. Though the trails looked nice, as soon as the first person went up them they broke up into powder. We were only able to ride short sections before falling or just grinding to a halt. We also had to look out for what I started to think of as 'tiger traps'; Parts of the trail that LOOKED the same but were really just a thin crust over a deeper hole of powder. As soon as our wheels dropped into one of these traps we would come to a sudden stop, lucky if we didn't get tossed off the trail at the same time!

Bob had it in his mind that we were going to up the backside of Willis Hill, so onward we marched. I saw one particular rider fall more on this one ride than I've seen all the years I've been riding with him (Don't worry B.P., I won't mention any names).

Getting to the top of Willis Hill was a hike. We tried over and over to ride small sections but were never able to stay on the bikes for more than 10-20' at a time. Finally, about 80% of the way up, we hit a more traveled trail and were able to ride the rest of the way.

From the top we rode down the steep part of Willis Hill (Much easier in the smooth snow than it is in the summer when it is all rocky and full of ruts) before turning right onto Middle road. This section gets better every time we ride it. This time I really let loose and built up quite a bit of speed over the snowmobile-packed bumps, jumps and banks.

At the end of the trail we headed for the Pine Tree trail then some other trails before starting to head home. All in all, this in probably one of the toughest 'flat' rides I have ever taken. Riding flat sections in this soft snow took as much effort as climbing an endless 15% grade!

Sunday, Feb. 22nd

Trail conditions were no good for riding after some snow and freezing rain on Saturday. Instead of doing the trainer, Betsy and I headed for a 2 hour hike in Pisgah park. We did a nice 5-mile loop at a pace that left plenty of time to enjoy the views and stop to take photos. We were using snowshoes because we had no idea at the start what condition the trails were going to be in. As it turns out, things were packed enough that we could have done without them. As a matter of fact, I spent the whole hike thinking to myself what a great trail this would be for a bike ride!
 

Tuesday, Feb 26th
A #1 Extra-Primo Good

I was watching the thermometer all day today, imagining the trails melting away as the mercury climbed into the mid-30s. By the time it came to head South for the ride, I wasn't expecting too much but I really have to keep getting out whenever I can even if the 'ride' turns into a nice hike in the woods like it did last Thursday.

Only Michelle and I showed up at the Bookmill parking lot at the appointed time. The woods around the parking lot were clear of snow in big patches, not a good sign for trail conditions. I was feeling so pessimistic about the ride that I was almost waiting for her to suggest that we bail on the idea. As we pulled out of the parking lot we were already planning on 'worse case' scenarios. If the trails into the telephone pole were too soft, we could just take Old Northfield road to the power lines. If we couldn't find ANY good trails, we could just go up and down the power lines a few times. At this point, nothing could have been as bad as what I was half expecting to encounter.

Ten feet after we pulled onto the first trail, I knew we were in for a pleasant surprise tonight. Despite the warm temperatures over the last few days, the trail was hard, smooth and very very nice. It even had a thin layer of fresh crust on it that smoothed it out and made riding almost silent. The telephone pole wasn't quite as nice but we had nothing to complain about. This trail set the pattern for the rest of the ride. It was hard packed and easy to ride but just a bit slower than it might have been in the dead of winter due to a very thin layer of crunch corn-snow on top.

With the luck we'd had so far, we decided to try for the 'Second First Left' trail. While not as perfect, it was certainly rideable It has seen a variety of snowmobile and ATV traffic and as long as we stayed in the packed lanes we were fine.

This trail took up toward the Banked Trail. As we got up towards the end, I started to smell the unmistakable scent of pine and very fresh sawdust. Big news: The banked trail area has been heavily logged! It looks like they used the trail itself as one of the borders of the logging operation, as everything to our right was thinned while nothing to our left was touched at all. The trail itself was very chewed up by the skidders and littered with chunks of wood, twigs and small sticks. Even with this damage, it was very rideable and even a little bit of a fun technical challenge.

Once back out of the logged area, we headed for Willis Hill. I was thinking that if any trail tonight was going to be soft, this would be it after sitting in the sun all day. But I was wrong. It was as hard packed and perfect as everything else we had been on so far.

This may have been the first ride this Winter that I finished the Willis Hill climb without dabbing at all (except for the final steep section that would be a challenge to anybody). Once at the top, we turned off our lights and enjoyed the view. The night so far couldn't have been more perfect. I was almost afraid to say anything to that effect and jinx the rest of the ride.

We rolled down the steep section of the hill (Michelle plummeted down the Left, while I picked my way down the Right trail) then turned onto my new favorite trail - Middle Road. From there we went over Red Rock then hooked our way back around to the Middle Road intersection again. Finally we headed out the Big Pine Tree trail then meandered around a bit before heading home via the power lines.

This ride rates as one of my top-5 (maybe even #1) for the season. Anyone who bailed on it because of the warm weather should consider this a lesson learned and SHOW UP next time!

Sunday, Feb 29th
Distance - 46.62
Average - 17.3
Temp - ~50°
Ending Mileage - 156.9

Michelle and I had been planning on riding today ever since the weather forecasts started talking about temps that might hit 50+. She was scheduled for a 3 hour training ride and I was willing to go along to keep her company. Stephanie let Michelle know that she was up for riding as well, then Bob got involved and pulled Jack in with him.

So in the final revision of the ride, we all planned on a 1:30 ride from the shop. Michelle and I wanted a ride possibly longer than Stephanie or Jack were up for, so we planned on starting a loop with them then adding on to make it into something around 3hrs/50 miles. ME and Penny started at the same time for a shorter ~20 mile ride down the valley.

Summer tights, a jersey and wind jacket were just right for today's ride. The only part of me that got chilly was my toes shortly after riding through the first wet areas. I think I'd better stick to using booties over my shoes until the roads dry out. As in any Spring ride, there was plenty of water flying around. Within a few miles we (and our bikes) were wet and muddy.

We took it easy down past Old Deerfield (avoiding Main St. due to some kind of event). Once we got up over the short climb on Mill Village road and onto Lee road, it was all smooth sailing down toward Whately. I kept glancing back at Michelle as we approached the town line and she took this as a sign that I was going to go for it, so she launched a preemptive strike to take the line. I'm beginning to learn that when either one of us says 'No town line games today' that all changes when either on of us spies a sign in the distance. Very Pavlovian.

Jack and Stephanie started to fade on the rollers as we made our way South and were pretty toasted by the time we turned East and crossed the highway. We decided to drop down a road so we could give Jamie a shout as we passed. He must have hidden behind the couch when he heard us coming, since we never saw his friendly face as we rolled past. (He MUST have been home, since I saw his... er his FATHERS... truck in the driveway).

Bob peeled off with Jack and Stephanie, leaving Michelle and I to drop further South before turning North on River Rd for the trip home. While flat, we ran into some headwind as we started North. We set a pretty easy pace and didn't try to fight the wind too much. After crossing the river on 116, we turned North on 47. I was feeling a bit low on energy by this time, so soft pedaled for a bit and took the opportunity to down a Gu and some water. It took me a while to find my pace again as the road slowly angled up for the long climb up this section of 47, but by the time we reached the top I was feeling the Gu :) We rolled down to 63 and followed it North to Millers Falls, then turned left into Turners. We were going to come up short on miles/time so I suggested a quick 'out and back' to Wendell to get our mileage up but I was voted down (quite forcibly). Instead once we got to Turners we headed South for the final painful push over Poet's Seat (it didn't kill me, so it must have made me stronger) before rolling back to the shop.

From what I've heard, Stephanie and Jack had more of an adventure (big bonks & a flat tire). Hopefully someone from that group will write about it so I can find out the details!