Trail Sabotage on Thornhill

I did a few laps on Thornhill today.  What someone had done on Bear Ridge Trail really infuriated me, but I didn't let it wreck my ride.

Someone went through some great effort to put logs and branches across the trail in 5 different spots. It's the fact that people can easily get hurt due to the thoughtless actions of this saboteur that upsets me.  Kids, hikers, horseback riders, dog walkers, bikers can all be injured by this persons actions.  I have removed all the obstacles, taken pictures, called the police, called the city and called the local newspaper.  I hope this stops without anyone getting hurt.

The only trail that I found debris on was Bear Ridge Trail.  I continued my ride on a few other trails where I enjoyed the view and gave my dog a good run.

Golden Ears (with no snow)

A tranquil fern lined forest 

One happy dog at the end of our ride.

Riding in Rivers

I went for a quick after work ride to Thornhill.  It was raining; Big Mistake.

I was basically riding in rivers down most of the trails. The trails up Thornhill really aren't designed for wet weather traffic. Today's ride revealed where the trails I rode require some help with drainage.

WIND

I went for a ride today in likely the windiest conditions I've ever been in.  Near the beginning of my ride I drained a few puddles and have given some thought on making a few How-To peiced to be published online.

NEVER LINE YOUR TRAILS WITH LOGS

NEVER LINE YOUR TRAILS WITH LOGS

It was somewhat windy when I started but it picked up once I was in the trees.


I decided to cut my ride short when a small branch hit me on the shoulder (a bit of a wake-up call).

Misty Morning at The Woodlot

At dawn I was at The Woodlot with Tilly riding in the mist.

At home it was miserable and raining, but in the mountains I was above the rain filled clouds and in the mist.

The layers of mist in the mountains.

The trails were basically dry and it was warm enough that I didn't need my jacket or toque.  The trails I rode were Blood Donor, Giant Killer, Snakes and Ladders and then Shotgun.

After the work that Ryan, Ian and I did on our night build a few weeks ago Snakes was riding really well; no wet spots or issues that need addressing at this time.  My reroute is bedding in well and only needs a few finishing touches and then I'll be on to the next section.

Tilly had a good run and we made it home without even getting wet. 

I'm back

It's been a couple years since I regularly updated my riding journal, but it's a new year and I've decided to fire this thing back up.

My first ride of 2015 took me to Bear Mtn to ride with Paul, Andrew and Nat.  The ride started with a pedaled up Big Trouble in Little Chaining and then up to Lorax.  Lorax in the snow is a lot of fun but the rock face in the clear cut was a bit of an eye opener being covered in a layer of slushy ice and snow.

We then climbed back to Luge and Sorcerers Apprentice but on the way Nat encountered a flat caused by a piece of wire going through his tire.

The boys fixing a flat

I then ride Luge and Sorcerers Apprentice for the fist time.  Luge is a pinned straight shot of a trail that I'd prefer to do unclipped and on a bigger bike, but it was fun nonetheless.  

The sign at the top of Luge

The last trail of the ride was Jolly Rancher where we were all having a hoot until Nat had a nasty spill that flung him over his bars and on his head.  He ended up with a few cuts on his forehead that we cleaned up, but he will likely require some butterfly bandages or stitches.  Fortunately he was okay to ride out to the vehicles and go get patched up.

Overall it was a great start to my riding year.  I felt sluggish due to being a glutton over the Christmas break but anytime on the bike is a good time.

I have moved My Riding Journal to my own website

I have moved this blog to its own website.

Please go to http://www.mtnbike.ca

Hot summer day at The Woodlot

My bike of choice today was my Rune and the location yet again was The Woodlot. Recently I received information about the logging that is going to take place and I wanted to see if any progress had been made.

At the bottom of the climb there was a sign posted on the side of the trail to inform the area users that logging and trail closures are on their way.

Further up the climb I took another picture of wall of rock.  It keeps growing every week I ride.  Unfortunately it's going to get knocked down when the logging takes place in a month or so.

Not too far past the wall of rock there are a number of piles of gravel that are going to be used as the road base for the logging roads.  This material is going to make the climb even easier than it is now up the main logging road.  Another new thing I have noticed are road markers that mark the distances along the woodlot main road.

At the powerlines I turned left to climb to the top and gain access to Krazy Karpenter.  Karpenter is in decent shape given the amount of traffic it sees and the nasty wet year we have had.  It never seems there is enough time to work on all the trails that I'd like to, but there is one stunt that Tim and I would like to finish some time soon and it involves a lot of ladders.  Maybe by the end of the summer.

I then hit Upper Toadstool which is always a blast and then over to Giant Killer.  Ryan has been hard at work dialing in the trail and recently he has put a lot of work into a slight re-route of a corner on beside the long log section.  We had talked about his re-route since Christmas time of last year and I'd say it is one more work day away from completion.

I then hit Snakes and Ladders and then Shotgun to finish off my ride ride for the day.  It was SMOKIN hot today and it felt great to ride in the summer heat.

Misty Golden Ears

I decided to go for a bit of a pedal today.  With my bike loaded on my car I headed to Golden Ears park and Alouette Mtn.

My route took me up the Eric Dunning Trail and then along the Alouette Mountain Fire Access Trail to the second shortcut trail.  Along the way I spotted a few not so well known off the map trails that I one day hope to explore.

On the fire access road between the two shortcut trails is this lookout.  Over the years the view is getting smaller and smaller due to the trees growing and blocking the view.  My guess is in 5 years some trees will need to be removed.

Once at the top, I started my descent which is about 20 minutes or so with next to no pedaling.  It's not a bad ride when a nice easy pedal is desired with a fun descent on a smaller bike.

Morning of Repairs

This morning I met Mitch at The Woodlot to go for a ride and to give him an introduction to trail building.  Mitch wants to help out on the trails, but he hasn't ever done any trail work.

While I pedaled my Rune and he pushed his bike up, we were able to talk about some trail basics and other things bike related.

At the top of Cabin Trail we geared up and I began riding down to one of the last bomb hole sections that I plan on repairing on Cabin.  I had Mitch collect most of the rock while I pieced everything together.

Within 20 minutes the hole was fixed and we began riding down. Once the trail leveled out and the pedaling began, Mitch's chain snapped and needed repairing. Then when we rode down Snakes and Ladders, I had a flat. By this time Mitch had to leave so I rode Shotgun solo hoping that nothing else was going to break on me.  I didn't have a good feeling seeing a couple Turkey Vultures circle me in the clearing.

I've had many days without a mechanical, but all it felt like I did today was repair things.

Wrong Turn

My plan today was to go for a spin for a few hours and see if I could find an easier way into the UBC Research Forest. I seem to have found a decent route. It needs a few trees cleared off it and there is a significant creek crossing that requires your feet to get wet but it is a lot faster to get into the area than my previous route.

The picture below shows where a bridge used to be located. Several years ago the road in the area had some huge washouts so the road was shut down and the bridge was removed.

If you look really carefully you can see and imprint across the cement that reads "UBC FRST 78"

My plan was to ride to Jabobs lake and then turn around to come home. I made on wrong turn and decided to continue on a logging road that went up to a clearcut that isn't really shown on many maps. The climb was easy and gradual and ended with an okay view of the Fraser Valley, but is wasn't what I was looking for.

The Fraser Valley with through the haze.

Looking west to Gloomy Peak and Gabbro Mountain in Coquitlam.

Once I snapped a photos I headed back to my car and home. Not a bad exploratory ride considering a wrong turn.

View Clearcut East of Jacobs Lake in a larger map