Last week of 2010 - Wonderful!

What a week!
Hiking in 3 feet snow drifts on Monday
In Hungry Mother State Park to Mollies Knob
Biking the Shenandoah Valley roads on Tuesday
Skiing super deep backcountry powder at Whitegrass on Wednesday
Rolled a quick road ride on Thursday just before dark
Friday's road ride was sooooo warm and refreshing
Happy New Year!

Narrowback has amazing views out into the larger watersheds to the west!

Virginia's George Washington National Forest is amazing. Black powder season is a few days off.

Stokesville is a golden glow! Looking for the perfect trail alignment to Narrowback south!

Lynn Trail switchback is reconstructed in the George Washington National Forest

First assess the worksite and make it a safe area to work
Make a plan that can be successfully completed
Start digging the foundation for the rock crib wall
After cutting the back slope
Spread the soil on the trail tread
Tamp the ground to compact the soil
Take a moment to appreciate your hard work that will last forever

Lynn Trail is the 2nd climb in the Shenandoah Mountain 100 bicycle route. It is one heck of a challenging trail to climb. The Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition just reconstructed the rocky steep and very difficult to ride switchback about half way up the trail. Thanks to Ed Sutton of Trail Dynamics for coming out and volunteering with our local bicycle club. Trail Dynamics just finish the work on lower Wolf Ridge Trail which is the descent that bicycles use after the climb on Lynn Trail in the Shenandoah Mountain 100. The Wolf Ridge trail project was funded by a Recreational Trails Program (RTP) grant that the Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition was awarded. The grant is administered through Virginia's Department of Conservation and Recreation and funded by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). The funds are from the estimated tax from fuel that is not used on our highways.

Jeremiah leads Cory and Andy on day 3 - Shenandoah Mountain Trail a remote trail in the George Washington National Forest

Another beautiful day of backcountry bike packing along the Great Eastern Trail. Most of the proposed Great Eastern Trail is shared use and open to bicycles in the George Washington National Forest. Where the trail alignment goes towards single use trails like the AT in Southern Virginia and parts of West Virginia the bicycle route will takes its own direction towards Damascus, Virginia. This bicycle route will be taking the name Virginia Mountain Bike Trail to represent the route best for bicyclists in Virginia.

Jeremiah Bishop on day 1 of his bike packing trip pioneering the Virginia Mountain Bike Trail

What a day it was!

Spruce Knob/ Seneca Creek IMBA Epic, WV

We rode our bicycles so very far into the wild lands of West Virginia in Seneca Creek this weekend. Autumn at its finest. Huckleberry Trail, Lumberjack, High Meadows, a swim in Seneca Creek, Horton, Allegheny Mtn. to Whites Run. What an adventure! Thank you Monongahela National Forest for maintaining these fine trails. The brush job on Allegheny Mtn. Trail down to Whites Run was stupendous!

North Fork Mountain Trail - IMBA Wild Ride Sunday Oct. 17th - 10am Redman Run Trailhead

Dan Fudala enjoying the solitude as he rides his bicycle deep into the wilderness along North Fork Mountain Trail in the Monongahela National Forest.

The North Fork Mountain Trail is in the Spruce Knob/Seneca Rocks National Recreation Area. Call you representative in Washington, DC and ask them to oppose the pending Wilderness Bill and request to have them recommend that the National Recreation Area have stronger legislation that will protect this area from threats such as new road building, wind power, mining, horizontal drilling and timber management. The pending Wilderness bill will only fragment this trail system by making the northern end closed to bicycles and very hard to maintain because chainsaws will no longer be permitted for trail clearing or brushing. Stronger NRA language will also protect the amazing riding in Seneca Creek just below Spruce Knob, an area
where bicycle access has been threatened in the past. There is a better tool for the job. Stronger NRA language that treats all non-motorized recreationalists fairly over the restrictive Wilderness designation which
hurts everyone access to this amazing wild place.

Here is more info about the North Fork Mountain Trail
http://savenorthfork.blogspot.com/

Check out some amazing pictures from these IMBA Epic rides
North Fork Mountain Trail - 3 great pictures shows below
http://picasaweb.google.com/shenandoah.mountain.touring/JimmyMcNorthFork#
http://picasaweb.google.com/shenandoah.mountain.touring/NorthForkMountainTrailIMBAEpicRide#
http://picasaweb.google.com/chrisscottistan/NorthForkMountainTrailIMBAEpicWestVirginia#
Spruce Knob/ Seneca Creek
http://picasaweb.google.com/shenandoah.mountain.touring/SpruceKnobSenecaCreekBackcountry#

The weather broke just in time to nail a quick ride on the country roads in Rockingham County

Massanutten Mountain Full Monty - all day bicycle ride on trail has begun

For me its about over
And its been amazing
I have to be back in Harrisonburg by 8:00am

For the others its barely just begun
At 5:30am the gang departed Harrisonburg
Pedaling through the dark streets out into the county

Massanutten Mountain from south to north in a day
Its no easy feat
Over 12 hrs of bicycle riding on VERY technical trail

George Washington National Forest - Lee Ranger District
Access via our SVBC Massanutten Resort trail pass
The balance of trail is USFS ending at Buzzard Rocks near Front Royal

Bicycle time - George Washington National Forest trail here I come!

What an amazing day bicycling in the George Washington National Forest. Some amazing singletrack and scenic forest roads.

Shenandoah Valley Century

What an amazing day for the Shenandoah Valley Century
Art did an amazing job with the help of the Shenandoah Valley Bicycle
Coalition
and all his friends

I joined in for the last 50 of the 100 miles, how amazing it was!
Kari was crusing along effortlessly
Mike was riding wheelies
Captain Capraro is getting stronger after his knee trouble
The Wo pretty much kept it together
Leah seems to be riding great after her first SM100 last weekend
Misty's upper head conjestion cut her day short by 20 miles

Great roads for bicycling in Augusta and Rockingham Counties
A cool fall day bicycling in the Shenandoah Valley - aaaaaaaah!