Virginia Mountain Bike Trail - day 6 - Matt Smith stretches it out rolling through Blue Grass Hollow on lead into Little Mare.

Lunch stop ahead at Trappers  Lodge. Shenandoah Mountain Trail was amazing yesterday on day 5.

Trail Improvement Project in the GW - Moving Forward! - Thanks USFS, SVBC, SMT, IMBA and Ironwood Outdoors

The North River Ranger District of the George Washington National Forest has partnered with Ironwood Outdoors to rehabilitate a portion of the Wild Oak National Recreation Trail, Bear Draft Trail and Shaffer Hollow Trail. District Ranger Elwood Burge is leveraging limited trail maintance funding that will end up quadrupling its value before the project is done. By the time the project is completed the Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition, Shenandoah Mountain Touring, the International Mountain Bicycling Association and other trail volunteer groups will contribute volunteer hours and provide financial assistance helping Ironwood Outdoors more the project forward.


The trail project is in Augusta County on Lookout Mountain which over looks the North River watershed in the George Washington National Forest. Stabilizing the soil on these mountain trails will improve water quality and provide a better recreational experience for all the non motorized trail visitors which consists of equestrians, bicyclists, hikers and trail runners. National Forest Trail Specialist Christian Canary said, "we are really excited to give the bicyclists' this opportunity to improve these system trails that they enjoy so much. Everyone will benefit from this collaboration"

Shaffer Hollow Trail and portions of the Wild Oak Trail are used in the upcoming Shenandoah Mountain 100 Backcountry Bicycle Event held on Sunday September 4th. The annual event is held the Sunday of Labor Day weekend. 2011 will mark the 13 edition of the event. The event is operated under a special event permit with the George Washington National Forest. The event brings over 2000 visitors to the Forest each year contributing over $500,000 annually to the local economy while leveraging hundreds of volunteer trail improvement hours associated with the event.

Shenandoah Mountain Touring, LLC

http://www.mountaintouring.com/

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.

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!

Bicycle Adventure on Virginia's section of the Great Eastern Trail

The Highland Retreat is a great HQ to base your Carr Mountain Trail Build day from

Always amazing in the Criders/Bergton area - Shenandoah Mountain is off in the distance

It does get quite narrow when the road turns into Fr. 232

A church is always a great navagational tool - almost always an icon on the map

This store on the corner is home to a wealth of local history and knowledge

Snake Hollow brings you up the backside towards Whitegrass Knob

This is actually the area where Chipper created his "Whitegrass" dream

Left turn is Fr. 232 - right side is a dead end

It is private property all around, but is the road?

Is this really the deal - help me out here?

Is this where the hostility comes from?

Thanks!

The Turners is on the right, please stay left on Fr. 232

Nice idea

This little bear likes it too!

Nice of the locals to make this warming fire for me

I am so excited that we have 150 miles of this amazing trail in Virginia's George Washington National Forest that is prime bicycle trail. Only a tiny section that is not currently open to bikes (7 miles) in the Ramsey's Draft Wilderness Area. Carr Mountain Trail is still yet to be finished. That is why I went out for this great ride on Carr Mountain's parallel route Fr. 232. It's a great ride up onto Shenandoah Mountain. We just have to sort the access issue. Yes, it may not be a United States Forest Service (USFS) access through-road for motorized users. But it is a access through-road for non-motorized users. Huge props to the Turners for keeping their nice section of road clean, and putting in the trash barrel. Looks like Mr. Bear
is checking it often. I am guessing it is some of the other neighbors that are putting up the threatening posts about access. Bummer! Time to get this straight because it could be a few years until the Carr Mountain trail takes us high and dry above these folks and their "private" road.

Quick Fixy spin with Jeremiah Bishop and Mike Carpenter

Sweet fixy spin with Bishop and Carpenter onto the country roads for some
sunshine n snowy fields
sweet sledding hill above Harrisonburg too

Good times at Whitegrass

Coffee got us up to Canaan post Solstice party
Amazing sky
Sun blasts
Snow flurries all day
Top of the mountain was frosted
Everyone was hooking up the turns!!
Thanks Chipper and the crew at Whitegrass