[dhbuilder]

this has nothing to do with bikes.
but it's closely related as far as the "rock" is concerned.

awhile back i was invited to go on one of the a.t.v. clubs organized winter rides.
they knew darn good and well that they'd never get me out on an a.t.v. so the right seat of a trick little yamaha rhino was offered to me, and i jumped at the opportunity

the ride was held this past saturday.

folks, these people don't mess around.
this wasn't the crowds that we usually see.
these weren't the 300lb. sport quad yahoo's and zoomies we see spending their weekend racing up and down the paved road.

these were the true trail riders on big bore, well maintained quads.
the only pavement they were on was the parking lot on the way out of there.
we started off at 9a.m. and didn't get back untill well past dark thirty and a half.
cranked out over 80miles at a very rapid pace.
and i was surprised at some of the gnar these guys absolutely rip on.
their better trails are every bit as rough and well managed as the stuff we build up here.
and some of the climbs and descents were making me drool.
if there was only a way to shuttle this stuff.
there was a climb that came out of the valley right behind lake city, and went steadily up all the way to the top of the mt overlooking caryville.
a full 2,700ft. of gain. full on rocks and stairsteps.
and these guys ripped up it.

we spent most of the ride about 5th.-6th. in line and that rhino didn't hold up anyone behind us.
and watching the leaders in front of us negotiate the trails was impressive to say the least.
these are good riders who use the same theory of momentum and slow in fast out as we do.
and those rhino's ya'll see out there are every bit as worthy a trail machine as any quad.

so just keep in mind when we're riding up here this year, that the dolts we see the most of are a small percentage of the a.t.v. community.
the other 95% take their trail riding every bit as seriously as we do.

and by the way.
a lot of the club members and officers were on this ride.
and after spending the day up there with those men.
i just want to let ya'll know that we are very well respected up there and are very entrenched into the offroad community on the mt.

 

[frznnomad]

wow that is great news man. glad that we have a mutual respect going on now with those guys. although i do have to say the day that i was up there all those crazy, quod ridding families were just crazy. its nice to know that dhillers arent the only ones who take there sport seriously, and arent the only ones that respect the trails that we ride on.

 

[profro]

I did a trail ride out there on Friday and loved it. I rode out trail 1 and then up 2. Passed lots of 4wheelers and Rhinos. I want to explore more. Maybe this climb out of Lake City would be worth the pain?

 

[dhbuilder]

i'm definately going to get details and figure out a way we can get a truck up onto those flats.

it'll be a long time consuming shuttle.
and we may only get in a few runs a day on it.
but it'll be a good alternative to keeping us d.h.ing when we want to give our trails a rest when they're wet.(year round !!!)

2,700' of rippin fast steep rocky dirt road will be well worth the trouble.

like i've said before.
that place has so much out there.
we've not even begun to use everything available to us.

 

[drkenan]

i just want to let ya'll know that we are very well respected up there and are very entrenched into the offroad community on the mt.

I've said it before but I think we're respected at Windrock because we all respect the land. You guys bust @ss to get the trails built and the last thing that we want to do as visitors is mess any of that up. Hopefully the few ATV'ers that disrespect will change their minds in the future but until that point [at least the group that I know] will continue to help in any way possible.

 

[ChrisKring]

I have always wanted to get out on the ATV trails on my MX bike. I have brought it with me 3 times and never unloaded it since the DH trails are so much fun.

 

[BurlyShirley]

I used to race harescrambles (XC dirtbike racing) and the quads raced after the bikes did. Those guys are no joke. Some serious athletes with serious machines.

 

[Raaar]

Could you get a built Jeep to the top?

 

[dhbuilder]

Could you get a built Jeep to the top?

not hardly.
on our way up that climb we passed a full offroad high $$$ truck that was sitting there with a snapped driveshaft and blown dif.
we'd have to drive up into and above caryville and down to the end of the flats and then pick up out behind lake city.
a good hour or more shuttle turnaround.

this won't become a public downhill run by any means.
we don't need to be turning one of their climbs into a mass d.h. run.

possibly just a locals only, one truckload at a time weekday thing.
and once we finish our own trails this winter, we won't be going outside of our deemed area anyway.

 

[irishman]

Great news man!

 

[profro]

not hardly.
on our way up that climb we passed a full offroad high $$$ truck that was sitting there with a snapped driveshaft and blown dif.

Silly rabbitt, trucks ain't for 4wheeling.

 

[bizutch]

i say we strap a GPS unit to Joey and download it to motionbased.com. Every time he goes to Windrock, he has to put it on for us to track his movements, total elevation gain, etc..
For some reason I thought I already posted this in this thread...but it was gone when I came back??/

 

[dhbuilder]

actually, every trail on the whole 72,000acres has been gps'd and downloaded into the atv clubs website.
that way atv riders can put the info directly into their own gps units and hit the trails.

found out last night that the clubs map maker has three penlight helmet cams that we can use whenever we want.

also got the ok for numerous projects (land access related)to carry us into the next couple of years of trailbuilding.

the only drawback is that the first roadcrossing is officially closed.
this is a huge safety issue.
there's just way too much traffic nowadays for us to use that as a crossover.
as usual though, we always gain more than we lose.

and the 2,700ft d.h.run spoken about earlier in the thread is going to be more trouble than it's worth.
the only way we could access it with a shuttle, is to travel through the royal blue area.
a separate permit is required for that land, and it's vigorously patrolled.

 

[profro]

and the 2,700ft d.h.run spoken about earlier in the thread is going to be more trouble than it's worth.
the only way we could access it with a shuttle, is to travel through the royal blue area.
a separate permit is required for that land, and it's vigorously patrolled.

If you have a TN hunting liscense, then you're okay. Good thing I have one!

 

[dhbuilder]

If you have a TN hunting liscense, then you're okay. Good thing I have one!

you're correct sir.

i was talking to two t.w.r.a. officers last night about that very subject.

also on the north side of the mt. along the new river, they're going to release about 50+ more elk in mid feb.
how cool is that ?

i was telling them about all the wildlife in our little oasis.
bobcat.
deer.
turkey.
coyote.
dozens of different birds.
not to mention the biggest rattlesnakes in the east.

a very healthy ecosystem to say the least.

 

[bizutch]

To hell with trails...it would just be fun to track your movements for a summer and see what you wind up logging in that place.

 

[dhbuilder]

trust me.
i've scoured every square foot of our new area.
not to mention years of hiking and re-coning the old area.

i need a boot sponser.

 

[profro]

you're correct sir.

i was talking to two t.w.r.a. officers last night about that very subject.

I am pretty sure you need a type 01 small game liscense AND a wildlife management area permit.

 

[bizutch]

trust me.
i've scoured every square foot of our new area.
not to mention years of hiking and re-coning the old area.

i need a boot sponser.

I say we get some tranquilizer darts and go a huntin' us a Joey.
Tag the whiley bugger with one of these...and start the trackin!
http://www.garmin.com/products/forerunner205/

 

[urbaindk]

That part of the trail you describe from Caryville, Lake City, etc. sounds like part of the old Cumberland backpacking trail. (If I recall correctly it's now been rerouted further north now through Royal Blue and ends up connecting to Frozen head before dropping down to the Emory river across 27 at Wartburg.)

When I was a kid, I hiked from Lake City to Oliver Springs on the trail. I think it was around 20-30 miles of hiking. I remember the climb out of Lake City up to the top of Walden Ridge being a real bitch. Once on the ridge it was relatively smooth hiking. I helped put in some of those rock staircases and a few backcountry campsites for my Eagle Scout project back in the late 80's. One of the coolest places up there was this long knife edge ridge that was maybe 10 ft across at the widest and near 50 to 100 feet straight down on either side. They called the area "Starlight" because there were little white and pink quartz pebbles embedded in the dark gray sandstone. It rivalled any trail you'd find in the Smokies. Absolutely beautiful country.

There was a 10 mile section of trail up there that people used to shuttle that when from a fire tower up the ridge from Frost Bottom and dropped down the ridge into Oliver Springs (circa early 90's). About 7 miles of it was sweet flat ridge xc then there was a steep switchbacky DH descent down to Poplar Creek. There was an old abandoned fallout shelter up on the ridge. Kind of a weird place. I think it was mostly private land and the trail has since returned to the earth and pine beetles.

 

[GotMyGED]

Joey, I may be wrong, but can't you access the flats from the north side via the gravel road in Caryville that goes up beside the army surplus store? If I remember correctly, you go all the way to the top and take your last left before you get to the "field in the sky" (just past the old cinder block buildings). Things may have changed since I was up there last, but I seem to remember the road being fairly tame and I also remember 2WD trucks being able to access the flats that way. I dont think you have to have a permit for Royal Blue if you go that way also.

But yes, the road up to the flats from Briceville/Lake City is very rugged, and would be a killer DH run.

 

[dhbuilder]

i think you may be right about that.

terry and i used to x-c ride that area and never could make our way over to the flats without dropping down into anther deep gorge. and we never could find a roadbed or trail that looked like it could get us there.

j.d.
thanks for the tales from back in the day.
let me know if you ever get round these parts.

 

[GotMyGED]

terry and i used to x-c ride that area and never could make our way over to the flats without dropping down into anther deep gorge. and we never could find a roadbed or trail that looked like it could get us there.

WOW, I cant ever imagine XC riding in that area. What did the locals have to say when they saw people "riding bicycles in them there mountains"?

I've seen some crazy $*&! up there above Caryville....Cars being burned, people that claim to live up there, saw someone doing a hillclimb naked on an atv........definately a different breed of people up there.

 

[profro]

Just for grins yesterday Meghann and I drove 116 from Petros back to Oliver Springs (TN330) and I saw an isolated mailbox on the road side bank of a creek. No bridge across the creek, no house on either side, and no gravel road to the creek. I did see a faint dirt path entering the creek and exiting on the other side, but no visible house. We drove on and much further up stream, at the end of the faint dirt path was a house, on the OTHER SIDE. How would you like that? Actaully after all the development in West Knox county and Oak Ridge, I might see if they want to sell.

 

[bizutch]

Just for grins yesterday Meghann and I drove 116 from Petros back to Oliver Springs (TN330) and I saw an isolated mailbox on the road side bank of a creek. No bridge across the creek, no house on either side, and no gravel road to the creek. I did see a faint dirt path entering the creek and exiting on the other side, but no visible house. We drove on and much further up stream, at the end of the faint dirt path was a house, on the OTHER SIDE. How would you like that? Actaully after all the development in West Knox county and Oak Ridge, I might see if they want to sell.

I dare you to knock on the door.

 

[urbaindk]

How would you like that? Actaully after all the development in West Knox county and Oak Ridge, I might see if they want to sell.

About 15 years ago my parents moved out of W. Knox Co., bought 90 acres on the side of hill in Morgan Co. between Coalfield and Harriman for about $1000 an acre, built a log cabin by hand, and have been living pretty much like mountain hermits ever since. They like it a whole lot.

 

[dhbuilder]

actually, terry and i came across some very nice people up there from time to time.

one elderly lady invited us in for lunch.
and most were very interested in what we were doing.

once on a ride, we were sitting down taking a break way out in the middle of nowhere.
and a guy rode up and while we were talking, actually asked if we had heard how lance was doing in the tour that day.

there's a lot better quality of folk out there than you would believe.

 

[dhbuilder]

also once we came down off the mt. over by rosedale.
out of water and food and looking at another hour or more of climbing to get back to the truck.

stumbled across a little store that we'd never seen before.
went inside to ask if we could use the hose to re-tank.

instead the guy GAVE us bottled ice water and gatorade.

i found out a long time ago that up here the ones that have the least, are the ones that'll give you the most.
i'll take one of these locals over twenty citified knoxville yuppies any day.

 

[GotMyGED]

there's a lot better quality of folk out there than you would believe.

I guess I shouldn't base my judgements on encounters with imbred mountainfolk who are hyped up on impure corn liquor and an increased state of "rowdy" because of the rooster tail they just threw in "that last mudhole".

"I just opened up the 4-barrell and let them super swamper boggers eat"

 

[LOOnatic]

Knox county and Oak Ridge, I might see if they want to sell.[/QUOTE

Do it, do it Dougy!

You can even rent me some space for the 5th wheel

 

[profro]

Knox county and Oak Ridge, I might see if they want to sell.[/QUOTE

Do it, do it Dougy!

You can even rent me some space for the 5th wheel

You can park that thing in the Windrock parking lot for free. Plus you can do hobo baths in the creek.

However, Coal Creek is building a full hook-up campsite just down the road. You can rent a seasonal spot. Come on, you know you want to. We want you to.

 

[ChrisKring]

You can park that thing in the Windrock parking lot for free. Plus you can do hobo baths in the creek.

Come on Doug. I saw some smoking hot chick take a bath in that creek last fall. It was that girl from FL that I think was on one of your bikes.