[jacksonpt]

Mountain Bike Weekend 2004 - Jim Thorpe PA

Had a great weekend, though it was not at all what I expected. The riding was inefficient most of the time. There were no trailmaps (at least not that we could find), so we spent a lot of time Friday riding around looking for trails. Seemed most ended 100 yards in or were so steep/loose we could hardly walk up them, never mind ride up. Saturday we hit the race cource in Tamaqua - great course... probably the best trail layout I've ever riden. I'd like to make a day trip back down there again this summer for some more riding - it's that good.

Hopefully next year we will be able to ride more now that we have things sorta checked out. Not what I expected, but still a great weekend - I'll be going again next year.

Here are a few pics, click the thumbnails for bigger images

at camp...





misc trail shots...

Me


Me again


Jeff (non monkey)


Stosh


Me


Here is a cool sequence of shots on a very fun section of the trail. It starts off with a short but steep downhill... levels off briefly, then another steeper, slightly longer dropoff, then levels off before a fiercely steep (read: unclimbable) uphill of about 15'. The first time we tried it we were a bit heavy on the brakes because we couldn't see how hard/fast the second drop fell off - none of us made it up the fierceness. Stosh and I went back and tried it a second time... much easier once we knew what to expect. We both made it without too much trouble - very fun.

This is stosh's run... he is on the second drop.







This is the only one of me that turned out... just about to clear the fierceness.

 

[MtnBikerNJ]

noice photos... too bad you guys couldn't find the trails so well. shoulda asked! ou can follow that main service road all the way to the top (its about 3 miles) most of which is a slow gradual uphill ride, then 1 climb. there's quite a few trails off of that. but the other guys I was with could tell you better. Some of them have been going to MBW for 6 years+...

anyway, it wasa cool meeting you all. thanks for the burgers!

oh, and jackson, did you say you live near binghampton?

 

[jdcamb]

Figures the year I don't make it.....is the year it didn't rain Oh well I will be there next year. I hope everyone had a excellent time. I will gladly show you the trails next year......jdcamb

 

[jacksonpt]

noice photos... too bad you guys couldn't find the trails so well. shoulda asked! ou can follow that main service road all the way to the top (its about 3 miles) most of which is a slow gradual uphill ride, then 1 climb. there's quite a few trails off of that. but the other guys I was with could tell you better. Some of them have been going to MBW for 6 years+...

We asked a few people, but mostly got warnings about where NOT to go. We did get "directions" from a few people on the trail, but could never seem to find anything that sounded like what they were describing. It was still fun, and we know what to do/not to do for next year.

anyway, it wasa cool meeting you all. thanks for the burgers!
oh, and jackson, did you say you live near binghampton?

Yea, it was cool to meet you guys too. Maybe next year I'll be in good enough shape to follow you guys on a ride. Well, I doubt I'll be able to follow Josh, but...

Yea, I live in the next town over from Binghamton.

 

[MMcG]

Great mini-recap and pics!!

 

[I Are Baboon]

Hey, Stosh rides???




Looks like fun. Is that a banner I see in the first pic?

 

[jacksonpt]

Hey, Stosh rides???




Looks like fun. Is that a banner I see in the first pic?

Yea... stosh had a 8' banner printed up with the help of another He probably has a better pic of the banner/camp.

 

[syadasti]

Jackson - what about recap of Fell Mountain (Merle Sandowski Park) on the way to JT - you got to ride one of the top 10 trails in the USA

 

[jacksonpt]

Jackson - what about recap of Fell Mountain (Merle Sandowski Park) on the way to JT - you got to ride one of the top 10 trails in the USA

Well, I got to hike it at least!

Josh was kind enough to show me around Fell Mountain in/near Carbondale PA. Apparenetly it's widely considered to be one of the best trails in the US, and one of the top couple on the east coast. It kicked my ass! It is very rocky and very technical which is not at all what I'm used to. To top it off, it had rained a bit that morning making the rocks very slick. I ended up walking as much as I rode... it was ugly. I think we ended up doing between 12 and 15 miles, and it took us about 6 hours. That shows you how much walking I did.

Josh had a much easier time of it (and as such, probably had more fun). The trail was definitely great, and I'd like to ride it again - but not until I'm in better shape and work on my bike handling. Them rocks can be tough.

It was a great trail and I did have fun, despite being about 20 minutes away from death. There was one pretty good climb, and a few nice, shorter downhill runs. It was very, very rocky... very little hardpack... with some larger rock outcrops to ride along. Not what I would consider an intermediate trail, but definitely worth a ride if you think you can handle it.

 

[syadasti]

At Jim Thorpe, Lair of the Lion and the Ridge Trail have sections that compare to Fell, but don't have the flow or fun of Fell Mountain. Plus there is less than a half mile or so of doubletrack in the entire loop! Its definately one of the most fun technical trails I've ever ridden. I use to ride it more often when I was in school in Ithaca...

I think you would have had an easier time riding the rocks for the first time when they are dry. Forgot to mention it was wet/rainy...

 

[stosh]

I'll continue on with my recap here. This will be an extended mini recap.

Anyway even though we weren't able to find the trails we had hopped we would I had a great time none-the-less. I went with the intention of riding with some camping on the side but I think the relaxation of camping was far more important to me this weekend than a lot of riding would have been. With that said what riding we do in Tamaqua was great.

It was great meeting the other monkey's for the few times we hung out. As Jackson said in camp at one point "it's great seeing more people riding bikes then driving around in cars", I thought that was a great point. It's nice being around so many people who enjoy biking as much as you do.

Ok so now on to the pics.

Saturday Morning breakfast and Jackson and Jeff's comments.

 

[stosh]

I wouldn't say that I'm a non-Monkey.... Maybe a not-too-often Monkey...

I love that pic of me testing out some experimental new helmet technology!

There ya are Old Crooked Hat.

 

[stosh]

Here is the general camping area and a pic I took Sunday Morning.

 

[MtnBikerNJ]

...

Yea, it was cool to meet you guys too. Maybe next year I'll be in good enough shape to follow you guys on a ride. Well, I doubt I'll be able to follow Josh, but...

Yea, I live in the next town over from Binghamton.

funny thing about Josh. I don't know ANYBODY that can totally keep up with him, so don't feel bad. he's pretty much always waiting for my slow a$s. Anthony can keep up with him pretty well usually, but not always. that, and I hike-a-bike alot of sections that he sleeps through. ah well. someday my skills will get closer. but i've found that its usually better to ride with people that are better than I am because it pushes me harder.

about binghamton... Chris (the guy that showed up at your camp just before we left) lives there and has a cafe called Espresso Mundo. He said you should look him up because they are looking for more guys to ride with on a regular basis...

 

[MtnBikerNJ]

also, when I get my camera hooked up (later tonight) i got a great shot of the " " banner!

 

[MtnBikerNJ]

Here is the general camping area and a pic I took Sunday Morning.

what the heck happened to you guys on sunday anyway? Ant, Josh and I all rode down to say hey (about 10am I think?) before we rolled out but your site was already vacant!

 

[stosh]

what the heck happened to you guys on sunday anyway? Ant, Josh and I all rode down to say hey (about 10am I think?) before we rolled out but your site was already vacant!

We got tossed out for drinking the night before after you left.

 

[JRB]

We got tossed out for drinking the night before after you left.

Tell more

 

[stosh]

Here's a pic of the lake early Saturday and one of Stosh getting ready to attack me with a derailleur cable....

http://users.adelphia.net/~jcr127/images/lakesunrise.jpg

http://users.adelphia.net/~jcr127/images/stoshCable.jpg

Don't f' with my deraillure cable.

 

[stosh]

Tell more

I'm only kidding actually.
They were actually really really strict with the beer and stuff this weekend. Like Ant said, it was like church camp. Thing was there wasn't a bunch of catholic school girls running around with skirts on...


I felt bad that we broke camp early without saying goodbye. I was up at your campsite around 7:30 but nobody was up. Sorry we missed you!

 

[stosh]

I think you can see the leech getting ready to jump on my arm in this pic

 

[spincrazy]

We got tossed out for drinking the night before after you left.

No way. We had no problems with our tea . I'm suprised.

A lot of the weekend was like church camp to me. I can't wait till they move it some place else where we upstanding ADULTS can act like children without fear of detention.

good meeting and re-meeting you guys.

 

[stosh]

No way. We had no problems with our tea . I'm suprised.

A lot of the weekend was like church camp to me. I can't wait till they move it some place else where we upstanding ADULTS can act like children without fear of detention.

good meeting and re-meeting you guys.

Do you really think they'll move it?

Hey if being strict on the beer means not having to see old men ride bikes naked thats ok with me!! As if there wasn't enough old naked men changing in the middle of the bathrooms as it was...

 

[Ian F]

I thought I recognized that white Yeti. If you saw a blue VW wagon with a Yeti Lawwill/Boxxer on the roof - that was me. My friends were camped in the group area

I had a couple of good rides on Friday and Saturday, although we were hit with a few technicals. There is a ton of good riding around Thorpe, but you need to know where to go and where to turn. We've been riding there for over a decade, so we don't pay a lot of attention to the "organized" rides. Our rides generally start from camp.

Friday: Mauch Chunk Ridge. Down the gravity path to Flagstaff Road. Climb up the road to the top of the ridge. Ride trails (many rock gardens) until you get to the open part. Hammer the open part to the end. Take the single-track to the power lines. Nasty, rocky descent part-way down. Single track back to the road, back to camp. Good day!

Saturday: Epic ride! Start at camp around 10:30am. Down the Gravity Path all the way into town. Cross RR tracks and take the gravel road upstream to the semi-secret trailhead. Singletrack to up behind the prison. Cross the road onto the old abandoned road and climb to the top of Broad Mtn. Do various loops (some legal, some not so legal, but we didn't see any Rangers) and finally drop off the mtn down Jean's Run trail - not legal, 1000' drop, rocky and fast! This trail is literally why I bought my first DH bikes, although nowadays it would pass as a good Sport course. Then ride the path back into town and climb back up the Gravity Path to camp. Almost 40 miles total. Not too bad on a 36 lb Lawwill with a 7" travel Boxxer!

I think my friends rode Tamaqua on Sunday, but I was with the g/f doing the father's day thing... Usually we do a ride in the Strip Mines (top of the Gavity Path, then ride the ridge towards town), but not this year. Those trails are definitely NOT to be attempted if you don't know where you're going - very easy to get lost up there and it's not really legal so there are no maps and few markings.

I wore my RM t-shirt hoping I'd spot somebody, but alas it wasn't meant to be this year. They did seem to be hawks about the booze this year. There is another campsite closer to town that does allow alchohol. Maybe next year, although heard rumors they may be moving MBW to another location due to the restraints from the Park Service.

I'm interested in the other trails spoken of and I'm sure my friends would be as well. We've been riding the same loops around Thorpe for years. Show us yours, and we'll show you ours?

 

[Ian F]

Do you really think they'll move it?

Hey if being strict on the beer means not having to see old men ride bikes naked thats ok with me!! As if there wasn't enough old naked men changing in the middle of the bathrooms as it was...

But I won't be surprised if 2004 turns out to be the last year for MBW at Thorpe. I'm curious to find out if my friends got kicked out Saturday night as well. They usually get warnings at least once every year and they were apparently running a "no warning" policy this year.
:mumble:

 

[stosh]

But I won't be surprised if 2004 turns out to be the last year for MBW at Thorpe. I'm curious to find out if my friends got kicked out Saturday night as well. They usually get warnings at least once every year and they were apparently running a "no warning" policy this year.
:mumble:

Why the heck did you let us know you were going to be there?

 

[Ian F]

I tried... I had an entire post all written up last week... Where to ride, what to do... what to look for...

Even mentioned the alchohol deal to warn you and some tips on not getting nailed...

Then our friggen e-mail/internet system went down and I lost it... :mumble:

Then I was mobbed at work for the rest of the week and hardly spent any time at all on the net.

 

[MtnBikerNJ]

yea we thought about moving OUR campsite to the other campground for the booz reason. and since we don't do the organized rides either, it just wouldn't really matter. the only thing we'd be missing is the raffle, where i never win anything anyway!

i'm surprised you didn't see any other shirts because spin and stosh were both sporting theirs...

 

[spincrazy]

yea we thought about moving OUR campsite to the other campground for the booz reason. and since we don't do the organized rides either, it just wouldn't really matter. the only thing we'd be missing is the raffle, where i never win anything anyway!

i'm surprised you didn't see any other shirts because spin and stosh were both sporting theirs...

yeah, and I met you briefly once at Platt and have seen you other places.

Anyone doing Pedros?

We've never done the group rides either. Ian, did you do American Standard or any of the other 'off limits' trails?

 

[Ian F]

Yeah, I was hoping to spot stosh, but it's been awhile since I've seen him and didn't quite remember what he looked like... kept looking for his Hollowpoint, instead. Unfortunately, I wasn't camping myself so I didn't venture far from my friends' site. I just drove up from home each day, b-s'ing my way past the Rangers' station on Friday and sneaking past on Saturday).

 

[Ian F]

Ian, did you do American Standard or any of the other 'off limits' trails?

We did the Deer Path trails with a few new "off-shoots". I personally like the American Standard (taylor-made trail for a 6" travel Lawwill), but it's not one of my friends' favorites up there.

 

[stosh]

Yeah, I was hoping to spot stosh, but it's been awhile since I've seen him and didn't quite remember what he looked like... kept looking for his Hollowpoint, instead. Unfortunately, I wasn't camping myself so I didn't venture far from my friends' site. I just drove up from home each day, b-s'ing my way past the Rangers' station on Friday and sneaking past on Saturday).

We could of had an extra wrist band for ya. Again you should have tried HARDER to let us know.

Thats funny that you were sneaking in though. Had you passed our cabin you would have know were we were.

 

[MtnBikerNJ]

yea you could NOT miss the banner... which was right behind the hollowpoint

can't believe you guys left so early. but you just missewd me because I was up about 7:45.

 

[stosh]

yea you could NOT miss the banner... which was right behind the hollowpoint

can't believe you guys left so early. but you just missewd me because I was up about 7:45.

Yeah you guys are pretty cool it was great meeting you and re-meeting Ant. I was a little dumb founded by josh's mtn bike knowledge. When were sitting around the campfire at our site he started rattling off info he knew... he's a smart mofo.

 

[Ian F]

We could of had an extra wrist band for ya. Again you should have tried HARDER to let us know.

Thats funny that you were sneaking in though. Had you passed our cabin you would have know were we were.

Yeah, I know... the entire thing was sort of a last minute rush for me. I was originally supposed to be in New Hampshire this past w/e... Then I wasn't sure if I was going to camp or not... and couldn't get the van ready in time... I didn't even know if I was riding on Sat until Friday night. My friends had an extra band for me as well - one of them couldn't go - but unfortunately she had it in Philly and I didn't know about it until it was too late. Fortunately, I was able to turn up the Southern accent and the Ranger had pity on me.

We usually do another group-camp/ride over Memorial Day w/e. I'm hoping to be camping at that one.

 

[stosh]

Yeah, I know... the entire thing was sort of a last minute rush for me. I was originally supposed to be in New Hampshire this past w/e... Then I wasn't sure if I was going to camp or not... and couldn't get the van ready in time... I didn't even know if I was riding on Sat until Friday night. My friends had an extra band for me as well - one of them couldn't go - but unfortunately she had it in Philly and I didn't know about it until it was too late. Fortunately, I was able to turn up the Southern accent and the Ranger had pity on me.

We usually do another group-camp/ride over Memorial Day w/e. I'm hoping to be camping at that one.

I will actually be about 45min south of there that weekend.
Let me know.

 

[Ian F]

I will actually be about 45min south of there that weekend.
Let me know.

Will do. PM me your e-mail and I'll let you know.

 

[MtnBikerNJ]

we don't call him encyclopedia josh for nothing... I swear he has every factoid from every bike company memorized. plus he has some industry contacts and i think he finds out some stuff earlier than the norm...

 

[stosh]

we don't call him encyclopedia josh for nothing... I swear he has every factoid from every bike company memorized. plus he has some industry contacts and i think he finds out some stuff earlier than the norm...

Yeah like he knew the shock stroke of the hollowpoint and the exact calories and protein in a ham steak.. FAWK, I'm lucky if I know the shock part!

 

[MtnBikerNJ]

i should say that he THINKS he knows all.. for instance, he doesn't know ANYTHING about portable music players

*let the fun begin*

yea josh is pretty funny, but he does have serious knowledge about bike stuff. of course he could be totally BSing and I would never know. heck, it was a year before I found out that you could change the air pressure in the float fork. how embarassing.