Mountain Bike Religion

For those of us who have been waiting for the snow to melt and the singletrack to dry, this past Easter Sunday was a personal holiday: Pine Hill Park in Rutland opened some of its trails to mountain bikers. The trails were dry and in excellent shape, and the weather could not have been better.

Pine Hill Park is the best example I have seen of multi-use trails. Riders will encounter dog walkers, hikers, picnic-ers, birders, and other lovers of the woods and trails. Kids, adults, families, grown-up kids- they're all there. But everyone is exceptionally courteous and respectful, and user conflicts are minimized if not entirely absent.

The park is just outside of the business district in Rutland. There is ample parking, a giant kiosk with a map at the trailhead, and folded paper maps to bring with on your ride.

For more information, maps, trail work days, and trail updates, see their website: www.pinehillpark.org. Happy trails!

 

VT MoJo

Get out and find your MoJo

As I write this, I'm thinking about the trails here in Vermont. Early Spring is a special and particularly fragile time of year for trails in Vermont. It can be very tempting to get out and ride your favorite trail, but its important to be mindful of all the hard work it takes to build and protect these trails. It's always a good idea to check in with your local mountain bike club (it's a great resource and a great benefit to belong to one) to get the skinny and beta on how a trail network is fairing. All it takes is a little homework before we get out there to make sure all that blood sweat and tears doesn't all go to waste before you find your early season MoJo.

A quick check of the FOTW site showed us what was open, so we loaded the bikes and headed out for a spectacular early-season ride.

Now get out there, and happy trails.


T&S