I’m down too many trips to the top of the mountain for
the year so I’m going to ride in the PSF instead at 9:30. Hopefully 3
trips up and down various trails.
Sorry for the late notice, there will be a crew working on the Superhighway. If you want to go meet at 9am Sid will be in the Gould farm by the roost . Any question feel free to contact me at Joshchitt321@...
From: Tom McCrumm - South Face Farm
[mailto:tom@...] Sent: Thursday, November 19, 2009 8:25 AM To: Brad Herder Subject: PV NEMBA ride
Brad:
Can you post this on the Berk NEMBA list?
Mountain
Bike Fun Ride
…and
Toy Collection
Pioneer
Valley NEMBA
Sunday,
November 22, 2009
NEMBA
Toy Ride and Toy Collection – Robinson SP, Agawam, MA
Come on out for some great Fall riding and a great cause! The primped
trails make this an event not to be missed! The trails of Robinson are perfect
for ALL abilities!
What: Toys for Tots Fun Ride (Self guided, arrowed
loops)
When: November 22, 2009 Registration 9-10am
All riders off by 10:15
Where: Armory Drive, Agawam, Ma (Location is outside of the
park.)
Donation: New unwrapped toys to donate to the Marine Corps Toys for
Tots.
Three arrowed loops:
Beginner - approx 4-5 miles
Intermediate - approx 12 miles
Advanced - approx 17 miles
Groups/led rides leave at 9:30
(hopefully at each level)
Think Kingdom Trails of Southern New
England!
(on a smaller scale)
Fun loops that are not overly technical or hilly. Tight flowing MTB
specific single track. Many trails have been swept of leaves (winds and time
constraints could change that).
There are no facilities this
time of year, so please plan accordingly.
Parking and Registration will
be at Shea’s Field. Armory Drive, off Maynard Street, Agawam.
Directions: I-91 North
or South, to 57 West for 1.2 miles - First exit for Main St (RT-159) - go 1.3
miles and the road turns into (RT-147/Springfield St.) (Landmark: Dunkin
Donuts) go 0.7 miles (Landmark: CVS) and bear right onto North St (up the hill)
– Second right onto Maynard – First right onto Armory – Armory is only a tenth
of a mile long and runs directly into the parking lot for Shea’s field.
Unfortunately, like Harry, I have a Pats commitment but that's because I will be at the game. Keep up the good work tho!
Chris Calvert
Arcadian Shop
On Nov 19, 2009, at 4:43 PM, "Brad Herder" <brad@...> wrote:
Hi everybody,
Mike Coyne, John Jansen and I met with Becky Barnes, Bob
Mellace and Gary Briere (from the DCR) and walked a portion of the Family Trail
and discussed our frustrations with not getting anywhere for months on end on
the project.
There are many obstacles we have to get past before we get
approval for any project such as:
Mass Endangered Species – has to evaluate your land for
any endangered species – which is pretty much just one salamander around
here.
Natural Heritage – has to evaluate your land for
something else – I think historic sites or something.
Wetlands – if your project’s within 200’
of any wetland, I think it has to go before the local conservation commission.
And, even though many of these trails exist, the DCR just won’t
give us any leeway whatsoever, it’s strictly by the books. They’re
totally protecting themselves from being put in a difficult situation.
There are different State Agencies involved and in our
case, Natural Heritage hasn’t replied to Becky for over 3 months now and they
just don’t seem to have any way to force them to respond. So there
it sits.
But… believe it or not, the DCR is supportive of
improving the mountain biking opportunities in the Pittsfield State Forest.
Not as supportive as we’d like because when we propose new trails,
they’re going to get pressure from other groups (especially ATV) for new
trails too. i.e. if the mountain bikers can have new trails, why can’t
we, we need more trails too. They also are reluctant because they have
miles and miles of trails already that they don’t have the manpower to
maintain. But, they are willing to help us so we’re going to
continue on with this frustrating process.
At this point, the DCR would like us to come up with a “master
plan” for what we’d like to see in the Pittsfield State Forest for
mountain bike trails and although the DCR probably won’t act on this for
months and months, we would like to get a plan to them ASAP and with
Thanksgiving coming up, we’re going to have a meeting Sunday night November
22, 2009 at 6 PM at my house (so I can use my computer and mapping software)
and we’ll lay out a master plan for them.
If you are interested in participating, we want your
input.
We would love to have input from runners and hikers too.
I think the more groups we have involved asking for more
non-motorized trails, the better.
Please let me know if you’re coming. I’ll
supply soda and pizza.
good idea Harry-It makes a lot of sense to try to resurrect some of those trails IF Becky doesn't need to have us go thru all the paperwork but after the Lulu episode I'm wondering if that's even possible. Ruth
Brad I probably wont be there. The Patriots play at 4 15 this week .I try never to miss a game. My input would be to open existing trails back up and create switchbacks or small reroutes to make them ridable. Instead of new trails. Seems like it would be way less hassle. The few times I've ridden up there with you, there seemed to be great potential and way more trails than I realized . Just my 2cents. H
--- On Thu, 11/19/09, Brad Herder <brad@...> wrote:
Mike Coyne, John Jansen and I met with Becky Barnes, Bob
Mellace and Gary Briere (from the DCR) and walked a portion of the Family Trail
and discussed our frustrations with not getting anywhere for months on end on
the project.
There are many obstacles we have to get past before we get
approval for any project such as:
Mass Endangered Species – has to evaluate your land for
any endangered species – which is pretty much just one salamander around
here.
Natural Heritage – has to evaluate your land for
something else – I think historic sites or something.
Wetlands – if your project’s within 200’
of any wetland, I think it has to go before the local conservation commission.
And, even though many of these trails exist, the DCR just won’t
give us any leeway whatsoever, it’s strictly by the books. They’re
totally protecting themselves from being put in a difficult situation.
There are different State Agencies involved and in our
case, Natural Heritage hasn’t replied to Becky for over 3 months now and they
just don’t seem to have any way to force them to respond. So there
it sits.
But… believe it or not, the DCR is supportive of
improving the mountain biking opportunities in the Pittsfield State Forest.
Not as supportive as we’d like because when we propose new trails,
they’re going to get pressure from other groups (especially ATV) for new
trails too. i.e. if the mountain bikers can have new trails, why can’t
we, we need more trails too. They also are reluctant because they have
miles and miles of trails already that they don’t have the manpower to
maintain. But, they are willing to help us so we’re going to
continue on with this frustrating process.
At this point, the DCR would like us to come up with a “master
plan” for what we’d like to see in the Pittsfield State Forest for
mountain bike trails and although the DCR probably won’t act on this for
months and months, we would like to get a plan to them ASAP and with
Thanksgiving coming up, we’re going to have a meeting Sunday night November
22, 2009 at 6 PM at my house (so I can use my computer and mapping software)
and we’ll lay out a master plan for them.
If you are interested in participating, we want your
input.
We would love to have input from runners and hikers too.
I think the more groups we have involved asking for more
non-motorized trails, the better.
Please let me know if you’re coming. I’ll
supply soda and pizza.
Mike Coyne, John Jansen and I met with Becky Barnes, Bob
Mellace and Gary Briere (from the DCR) and walked a portion of the Family Trail
and discussed our frustrations with not getting anywhere for months on end on
the project.
There are many obstacles we have to get past before we get
approval for any project such as:
Mass Endangered Species – has to evaluate your land for
any endangered species – which is pretty much just one salamander around
here.
Natural Heritage – has to evaluate your land for
something else – I think historic sites or something.
Wetlands – if your project’s within 200’
of any wetland, I think it has to go before the local conservation commission.
And, even though many of these trails exist, the DCR just won’t
give us any leeway whatsoever, it’s strictly by the books. They’re
totally protecting themselves from being put in a difficult situation.
There are different State Agencies involved and in our
case, Natural Heritage hasn’t replied to Becky for over 3 months now and they
just don’t seem to have any way to force them to respond. So there
it sits.
But… believe it or not, the DCR is supportive of
improving the mountain biking opportunities in the Pittsfield State Forest.
Not as supportive as we’d like because when we propose new trails,
they’re going to get pressure from other groups (especially ATV) for new
trails too. i.e. if the mountain bikers can have new trails, why can’t
we, we need more trails too. They also are reluctant because they have
miles and miles of trails already that they don’t have the manpower to
maintain. But, they are willing to help us so we’re going to
continue on with this frustrating process.
At this point, the DCR would like us to come up with a “master
plan” for what we’d like to see in the Pittsfield State Forest for
mountain bike trails and although the DCR probably won’t act on this for
months and months, we would like to get a plan to them ASAP and with
Thanksgiving coming up, we’re going to have a meeting Sunday night November
22, 2009 at 6 PM at my house (so I can use my computer and mapping software)
and we’ll lay out a master plan for them.
If you are interested in participating, we want your
input.
We would love to have input from runners and hikers too.
I think the more groups we have involved asking for more
non-motorized trails, the better.
Please let me know if you’re coming. I’ll
supply soda and pizza.
Great idea. I’ll have to leaf blow it and ride it again. J
Thanks!
Brad
From:
BerkshireNEMBA@yahoogroups.com [mailto:BerkshireNEMBA@yahoogroups.com] On
Behalf Of meanwheels@... Sent: Friday, November 13, 2009 12:26 PM To: BerkshireNEMBA@yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [BerkshireNEMBA] New Web Site
Wow- great job- looks really nice- I think I have photos of
Beartown work- will look for them. also Brad- it would be really cool to
have a newer video of the Turner Trail as it looks maybe this summer or fall--
it looks so raw and muddy in that video so maybe post a one year later
video?? Ruth
Wow- great job- looks really nice- I think I have photos of Beartown work- will look for them. also Brad- it would be really cool to have a newer video of the Turner Trail as it looks maybe this summer or fall-- it looks so raw and muddy in that video so maybe post a one year later video?? Ruth
Sorry for the late e-mail but there will be a trail day Nov 1 at 8;30 base of the BOLT. There is still some pole saw work and we have 2 new brush cutters donated by our man Sid.
Okay so I read the post in full and answered my own question, will leave all tricks at home and bring treats only.
From: Brad Herder <brad@...> To: norulesmountainbikingclub@yahoogroups.com; PioneerRunningClub@googlegroups.com; BerkshireNEMBA@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thu, October 29, 2009 8:37:39 PM Subject: [BerkshireNEMBA] Halloween Poker Run Rules - Strictly Enforced - Don't make us punish you.
Okay, Beth has worked out the details and here’s how
it’s going to work… GOT IT?
1.Buckets
a.We
will have 10 buckets out on the course.
b.They
will contain stuff.
c.You
will have to find 5 specific buckets and take one item from each.
d.For
example, you might have to find buckets 1,3,5,7,9.
e.Someone
else will be assigned 2,4,6,8,10.
f.Someone else will have 1,3,5,6,9.
g.Only
take something from your assigned buckets.
h.You
should return with 5 items only.
i.We’re not going to hide these too badly, but you’re
going to have to read your cue sheet and pay attention.
2.Courses
a.We
have a long course – 3.5 miles + 2 mile optional loop.
b.And
a short course 2 miles.
c.We
anticipate bikers doing the long, walkers/runners doing the short.
d.No
pre-riding the course after Noon Friday – that’s cheating.
e.If
you want to get in a ride beforehand, go up and down the Turner Trail.
f.Almost the entire course has been leaf blown.
g.There
is one muddy section and long course has one rushing stream to cross TWICE so
might want to bring dry socks and shoes if you’re sticking around after.
3.Maps
a.We
have 20 short course maps and 20 long course maps.
b.You
will be given a map and assigned a starting position when you register.
c.If
we have more than 40 people, you’ll have to double-up.
d.Note:
It’s very easy to get turned around on this course. We actually
messed up on our way out and started in on the loop again. LOL J
e.If
you get hopelessly lost, call my cell 822-7020 and tell me exactly where you
are (like you’ll know J)
4.Timing
a.Show
up for registration no later than 6 PM
b.We
will start at 6:30 PM
c.We
will space you out so the last person starts by 7:00 PM.
d.You
will have 1 HOUR to find your items.
5.Poker
a.When
you return, bring your items to the registration table.
b.You
get to draw 1 card for each item found
c.If
you have items you weren’t supposed to find, you will be disqualified.
6.Prize
a.We
gonna get a gift certificate to Panera Bread.
7.Food
a.We’ll
be getting some party pizza’s while you’re out on the course.
b.And
we’ll have some apple cider.
c.If
ya want to bring something else, please do, however, alcohol is prohibited in
the State Forest.
8.Movie
a.Hoping
to show Rocky Horror Picture show, but don’t be disappointed if it doesn’t
happen.
John and I are in and will be heading out with Donna LaCasse. Do you want us to bring anything?
Julie
From: Brad Herder <brad@...> To: norulesmountainbikingclub@yahoogroups.com; PioneerRunningClub@googlegroups.com; BerkshireNEMBA@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thu, October 29, 2009 8:37:39 PM Subject: [BerkshireNEMBA] Halloween Poker Run Rules - Strictly Enforced - Don't make us punish you.
Okay, Beth has worked out the details and here’s how
it’s going to work… GOT IT?
1.Buckets
a.We
will have 10 buckets out on the course.
b.They
will contain stuff.
c.You
will have to find 5 specific buckets and take one item from each.
d.For
example, you might have to find buckets 1,3,5,7,9.
e.Someone
else will be assigned 2,4,6,8,10.
f.Someone else will have 1,3,5,6,9.
g.Only
take something from your assigned buckets.
h.You
should return with 5 items only.
i.We’re not going to hide these too badly, but you’re
going to have to read your cue sheet and pay attention.
2.Courses
a.We
have a long course – 3.5 miles + 2 mile optional loop.
b.And
a short course 2 miles.
c.We
anticipate bikers doing the long, walkers/runners doing the short.
d.No
pre-riding the course after Noon Friday – that’s cheating.
e.If
you want to get in a ride beforehand, go up and down the Turner Trail.
f.Almost the entire course has been leaf blown.
g.There
is one muddy section and long course has one rushing stream to cross TWICE so
might want to bring dry socks and shoes if you’re sticking around after.
3.Maps
a.We
have 20 short course maps and 20 long course maps.
b.You
will be given a map and assigned a starting position when you register.
c.If
we have more than 40 people, you’ll have to double-up.
d.Note:
It’s very easy to get turned around on this course. We actually
messed up on our way out and started in on the loop again. LOL J
e.If
you get hopelessly lost, call my cell 822-7020 and tell me exactly where you
are (like you’ll know J)
4.Timing
a.Show
up for registration no later than 6 PM
b.We
will start at 6:30 PM
c.We
will space you out so the last person starts by 7:00 PM.
d.You
will have 1 HOUR to find your items.
5.Poker
a.When
you return, bring your items to the registration table.
b.You
get to draw 1 card for each item found
c.If
you have items you weren’t supposed to find, you will be disqualified.
6.Prize
a.We
gonna get a gift certificate to Panera Bread.
7.Food
a.We’ll
be getting some party pizza’s while you’re out on the course.
b.And
we’ll have some apple cider.
c.If
ya want to bring something else, please do, however, alcohol is prohibited in
the State Forest.
8.Movie
a.Hoping
to show Rocky Horror Picture show, but don’t be disappointed if it doesn’t
happen.
Okay, Beth has worked out the details and here’s how
it’s going to work… GOT IT?
1.Buckets
a.We
will have 10 buckets out on the course.
b.They
will contain stuff.
c.You
will have to find 5 specific buckets and take one item from each.
d.For
example, you might have to find buckets 1,3,5,7,9.
e.Someone
else will be assigned 2,4,6,8,10.
f.Someone else will have 1,3,5,6,9.
g.Only
take something from your assigned buckets.
h.You
should return with 5 items only.
i.We’re not going to hide these too badly, but you’re
going to have to read your cue sheet and pay attention.
2.Courses
a.We
have a long course – 3.5 miles + 2 mile optional loop.
b.And
a short course 2 miles.
c.We
anticipate bikers doing the long, walkers/runners doing the short.
d.No
pre-riding the course after Noon Friday – that’s cheating.
e.If
you want to get in a ride beforehand, go up and down the Turner Trail.
f.Almost the entire course has been leaf blown.
g.There
is one muddy section and long course has one rushing stream to cross TWICE so
might want to bring dry socks and shoes if you’re sticking around after.
3.Maps
a.We
have 20 short course maps and 20 long course maps.
b.You
will be given a map and assigned a starting position when you register.
c.If
we have more than 40 people, you’ll have to double-up.
d.Note:
It’s very easy to get turned around on this course. We actually
messed up on our way out and started in on the loop again. LOL J
e.If
you get hopelessly lost, call my cell 822-7020 and tell me exactly where you
are (like you’ll know J)
4.Timing
a.Show
up for registration no later than 6 PM
b.We
will start at 6:30 PM
c.We
will space you out so the last person starts by 7:00 PM.
d.You
will have 1 HOUR to find your items.
5.Poker
a.When
you return, bring your items to the registration table.
b.You
get to draw 1 card for each item found
c.If
you have items you weren’t supposed to find, you will be disqualified.
6.Prize
a.We
gonna get a gift certificate to Panera Bread.
7.Food
a.We’ll
be getting some party pizza’s while you’re out on the course.
b.And
we’ll have some apple cider.
c.If
ya want to bring something else, please do, however, alcohol is prohibited in
the State Forest.
8.Movie
a.Hoping
to show Rocky Horror Picture show, but don’t be disappointed if it doesn’t
happen.
We’ve rented the Rocky Horror Picture show and I think I
can get a projector, have a generator, screen and have some PC speakers… No
throwing stuff at the screen, but ok to yell. Here’s a really good
audience participation guide:
Bike, Run or just hike around the lower trails in the Pittsfield State Forest and find items based on map and clues you will be given. Watch out for spooks and goblins. Come back with your tokens and draw cards. Highest poker hand wins. Starts will be at 1 minute intervals. One hour time limit. Become very familiar with this map. before venturing out in the darkness. Cider and snacks provided. If you could let us know you're coming, it would help us figure out how much food to get. Click contact us and let us know if you're coming.
From:
BerkshireNEMBA@yahoogroups.com [mailto:BerkshireNEMBA@yahoogroups.com] On
Behalf Of harry meyer Sent: Sunday, October 18, 2009 2:12 PM To: BerkshireNEMBA@yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [BerkshireNEMBA] Wendell Ride
Sue and I are in
--- On Sat, 10/17/09, mikec <jcoyne@...>
wrote:
From: mikec <jcoyne@...>
Subject: [BerkshireNEMBA] Wendell Ride
To: BerkshireNEMBA@yahoogroups.com
Date: Saturday, October 17, 2009, 10:44 PM
Saw this on the NEMBA site-looked like a good
ride. Those of us who went to trail school there can attest-some fun
singletrack. Might be nice to get a Berkshire contingent. Interest out there?
Save the Date: Pioneer Valley Chili MTB Ride Sat., Nov. 7th
New England is arguably the best place for mountain biking, fall the best
time for riding, and chili the most comforting fall food so lets combine
those three things to create one magnificent event - the first annual Pioneer
Valley Chili MTB Ride™!
The ride part will take place at Wendell State Forest on Saturday, November
7th. We will meet/park at the Wendell Ranger Station (scroll down for
directions) and start riding at 1pm. Wendell State Forest has some of the
best mountain biking in Western MA. The beautiful scenery is highlighted by
an ever-expanding system of strategically built and beautifully maintained
single track. The trails range from all-ability to highly technical and from
gently rolling to up-/downhill that is sure to have your heart racing!
To showcase some of Wendell's greatest trails and varied terrain, we will
ride one of the classic loops at Wendell and add some trails here and there.
At a moderate pace, I expect that the ride should take us 3-4 hours.
Depending on the crowd, we might split into a "faster" and an
"intermediate" group, and trails might be added/skipped depending
on general consensus, but here is the rough plan as of 3:43pm on Oct. 13th:
To start off, we'll go down the XC to Carlton's Dirth, over to Harold's
Hiatus and up Wicked Pond Escape. From there, we can either head directly
over to the Maple Leaf trail to Nipmuck or take Two Brothers (to Maple Leaf).
We'll go up Maple Leaf, down Nipmuck and climb up Baker Road (a local
favorite ). We'll bomb down Hannah Swarton and climb back up Mormon Hollow
(or vice versa). After that, we can finish on the Lookout trail and either
the Pond Loop or "Trail" back over to the Ranger Station.
But wait, there's more: Hungry and thirsty, we will cross the road over to
the Robert Frost trail and to our gracious host, Bill Gabriel, where we will
feast on chili and fine beer. Afterwards, we will shuttle people back to
their cars.
Please let me know if you plan on coming so that we can properly prepare! All
are welcome (but by no means required) to bring a dish, snack or beverage to
share. If you want to bring something please email me to let me know what
you're bringing, or to ask what we might still need. We can drop food off at
Bill's house before the ride (12-12:45pm; directions below). The rain/snow
date for the ride is Sunday, November 15th, but lets keep our fingers crossed
that we won't need it!
Directions to the Wendell Ranger Station:
From the east or west: Take Rte. 2 to Rte. 63 south through Miller Falls,
Wendell Rd. over R.R. bridge, take Montague Rd. and follow signs.
From the north or south: Take Rte 47 North to Route 63 North. Travel
approximately 6 miles and follow lead in signs approximately 2 miles to the
Park Headquarters. (From RT63: turn right on Highland St (before center of
Millers Falls) to intersection with S Prospect St, turn right onto S Prospect
St and follow that all the way up -turns into Wendell Rd, bear right)
Directions to Bill Gabriel's house (from Millers Falls):
Follow the signs to Wendell State Forest. Bill's house is on the right just
before the Ranger Station, brown house with a red barn sitting back from the
road (334 Wendell Road).
From: mikec <jcoyne@...> Subject: [BerkshireNEMBA] Wendell Ride To: BerkshireNEMBA@yahoogroups.com Date: Saturday, October 17, 2009, 10:44 PM
Saw this on the NEMBA site-looked like a good ride. Those of us who went to trail school there can attest-some fun singletrack. Might be nice to get a Berkshire contingent. Interest out there?
Save the Date: Pioneer Valley Chili MTB Ride Sat., Nov. 7th
New England is arguably the best place for mountain biking, fall the best time for riding, and chili the most comforting fall food so lets combine those three things to create one magnificent event - the first annual Pioneer Valley Chili MTB Ride™!
The ride part will take place at Wendell State Forest on Saturday, November 7th. We will meet/park at the Wendell Ranger Station (scroll down for directions) and start riding at 1pm. Wendell State Forest has some of the best mountain biking in Western MA. The beautiful scenery is highlighted by an ever-expanding system of strategically built and beautifully maintained single track. The trails range from all-ability to highly technical and from gently rolling to up-/downhill that is sure to have your heart racing!
To showcase some of Wendell's greatest trails and varied terrain, we will ride one of the classic loops at Wendell and add some trails here and there. At a moderate pace, I expect that the ride should take us 3-4 hours. Depending on the crowd, we might split into a "faster" and an "intermediate" group, and trails might be added/skipped depending on general consensus, but here is the rough plan as of 3:43pm on Oct. 13th:
To start off, we'll go down the XC to Carlton's Dirth, over to Harold's Hiatus and up Wicked Pond Escape. From there, we can either head directly over to the Maple Leaf trail to Nipmuck or take Two Brothers (to Maple Leaf). We'll go up Maple Leaf, down Nipmuck and climb up Baker Road (a local favorite ). We'll bomb down Hannah Swarton and climb back up Mormon Hollow (or vice versa). After that, we can finish on the Lookout trail and either the Pond Loop or "Trail" back over to the Ranger Station.
But wait, there's more: Hungry and thirsty, we will cross the road over to the Robert Frost trail and to our gracious host, Bill Gabriel, where we will feast on chili and fine beer. Afterwards, we will shuttle people back to their cars.
Please let me know if you plan on coming so that we can properly prepare! All are welcome (but by no means required) to bring a dish, snack or beverage to share. If you want to bring something please email me to let me know what you're bringing, or to ask what we might still need. We can drop food off at Bill's house before the ride (12-12:45pm; directions below). The rain/snow date for the ride is Sunday, November 15th, but lets keep our fingers crossed that we won't need it!
Directions to the Wendell Ranger Station:
From the east or west: Take Rte. 2 to Rte. 63 south through Miller Falls, Wendell Rd. over R.R. bridge, take Montague Rd. and follow signs.
From the north or south: Take Rte 47 North to Route 63 North. Travel approximately 6 miles and follow lead in signs approximately 2 miles to the Park Headquarters. (From RT63: turn right on Highland St (before center of Millers Falls) to intersection with S Prospect St, turn right onto S Prospect St and follow that all the way up -turns into Wendell Rd, bear right)
Directions to Bill Gabriel's house (from Millers Falls):
Follow the signs to Wendell State Forest. Bill's house is on the right just before the Ranger Station, brown house with a red barn sitting back from the road (334 Wendell Road).
Saw this on the NEMBA site-looked like a good ride. Those of us who went to
trail school there can attest-some fun singletrack. Might be nice to get a
Berkshire contingent. Interest out there?
Save the Date: Pioneer Valley Chili MTB Ride Sat., Nov. 7th
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
New England is arguably the best place for mountain biking, fall the best time
for riding, and chili the most comforting fall food so lets combine those three
things to create one magnificent event - the first annual Pioneer Valley Chili
MTB Ride!
The ride part will take place at Wendell State Forest on Saturday, November 7th.
We will meet/park at the Wendell Ranger Station (scroll down for directions) and
start riding at 1pm. Wendell State Forest has some of the best mountain biking
in Western MA. The beautiful scenery is highlighted by an ever-expanding system
of strategically built and beautifully maintained single track. The trails range
from all-ability to highly technical and from gently rolling to up-/downhill
that is sure to have your heart racing!
To showcase some of Wendell's greatest trails and varied terrain, we will ride
one of the classic loops at Wendell and add some trails here and there. At a
moderate pace, I expect that the ride should take us 3-4 hours. Depending on the
crowd, we might split into a "faster" and an "intermediate" group, and trails
might be added/skipped depending on general consensus, but here is the rough
plan as of 3:43pm on Oct. 13th:
To start off, we'll go down the XC to Carlton's Dirth, over to Harold's Hiatus
and up Wicked Pond Escape. From there, we can either head directly over to the
Maple Leaf trail to Nipmuck or take Two Brothers (to Maple Leaf). We'll go up
Maple Leaf, down Nipmuck and climb up Baker Road (a local favorite ). We'll bomb
down Hannah Swarton and climb back up Mormon Hollow (or vice versa). After that,
we can finish on the Lookout trail and either the Pond Loop or "Trail" back over
to the Ranger Station.
But wait, there's more: Hungry and thirsty, we will cross the road over to the
Robert Frost trail and to our gracious host, Bill Gabriel, where we will feast
on chili and fine beer. Afterwards, we will shuttle people back to their cars.
Please let me know if you plan on coming so that we can properly prepare! All
are welcome (but by no means required) to bring a dish, snack or beverage to
share. If you want to bring something please email me to let me know what you're
bringing, or to ask what we might still need. We can drop food off at Bill's
house before the ride (12-12:45pm; directions below). The rain/snow date for the
ride is Sunday, November 15th, but lets keep our fingers crossed that we won't
need it!
Directions to the Wendell Ranger Station:
From the east or west: Take Rte. 2 to Rte. 63 south through Miller Falls,
Wendell Rd. over R.R. bridge, take Montague Rd. and follow signs.
From the north or south: Take Rte 47 North to Route 63 North. Travel
approximately 6 miles and follow lead in signs approximately 2 miles to the Park
Headquarters. (From RT63: turn right on Highland St (before center of Millers
Falls) to intersection with S Prospect St, turn right onto S Prospect St and
follow that all the way up -turns into Wendell Rd, bear right)
Directions to Bill Gabriel's house (from Millers Falls):
Follow the signs to Wendell State Forest. Bill's house is on the right just
before the Ranger Station, brown house with a red barn sitting back from the
road (334 Wendell Road).
Contact: Steffi Krug, (413)522-7321, knoepfchen7@...
John leaf blew most of the lower trails in the PSF and they are primo not even
a little pebble left on `em you could eat off em.
9:30 AM. Mapquest
75 Shamrock Blvd
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Lower Trails -> then Up Turner -> South on Taconic Crest -> Tilden Swamp -> back
to Berry Pond -> North on Taconic Crest -> William Berry Way -> Lulu Cascade.
Brad
It looks like the pole saw work is done on the Big bend down. So it looks like we still need to clear the AT and do some pricker cutting. Craig the widow maker is down but still need to be cut up. See ya all on Sunday 8:30
Don’t know if any of you are
interested, but that real easy bike ride from Onota Lake to the PSF is
Saturday, I think at 10 AM. I’m going to setup a NEMBA table. Hope to recruit
some people.
I thinking I could do a kids
ride next week in the PSF if I can get some interest going.
Brad
From: Tefft, Rebecca
[mailto:rtefft@...] Sent: Thursday, October 15, 2009 9:56 AM To: Brad Herder Subject: RE: Berkshire Chapter of New England Mountain Bike Association
Hi,
I would like it to just be the route we have in place. You
are welcome to set up a table with your banner and some brochures. If you
could get a few people to help lead a sweep and some in the middle for our
ride, that would be wonderful.
There will be a trail on Sunday the 18th. Meeting in the Glen at the base of the Bolt. We are going to use the new pole saws and start at the top of the big bend and work down from there. A set of loppers and a saw would be great. There is also some prickers that need cutting on the Big bend we have a good tool Sid donated to the club for that. Any question feel free to contact.
Looks like it has stopped raining so today’s ride at
10 AM in the Pittsfield State Forest is a go. Starts at Lulu
Cascade Parking area, Mapquest 75 Shamrock, Blvd, Pittsfield, MA 01201 and it’ll
get you pretty close. 3 different rides… Beginner,
Intermediate and Expert. Hope to see you there!
Yep - Mark said the state hired an outside firm to blaze all the
trees and they did it wrong. I believe John Berry owns it. I’ll
find out for sure on Monday. It’s funny b/c the state recently put up
signs on the trail head across from Theresa Apple’s house saying designating
who could use it and it’s not even their land. J
From:
BerkshireNEMBA@yahoogroups.com [mailto:BerkshireNEMBA@yahoogroups.com] On
Behalf Of meanwheels@... Sent: Friday, October 09, 2009 7:43 PM To: BerkshireNEMBA@yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [BerkshireNEMBA] FW: mt. bike trail proposal boundary issue
at Pittsfield SF
Wow- a couple of years ago they went thru Oct Mt and painted blue
blazes on the trees- did they do that recently in the PSF and if so I guess
they didn"t know what they were doing. Do we know who owns it? Ruth
Wow- a couple of years ago they went thru Oct Mt and painted blue blazes on the trees- did they do that recently in the PSF and if so I guess they didn"t know what they were doing. Do we know who owns it? Ruth