Hatfield Mcoy April 2011
- Thread starter Trigger1911
- Start date
Very cool pictures. Glad you guys had a good time.
Short version:
It was a long drive Thursday. It rained Friday but we road all day. It was wet but not to cold. It was warm and damp Saturday but it cleared up and we road all day It was hot and I got sunburn on my face. A dude crashed his quad and we helped pull it out. We were tired but we ate like kings and kept riding. Camping out is fun even in a cabin. It was a long drive Sunday. The trip was fun. I like Peanut butter and Jelly. Fireman is a candy junkie, Trigger has a ting for small cows and walks around in his underpants way to much. Maybe he should move to WV. The girls are not at all bad looking.
Long version:
We got off to a slow start on the ride down as we had to stop for some stuff along the way as we started taking verbal inventory of what we had and did not have after meeting up and combining all 3 bikes and gear. Triggers big Ford Van was the way to go. We pulled the bikes on his small trailer. After seeing all the gear we had piled in the back of the van there is no way we could have hauled the bikes inside. We stopped for a Buffet lunch and that was cool. We were not in a rush to get down. We just wanted to get in before dark so we could get unpacked and settled. We got in, got unloaded, and even got a good cook fire going so we could get our chicken and potato wedge dinner cooked. We sat by the fire a bit and made our way into the cabin. The forecast was for rain on Friday with heavier rain predicted as the day went on so we decided to “try” and get up early and get out early.
We got out on the trail around 9. Trigger needed to make some last minute fuel line changes. It had already started to mist light but it was not cold. Mid 60’s maybe so we went out with our rain gear on. Fog X and Rain X on the goggles did not help much so I removed goggles about 30 minutes out in favor of my amber cycle glasses. That made a big difference and I road with them all day. Trigger overshot the first real switchback we came up on somehow even though I was in front and pulled some kind of butt muscle. The way he was hopping around I was sure he was toast but he stretched it out and road through it though it bothered him on and off all weekend. The trails started out as just wet but then started to shift to puddles and running water. We had to ride pretty slow, you just could not get ripping in the rain with all the twist and turns in the trails. The good news was we saw very few other people so we more or less had the place to ourselves. We made our way to the Mann trail head and got directions to the local water hole just as the rain started to get heavy. We got into Keith’s and got some food and beers ordered. We had a great time with the folks there as we ate and tried to warm up and dry off while the rain poured outside. By the time the rain lightened up and we left our bikes were all but clean!
The trails really started to turn to mud in the afternoon session and I missed a turn on the Green trail that landed us on a short black trail with a good long climb. The trials tires made easy work of the big mud hill but Triggers Terraflex just could not grip anymore and gave up the ghost about 40’ from the top. I don’t think any of us really realized who greasy the mud was until we got off the bikes and slid down to help Trigger get his bike up. We worked our way around a full loop of the park and headed back into the cabin. I have to say, the worse the mud got the better my bike and tires seemed to work. I did not expect the trials tire to be so good in the clay mud but it was. We went to town for some gas and some pink baby types went to the car wash to wash their beauty queen bikes and take the RV road back while the hard core dirt rider ripped the trail back up to the campground. I got washed up and went about the WiFi job. Got the WiFi up in about 40 mins and that was a welcome comfort as our phones and laptops were now back on broadband Internet. It was kinda nice to be off the grid a bit the first night. We had a great fire going and cooked up some bratwurst and more chicken and potatoes. Andrew got a bit over zealous with the seasoning on the Chicken but he is learning. The steaming hot bratwurst warmed our bellies to the core and the piping hot potato wedges were perfect with the beers or JD in Andrews’s case. Trigger being his normal social self went and befriended the group of drunk Jerzy girls a few cabins down and got a piece. Of cake I mean. I recall the cake was male phallic theamed. None for me thanks! We downloaded camera cards and swapped pictures out, hung out and called it a night.
We got up early (for me) Saturday and started about the biz of making coffee and Tea. Trigger forgot his Coffee at home but I bartered with the owner for a half can the night before. You should have seen Triggers face when I tossed him the can! We got geared up, some quicker than others! We got out somewhere around 9 again I think. The weather was overcast but getting warm. I headed out in raingear but quickly pulled it off as the warm humid air and the riding caught up with me. Andrew insisted he wanted to try a black trail that we had looked up and down Friday but decided not to try in the muddy mess it was. Andrew fussed over going first but gave it a great try only to be bounced off a shale face wall right at the top of a switch back step. Trigger was next in the hot seat on a section of Single track. He gave it a great try but about 300 feet in was all that could be gained.
NOTE: don’t let the maps fool you! The single track here is hands down the most difficult trails in the park. We were not able to get more than ¼ mile into any section we tried.
My turn was next, we ventured into the Black and Red trail. I was in front, it went on for some miles just gently winding though the woods. We stopped at a 3 way black red intersect and started talking smack. This should be a green trail! We finally got to the top of the trail to find the very clear warning sign stating among other thing, No ATV’s under 200cc, For very experienced riders only, NO Side by sides, No passengers. It was on. I led the charge with the big WR in 1st gear just wound up in tractor mode. Plenty of good lines opened up in front of me as I slid my butt to the back of the seat and lowered my head over the bars to balance the weight on the steep climb. The bike never bobbled once. I just had my way with it changing up lines from right to left, back to center to hook up in that rut and around to the side again to clear the large rock face in the middle. At the next step I shut the bike down and waited. Here came Andrew, good speed, good lines, WR 250 wound up like a nervous meth head, he nailed it! Next came the girthy DRZ 400s . The back end started to dance and that moved the front, no choice but to back off and that’s all it takes. Trigger shook his head and let us know he would wait for us at the bottom. Gasping in the thin hot and humid 2000 + ft air as he drug the burly bike around to point it back down. Andrew and I fired up to attack the last step. 400 feet of elevation to go yet in about ¼ mile of trail. Again I looked up as much of the hill as I could see then put my head down to attack the climb in 1st gear wound out and again the bike would not be denied! Plenty of speed, plenty of grip, it’s harder to keep the front end down than spin the back! The X-light tire worth every penny! Up to the top! I circled and watched or the next blue bike and again up it came screaming, he nailed it! I did not let him stop, there was a 30’ or so straight up climb on the top that would take you to the very top of the mountain. I circled around and blasted into it in 2nd launching the bike onto the Plato and Andrew did not think twice! We both let out an adrenaline-fueled howl as the bikes shut off! What a rush! We stopped for some quick pics and took in the view. 2400 feet said the GPS. We made our way back down (not at all easy either!) and took pictures of triumph next to the trail warning sign. We had just made that hill our bitch!
Anyway, Trigger had had it. His bike was just not hooking up and I think he was still a bit sore from the other day. He was going to turn back, but not back the way we came. We still had to get down and down in short order was the trail in front of us. I led the way down, working the back brake to a slide and then just working the front brake in soft pulls just enough to keep the big WR’s front tire moving enough to keep authority while still trying to arrest the weight. I had to keep flipping the back end left and right like a downhill skier to try to bleed off speed. At one point it was getting away from me and I knew I could not pull the front any harder. I spotted a rock pile to the uphill side and aimed my front wheel at it while gently laying the bike over with my left foot on the bank and right foot on the peg I got it stopped and looked down the hill :ohmy: . I know I did not have much time since Trigger must have started down soon after I went around the bend out of site. I spotted my line and pushed the bike back off the bank with my left leg and slid the back into the rut I wanted and let it slide down. All made it down safe but that was probably the longest hardest downhill I have ever done. My upper body was screaming from bracing off the bars and my thighs were as well from gripping the tank and trying to keep my shoulders loose to jockey the helm.
Once we caught our breath and remarked about what we had just done we rode with the T man back to the green, showed him the way on the map and parted company. Andrew and I really started ripping as the sun came out and the trails started to dry very quickly. We took black and blue trails and made our way to the overlooks on the map. We stopped for a snack and I took the time to remove my boots and socks and let them dry in the warm breeze on the top of the overlook. We looked at the map and made our plan. In the 10 mins or so my helmet was all but dry and most of the standing water was gone from my boots. We went to the next over look and scouted out the single-track lead in there. It was hard but I thought we could do it. We decided not to risk it and chatted with some guys on quads that came by, one form Alberta Canada one form Florida. They were old high school buds that got together to ride in WV. How cool. A pair of bike rider, father and son by the looks of it stopped by just as all 4 of us were mounting up. We said hi but they kept to themselves, turns out they were dicks. We rode out behind the quads down a black trail in the direction the bike riders had just come from and just as we turned the corner to tackle the Black downhill we were quite surprised to see an abandoned Honda TRX sitting about ¾ of the way up the hill. We cut the motors and I called out “Is everyone ok?” no answer. One of the quad guys hopped off his quad and started to slide down toward the stricken Honda. It was right in the middle of the trail on the hill! Down there he said and pointed off to the left (low side) of the hill. There were 3 people down there and what was left of a quad. Turns out the red quad fell down there at about 9:30 am. It was now about noon! They had winched the Honda up only to have the winch quad give way and fall right down into the same spot! The Driver had his helmet off during the recovery and tried to save the quad. Bad idea. His nose was busted up a bit and he was in la la land where the birds fly around your head. We spent 2 freaking hours in the now hot noon sun getting them drug up with 2 winches, 3 quads and 4 guys pulling! Andrew and I escorted the other two riders the long way around to the bottom of the long hill to find the lost quad had been lowered all the way down. We got the bars and brakes bent back to where it could be ridden after it had been hot-wired since the key switch was destroyed. A quick lever with a 10’ log got the front rack bent back up off the front tires and even impressed the guy from WV with my Redneck fix. We were quite happy to part ways and get on with our ride. It was about 2 and we were hot and hungry. We made our way out to Mann and back to the bar for some lunch. We headed back out and again tried the single track only to be turned back again by the extremely technical steep switch back climbs not to far in. I could tell Andrew was a bit tired so we bailed on it. We started making our way back and hit a black trail. I just did not want to go back on green trails we had already been on. He groaned and agreed muttering something about me trying to murder him. It was a long winding and rocky climb up #29 I think. Again the Big WR could not be stopped. The 250 had a bobble when I think it surprised Andrew with so much grip it lifted the front wheel and spooked him into letting off the go grip. He was a good 5 mins or so slogging it out just out of sight down there in the now 80 + degree afternoon but he did it. He caught his breath and cursed a bit and we made our plan to work our way back through the few parts of the park we had not covered. We were ripping at a brisk pace, 3rd and 4th gear, laying the big blue bike on its side in the muddy sweeping turns I slowed and took the inside most line since I knew quads would not be able to ride the tight turns fast and would be sliding around the outside. I could power slide the back out under throttle once I saw it was clear around the blind corners. As the trail got more and more dry the bike just started working better and better. Now I was out of the seat and starting to get a workout! I knew I was starting to push the young fireman hard when he started to fall behind but he was riding well. We stopped to look at some auger holes drilled into the side of the mountain. Man, it was already after 6 PM and it was getting dark in the valleys! We made our way back in and then for one last hurrah we attached the black trail we did not make it up in the AM. Down this time with no issues! That saved a bunch of time and we were back in camp by 7PM with plenty of daylight to spare.
We got a head start on packing by loading the bikes up and then it was one last night of Beer, Ribs and fun by the fire. We loaded up in the AM and were on the road around 8:30. We stopped for some must have pictures with some things we spotted on the way in. I though I could get a few Z’s once we were on the Highway but a certain Chatty Cathy would not let up, pointing out every cow and reading every speed limit sign! That’s ok, I know he’s gonna want to sleep when I’m on the wheel and I returned the favor earplugs and all! Andrew had made plenty of sandwiches for the road so we mostly just stopped for fuel, P P breaks and driver changes except for one fickle guy that insisted he wanted a Boston Cream doughnut come hell or high water even though we had an unopened pack of Oreo Cookies! Hey 1000 miles of driving and being in a small cabin with the same guys for 3 days, it happens ;-)
It was all good fun and I gotta say it was well worth it. I really needed the trip and the riding, and the man time. Although sometimes I wondered, like when Andrew and Trigger were screaming and dancing around like schoolgirls when I pointed out a small spider I found under my pack bag in the cabin. I got some of it on video. It was a riot. We all shared in with the cooking, cleaning, and driving and took turns on the big boy bed in the cabin. It a was great trip but boy was I glad to pull into home and see that big white dog run up to me and get a hug and kiss from my girl.
It was a long drive Thursday. It rained Friday but we road all day. It was wet but not to cold. It was warm and damp Saturday but it cleared up and we road all day It was hot and I got sunburn on my face. A dude crashed his quad and we helped pull it out. We were tired but we ate like kings and kept riding. Camping out is fun even in a cabin. It was a long drive Sunday. The trip was fun. I like Peanut butter and Jelly. Fireman is a candy junkie, Trigger has a ting for small cows and walks around in his underpants way to much. Maybe he should move to WV. The girls are not at all bad looking.
Long version:
We got off to a slow start on the ride down as we had to stop for some stuff along the way as we started taking verbal inventory of what we had and did not have after meeting up and combining all 3 bikes and gear. Triggers big Ford Van was the way to go. We pulled the bikes on his small trailer. After seeing all the gear we had piled in the back of the van there is no way we could have hauled the bikes inside. We stopped for a Buffet lunch and that was cool. We were not in a rush to get down. We just wanted to get in before dark so we could get unpacked and settled. We got in, got unloaded, and even got a good cook fire going so we could get our chicken and potato wedge dinner cooked. We sat by the fire a bit and made our way into the cabin. The forecast was for rain on Friday with heavier rain predicted as the day went on so we decided to “try” and get up early and get out early.
We got out on the trail around 9. Trigger needed to make some last minute fuel line changes. It had already started to mist light but it was not cold. Mid 60’s maybe so we went out with our rain gear on. Fog X and Rain X on the goggles did not help much so I removed goggles about 30 minutes out in favor of my amber cycle glasses. That made a big difference and I road with them all day. Trigger overshot the first real switchback we came up on somehow even though I was in front and pulled some kind of butt muscle. The way he was hopping around I was sure he was toast but he stretched it out and road through it though it bothered him on and off all weekend. The trails started out as just wet but then started to shift to puddles and running water. We had to ride pretty slow, you just could not get ripping in the rain with all the twist and turns in the trails. The good news was we saw very few other people so we more or less had the place to ourselves. We made our way to the Mann trail head and got directions to the local water hole just as the rain started to get heavy. We got into Keith’s and got some food and beers ordered. We had a great time with the folks there as we ate and tried to warm up and dry off while the rain poured outside. By the time the rain lightened up and we left our bikes were all but clean!
The trails really started to turn to mud in the afternoon session and I missed a turn on the Green trail that landed us on a short black trail with a good long climb. The trials tires made easy work of the big mud hill but Triggers Terraflex just could not grip anymore and gave up the ghost about 40’ from the top. I don’t think any of us really realized who greasy the mud was until we got off the bikes and slid down to help Trigger get his bike up. We worked our way around a full loop of the park and headed back into the cabin. I have to say, the worse the mud got the better my bike and tires seemed to work. I did not expect the trials tire to be so good in the clay mud but it was. We went to town for some gas and some pink baby types went to the car wash to wash their beauty queen bikes and take the RV road back while the hard core dirt rider ripped the trail back up to the campground. I got washed up and went about the WiFi job. Got the WiFi up in about 40 mins and that was a welcome comfort as our phones and laptops were now back on broadband Internet. It was kinda nice to be off the grid a bit the first night. We had a great fire going and cooked up some bratwurst and more chicken and potatoes. Andrew got a bit over zealous with the seasoning on the Chicken but he is learning. The steaming hot bratwurst warmed our bellies to the core and the piping hot potato wedges were perfect with the beers or JD in Andrews’s case. Trigger being his normal social self went and befriended the group of drunk Jerzy girls a few cabins down and got a piece. Of cake I mean. I recall the cake was male phallic theamed. None for me thanks! We downloaded camera cards and swapped pictures out, hung out and called it a night.
We got up early (for me) Saturday and started about the biz of making coffee and Tea. Trigger forgot his Coffee at home but I bartered with the owner for a half can the night before. You should have seen Triggers face when I tossed him the can! We got geared up, some quicker than others! We got out somewhere around 9 again I think. The weather was overcast but getting warm. I headed out in raingear but quickly pulled it off as the warm humid air and the riding caught up with me. Andrew insisted he wanted to try a black trail that we had looked up and down Friday but decided not to try in the muddy mess it was. Andrew fussed over going first but gave it a great try only to be bounced off a shale face wall right at the top of a switch back step. Trigger was next in the hot seat on a section of Single track. He gave it a great try but about 300 feet in was all that could be gained.
NOTE: don’t let the maps fool you! The single track here is hands down the most difficult trails in the park. We were not able to get more than ¼ mile into any section we tried.
My turn was next, we ventured into the Black and Red trail. I was in front, it went on for some miles just gently winding though the woods. We stopped at a 3 way black red intersect and started talking smack. This should be a green trail! We finally got to the top of the trail to find the very clear warning sign stating among other thing, No ATV’s under 200cc, For very experienced riders only, NO Side by sides, No passengers. It was on. I led the charge with the big WR in 1st gear just wound up in tractor mode. Plenty of good lines opened up in front of me as I slid my butt to the back of the seat and lowered my head over the bars to balance the weight on the steep climb. The bike never bobbled once. I just had my way with it changing up lines from right to left, back to center to hook up in that rut and around to the side again to clear the large rock face in the middle. At the next step I shut the bike down and waited. Here came Andrew, good speed, good lines, WR 250 wound up like a nervous meth head, he nailed it! Next came the girthy DRZ 400s . The back end started to dance and that moved the front, no choice but to back off and that’s all it takes. Trigger shook his head and let us know he would wait for us at the bottom. Gasping in the thin hot and humid 2000 + ft air as he drug the burly bike around to point it back down. Andrew and I fired up to attack the last step. 400 feet of elevation to go yet in about ¼ mile of trail. Again I looked up as much of the hill as I could see then put my head down to attack the climb in 1st gear wound out and again the bike would not be denied! Plenty of speed, plenty of grip, it’s harder to keep the front end down than spin the back! The X-light tire worth every penny! Up to the top! I circled and watched or the next blue bike and again up it came screaming, he nailed it! I did not let him stop, there was a 30’ or so straight up climb on the top that would take you to the very top of the mountain. I circled around and blasted into it in 2nd launching the bike onto the Plato and Andrew did not think twice! We both let out an adrenaline-fueled howl as the bikes shut off! What a rush! We stopped for some quick pics and took in the view. 2400 feet said the GPS. We made our way back down (not at all easy either!) and took pictures of triumph next to the trail warning sign. We had just made that hill our bitch!
Anyway, Trigger had had it. His bike was just not hooking up and I think he was still a bit sore from the other day. He was going to turn back, but not back the way we came. We still had to get down and down in short order was the trail in front of us. I led the way down, working the back brake to a slide and then just working the front brake in soft pulls just enough to keep the big WR’s front tire moving enough to keep authority while still trying to arrest the weight. I had to keep flipping the back end left and right like a downhill skier to try to bleed off speed. At one point it was getting away from me and I knew I could not pull the front any harder. I spotted a rock pile to the uphill side and aimed my front wheel at it while gently laying the bike over with my left foot on the bank and right foot on the peg I got it stopped and looked down the hill :ohmy: . I know I did not have much time since Trigger must have started down soon after I went around the bend out of site. I spotted my line and pushed the bike back off the bank with my left leg and slid the back into the rut I wanted and let it slide down. All made it down safe but that was probably the longest hardest downhill I have ever done. My upper body was screaming from bracing off the bars and my thighs were as well from gripping the tank and trying to keep my shoulders loose to jockey the helm.
Once we caught our breath and remarked about what we had just done we rode with the T man back to the green, showed him the way on the map and parted company. Andrew and I really started ripping as the sun came out and the trails started to dry very quickly. We took black and blue trails and made our way to the overlooks on the map. We stopped for a snack and I took the time to remove my boots and socks and let them dry in the warm breeze on the top of the overlook. We looked at the map and made our plan. In the 10 mins or so my helmet was all but dry and most of the standing water was gone from my boots. We went to the next over look and scouted out the single-track lead in there. It was hard but I thought we could do it. We decided not to risk it and chatted with some guys on quads that came by, one form Alberta Canada one form Florida. They were old high school buds that got together to ride in WV. How cool. A pair of bike rider, father and son by the looks of it stopped by just as all 4 of us were mounting up. We said hi but they kept to themselves, turns out they were dicks. We rode out behind the quads down a black trail in the direction the bike riders had just come from and just as we turned the corner to tackle the Black downhill we were quite surprised to see an abandoned Honda TRX sitting about ¾ of the way up the hill. We cut the motors and I called out “Is everyone ok?” no answer. One of the quad guys hopped off his quad and started to slide down toward the stricken Honda. It was right in the middle of the trail on the hill! Down there he said and pointed off to the left (low side) of the hill. There were 3 people down there and what was left of a quad. Turns out the red quad fell down there at about 9:30 am. It was now about noon! They had winched the Honda up only to have the winch quad give way and fall right down into the same spot! The Driver had his helmet off during the recovery and tried to save the quad. Bad idea. His nose was busted up a bit and he was in la la land where the birds fly around your head. We spent 2 freaking hours in the now hot noon sun getting them drug up with 2 winches, 3 quads and 4 guys pulling! Andrew and I escorted the other two riders the long way around to the bottom of the long hill to find the lost quad had been lowered all the way down. We got the bars and brakes bent back to where it could be ridden after it had been hot-wired since the key switch was destroyed. A quick lever with a 10’ log got the front rack bent back up off the front tires and even impressed the guy from WV with my Redneck fix. We were quite happy to part ways and get on with our ride. It was about 2 and we were hot and hungry. We made our way out to Mann and back to the bar for some lunch. We headed back out and again tried the single track only to be turned back again by the extremely technical steep switch back climbs not to far in. I could tell Andrew was a bit tired so we bailed on it. We started making our way back and hit a black trail. I just did not want to go back on green trails we had already been on. He groaned and agreed muttering something about me trying to murder him. It was a long winding and rocky climb up #29 I think. Again the Big WR could not be stopped. The 250 had a bobble when I think it surprised Andrew with so much grip it lifted the front wheel and spooked him into letting off the go grip. He was a good 5 mins or so slogging it out just out of sight down there in the now 80 + degree afternoon but he did it. He caught his breath and cursed a bit and we made our plan to work our way back through the few parts of the park we had not covered. We were ripping at a brisk pace, 3rd and 4th gear, laying the big blue bike on its side in the muddy sweeping turns I slowed and took the inside most line since I knew quads would not be able to ride the tight turns fast and would be sliding around the outside. I could power slide the back out under throttle once I saw it was clear around the blind corners. As the trail got more and more dry the bike just started working better and better. Now I was out of the seat and starting to get a workout! I knew I was starting to push the young fireman hard when he started to fall behind but he was riding well. We stopped to look at some auger holes drilled into the side of the mountain. Man, it was already after 6 PM and it was getting dark in the valleys! We made our way back in and then for one last hurrah we attached the black trail we did not make it up in the AM. Down this time with no issues! That saved a bunch of time and we were back in camp by 7PM with plenty of daylight to spare.
We got a head start on packing by loading the bikes up and then it was one last night of Beer, Ribs and fun by the fire. We loaded up in the AM and were on the road around 8:30. We stopped for some must have pictures with some things we spotted on the way in. I though I could get a few Z’s once we were on the Highway but a certain Chatty Cathy would not let up, pointing out every cow and reading every speed limit sign! That’s ok, I know he’s gonna want to sleep when I’m on the wheel and I returned the favor earplugs and all! Andrew had made plenty of sandwiches for the road so we mostly just stopped for fuel, P P breaks and driver changes except for one fickle guy that insisted he wanted a Boston Cream doughnut come hell or high water even though we had an unopened pack of Oreo Cookies! Hey 1000 miles of driving and being in a small cabin with the same guys for 3 days, it happens ;-)
It was all good fun and I gotta say it was well worth it. I really needed the trip and the riding, and the man time. Although sometimes I wondered, like when Andrew and Trigger were screaming and dancing around like schoolgirls when I pointed out a small spider I found under my pack bag in the cabin. I got some of it on video. It was a riot. We all shared in with the cooking, cleaning, and driving and took turns on the big boy bed in the cabin. It a was great trip but boy was I glad to pull into home and see that big white dog run up to me and get a hug and kiss from my girl.
Last edited:
Nice write up Jason! Felt like I was right there...except I was dry and warm :p
Trigger1911
~SPONSOR~
- Jul 4, 2001
- 432
- 0
- Thread starter
- #33
Jason said it all, pulled a hamstring, had a great time with my riding buds and thats all tyhat matters. Thanks boys, looking forward to next time!
I am NOW!!!!!
