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Technical Trail Riding - Chatfield Hollow

 
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PostPosted: Fri Mar 09, 2007 3:11 am    Post subject: Technical Trail Riding - Chatfield Hollow Reply with quote

Technical Trail Riding - Chatfield Hollow

Chatfield Hollow State Park has become somewhat of a legendary place among technical trail-riding mountain bikers. Most riders steer clear of the rock and root infested terrain of the Hollow, but there are those that search out that toothy and textured terrain for their two-wheeled rambles.

As for me, it began as an incidental encounter a few years ago. I was becoming burnt out from Cockaponset riding and needed new inspiration. The Hollow was just a few more miles down the road, so I decided to give it a try. At that time, I had no idea what was to be expected. What I found was something sublime – a tight super-technical singletrack sanctuary of the highest order.

At first there was frustration and lung-bursting hills riddled with tire-trapping obstacles. My cardiovascular went meltdown as my legs burnt up from the stamina sapping landscape. The wave of exhaustion killed my balance as I retreated in defeat. But as time went on, I found myself yearning and returning for more to find that the magic of the trails unlock abilities that I never knew I had.

My favorite ride is to begin at the free gravel parking lot before the entrance gate. I pedal up a steep unmarked trail square in the center of the lot toward Chimney Rocks. This requires a quick serpentine maneuver around a rock outcrop about halfway up and gentle acceleration to prevent spinning of the wheels. Once reaching the top, I take a quick right over some toothy rocks and drop down following the trail that snugs up close to the large rock wall. The trail climbs up and almost directly into the rock face, which requires uncanny balancing that I can only seem to muster about half of the time. To make matters worse, there is a large root-rock combination that traps the front tire and a rock that traps the rear. So not only do I have to snap the bike quickly to the right, I have to avoid the steep edge and elevate the bike over the technical trap. If able to master the trap, there will be no time for celebration as a quick approach to an unstable rock will require balancing while the rock shifts under my tires. Once the rear tire is clear, the bike follows the trail as it falls away down a quick steep descent the turns quickly over some boulders and up another short climb. The serpentine trail requires quick feathery redirection around trees while negotiating over rocks and roots. The trail spills back out onto the main drive to complete the 1/10th mile baptism of fire.

I usually follow the paved main drive the entire way to the purple Covered Bridge Trail that follows the bank of the stream. I hit the trail with speed, shift my weight behind the center, and squat above the saddle as the bike chatters up and down over the rough rooted ground. This is a great place to pound it out to gain some more speed. This will help gain enough momentum to hopefully overpower the difficult technical hill-climb, which requires negotiating rock steps. For me, it’s almost impossible. This gets me almost every time and I can remember only two or three times that I have ever mastered this section. Once on higher ground, the trail retains it’s technical feel dishing out roots and rocks along the way. After a few tricky bridge-crossings requiring up-and-over maneuvers and a tight stream bank section, the trail spills out onto the main drive at the turn-around at the northern terminus of the park.

At that point, I follow the dirt and gravel road to the left up the hill. By the time I hit the second trailhead to the left, my legs are burning and already tired. I snap the bike around the gated entrance and blast up the wide double-track trail toward the top of the hill. This requires at least one difficult log crossing of about 18 inches high. Once at the edge of the log, I pop the front tire up while continuing to pedal. The largest chain-ring bites into the top of the log and drives the bike forward. The front wheel nose-dives over the log as the rear wheel catapults up. I center myself over the seat, struggle for balance and lift the front tire slightly while still pedaling forward as the bike lumbers over the log with success. Once reaching the top of the hill, I accelerate to top speed for the downhill ride. The trail whips around turns and drops down rock cascades with frightful speed. The bike chatters and bucks over rocks and small logs and the tires slide and spit out stones around the sharp bends.

At the intersection, I take a sharp right following the Deep Woods Trail marked with orange blazes. The path flows over technical ups and downs littered with roots and rocks. I eventually encounter four log-crossings in a row, which are quite large and then cross a narrow footbridge. After a short distance, I take the Y to the right following the Pond Trail, a steep windy rock infested double climb. This requires mustering strength from deep within. Once at the top, I pass a rock overlook as the trail turns sharply to the right. I hold on tight to the handlebars as I coast down the rock-infested trail and around sharp turns. At one point, I have to slam on the brakes and step off the bike to negotiate around an awkward rock obstacle.

After gathering my wits and resuming the ride, I blast past the pond and up the easy hill. The ride down the other side is very fast and devoid of many of the difficult obstacles found along the other parts of the trail. The smooth flow puts me into a zen-like state of mind. The relief from the technical riding is short lived as I have to snap my bike smartly to the right and maneuver over a mound, through a flume-like gully, and up-and-over the other side for another sharp snap to the left. At that point more difficult terrain approaches for a short difficult section through outcropped boulders until reaching the 50-foot tall rock wall.

This spot is popular among rock climbers and requires a brutal hike-a-bike to follow the rugged trail to the top of the cliff. I never ride at the top because the trail meanders along the ledge and there are frequently climbing ropes stretched across the trail making for a nasty tire-trap.

After hiking down the other side, the ride begins again for the most technical section of the western side of the park. Toothy rock obstacles pepper the trail requiring many wheelies to lunge from one rock top to the next. After a few big root-infested and steep downhills, there is a massive boulder outcropping, which requires top-notch mastery to stay balanced on wheels. I have only completed this section once over many tries.

At that point the trail spills onto the paved roadway, which I cross to ride along the Swamp-walk. This is a serpentine boardwalk that is built-up off the surface of a dense swamp. The turns are sharp and there are often families with small children, so I usually pedal very slowly.

Once I reach the large gravel bus parking area on the other side, I breathe deep for a second wind to tackle the most difficult hill and most difficult technical terrain in the park. I exit onto the main drive and blast down the hill. Right before the bottom, I snap my bike swiftly to the left entering the trailhead for the infamous white trail.

The beginning requires speed and a bit of a lean to get up and over the small hill and around the next bend. The bike chatters over some loose rocks as I follow the white trail toward the right. I prime my legs for heavy acceleration and start pedaling hard to help overcome the approaching hill. Just as my speed slows, I downshift to 2nd gear and start pounding. At this point, my legs are already burning, but there’s a difficult rock step that requires strength and balance to hop up and over while fighting up the hill. This obstacle has defeated me many times.

After clearing the step, I fight to regain control and strength while maneuvering over a rock-root combination while avoiding a tree. At this point, I’m at the top of a small bluff-like hill as I whip around a turn and drop down the other side. The descent is steep, which requires dropping my body behind the seat and stretching out to reach the grips. In an instant, I’m at the bottom leaning into a tight turn to the left and preparing for the next climb. I quickly shift my weight back and forth (from left to right) several times to avoid large rocks and logs that reach up toward the trail. My pedaling slows toward the top to snap my bike around a protruding log as my rear wheel rubs against it’s rotting bark.

The trail only levels off for a brief instant until I’m descending a difficult hill. The rock garden and swift trail make it tough to negotiate the obstacles as I feather the brakes for balance and control. I cross a small rocky stream and stand above my seat to pound over the rock and root infested terrain. My bike chatters and bucks as it rolls over the trail, which helps to steal more of my precious energy. I hammer through the gauntlet and then slow down to pick my way through a toothy tire-trapping rock garden. My front tire gets jammed, but my keen balance allows me to stick the brakes and float perfectly balanced without moving at all. For a brief instant the bike does not move, but – as if unaffected by gravity - I quickly toss my body to the side pulling my bike with me and then hammer the pedals. My bike lurches forward and the front wheel rides overtop the rocks as I clear the trap and head toward the next hill.

I breathe hard and pull from my energy reserves for the next challenge. I’m sitting to allow my suspension to absorb all of the impacts as I struggle up a very steep grade over a web of roots and around sharp rocks. About a quarter of the way up, I follow the trail sharply to the left for a steeper section yet while pedaling over even larger roots. Once clearing the most difficult obstacles, the hill changes to a slow grade giving me a few moments to catch my breath as I pedal toward the next trial. At this point my legs are jelly and I feel as though I have no more power left. But as the steep rocky ledge appears, I stand up and snap around the obstacles while driving up and over the rocks.

I’m now breathing even harder as my body struggles to relieve the burning in my lungs and legs. There’s no time for rest as I again pedal harder to blast up and over the next ledge. I take in a long drag of fresh air, gasp for more, and then blow it all out as I plunge down a small grade. This gives me just enough energy to keep pedaling as I struggle up the next hill. As I approach the top, my pedaling slows and my legs burn like fire. I breathe hard but can’t seem to relieve the thirst for air as I squat over my bike to tackle the next rock ledge. My front tire barely creeps over the rocks as I crush down hard on the pedals.

After clearing the difficult terrain, I coast down just a very short way until having the pedal to maintain my speed. The grade turns upward again and my bike chatterers over more rocks and roots as I leave the white trail behind to continue along the blue trail. My bike plunges over a short ledge and I continue to maintain my cadence as I follow along an easy stretch that hugs the base of a long rock face. This gives me my only rest before the most difficult climb.

After crossing a small stream, a super-steep hill approaches. I slide toward the front of my saddle and lean drastically forward while beginning to hammer the pedals and shift into 1st gear. My bike slows to a crawl just barely moving forward as I muscle my way up the hill. I lean slightly to the left to follow the trail along a bend which brings my bike to a near stop. At that point, I crush down hard with all of my might to cycle the pedals down. The bike continues to move slowly up the hill as I approach another rock ledge. Once my front tire comes in contact with the rock, my bike comes to an abrupt stop causing me to engage the brakes and step off the bike. I’m exhausted, but I still have to climb. I push my bike by the handlebars as I slowly hike up the extremely steep incline. I’m gasping for breath as I hear my pounding heart beating away in my ears. My lungs are burning and my quads are numb from pain, but I just keep climbing.

Once I reach the top, a plea yells out across my mind, “I have to rest!” But with stubborn determination I mount my bike again and start pedaling. Sweat pours over my sunglasses and drizzles from my chin as I crank along the trail. The hill fades out to nearly a flat as I quicken the pace against my body’s desperate state. My bike flows smoothly around the bends of the gentle hill until the incline quickens. I am again pedaling slowly around an enormous log and over another ledge while gasping for air as a trickle of saliva drips from my lower lip. The onslaught of obstacles persists through a jungle of roots until the trail finally spills out at the very top of a remote dirt road.

Even though I feel too exhausted to continue, I point my bike downhill and begin pounding the pedals. The bike whooshes over the surface of the gravely road as I quickly shift up through the full course of gears until I hit the top-end at the 21st. I’m moving quite fast at about 25 mph as my bike skips over the surface and as stones go flying. I ride past a marsh and then turn left to continue following the blue trail.

After pedaling over a short stone step-way placed over smelly mud, I downshift to begin grinding up another long hill. I ride past the pond and back into the woods while breathing hard. This time, the trail is not so technical, but my legs are shot and my cadence is slow. To the relief of my legs, I eventually climb to the top and up-shift for the technical descent. My bike gains speed as I skirt around turns and obstacles. There are a few toothy rocks that I can’t evade, so I squat down low and launch over the top of the rocks with a jolt. The kicking and bucking continues the entire way to the bottom of the hill until the trail reaches the main dirt road.

I cross over to continue along the blue trail, but quickly become inundated with rocks and boulders trapping my wheels. After a few quick saves, the rocks eventually overcome my skills and I have to step off. After walking just a few yards, I’m back on the saddle again and pounding up a short hill. The surface of the trail becomes mostly smooth and serpentines around trees and boulders. I have to keep a sharp eye on the terrain because there are a few surprise rock gardens waiting for me.

I reach the top of the hill and begin my bomb down the other side. The trail is not that steep, but smooth enough to keep pedaling toward insane speeds. The roller-coaster track is wild and fun with tight turns and a few woopty-woop hills. I jump a few logs and take a sharp turn to the left where I encounter a devilish little rock garden. I stand over my saddle and center my weight while negotiating the challenging terrain. My bike lunges and stalls several times as the tires become trapped by the rocks.

Once I make it through, I snap my bike off the right to a side trail and then bomb down a long steep hill. The trees flicker by as I whiz down the mostly smooth trail. Just as the landscape tapers down to a flat, I feather the brakes to slow my speed and then swiftly snap around a sharp left turn at a T in the trail. I begin pedaling hard to recapture lost speed while flowing along the serpentine trail.

After a quick log-jump, I turn right along another side trail and hammer up a short steep hill. I thumb up through the gears and bomb down the other side leaning into a sharp right turn and then crossing an old dilapidated footbridge. I follow the trail through what feels like a tunnel of small trees on a surface of pine needles eventually spilling out onto the main drive just a short distance from the parking lot where my adventurous trek began.

I slowly return to my truck while I’m covered in dirt and sweat. My breathing slows and my heart calms to a steady beat. I remove my sweat-stained sunglasses and unclip my helmet to lean against the tailgate for a rest.

It’s always a good ride and my soul dances with rejuvenation. The technical challenges and physical tests will always keep me returning for more.

copyright 2007 Bryan McFarland
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