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If you are planning on traveling to and riding in Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland and probably parts of surrounding states you may want to rethink it, at least temporarily. Huge parts of these states are out of power and covered with blowdowns from a major windstorm last Friday. I have been chainsawing the last few days just to clean up yards and roads. I shutter to think what the trails look like. Early reports are all bad. It will probably take a month or so to clean them up. 😢
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That’s true… I *tried* riding at Powhite Park earlier yesterday before it got way too hot, and as seen in my post about it, the place was TRASHED by the storm!
It’s going to take a while for the place to get cleaned up… 😢
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True, but in a lot of places the local trail maintainers have been walking trails and completing maintenance. It may take a while until EVERYTHING is back at 100% but most of the commonly ridden areas are back to rideable. Now the HEAT… that is a different story. I used to ride regularly in Tucson after work in the summer around 17:00. But that wasn’t near as bad as this stuff here. Hot and humid. It’s horrible. I don’t know why I let my wife talk me into moving back to the East. No offense intended. 😮
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Reports in now that Carvins’s Cove is completely rideable now with just a few trees left. No doubt, the result of intense volunteer effort. Last I heard Douthat State park was closed but no new updates on that one. We did a couple of rides in the national forest last week and a lot of that stuff held up pretty well. Seems like the storm hit some areas hard and left others alone. Higher elevation stuff was fine, but down in the hollers Derecko took out a lot of stuff. Sorry for the negative tone of the thread, must have been the result of no power and chainsaw elbowitis. 😆
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CCR, I left town the morning after the storms. Saw lots of damage along I-64 heading west Saturday AM and received reports here and there about local trail damage. Man, what a mess.
I saw that Douthat SP opened back up yesterday, but it didn’t say anything of the trails. Any idea how things are out there as well as the GWNF trails north of the park (Middle Mtn, Brushy Ridge, Little Mare)?
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I received an update directly from DSP: trail system is closed until it can be fully evaluated and cleaned up.
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@ CCR: Anyone volunteering to swing a saw in this heat has earned the right to be in a bad mood! 😆
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"fleetwood" wrote
I received an update directly from DSP: trail system is closed until it can be fully evaluated and cleaned up.
Doesn’t sound too good for Douthat. The park crew there is not all that proactive about downed trees anyway. Supposed to hook up with some guys next weekend in the GNF near there. I’ll give you the report afterwards.
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"trnsprt" wrote
@ CCR: Anyone volunteering to swing a saw in this heat has earned the right to be in a bad mood! 😆
And that was just my property and my dads property. Definitely not a good time of year for sawing, but I will do some trail work soon. Hopefully it will drop back off 100F too.
Just beware of moody old guy swinging a chainsaw. 😆
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"CraigCreekRider" wrote
[quote="fleetwood":1hxduhca]I received an update directly from DSP: trail system is closed until it can be fully evaluated and cleaned up.
Doesn’t sound too good for Douthat. The park crew there is not all that proactive about downed trees anyway. Supposed to hook up with some guys next weekend in the GNF near there. I’ll give you the report afterwards.[/quote:1hxduhca]
I assumed that if the GWNF was as bad as everywhere else that it would take a long time to get cleaned up due to it’s vastness. Do you work with the Forest Service or CAMBC or someone, or just go up all rogue-like with your chainsaw? I’d offer to help, but being a 5-6 hour round trip it may not be the best use of my time, especially considering there is more cleaning up to do here locally. Good luck and be careful out there.
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"fleetwood" wrote
[quote="CraigCreekRider":1vopobg3][quote="fleetwood":1vopobg3]Supposed to hook up with some guys next weekend in the GNF near there. I’ll give you the report afterwards.
I assumed that if the GWNF was as bad as everywhere else that it would take a long time to get cleaned up due to it’s vastness. Do you work with the Forest Service or CAMBC or someone, or just go up all rogue-like with your chainsaw? I’d offer to help, but being a 5-6 hour round trip it may not be the best use of my time, especially considering there is more cleaning up to do here locally. Good luck and be careful out there.[/quote:1vopobg3][/quote:1vopobg3]
Yea we are just doing a ride, not trailwork on the GNF. I expect a lot of bushwhacking will be involved as some of this route was not good before the storm. Plan is to go up Sandy Gap trail, across the top of Warm Spring Mountain and down Little Mare as a shuttle. Sandy Gap was a mess the last time I went up it so I would guess its worse now.We are also in the process of forming a trail maintenance crew through Roanoke IMBA, but will probably work on some stuff closer to home first before we branch as far out as Clifton Forge.
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I guess living in the corporate zombie mecca that is northern VA has its perks…these people LOVE mountain biking lol. Our local hotspot, Fountainhead was completely cleared by Thursday of last week. All the other trails are getting cleared as well, some taking more time than others but it’s not due to any shortage of volunteers.
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I almost felt bad for y’all down in the Mid-Atlantic as I swung my legs over my bike the past week, enjoying 35% humidity, bluebird skies, a nice breeze, and 75 degree weather. Then, I hit the singletrack and forgot all about it.
Sorry to hear about all the damage and ugly weather. Glad to hear things are shaping up and the nasty weather has broken.
Hazy, hot, and humid summers are one of the main reasons I left down there for VT. I rode at Patapsco on Memorial Day (and Emmitsburg, and Hashawha) while visiting the in-laws. Each day was a sweat-fest, phew!
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"CraigCreekRider" wrote
Just beware of moody old guy swinging a chainsaw. 😆
LOL!
Always good advice!We had a storm tear through the central part of the state a few months back. The trail fairies worked their magic within a week or so. One of the perks having a few trails inside the city limits!
Amazingly, facebook helped also. They have dedicated pages for the trails and the people working posted when they were going out, what they did, and what still needed to be done. It kept a lot of folks from starting at areas that were already cleared out.
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Somebody snagged this picture as Derecko moved through Roanoke. 81 mph winds at the airport. Straight line winds but dark as a tornado. I walked outside for a minute and immediately got grit in my eyes. 15 minutes later it was over.
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Crazy!
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"CraigCreekRider" wrote
Somebody snagged this picture as Derecko moved through Roanoke. 81 mph winds at the airport. Straight line winds but dark as a tornado. I walked outside for a minute and immediately got grit in my eyes. 15 minutes later it was over.
Somebody being local professional photographer Terry Aldhizer
http://terryaldhizer.com/Terry’sPhotoStream.php -
"CraigCreekRider" wrote
[quote="CraigCreekRider":2vn9u3li]Somebody snagged this picture as Derecko moved through Roanoke. 81 mph winds at the airport. Straight line winds but dark as a tornado. I walked outside for a minute and immediately got grit in my eyes. 15 minutes later it was over.
Somebody being local professional photographer Terry Aldhizer
http://terryaldhizer.com/Terry’sPhotoStream.php[/quote:2vn9u3li]That photo is AMAZING! Shows you why I’m not a professional photographer
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Me too Greg. I rely on taking lots of pictures and hoping by chance a few of them will be good 😆
It is something I would like to learn, maybe post retirement. -
"CraigCreekRider" wrote
Me too Greg. I rely on taking lots of pictures and hoping by chance a few of them will be good 😆
It is something I would like to learn, maybe post retirement.Honestly, I’m not sure if I’d have the patience to produce photos of that quality… especially when riding. I’m usually consumed in the ride!!
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"CraigCreekRider" wrote
Me too Greg. I rely on taking lots of pictures and hoping by chance a few of them will be good 😆
It is something I would like to learn, maybe post retirement.Agreed!
I’m so happy it’s "free" to take pictures on digital cameras compared to film cameras.
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"Jared13" wrote
Agreed!
I’m so happy it’s "free" to take pictures on digital cameras compared to film cameras.
No kidding. Digital is da bomb. If I recall it used to cost $5 or so for 24 pictures or something like that. Now you snap and delete as desired. Even the on-line pic storage sites are free or at least low cost.
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"CraigCreekRider" wrote
No kidding. Digital is da bomb. If I recall it used to cost $5 or so for 24 pictures or something like that. Now you snap and delete as desired. Even the on-line pic storage sites are free or at least low cost.
+1
I remember back in the day when digital cameras first started coming out. I had an old, ancient, Canon A-1 35mm SLR camera, lenses, filters, etc..etc.. A buddy of mine bought a brand new Nikon {..something} [i:3i9zzlug]digital[/i:3i9zzlug] SLR camera.
We conducted a "test" by ourselves. His camera vs mine. Digital SLR vs 35mm film SLR. Nikon vs Canon. Outdoor shots overlooking Richmond’s city skyline. Outdoor shots in the country of a fenceline with horses & cows. Close up shots of my wife’s rose bush in the backyard. All sorts of different things. Long story short: same settings, same F stops, same exposure meter, same everything, same photos taken side by side. His Nikon digital SLR blew away my Canon A-1 35mm SLR film camera – and I was using quality film and paid the $$ to get the film professionally developed, and not by some cheesy dept store or drug store, 1 hour photo junk.
Digital camera are amazing and became the nail in the coffin to all 35mm cameras!!!
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We were camping in Duthat on Friday night when the Derecho came through, spent three hours in the block bathouse waiting for the wind to die down. They told us the park was closing at 3pm the following day (Sat), so we had time to get in a decent hike a bike that morning
The trees seem to have fallen in a certain direction, so some trail are cleaner than others. The trails running North-South seem to be the hardest hit, so expect lots of big trees up to four feet in diameter. It’ll be a while before the trails in the state park are cleared, no idea how the NF will be since it’s a larger area and has fewer resources.
Nice trails, maybe they’ll be clean by the Fall. In the meantime, come South, Tennesee is in great shape!
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"Nurseben" wrote
We were camping in Duthat on Friday night when the Derecho came through, spent three hours in the block bathouse waiting for the wind to die down. They told us the park was closing at 3pm the following day (Sat), so we had time to get in a decent hike a bike that morning
The trees seem to have fallen in a certain direction, so some trail are cleaner than others. The trails running North-South seem to be the hardest hit, so expect lots of big trees up to four feet in diameter. It’ll be a while before the trails in the state park are cleared, no idea how the NF will be since it’s a larger area and has fewer resources.
Nice trails, maybe they’ll be clean by the Fall. In the meantime, come South, Tennesee is in great shape!
Looks like the trails in Douthat are open
http://blogs.roanoke.com/botetourtview/ … ing-storm/
Sounds like they called in the troops on this one.They are still working on the Southern Traverse so I am not sure when it will be cleared, there was an estimated 150 trees down on it.
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I wonder how things are on the GWNF trails that are around Douthat (Brushy Ridge, Little Mare).
CCR – you or any of your crew been up there or heard any updates?
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I just made a similar comment on another thread, but thought I’d update here in case anyone stumbles on it looking for information.
Brushy Ridge Trail (456) north of Douthat State Park is clear as of last weekend except for two trees that are very easy to navigate. One is on the southern end of the trail just north of creek crossing. The other is just north of where the trail veers off of the dirt road that it follows briefly.
Little Mare Mountain Trail (714) is absolutely covered in trees. The trail is only 6 miles long and took us several hours. It’s going to take a lot of chainsaw work to make that trail bike-friendly again.
From what I recall, Salt Pond Ridge (620) is clear.
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"fleetwood" wrote
I just made a similar comment on another thread, but thought I’d update here in case anyone stumbles on it looking for information.
Brushy Ridge Trail (456) north of Douthat State Park is clear as of last weekend except for two trees that are very easy to navigate. One is on the southern end of the trail just north of creek crossing. The other is just north of where the trail veers off of the dirt road that it follows briefly.
Little Mare Mountain Trail (714) is absolutely covered in trees. The trail is only 6 miles long and took us several hours. It’s going to take a lot of chainsaw work to make that trail bike-friendly again.
From what I recall, Salt Pond Ridge (620) is clear.
Hate to hear that about Little Mare, we are going to do a ride there in the spring. Maybe the Shenandoah crew will have it cleaned by then since it is on the Stokesville – Douthat loop I believe.
Middle Mountain is good now with just a few blowdowns. Fleetwood if you want to ride Middle Mountain South sometime let me know, it is one of my favorites. It is good too except for sticks and leaves.
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"CraigCreekRider" wrote
[quote="fleetwood":33p9rjaz]I just made a similar comment on another thread, but thought I’d update here in case anyone stumbles on it looking for information.
Brushy Ridge Trail (456) north of Douthat State Park is clear as of last weekend except for two trees that are very easy to navigate. One is on the southern end of the trail just north of creek crossing. The other is just north of where the trail veers off of the dirt road that it follows briefly.
Little Mare Mountain Trail (714) is absolutely covered in trees. The trail is only 6 miles long and took us several hours. It’s going to take a lot of chainsaw work to make that trail bike-friendly again.
From what I recall, Salt Pond Ridge (620) is clear.
Hate to hear that about Little Mare, we are going to do a ride there in the spring. Maybe the Shenandoah crew will have it cleaned by then since it is on the Stokesville – Douthat loop I believe.
Middle Mountain is good now with just a few blowdowns. Fleetwood if you want to ride Middle Mountain South sometime let me know, it is one of my favorites. It is good too except for sticks and leaves.[/quote:33p9rjaz]
Yeah, I would get some intel before heading through there. I felt like I got on and off my bike a hundred times that day. It was probably only 80 though. 😃When you say Middle Mountain south, do you mean down out of Douthat toward Covington (roughly)? Does FR 125 (Smith Creek Rd) join up with that? What kind of loops do you put together on that side?
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"fleetwood" wrote
[quote="CraigCreekRider":18d8xzru][quote="fleetwood":18d8xzru]
Middle Mountain is good now with just a few blowdowns. Fleetwood if you want to ride Middle Mountain South sometime let me know, it is one of my favorites. It is good too except for sticks and leaves.Yeah, I would get some intel before heading through there. I felt like I got on and off my bike a hundred times that day. It was probably only 80 though. 😃
When you say Middle Mountain south, do you mean down out of Douthat toward Covington (roughly)? Does FR 125 (Smith Creek Rd) join up with that? What kind of loops do you put together on that side?[/quote:18d8xzru][/quote:18d8xzru]
I call it Middle Mountain South, but part of it is considered Fore Mountain trail for some strange reason. It starts at the very top of Stoney Run and runs south off of Middle Mountain down almost to Clifton Forge Reservoir. Its a great ride just needs to be used more. At the bottom it comes out in a clearcut – go left on the doubletrack and basically keep going downhill through McGraw Gap I think it is called. Comes out on a Forest Service road near the Douthat State park entrance. They have built some new trails in that area that are part of the Alleghany Highlands Horse trail. I have not seen any new maps on that yet.
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