A Tree Falling in the Forest

Trails Heaven

Only three more months until I return to Trails Heaven in West Virginia. The anticipation is starting to build as my friends and I prepare for our annual pilgrimage to the hallowed land of endless trails and ATV friendly towns. The trip this coming April will be our fifth trip to West Virginia.

Below is an account that I wrote of our trip in April 2005. It references a lot of trail numbers that are used for navigation within the trail system and mentions a few of the lighter moments of our adventure.

April 2005 Ride Report
Hatfield McCoy Trail System

Background: This was the fourth annual ride for this New Hampshire based coalition of riders. We ride at a brisk pace on green and blue trails (easy and moderate) on mostly sport machines.

Lodging: This year we stayed at the Browning Fork Trail House Unit #3. This is comparable to last year's accommodations at the Browning Fork Do-Drop-Inn. Unit #3 has a great TV and two bathrooms, but I think we would prefer Unit #1 or Unit #2 for its nicer location around the corner. Both Do-Drop-Inn locations are nice as well. All these accommodations have easy access to the Town of Gilbert and the Browning Fork Trail System.

DAY 1: On day one we trailered our machines 40 minutes to the new Pinnacle Creek Trail System near Pineville, West Virginia. This new trail system appears to be the Hatfield McCoy "light" trail system. The green trails were faster, wider, and smoother than some streets in Washington DC. The scenery was great and we quickly ran across two very large deer along the trail. This was a good place for us to start our trip to blow out the winter riding cobwebs and shakedown our machines. Unfortunately, one of our machines experienced a critical failure with a broken lower ball joint. Thankfully, its rider, Nate, was not harmed. The machine was retired, and the trip to Pinnacle Creek was cut short as we retreated to our accommodations to regroup and find another ATV.

With the exception of Nate, who was calling ATV rental places, we went riding again, this time in the Browning Fork Trail System (aka Rockhouse). Having ridden, Rockhouse the previous three years, we were quite familiar with the system. It is regarded by most H/M riders as the standard by which all other H/M trails are judged. Rockhouse did not disappoint, though trail 10 was showing its age and popularity with a worn and rocky trip into Gilbert. After gassing up at the local Speedway we headed back out to explore some more of this venerable system with its fun hill climbs, switchbacks, and small amounts of mud. The trails were a bit dustier than you would expect in mid-April, but the weather was perfect for us so how could we complain. The dénouement of the day's riding was a two plus mile downhill engine-off coast on Trail 12.

DAY 2: On day two we trailered our machines to the Buffalo Mountain Trail System. Nate had secured a rental, so he would be riding with us today. This is my personal favorite of the H/M trails. It offers a nice mix of light mud, excellent hill climbs, and destinations. In the morning we headed out with the intent to arrive in Matewan for an early lunch. The Rev. Compton Trailhead was packed with people for a Saturday ride and Poker Run. At the end of trail 15 Zach discovered my rear tire was losing air. Thankfully it was found to be a single puncture and I was able to beg a tire plug from an intrepid rider and older gentleman headed in the same direction. After a quick fix we headed out on Trail 23 for the ride to Matewan.

We made quick progress until we arrived at one of the most remarkable hill climbs in the H/M System. After a few jokes about our mortality and switching the tape in Andy's helmet cam we headed up. A few switchbacks and we were at the top. Somehow the memory of the climb had become exaggerated over the past 12 months. Still though, it is one of my favorite climbs in the H/M System. For us, we will forever refer to it as Nate's Hill. Among the many hills of the Buffalo Mountain System this one made the biggest impression on us all. On to Matewan we ventured spying what appeared to be a rescue service waiting to airlift out an injured rider in an opening along the trail. Hopefully, it was merely a practice exercise. After the long decent into historic Matewan, we headed for The Matewan Depot for some nutritional sustenance. As we removed our helmets, a local resident asked us, "you just get off the trails?" While I appreciate the good natured intent of his question, my cynical brain wanted to say, "no, we just get dressed up like this, cover ourselves in mud and dust, and ride around the town square to make the locals think we were riding."

After a delicious lunch, we headed across the bridge to Kentucky to fill up our tanks prior to heading back out on the trails. A debate ensued regarding our excellent gas mileage, but it is tangential to the topic at hand. Our next destination would be Williamson. According to a fellow rider, the trip from Matewan to Williamson is about 30 miles. Much of this was new trail to us, because the connector to Williamson was not open during our previous visit. Trail 10 going into Matewan includes two unique features, a long wide open shared road section and a scenic, treeless, grass-lined switchback descent as you approach the town. Williamson was a pleasant little town with helpful Hatfield McCoy Trail signs painted on the streets to guide visitors through its maze of roads. The route through town took us past the Tug Valley Chamber of Commerce housed in a historic building made of coal. Yes it really was made of coal, as black as the hearts of those that did not come with us on this year's trip. Chris (aka Grubby) probably could have found an "I Love Coal" bumper sticker there if we had taken the time to stop.

After a stop for more gas and a snack we got ready to head back out to the trails. Grubby noticed some yarn like substance wrapped around his rear axle. Perhaps he had run over a local poodle by accident. A closer examination revealed the back side of his muffler was vomiting sound absorbing insulation with each exhaust stroke of his powerful 660cc Yamaha Grizzly engine. Dang... more mechanical problems. We cleaned it up as best we could and headed back out on the trails to make our way back to the Rev Compton Trailhead. When we arrived the parking lot was still busy, but not as packed as it was when we departed. We quickly loaded up the trucks to head back to Gilbert for some showers and later some dinner at Pizzamingo in Gilbert with its "ATVs Welcome" signs reminding us we were in a very special place.

DAY 3: No Trailers necessary today, we were going to ride Rockhouse again. Our first destination was Man, WV via Trails 12 and 10 then returning for lunch by Trails 23, 10, and 12. The trip into Man was a bit more pleasant than what we experienced headed into Gilbert. The moist trails cut down the dust and made the rear ends of our quads dance around like winged sprint cars. After filling up at the local Exxon station, we headed back out on the trails to ride Trail 23. At the start of the trail Grubby noticed his Grizzly exhaust plagued with problems had now come loose from its frame mount. We removed the muffler canister and remaining sound insulation to see how loud it would be and if we could nurse it home. We quickly learned that an un-muffled Grizzly sounds a lot like a Four-and-a-Quarter Caterpillar Diesel with a malfunctioning engine brake. Since we didn't want to damage the hearing of innocent wildlife, Grubby worked to put the muffler back together and we borrowed a bolt from another machine to mount the muffler back on the frame.

The drama did not end there, Trail 23 was not kind. Zach clipped the edge of a tree along the trail bending his front right wheel so severely it would not turn. I was absent during the deliberative process to devise a solution, but apparently it involved using a large rock thrown with great force at the bent portion of the wheel and tire. Surprisingly, this form of caveman ATV repair worked and Zach's Z400 was trail worthy again with minimal delay. From Trail 23 we took Trail 15 to 10 to 12 back to the Browning Fork Trail House.

A quick change of cloths and we drove in to Gilbert to have lunch at Billie Ann's Restaurant. I had what I have every year, the BBQ Sandwich with the Hillbilly Special as a side. A Hillbilly Special includes corn bread, coleslaw, and brown beans. No room for dessert today, but I like their coconut cream pie. With lunch out of the way, it was time for more riding on Rockhouse down one rider as Nate turned in his rental machine in the afternoon. We again headed for Man, WV. As we worked our way towards our destination, I paused along Trail 10 to allow us to regroup. I quickly realized I was alone, alone in the wilds of West Virginia, so very very alone. I back tracked the entire trail to where we had last regrouped. No sign of anyone, I am still very alone. Eventually, I ran into a portion of the search party in the form of Zach who explained they had taken Trail 34 off of Trail 10. After a few minutes of waiting we regrouped at the start of Trail 16. Trail 16 was a fun trail, the dust was rough, but we spread out to reduce the affects. At the end of Trail 16, we again got on Trail 23, this time in the opposite direction. Andy made the comment that we had seen enough of Trail 23 for one day so we decided we would return to the Trail House from Man in another direction.

About 7:00 pm we pulled into Man, WV for gas and some ice cream at the Exxon station. Along the way into town we were stopped by a friendly H/M Trail Ranger who checked our permits. As we are stopped, I am attacked by invisible, but powerful insects that sting my back just out of reach. Maybe this was just a stress reflex from being so very alone in the woods back on Trail 10. We quickly get gas and head back out for the trails. As we head out of the parking lot, Zach manages to get stuck with his skid plate high sided on a street curb. This is the first time I have every seen someone get stuck on a paved road, but I resist the urge to make fun... until now. The ride back to the Trail House included Trails 10, 31, and 12. Trail 31 has one of the best and longest hill climbs of the trip. The switch back corners are banked to speed the assent, but it still takes a few minutes to get to the top. The top of Trail 31 leads to Trail 12, with the sun setting over the West Virginia Mountains we shut off our motors and coasted the two or so miles to the bottom. This was a fitting end to another remarkable trip to Trails Heaven.