I got there about 11:30 and found the parking lot surprisingly busy; there mus have been thirty cars there. Time to roll!
The beginning of the trail was recently rerouted to avoid the old fall line hill. While I might lament some of the other hills being made easier, I don't miss that one. A steep, loose hill was a tough way to start the trail.
At one point the trail overlooks Pickerel Lake, one of the best swimming lakes there is. Boats must be carried in, so there are no fast boats zooming around to watch out for, and it is a nice size to easily swim across or even swim the length of. And it has a nice little beach.
About four miles in, the trail crosses Hankard Road, not far from Pickerel Lake. Right after crossing there is a big boardwalk. Snow covered. Gotta watch that icy, snowy wood as it can be mighty slick! I am a little bit chicken in real slippery conditions, so I took it easy and stayed rubber side down on this one and all the rest of the bridges and boardwalks.
The view through the woods may be better in the winter than it is in the summer. The leaves are off the trees and the underbrush is down, allowing a much greater range of sight. This section of trail is in the infamous "Hills of Hell," so named because the hills get a little steep and rugged, and also because the Poto passes through Hell, Michigan.
Just having some fun with the camera in these two pictures. Some creative shots I take turn out, and more do not. I thought these two were keepers.
I am standing on one of the old sections of trail that was routed out a few years ago. I helped with the reroute and did quite a bit of chainsawing of deadfall, earning the nickname, "Chainsaw Ed" with a few people. About a year I ago became friends with someone that was out there for the reroute, and she still refers to me as Chainsaw Ed :o) This was the last tough decent and climb in the Hills of Hell, which is much more tame now. I miss the challenge, but I do admit that the fall line trail was becoming a washed-out eyesore. As you can see, it is quickly being reclaimed.
A quick history of the Poto, and its big brother, the Waterloo trail. I think one point that's missing from the sign is that this is also the grand-daddy of mountain bike trails! Intimidating to many, and once named in Bicycling Magazine as one of the top ten trails in the nation.
This grassy section is about 3/4 of the way through the trail, shortly after crossing Patterson Lake Road for the second time. It's maybe an acre is size and surrounded all around by more typical woods for this area. This is Grace's favorite part of the trail.
Eighteen miles later I am back at the parking lot. A great day for a ride, and a great ride today!
No comments:
Post a Comment