Nepaug 5/14

[mattm59]

I always seem to get dis oriented here, and though yesterday was no exception, a way better than expected ride was enjoyed by my son Aaron and me. From the parking lot, we headed right, and enjoyed some nice mainly uphill singletrack. Plan was a counterclockwise loop, coming down the powerlines. Seems we went too far right, great singletrack on the border of the reservoir property kept us enthused, and eventually we were so far off course we just hopped out on 202, returning to the parking lot. I really wanted to check out the powerlines, so we went straight up the dirt road until we got to them. Messed around up there a bit, found things pretty dry and eroded. Nice singletrack off to the side though, so we headed down that instead. At a junction we came to the blue blaze, went about 30 yards and found it pretty beat, so we backtracked and took an unmarked trail, which when we found it turned into the smooth climb we started on a few hours earlier, had a real fun ending to a good day.
Watch the mosquitos, they're numerous, fortunately we were drenched in "bug mace."
Some pix here.
http://sports.webshots.com/slideshow/580197531Ijwjky

 

[WoodCore]

Great report. Nepaug gets me spun around every time I ride it so I am usually relying on either a good guide or my GPS. None the less there is some nice sections of singletrack tucked away in there for sure. If you haven't already check out some of the maps over at Crankfire........ http://www.crankfire.com/bike/trail/17/nepaug_state_forest they might give a better understanding of the trail network.

 

[bvibert]

Welcome to the forums! Nice report and pictures. Picture #8 in your slideshow is off the Deli Slicer trail. I always get lost riding there too, but that trail I know.

 

[mattm59]

I had the crankfire map and a hiking map in my pocket, trying to get the 2 aligned was a bit of an issue. Also trying to figure out how to open .gpx files for free. It's nice when Aaron goes as his memory is better than mine. Next time, at least I'll have my "breadcrumb trail" on my GPS, and I'll be able to skip the spots we turned back on. Thinking a topo map would be great as well....love those "man, what a beautiful trail, if we were going the other way!" moments.:-?

 

[bvibert]

If you have Windows you can open up .gpx files using TopoFusion. The free version has some small limitations, but it still works perfectly fine.

 

[mattm59]

thanks Brian. Found a nice marked up topo (again). Tried a couple .gpx converter utilities, one kept crashing, and topofusion is hanging up on download.I'll try again later, maybe with the other computer. I think one of the keys to improving conditioning is to get lost frequently, and that's probably why I'm doing pretty good for 51:roll: