1speed
Incredibly profound yet fantastically flawed
I'm off this week and wanted to get a chance to ride someplace I haven't been before. Back in 2018, I registered for the Transylvania Epic, only to have it cancelled for lack of interest that year (when they cancelled, I was one of only 7 people registered three months after registration opened.) As a result, I'd never actually ridden in Bald Eagle Forest - I'd done probably a dozen races over the years in Rothrock, but I'd never made it to Bald Eagle. So I decided to remedy that today. My original plan for today and tomorrow was to ride the RB Winter stage today and then camp out at Raystown and ride there tomorrow. But the forecast killed that for me (rain over night and into the morning out there - I've been at Raystown in muddy conditions before and it's no bueno.) So in the end, I just did RB Winter and then came home tonight.
I have to say, I REALLY enjoyed that ride today. It's a techy, singletrack-heavy ride that still feels super flowy. There's one section where you have to ride along a road for a while, but it's worth it because what follows is one of the more challenging climbs and a super techy/ultra-fun descent. There's a longish gravel climb toward the end, but I didn't mind that so much because it was like getting a bill for services rendered beforehand - the section right before that gravel road was one of the most enjoyable sections of any trail I've ridden in the last few years - it's a techy and twisty tight singletrack descent with a few sections where you can almost hit terminal speed for a mountain bike if you can convince yourself to stay off the brakes.
So if any9one is looking for a trip not too far from home, give Bald Eagle Forest, and specifically, RB Winter State Park a look - there's plenty of camping available, a lake with a beach for swimming, and some pretty awesome singletrack. I'm planning a return in the Fall - I think riding there in the cooler weather would be incredible - and this time I will camp out and probably look to hit some of the trails I saw today but weren't not he course I was following.
I have to say, I REALLY enjoyed that ride today. It's a techy, singletrack-heavy ride that still feels super flowy. There's one section where you have to ride along a road for a while, but it's worth it because what follows is one of the more challenging climbs and a super techy/ultra-fun descent. There's a longish gravel climb toward the end, but I didn't mind that so much because it was like getting a bill for services rendered beforehand - the section right before that gravel road was one of the most enjoyable sections of any trail I've ridden in the last few years - it's a techy and twisty tight singletrack descent with a few sections where you can almost hit terminal speed for a mountain bike if you can convince yourself to stay off the brakes.
So if any9one is looking for a trip not too far from home, give Bald Eagle Forest, and specifically, RB Winter State Park a look - there's plenty of camping available, a lake with a beach for swimming, and some pretty awesome singletrack. I'm planning a return in the Fall - I think riding there in the cooler weather would be incredible - and this time I will camp out and probably look to hit some of the trails I saw today but weren't not he course I was following.
