Jun 09
26
Favorite Trails And Favorite Routes
Everyone has a favorite trail and on those trails we tend to have favorite routes. For one reason or another it seems we all have certain trails and routes we just come back to time and time again. For me my default trail is Schaefer Farms.
I think it goes back to the fact that I cut my mtb teeth riding those trails. Among my many firsts at Schaefer were my first night ride, first MORE ride, first ride on a full suspension bike, first good endo and many more. My buddy Bob (who was my first real riding buddy) and I spent many hours spinning around those trails, bouncing off logs and sometimes bouncing off the ground (when the logs didn’t go so well) chatting and just having fun. Back when Bob and I were riding there on a very regular basis we had a loop we just always came back to. Maybe it’s the fact that it’s ingrained into my memory to the point I could ride it blindfolded or maybe it’s all the great memories I can attribute to the route but I always come back to that loop time and time again. I still think of that as the Bob route. My buddy Pete likes to ride it in almost the exact opposite direction, which knowing and comparing those two just seems fitting. I always think of that reverse version as Pete’s loop or the why the hell are we riding the whoop-de-dos backwards loop.
The classic loop I always did with Bob was out on yellow, across the fields via blue to the main 4 way. Hook a right at the 4 way and do the loop out there counterclockwise through the field etc and back to the 4 way. When the weather had been iffy before the reroutes were in place we used to cut off the lower wet areas via the access road. Once back at the 4 way we hooked a right back to the yellow and then took all right hand turns until the yellow met the white trail. Once on white it was up the gravely utility line climb and around to the classic Whoop-De-Dos and back to the lot via the rest of the white trail. I kinda have always thought of this as the best of schaefer loop and it’s always the one I teach new riders there.
I seem to always think of and or associate the different trails and routes with different friends and memories. Whenever I ride Fairland for example I think of that as Austin’s trail. He practically built that trail and was the one to show me around it and I did my first trail work day there. When riding Seneca State park over by clopper lake I always think of my buddies Mike and Bart with whom I used to do that ride when first getting started with riding. I always think back to one little short steep climb that always gave me hell. Now when I go back I can’t believe it ever gave me trouble. I have many fond memories of Wakefield and Accoutink one of which including my Dad’s first real mtb ride. On that ride I think half the group though the old guy (aka my dad) was going to have a stroke before we finished). The list of memories and trails / routes just goes on and on.
I’ve been riding enough years that I’ve seen a bunch of changes and improvements to my favorite trails including Schaefer. There have been big reroutes to the yellow field areas, there’s a few new sections via the orange trail and various obstacles come and go as the seasons pass. Now there’s even talk of a new connector in the works. Logs that used to routinely toss me on my head have long been replaced with new ones that send my flying in new and exciting ways.
Today I’ve tweaked our classic loop to include a section of new trail out along the field loop. I also take the reverse direction now at the 4 way, opting to go clockwise. With all the changes comes the creation of a bunch of new great trail memories while still enjoying the old. It’s hard to ride by a single stretch of that trail that doesn’t hold some specific memory or meaning. Whether it’s a wreck or a bit of trailwork I did, every where I look there’s a great memory around every twist and turn.
Sometimes folks look at me like i’m crazy when i say Schaefer is my favorite trail. I get the “You live in Frederick and you drive to ride there instead of the shed?” line all the time. The thing is for a number of reasons Schaefer Farms more than any other trail in our area always puts a huge smile on my face. I can go from having a really crappy day to a great one in just the hour it takes to do my favorite loop. When I ride Schaefer I feel connected to the trail in so many ways. I feel like I’m flowing along and dancing with the trail rather than fighting against it, like I do at say Gambril or the Shed. So yeah it’s not the most technically challenging or exciting trail but for many reasons it’s my favorite local trail and probably always will be.
My current favorite route
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