The time in Vermont was spun away on 50 miles of riding. We rode many of the trails from the first time we were there in 2005 on the first day, including one of our favorites Moose Alley. It was more wet than I thought it would be but not so bad that it was a greasy mess. I managed to do all of my falling of the trip in the first 20 minutes so I was glad to get that out of the way with little damage.
I felt a bit weary from my post-midnight arrival after 6+ hours of driving. This took a toll on my riding energy level but some food, caffeine, and encouragement of having someone to ride with kept me pushing through the energy lull. We rode quite a bit the first day, especially for my brother who hadn't mountain biked more than 3 miles this season. We explored the western portion of the trail system around Darling Hill before lunch and then worked our way over to Burke Mountain. Here we climbed about halfway up the mountain. I thought it would be fun to try and ride up to the top via the toll road the next day but we decided our time would be better spent riding the single track KT is known for. It would have been a great deal of climbing, starting out at around 850' and topping at about 3,200'. Next time maybe.
We both were fantasizing about pizza all day so we ordered one for dinner and took it back to the campsite. This was a sharp contrast to the two year old oatmeal we ate for breakfast... We fended off the voracious mosquitos by eating in the car.
Day two began damp after a night of rain, making us question whether the riding would be acceptable. Turns out the 90% chance of rain was for the early morning hours because by the time we hit the trails, the sun was out and it was warming up quite well. The parking lot was pretty busy and we were a part of a long string of riders heading out for the day when we left. However, with 100 miles of trail, riders get spread out pretty easily. We saw only a handful of riders when we were out on the trails.
We rode on the trails east of Darling Hill - the trails on Burke Mountain were closed after a night of heavy rain. We found some double black diamonds to try and master as well as some really fun trails with great flow. One trail was prepared to be closed for a wedding later in the day but we were able to ride before the ceremony. Vermont's "gold" extraction was evident in the forest with the tubing running through sugar maple stands and to a sugar shack.
After a break for lunch - which included some muenster cheese we bought in the morning but discovered was 6 months beyond its sell by date - we continued riding along the area around the east branch of the Passumpsic River. We took a trip down a trail they had just cut when we rode there in '05. It was really broken in now, perhaps too much and in need of a re-route - it was pretty well eroded and covered with very slick clay, all adjacent to a very steep drop. We rode the River Wood trail twice due to its fun factor.
After a stop for some fuel (ice cream) we set out for the Darling Hill area after deciding a ride to the top of Burke Mountain would not be an efficient use of our time. The staff at the KTA headquarters said we could ride to the top but "why would you want to?" We rode out to Tap & Die and Tody's Tour, two trails we probably would have ridden a lot more were we not both at the end of our energy levels for the day. Excellent flow and brilliant use of terrain.
Dinner (chili) was eaten in the car again. Being completely exhausted after two days of riding, we both were asleep early but up early and packed to be on the road at a decent time. Although only a few of the trails at KT are what I would consider noteworthy, the collection of trails and endless loops one can create makes the trip to the Northeast Kingdom worthwhile.
I think my form might be suitable enough to try out the Highland Forest Classic next weekend.
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