Massanutten Trail (E.Furnace)

[DKEG]

Anyone been up to the Massanutten trail between Woodstock Tower and Signal Knob lately. I was wondering if it was clear. Last time I was up there (last summer) there were a bunch of trees down.

[wrench177]

Anyone been up to the Massanutten trail between Woodstock Tower and Signal Knob lately. I was wondering if it was clear. Last time I was up there (last summer) there were a bunch of trees down.
What, not enough chainsaw work for you in the shed? :D;)

[brcire]

What, not enough chainsaw work for you in the shed? :D;)

Didn't you know Season 2 of Ax Men (http://www.history.com/minisites/axmen)has started?

He's getting a little restless watching all that timber fall. :D

[patrickgmiller]

I rode up Signal, over to Maneka, down to near the reservoir and then south on the Tuscarora till mine gap two weeks ago.

Map: http://patrickgmiller.smugmug.com/gallery/7552900_2uhJy#488038724_emJbz-X2-LB

Signal and Maneka were clean, but there were a few trees down on the Tuscarora. With our 2mph pace crawling through the rocks, it wasn't too big a deal.

[DKEG]

What, not enough chainsaw work for you in the shed? :D;)

Yes there is enough work :), but the trees were ruining the flow. Just wanted to know if I would run into the same thing.

[DKEG]

I rode up Signal, over to Maneka, down to near the reservoir and then south on the Tuscarora till mine gap two weeks ago.

Map: http://patrickgmiller.smugmug.com/gallery/7552900_2uhJy#488038724_emJbz-X2-LB

Signal and Maneka were clean, but there were a few trees down on the Tuscarora. With our 2mph pace crawling through the rocks, it wasn't too big a deal.

Patrick we usually ride the Massanutten trail and drop back down to Strausburg Reservoir road around Mudhole Gap. How is the Tuscarora Doll Ridge Trail. And is the cut off back down to what it looks like the Hike a bike up to Bear Wallow, Meneka Peak intersection pretty easy to find?

[patrickgmiller]

Patrick we usually ride the Massanutten trail and drop back down to Strausburg Reservoir road around Mudhole Gap. How is the Tuscarora Doll Ridge Trail. And is the cut off back down to what it looks like the Hike a bike up to Bear Wallow, Meneka Peak intersection pretty easy to find?

Tuscarora Doll Ridge is gorgeous, but really technical. Kinda like the most difficult part of Buzzards but for miles. There are certain parts that you look at and just laughing. You'd love it.

We came down the cut-off that you are thinking of climbing and with gears it would be a grunt, but rideable.

Have you ever ridden South of Woodstock Tower? That stuff is 100% rideable, but still technical and fun. Or climb up Veech and head down either Sherman or Shawl. I rode that ridge a few weeks ago and it is in fine shape.

If there's interest, I'd be happy to lead a long, technical ride down there.

[camp]

Have you ever ridden South of Woodstock Tower? ..I believe that is where I met you for the first time pattrick, what, oh, about 18 years ago?? You were with PJ and TJ

Sherman to Shawl is my fave' classic, and then to Buzzd Rox, ooh yeah

Have never tried Doll though

[eloach]

It's mostly clear. All the crap that was all over the trail this winter is gone, but there are a couple of new ones down, but not a big deal like this winter when it was hop off the bike every 50 yards.

Also, the drop chute going into Mud Hole Gap has been cleared as well. The tree that was down over it is gone.

I was out two weeks ago and will probably head back this weekend.

[edward]

Doll Ridge, aka Three top mountain, is slow going. Could be fun to experience once; but you might not want to waste your time out there unless you have plenty of it or you're camping. Menaka could be more pleasurable.

I've never ridden Sherman to Shawl but I've run it and it looks like it would be fun on MTB. And as you approach Shawl there are sections where you don't want to fall over to your right side - steep cliff.

[riderx]

Agree w/ Camp, Sherman to Shawl is great stuff. Doll is like the tougher parts of Iceberb but 2 miles worth of it. Challenging fun but too slow for my tastes.

[mkurle]

Tuscarora Doll Ridge is gorgeous, but really technical. Kinda like the most difficult part of Buzzards but for miles. There are certain parts that you look at and just laughing. You'd love it.

We came down the cut-off that you are thinking of climbing and with gears it would be a grunt, but rideable.

Have you ever ridden South of Woodstock Tower? That stuff is 100% rideable, but still technical and fun. Or climb up Veech and head down either Sherman or Shawl. I rode that ridge a few weeks ago and it is in fine shape.

If there's interest, I'd be happy to lead a long, technical ride down there.

Patrick - I have ridden EF (the std. route) and did the Katherine's Furnace ride with MORE last time around. I have been wanting to do the Veach Gap/Shawl/Sherman side, so I would definitely be interested in joining in. Or the Woodstock south thing -- anything in GWNF that I have ridden is great. Except for the hike-a-bike up to the Bear Wallow/Maneka Peak intersection!

[camp]

I glommed on to DKeg's ride at the last minute and then proceeded to edit his loop plan. Let's go up Sherman and down Veach and over to Mine, I said.

DK and everyone else loved the Veach descent. DK so much so that he got intimate with a rock and left a present for the tooth fairy.

[yueq]

I glommed on to DKeg's ride at the last minute and then proceeded to edit his loop plan. Let's go up Sherman and down Veach and over to Mine, I said.

DK and everyone else loved the Veach descent. DK so much so that he got intimate with a rock and left a present for the tooth fairy.

Oh, my! Recover soon, Dkeg.

[DKEG]

Recovering just fine

[punga]

Recovering just fine

Kick ass! Heal up soon.

[nocro]

I glommed on to DKeg's ride at the last minute and then proceeded to edit his loop plan. Let's go up Sherman and down Veach and over to Mine, I said.

DK and everyone else loved the Veach descent. DK so much so that he got intimate with a rock and left a present for the tooth fairy.

I'm surprised how little blood you had going on there David. If that were me, there'd be blood everywhere.

Sorry to see the split. Heal up soon. No spicy food anytime soon.

[eloach]

Yeah, I switched to survival mode by the time I closed out this ride today. Mass, from Woodstock back to Signal Knob left me a wee bit tired so I went vary carefully down Bear Wallow.

Saw a bunch familiar cars in the Signal Knob (JoeP and others) lot, but saw only two fellow MTBers heading down the fire road on my way up. Lot's of hikers though. That's what I get for starting at 11:30. :rolleyes:

Camp -
Did you GPS the ride you did?

[camp]

Camp -
Did you GPS the ride you did?I didn't, but maybe WrenchTodd did?

Was going to be a simple loop: Up Sherman, down Veach, cross the road, up Mine, down to Powell's Fort, down Mudhole, up Sidewinder, and down Bear Wallow to finish. After the incident, we took the road all the way back from Veach

[wrench177]

I'm surprised how little blood you had going on there David. If that were me, there'd be blood everywhere.

Sorry to see the split. Heal up soon. No spicy food anytime soon.
He was drinking beer and dipping skoal on the way to the hospital. I don't think spicy food is going to bother him. :nope: :rolleyes:

Oh, and yes, I do have the GPS track. You can see it here (http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/7856717). Great freaking ride. The hike-a-bike sucked, but, the downhill made it a distant memory.

[DKEG]

He was drinking beer and dipping skoal on the way to the hospital. I don't think spicy food is going to bother him. :nope: :rolleyes:

Oh, and yes, I do have the GPS track. You can see it here (http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/7856717). Great freaking ride. The hike-a-bike sucked, but, the downhill made it a distant memory.

Yes, the Hike-a-bike did suck but as you said the downhill was awesome. Also the first part of Sherman gap was pretty nice. I can't wait to do it again. This time with the proper tires and no crashing.

[eloach]

He was drinking beer and dipping skoal on the way to the hospital. I don't think spicy food is going to bother him. :nope: :rolleyes:

Oh, and yes, I do have the GPS track. You can see it here (http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/7856717). Great freaking ride. The hike-a-bike sucked, but, the downhill made it a distant memory.

Thank you. I grabbed the GPS file. I don't know all the trail names, so it's nice to have the GPX.

Skoal and beer on that sucker? Wow. I bet the nurses had some CHOICE comments.

[camp]

Thank you. I grabbed the GPS file. I don't know all the trail names, so it's nice to have the GPX. .Just saying...., since it's a big topic of discussion in the Michaux (http://the-skinny-on-mbm.blogspot.com/)world right now. Buy the Map #792 and learn the trail names. You already know the general layout of the 2 ridges and the center Ft. Valley Rd.

Todd got one of the names wrong, we went up Sherman Gap Trail, not Shawl Gap. Shawl is a much easier climb (it would've taken us in the wrong direction though).

An fyi, there may be another chance at the Michaux Friday Hooky ride soon.... Will post if it happens...

[wrench177]

Just saying...., since it's a big topic of discussion in the Michaux (http://the-skinny-on-mbm.blogspot.com/)world right now. Buy the Map #792 and learn the trail names. You already know the general layout of the 2 ridges and the center Ft. Valley Rd.

Todd got one of the names wrong, we went up Sherman Gap Trail, not Shawl Gap. Shawl is a much easier climb (it would've taken us in the wrong direction though).

An fyi, there may be another chance at the Michaux Friday Hooky ride soon.... Will post if it happens...
Thanks Larry, I corrected the mistake on MB.

[Squirrel Girl]

Holy crap, David. That's fearsome lookin'! Yick!

That picture needs to get put in the Battle Scars gallery but it belongs in the "Be Warned" part, it's so gruesome.

Heal quickly!

[joep]

Holy crap, David. That's fearsome lookin'! Yick!

That picture needs to get put in the Battle Scars gallery but it belongs in the "Be Warned" part, it's so gruesome.

Heal quickly!

Actually, I didn't know what was more gruesome that day, Dave's lip or Tony's crocs

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3601/3377925546_9222df2281.jpg?v=0 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/tsbauer/3377925546/)
(photo by wrench177)

[eloach]

Just saying...., since it's a big topic of discussion in the Michaux (http://the-skinny-on-mbm.blogspot.com/)world right now. Buy the Map #792 and learn the trail names. You already know the general layout of the 2 ridges and the center Ft. Valley Rd.

Todd got one of the names wrong, we went up Sherman Gap Trail, not Shawl Gap. Shawl is a much easier climb (it would've taken us in the wrong direction though).

An fyi, there may be another chance at the Michaux Friday Hooky ride soon.... Will post if it happens...

Got all the maps. Jefferson, Washington, Michaux area, PATC, all MD parks. Not so good with names... and you know, some others might not be as well. They might call "Sherman" "Shawl" or something like that. :) The GPS is a wonderful tool to be SURE about the route someone took. And... does anything in Michuax have an OFFICIAL name? Seems like a lot of stuff is not even on the PATC map. Why not use all the tools available?

Was the plan to ride up Mine Gap (purple) to the Mass trail and then across to to Powell's Fort or just the FR to Powell's Fort? Is the Mine Gap uphill (purple) ridable to the Mass at that point for mortals?

That seems like a good route because you still get some decent climbing and don't get your feet soaked until near the end of the ride.

[camp]

Was the plan to ride up Mine Gap (purple) to the Mass trail and then across to to Powell's Fort or just the FR to Powell's Fort? Is the Mine Gap uphill (purple) ridable to the Mass at that point for mortals?..Welllll, as I tell anyone who will listen....yes, Mine Gap, up purple was the plan. When I had gears, that climb used to be my fitness barometer. I could clean it from road to ridge in about 10 minutes of pain. If it was dry, not leafy, early in the ride, a leap year etc.... About 3 times out of 10 I could do it.

[eloach]

Welllll, as I tell anyone who will listen....yes, Mine Gap, up purple was the plan. When I had gears, that climb used to be my fitness barometer. I could clean it from road to ridge in about 10 minutes of pain. If it was dry, not leafy, early in the ride, a leap year etc.... About 3 times out of 10 I could do it.

So, it occurs to me that the ride you had planned could be combined with the figure 8 to create one long day on the bike... and then, it could be turned into a race. :bangshead:

I would GUESS it would be round 50 miles... I can just see climbing the Signal Knob FR at mile 42. :eek:

Now that it has occurred to me, I'll have to find some suckers to try it with me. Any volunteers? We could call it "The Hell Furnace Ride". There would be a lot of bail points... making it OH SO TEMPTING to shortcut back to the parking lot.

(I was kidding about the race part :rolleyes:)

[wrench177]

They might call "Sherman" "Shawl" or something like that. :)
Nah, I had the names wrong. You can see from these pics Sherman is perpendicular to the Shawl/Veach Trails.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3434/3377112931_b3b3d0968e.jpg?v=0
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3571/3377113249_1a66b27dfe.jpg?v=0

The GPS is a wonderful tool to be SURE about the route someone took. And... does anything in Michuax have an OFFICIAL name? Seems like a lot of stuff is not even on the PATC map. Why not use all the tools available?
I agree, the GPS is a great tool to be sure of a route. Nothing worse than second guessing your direction when far from home.

The trails in Michaux do have names. Most of them are called "connector". That always drives me nuts. :hammertime::D

Was the plan to ride up Mine Gap (purple) to the Mass trail and then across to to Powell's Fort or just the FR to Powell's Fort? Is the Mine Gap uphill (purple) ridable to the Mass at that point for mortals?

That seems like a good route because you still get some decent climbing and don't get your feet soaked until near the end of the ride.
When Larry described his route he'd say "well, we have a climb, then another one, some hike-a-bike and then a descent". The other side of the valley was to be similar. So, there was a 3 to 1 ratio of climbs over descents. Can't wait to get back there and try the whole loop. It was awesome. :thumbsup:

[camp]

When Larry described his route he'd say "well, we have a climb, then another one, some hike-a-bike and then a descent". ...All of the loops I used to regularly do out there were simple choices of what do we want to climb, what do we want to finish on, and how many hours do we want to be out?

Climbing Sherman on the side of the ridge we did is the toughest way up to that ridge. Shawl on the west side is more ridable, and Shawl on the east side is 100% ridable from road to ridge (incredible, but true). Veach on the west is easier going both north (what we descended) and south towards Milford. Milford also used to be a good way to climb, but that trail is now closed to private property.

I chose our route that day since we had already parked where we did, and I wanted to show you all the Veach descent. The western ridge (Mine>Powells Fort) would've been much easier than what we did on the east ridge.

[patrickgmiller]

I believe that is where I met you for the first time pattrick, what, oh, about 18 years ago?? You were with PJ and TJ

Sherman to Shawl is my fave' classic, and then to Buzzd Rox, ooh yeah

Have never tried Doll though

Those are some fun trails and fun people to ride with.

Seems like there is lots of interest in doing a MORE ride out there to introduce folks to this fine riding. I'm thinking we pick out a big route with bail-out opportunities so we can accommodate as many people as want to go.

How about, up Mine, down to Edinburg, with bail-out option at Woodstock. (might be tight parking-wise)?

or park at Signal, road ride down to Veach, the choose your own Sherman/Shawl/Buzzards adventure?

Larry, I know you want to help organize...

[joep]

Those are some fun trails and fun people to ride with.

Seems like there is lots of interest in doing a MORE ride out there to introduce folks to this fine riding. I'm thinking we pick out a big route with bail-out opportunities so we can accommodate as many people as want to go.

How about, up Mine, down to Edinburg, with bail-out option at Woodstock. (might be tight parking-wise)?

or park at Signal, road ride down to Veach, the choose your own Sherman/Shawl/Buzzards adventure?

Larry, I know you want to help organize...

I would be into this. Lot's of MORE folks are familiar with EF, but less so with the trails on the other side of the road. I'll volunteer to lead one of the groups.

[denisvtt]

Those are some fun trails and fun people to ride with.

Seems like there is lots of interest in doing a MORE ride out there to introduce folks to this fine riding. I'm thinking we pick out a big route with bail-out opportunities so we can accommodate as many people as want to go.

How about, up Mine, down to Edinburg, with bail-out option at Woodstock. (might be tight parking-wise)?

or park at Signal, road ride down to Veach, the choose your own Sherman/Shawl/Buzzards adventure?



I'd be in for that.

[eloach]

Those are some fun trails and fun people to ride with.

Seems like there is lots of interest in doing a MORE ride out there to introduce folks to this fine riding. I'm thinking we pick out a big route with bail-out opportunities so we can accommodate as many people as want to go.

How about, up Mine, down to Edinburg, with bail-out option at Woodstock. (might be tight parking-wise)?

or park at Signal, road ride down to Veach, the choose your own Sherman/Shawl/Buzzards adventure?

Larry, I know you want to help organize...

Depending on the date, I'd be in and I think another guy or two I ride with would as well. We were actually just talking about doing a two day complete loop of the Mass. trail.

I think I might try east side from EF to Camp Roos and back for my next long ride, or even drop a car at Roos depending on what the milage looks like. The stuff on the east side near Roos was a lot more ridable than out near Buzzard Rock, so you could make better time to the south.

[mkurle]

Those are some fun trails and fun people to ride with.

Seems like there is lots of interest in doing a MORE ride out there to introduce folks to this fine riding. I'm thinking we pick out a big route with bail-out opportunities so we can accommodate as many people as want to go.

How about, up Mine, down to Edinburg, with bail-out option at Woodstock. (might be tight parking-wise)?

or park at Signal, road ride down to Veach, the choose your own Sherman/Shawl/Buzzards adventure?

Larry, I know you want to help organize...

Count me in. I've only been on the other (Signal Knob) side and have been wanting to check the Veach Gap ride for a while.

[brcire]

I'm in for a big group ride. The Catherine Furnace ride a few months back was alot of fun. Plus, you know you want to get more riders than Scud on a group ride :D:p

Throw out some dates that work for you! (and a good place to meet up for PRBs & refueling). :thumbsup:

[ChrisJ]

Depending on the date I may be down as well.

[kn0bby8]

Anyone ever ride far south on the Massanutten Trail. I rode from Scothorn Gap south on the Masanutten Trail to the Massanutten Connector back to 211 where I parked at P9. That was the nicest downhill I have done yet!

[camp]

Anyone ever ride far south on the Massanutten Trail. I rode from Scothorn Gap south on the Masanutten Trail to the Massanutten Connector back to 211 where I parked at P9. That was the nicest downhill I have done yet!Yeah, that is known as the best downhill in the Ft Valley area.

[mtbmore]

I'm in for a big group ride. The Catherine Furnace ride a few months back was alot of fun. Plus, you know you want to get more riders than Scud on a group ride :D:p

:


I do not think I will ever have more than 34 for that ride again. the stars just aligned