Raven Knob - Orange Trail

Camp Raven Knob 2016

Day 1 – Orange Trail

Why do I do this?  It’s getting dark, pouring rain, thunder and lightning directly overhead, and where am I?  I have no clue. 

Maybe for the adrenaline rush, lost in the woods with just my bike.  Telling myself not to panic, keep your cool, focus and “just keep pedaling”.  I’m gonna remember this quote, Amy Charity J  

I’m very familiar with most of the mountain bike trails at Raven Knob.  This is my 4^th year and I’ve spent a good number of hours investigating the area.  I came back this year with an almost singular purpose of discovering the elusive Orange Trail.  It’s the loop that goes around the perimeter of the entire reservation. 

Saw this little buddy on the ride

So this evening I took off with the approaching thunderstorm up the familiar Endicott Springs trail.  It’s supposed to dead-end into the Orange trail.  Well, it does.  I’ve flirted with a bit of the Orange at the end before.  However, this time I turned left and up I went.

First off, this is not a maintained trail.  I hit a fork early and stayed right thinking this would loop around as I’ve seen on the maps.  Many trees across the path later and I hit a dead-end.  I took a panorama, heard some loud crashing through the woods off to my right … got scared … and took off back the way I came.  Bigfoot?  Not sure, but it was bigger than a groundhog. 

I took the left fork this time and immediately began a hike-a-bike.  Geez, how many trees can fall across this path?  The rain has been pouring down for a while, the thunder is impressive and the lightning flashes brighten the path.  Oh yea, left the 500 lumens in my tent.  I hike-a-bike’d for ¼ mile and then called that quits. Maybe the thunder was hiding the crashing noises is the forest, thankfully?

I returned to the original dead-end and took the right-side path.  I’ve been on this path before so I was kinda comfortable again.  I came across a “Warrior Mountain” sign pointing left which I had not noticed before.  I’ve been to that place, well, at least a place with the same name.  I turned left and this is where I was really beginning to question my decision making skills.

It was quite a storm as I headed to some place through the narrow path.  I really wanted to turn around.  “Just keep pedaling”.  It was scary as for all I knew I was getting further from where I wanted to be, and I would have been completed f’d if it had gotten much darker. 

The path did lead to the same Warrior Mountain I’ve been to many times.  The relief was quite noticeable.  Pretty quick riding from there and I made it back to camp, sudo shower, and I wasn’t even late for dinner!

After uploading and researching, the trail I was on turned out to be the White Trail.  Not going there again.  Click for Strava statistics

Day 2 - More of the Orange Trail

My second adventure on the Orange Trail was far more successful than the first.  First off, I left at a reasonable time with reasonable weather.  I set off from our campsite up the Hunters Ridge Trail, up and over Warrior Mountain and back to the Orange Trail I had previously found.  The trail was pretty well marked.  There was SO MUCH hike-a-bike.  Too steep to ride, and the calves were getting a serious workout.

Grassy Knob?  Where am I?

At one point, and you can see on Strava, I set off down the fire road for an .9 mile 500' descent. Guess what?  The trail just bottomed-out and ended in a ravine.  Yes, I was a bit annoyed as the hike-a-bike was a real chore.  Someone really needs to remove the Orange Trail markings that lead to a dead-end.

Back on the correct Orange Trail I thought I knew where I was.  I figured the turn-off would put me at the top of the Raven Knob hike .. it didn't.  I was getting a big fatigued as I rode through the single-track up and down the mountain.  

At some point the trail opened up to a gravel road.  I hesitated not to turn on the road and head down the mountain.  Trick was, I was heading down the backside of the mountain, called Paradise Mountain.

Fortunately I had Google Map'd this area before coming down and I "sorta" knew where I was.  Water was getting low, it was hot, but plenty of sunshine.  My personal safety didn't cross my mind.  It was a pretty easy ride down the mountain and back on a few country roads to get myself back to the camp entrance.  That was enough for the day.

Click for Strava data

Day 3 - Orange Trail Success

Day 2 was so physically exhausting that I was in no hurry to repeat that route.  But I had yet accomplished my goal of riding the entire Orange Trail.  So it made sense to ride the reverse direction.

Jared and I at Raven Knob Summit

Our troop was hiking to Raven Knob on Wednesday and I thought I would join them with my bike.  Hike-a-bike to the top of the Knob isn't the easiest thing I've done.  It's short hike but very steep (very steep, there's so much of it here).  I got to the top and waited for the rest of the crew, had lunch, then set off on the trail.  

It was only 15 minutes before I reached the point where I diverted down the backside of the mountain road.  Hallelujah!!!  For the first time ever I knew exactly where I was on the Orange Trail.  It was a pretty fast, exhilarating ride back to the campsite.  There's something to be said about not knowing where you are, supplies dwindling, light fading, and feeling the adrenaline rush and scare of the situation.  Those times are good, but it's also nice to ride a familiar trail.

Raven Knob Sign

Goal accomplished!  I don't think there are any more trails Raven Knob has to offer.  But if any do come up, I just may come back down and give them a go.

Click for Strava statistics

 And yes, it's true.  Despite all the mountain biking and physically exhausting ride, I was still able to spend half of each day learning how to rappel and climb.  For those efforts, a Level 1 Climbing Instructor Certificate.  Woohoo!  Let's go climbing.

Pilot Mountain Rappelling with one of my instructors, Jeff.