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Post by seenvic on Nov 19, 2007 12:53:20 GMT -5
The LCHT is simply awesome.
A great combo of old school primitive singletrack and farily new-school construction.
We rode the "kudzu loop" CCW. Started at the southern most point the trail crosses FS 505, traveling north. At the loop, we went right and started heading toward the spot you ride under the RR tressle. This is the opposite direction we rode this loop back in May at the Explore the Trails Ride It is a great ride either direction, but I won't lie - you will enjoy this trail more if you have a local guide that can steer you away from the uncrossable creeks and into the correct direction at the very few spots you need to make a decision.
We got back to the car w/ 16.7 miles under us. So we headed back up 505 and swung around a second time thru what we thought was a fun section (Sean's Mile). Wooglin tacked on an extra couple of miles and hopefully will post some of the pics he took here.
Great ride. Great trail. Great day to be in the woods.
Yes, the LCHT simply blows the fug up.
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Post by quiver on Nov 19, 2007 15:55:07 GMT -5
We actually did a day hike on the Long Cane on Saturday.
There was a post at Fell Hunt camp where we started stating the the souther most section of the trail is crossing through private property and is currently closed. I think they are working on a way to blaze around it.
The loop has a cut through on the southern part which makes the loop a little under 17 miles. (this is what we hiked and sounds like you rode)
Just keep in mind that about 3 miles of the big 22 mile loop is currently closed.
We also encountered a freakin ton of hunters on Saturday. Felt like being in Vietnam. So I would strongly advise riding it on Sunday until hunting season is over.
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Post by quiver on Nov 19, 2007 15:58:36 GMT -5
If you look at the Trail Map... www.fs.fed.us/r8/fms/rec/LCHorse.pdfThe Private property closing is at point "J" near Big Curltail Creek and goes a couple of miles in each direction.
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Post by seenvic on Nov 19, 2007 16:14:24 GMT -5
I think the private property is pretty easy to get around. Just stay on the paved road. The private propery is really short.
I was on the northern loop.
If I had started at Fell, I would have turned right at the routed sign. The private property issue is to the left.
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Post by wooglin on Nov 19, 2007 17:21:08 GMT -5
Thanks Bill for the invite, Michael for the guiding, and the Greenwooders for the trail. Defintely stellar. Its been several years since I've ridden it, much to my regret. I'll have to make it back up there more often.
Pics to come, though it'll likely be a while since I don't plan to be in the office until next week.
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Post by quiver on Nov 20, 2007 10:21:06 GMT -5
We started at Fell, Went right and did the North loop which brought us back to point "C". Then hiked the 2.3 miles back to the car at fell. According to our GPS, this loop (and connector) was 16.87 miles.
Enjoyed hiking the trail... but I'm ready to get my bike out there. Perhaps Sunday Dec 2nd.
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Post by yetichick on Nov 20, 2007 21:48:04 GMT -5
Michael and I have ridden LCHT 4 times this fall. Love it! What an awesome trail. We have tried several ways to ride, with parking/starting in different places (505/506, Parson's Mountain Recreation Area), but find the Fell Hunt Camp the easiest for us. The first couple times that we rode we were a bit lost. We tried to follow the USFS map, but as quiver says, sections were closed and other areas were confusing. It was quite obvious that what we did ride on the bottom of the loop is rarely frequented by other mtb riders. The time we started at Parson's Mountain Recreation Area, a worker had to show us where the trail started, and then it was a difficult and annoying ride from Parson's Mountain to the metal bridge. After we crossed the metal bridge, it was obvious that we were now on mtb territory! Great trail!!!!!! We contacted Ashby Stokes, on the following website: web.mac.com/ashby_stokes/Greenwoodmtb/Home.html. He gave us some good directions, and he now has a map on the website that shows the sections the Greenwood people usually ride. The map does not include the lower section of the loop. The last couple times we rode from the Fell Hunt Camp as follows: Fell Hunt Camp to C C to G (Big Rock) G to E (intersection of 505/506) E to D (train tressle) D to C C back to Fell We get in 20.6 miles riding that way. The above website also has great pictures and written directions, as there is one section on the Kudzu Loop (the upper loop) that the Greenwood group doesn't ride. We absolutely love the trail, but you do have to be on your guard for the horses. We have run into horses before, and had no problems. This last weekend we came across a total of 7 horses. We had to wait for quite awhile behind the last group, which was a set of 4, because the last horse in the group could not be controlled by the rider. If you were in eyesight, the horse was extremely skiddish, and the rider had his hands full. The horse spun around numerous times. Some cyclists had even gotten off the trail and tried to hide in the trees so the horse wouldn't see them and would stay calm, but it didn't work. Love LCHT, and will ride it often; however, mountain bikes and horses are a tough mix. Since it is a shared trail, you have to stay on the lookout!
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