Event: Jim Thorpe MTBMR group ride
Place: Jim Thorpe, Carbon County, PA
Ridden: August 2014
Click on video to watch
Jim Thorpe, originally named Mach Chunk, has been termed "the Gateway to the Poconos". The town's history revolves around coal mining and the development of railway systems to transport coal to cities to the south. Today the town is a tourist destination for outdoor enthusiasts and people looking to enjoy the quaint town.
There are miles and miles and miles of trails in Jim Thorpe; many of which can only be found by riding with a local who knows where the trails are. Riding there ranges from gnarly single track, to ATV roads, to gravel roads. One highlight of the area to many leisurely cyclists is the D&L Rail Trail section. Riding on this, cyclists can see old trains, multiple views of the river (and people rafting on it), and the occasional bear. After riding Jim Thorpe is the perfect spot for getting something to eat, and doing some sight seeing and shopping in the eclectic town.
We were there for neither shopping nor eating nor leisurly riding, we were there to ride trails. The ride started out with some twisty, turny, super narrow single track. People's shoulders were rubbing trees on both sides of the trail. We then rode under an old dam, don't get to do that often. After this came lots of short punchy ups and down, a killer on the quads to get up the climbs. This took us to the top of the mountain where when rode along the ridge line for quite some time. This was great riding; many rock gardens and technical trails. Part of this section followed The American Standard, a familiar trail to many mountain bikers. After this came the super fun part, lots of steep, rocky downhill. Much of the descent was on what appeared to be an old tram trail, lots of sketchy sections on loose rocks. Thank goodness for my Giant Dropper Seatpost, I was smiling from ear to ear after the downhills.
After all that single track we took a break to ride along the D&L Canal Trail for while, ending up in Jim Thorpe. This was a perfect spot to refill on water and grab a snack. From here we rode through Jim Thorpe, getting a close-up look at the historic town. After leaving town it was more single track along the mountain. One trail was a narrow passageway through a forest of mountain laurel, very neat to ride though. The ride ended with some gravel and paved roads which took us right by a coal processing plant.
Despite the challenging aspects of this ride, it was a fun time on the bike. Many new friends were made and we saw old friends we haven't see in awhile. And for those of you that have ridden with the "MTB MR" group, I know have "Yip! Yip! Yip!" ringing in my ears.
- words by Jess
- video by Joël