Its all relative

I was riding at the Ward Reservation on Sunday afternoon and decided to make the trek to Harold Parker along the Bay Circuit trail. This particular section contains one of my long standing unachieved goals. The Mary French Boardwalk.

Normally 12" is plenty wide enough but then the 2" gap in the middle does make for a tire grabber. And 3' off the ground isn't a problem but then the water instead or earth changes things a bit.

Even with all that if it were just 20 or 30 feet long then my concenteration would not wain but nearly 100 yards with turns and changing width and steps.

Now when i dropped the back tire off and fell it normally would hurt from that height, but the knee deep water softened the landing. And knee deep water is not that much, unless you happen to be laying on your back. And i admit that 60 degree water is normally cold but the air was in the 50s and it felt warm, at first, but when you add 10mph headwind that all changes, untill the layer of mud drys and hardens into simulated shirt sleeves. And the smell from the rotting leaves and marsh fowl defecation was so fresh and natural, until i sat in the truck.

That was Sunday, Today is Tuesday and i am sitting in a 6 hour meeting with no windows and the heat on too high and the people are not well groomed. I sat for 2 hours in trafic to get here and it will be dark when i leave, and nothing will have been acomplished.
As i drift ever closer towards boredom induced coma, i think back to my squishy footed ride, "boy, laying in cold smelly swamp water sounds preety good right now."

[off piste]

Isn't it amazing, the virtual universality of dysfunction of the American corporate environment, and how just about ANY alternative is better than being at work?

[ridemore]

I was just thinking about sitting at work for endless hours contemplating how much more fun it would be to fall over a log or change a blowout then be at work.

[narlus]

where is that boardwalk? i've never been able to find a trail link between HP and ward. and it's frustrating because i live and work really close to there and have ridden there a lot.

[radair]

Tim - Look here; you must be able to figure it out from this:

http://www.serve.com/baycircuit/amap3.pdf

Looks pretty cool to me. I love that kind of stuff (but not the lying on my back in water part).

Thanks Bill!

Radair is correct, the connection is made by following the Bay Circuit Trail. The trail is marked with white rectangular blazes.

From Ward parking go up the road to the gate and follow the trail(singletrack) that parallels the road up the hill (not to the water tower) and then down past the farm house and keep going down generally bearing right and downhill at all intersections.

The trail (doubletrack)will turn hard right into a field and then left up slightly along the field edge returning to the orchard area where it continues to descend. Keep eyes left as the trail will turn and is disguised by fallen leaves. Look for the blazes.

The trail becomes undefined as it wanders through the apple orchard area and is virtually impossible to follow with leave cover, but just keep following the farmers road to the paved road and there is a sign directing you left down the road to the trail. This is a better route this time of year as riding on apples hidden under leaves leads to messy accidents.

50' down the road to the right is the trail. It is well marked. Follow to the next road and go right then left into the culdesac. Down the hill bear left and look to the right and you will see the handicap designed switchback that leads to the boardwalk. For some reason the boardwalk is dismantled at the far end but can be walked.

At the end of the boardwalk the trail goes left or right looping to the same location. Right is shorter but less ridable. Left is rideable, sometimes wet, more interesting.

At the next road i forget if it is right or left but follow the blazes to the little parking area. This trail head leads to another boardwalk. This trail leads to a doubletrack, go right then over the bridge and you are in Harold Parker. The next intersection is the main doubletrack along the police barrack side of HP. Go right then bear left at all doubletrack intersections and you end up at the lake near the old tin shed.

Good luck

[narlus]

where is that connector bridge between ward and HP? i've been riding there a lot over the past 6 years or so and have never seen that.

[Zeena]

You've ridden right by it many times.

Leave HP like you're going to take the road to WH (over the slippery bridge).

After you turn left onto the road, keep your eye out for a trailhead on the right. I'm pretty sure it has an AVIS sign.

Stay left - you'll go over some weird raised-up rock wall/rooty thing, then the trail drops off to the left. The first section of the bridge from this direction is all disconnected now - (maybe from high water in the winter? it was fine last fall).

When you get to end of the bridge (dry hopefully...), turn left onto the road. follow it to the end, then turn right. there's a trailhead on the left shorly thereafter (don't go down the hill too fast). when you get off that trail, turn left. The WH entrance is on the right at the top of the hill.

Disclaimer: this is all from memory. I'm a little fuzzy on exactly what happens before the raised-up rock wall thingy.



where is that connector bridge between ward and HP? i've been riding there a lot over the past 6 years or so and have never seen that.

If that description is not enough for you to find it then lets get together and i will guide you to it.

[narlus]

Tim - Look here; you must be able to figure it out from this:

http://www.serve.com/baycircuit/amap3.pdf

Looks pretty cool to me. I love that kind of stuff (but not the lying on my back in water part).

Thanks Bill!


thanks for the map. i can spot my house location on there (although the map's outdated. the street i live on isn't shown and has been there since '83 or so). i also got the hookup from mtbtom, so i should be good to go.

and sorry for the double-post...i couldn't see my 1st post and thought that it didn't get on here. sometimes there is a long lag w/ this board.

[Scott O]

Isn't it amazing, the virtual universality of dysfunction of the American corporate environment, and how just about ANY alternative is better than being at work?

Exactly. I'd rather be working in a sweat shop in China for pennies a day. ::)

[narlus]

just took another look at that PDF file which radair posted...there's a section of Harold Parker Forest north of 114, which i hadn't really realized. i think they put in some new houses near there, and there's a tree farm in the area too, off salem st.

it would be interesting to see if there are any trails there, or even how one would get access. are there easements in place, like for the trails in weston???

[PutAwayWet]

"Isn't it amazing, the virtual universality of dysfunction of the American corporate environment, and how just about ANY alternative is better than being at work?

I've always lived by this mantra:

"A bad day in the woods is better than any good day at work"

[jerseygirl]

Each Monday I start looking forward to the next adventure. I always have a trail photo on my computer desktop at work to remind me that the weekend will eventually be here and I will be hiding in the woods once again.

[BadDNA]

I hear you jerseygirl, I've got the walls of my cube covered with trail maps, photos etc. I've got riding pictures on all my desktops...sitting in a cubicle dreaming of riding is no way to pass the week though. I just got back from a 3 hour lunch with a few other people riding down in Naonet Woods. I think I'm going to join them more often, they do this almost weekly.

[jerseygirl]

TGIF!!!! Waiting to hear from my riding buddy to see what's up for the weekend. I'm hoping White Mountains again, but our local stuff is good, too.

The chill in the air has got me daydreaming about skiing, too. Hang in there, the weekend's almost here!

[off piste]

TGIF!!!! Waiting to hear from my riding buddy to see what's up for the weekend. I'm hoping White Mountains again, but our local stuff is good, too.

The chill in the air has got me daydreaming about skiing, too. Hang in there, the weekend's almost here!


Weee!! I'm picking up my new backcountry and lift-served tele skis from the shop Sunday, for binding mounts and tune ups. With ski season coming, I'm hemorrhaging money. Good thing I have to work tomorrow....

[jerseygirl]

Being able to look forward to winter is worth spending the money. When everyone else is complaining at least we're out having fun!

[comtom1]

riding to me is a giant stress relief because it is just you and the bike trying to do some hill or dome drop that you may have never done before and finally you accomplish it unlike work were its just one pain in the butt after an other and its always everybody elses problem Thank GODfor MOUBTIAN BIKES and GREAT FRIENDS TO RIDE WITH