THAT was a Good Game.

Saturday dawned bright and cold, and found us on our way to the Cracker Barrel to meet Shane and Diana for breakfast before trail building at Thomson. Momma's Pancake Breakfast with heaps of hot maple syrup is by far the best trail-building fuel in cold weather. It's a known fact. So, after gratefully imbibing several thousand calories of homestyle goodness, we rolled out to meet Dean and the OMBA tool trailer at the trailhead. Dean, hardcore hero that he is, had already pulled a lap or two before we got there at nine. Did I mention it was barely above freezing at that point? Dude...
As the day warmed up, we had a LOT of people show up. I think it was the most people I've ever seen working on Thomson at one time. It was great. We started by following Shane (our trail boss and the man with the plan) for a refreshing hike through a solid quarter mile of tangled underbrush which we were planning to clear. Two and a half hours later, we had cleared, cut and cussed up about a quarter mile of rideable trail. Poor Shane damn near had an apoplectic fit trying to rein in all the energy and joyful misdirection at the front of the work party, while also keeping Bruce from cutting down every freakin' tree at Thomson. Thank God he had loppers and not a chainsaw. I'm pretty sure he's the third largest source of world deforestation, right after hurricanes and harvesting of the rainforest for IKEA furniture. We went back through and touched up and back cut for about another hour and retired to the picnic tables for pizza and beer.

I'll refer you to Kat's Flickr account for photo coverage of the event

After the work party, a bunch of us mounted the steel steeds (or aluminum, or carbon, whatever) and tried out the new run. I think it's great. Or will be as soon as it rides in and has some consistency other than that of a memory foam mattress. I've heard some comments through the grapevine that it dumbed down the trail, but I think people may be missing the point. We have to build trails that don't cause permanent damage to the woods, or if that's not possible, we have to reroute the bad ones eventually. Nobody wants to ride through three foot deep wash basins. Anybody ride the Thomson trail around '99, when it was only a little under 3 miles and not maintained? Ever see those washed out trails? I don't think anybody remembers how bad it was. The point is, given the soil type through much of Thomson, some trails won't have a long lifespan. You can build straight-down, aggressive stuff, but don't be surprised when it has to be taken out in a couple years. Wait about six months and these new, flowy trails will develop some scary spots, trust me. If it's not challenging enough, ride faster. Technical skills don't only mean those you have to use at trackstand speed.
Okay, nuff soap box.

Today, Diana went and rode Arrowhead. Kat was planning on going, but caught a bug and wasn't feeling up to riding. Hell, she barely looked like she was up to standing, so Diana and I let her stay home. It was my first time riding Arrowhead, and I must say it's a great trail. The trees are at peak color, and it was stunningly beautiful. The air was just warm enough to ride in shorts, and the trail was blanketed in so many colors it was like riding on a tapestry. I really understand now why the OMBA crowd is so obsessed with the trail. There's nothing else like it around here. It really is a huge asset to biking in the area, even if i do get tired of hearing about it. You can certainly tell it was built by strong riders who enjoy climbing. There's a LOT of climbing. It seems a little choppy and hard to build a rhythm, but the first ride on a trail is always a little rough. I've heard people say it's easier than Thomson, and I can see that. If you are a rider who's strength and fitness is better than your bike handling and balance, I would imagine you'd prefer this trail. Thomson caters to riders with above average bike handling, and will let you slide a little if your fitness is down.
All in all, it's a great trail. Worth the ride, and worth the drive to get there. The last climb out may be the steepest thing I've ever climbed on a bike. I'll rank Arrowhead a close second to Thomson as my favorites locally. Kudos to those that built and designed it.
The only mishap was when leaving, I left my front wheel laying beside the truck and promptly backed over it. You gotta love Sun Rims RhynoLITEs. I totaled the skewer and bent the bejeesus out of the disc rotor, but the rim was still damn near true. It was out so little that I would almost bet it was that way from riding, not being run over. The XT hubs spin as pretty as punch. Let's hear it for tough parts.