ALL TRAILS LEAD TO ICE CREAM

It's a word that Mikey loves to use...SIMPLICITY.  Mountain biking stripped down to it's basic form. For four years, I'd had been riding a full suspension bike...and dealing with the mechanical problems that come with full suspension bikes. Early in 2011, I sold my 26 inch, full suspension Stumpjumper and purchased my first 29 inch mountain bike. Gone were the small wheels and rear suspension...replaced with a bike that I would ride the heck out of for next five years.  I was the last 26 inch hold out in our group...but simply stated...making the switch was one of the best mountain biking decisions I've made.  My first ride in Michaux State Forest with my brand new 2011 Stumpjumper 29er.  An incredible ride which ended with an amazing view from the top of Pole Steeple -- July 4, 2011 My time in Michaux during 2011 and 2012 was spent mostly with Kevin Hardy, Tim Sindlinger and Chris Keller. Chris and I had met a few years before (my son and his daughte...

Hitting rocky trails on a mountain bike is expected (especially when riding in Michaux State Forest ).  You could say that Michaux is an 85,000 acre rock garden...literally a mountain biker's playground.  It's a place where grown men can ride their bikes, cast away worries, and become kids again.  Most of 2009 & 2010 was spent riding familiar trails and roads that our group had pieced together the previous three years.  One notable exception was a trail that led to a rock outcropping southwest of Forest Road .  This proved to be an extremely cool, although accidental, find.  In searching for an alternate route to the top of Tumbling Run , I stumbled upon a system of rocks that provided an amazing view of the valley below.  For the next few years this became my " standard ride " at Michaux.  Riding "Gargamel's Trail" in Michaux State Forest.  Mark Lentz, Dave Raymond, Mikey Nardelli, & Kristian Hains -- February 2009 Our gr...

On Memorial Day of 2006 Mark Lentz took Tim and I mountain biking in Michaux State Forest for the first time.  It was my first taste of a place that would become magical to me and, quite possibly, my favorite place on Earth.  Over the past ten years, Michaux has become much more to me than just a place to mountain bike.  It became a place where  friendships would be forged and tested...where lessons would be learned...where skills would be honed...and adventures would be shared.  I've already written about the history of the forest named for the French botanist Andre Michaux , but now, with 2016 rapidly coming to an end...and with plenty of time on my hands while my body is slowly healing ...I want to share the memories I have of OUR history exploring Michaux over the past decade.* Michaux State Forest consists of 85,500 acres of forest located in the South Mountain area west of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania I remember the summer of 2006 as the "seemingly ...

American Standard Trail, located near Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania, is one of the most famous mountain biking trails in Pennsylvania.  Mountain bikers from all over the world make the pilgrimage to ride this rocky, twisty, 18+ mile single track just to see (and more than likely take a selfie with) the American Standard urinal that somehow managed to find it's way eight miles deep into forests of eastern Pennsylvania! American Standard Trail .  Dave R, Glenn M, Mike N, Mark L, Bill G, & Kevin H -- 2008 Needless to say...it's not everyday that  you find a "bathroom" in the middle of the woods...and it's the reason why I've come to appreciate trailheads that have public facilities.  Spending as much time as I do in the woods, I fully understand that the restrooms in state forests, state parks, & county parks can be sketchy at best.  My first memory of experiencing a DCNR (that's Pennsylvania Department of  Conservation & Natural Resources) ...

"Here eat this..."  With that, I devoured the mashed up marshmallow and peanut butter sandwich that Mark had pulled out of his Camelbak.  It was, to the best of my recollection, the only time that I have ever truly "bonked."  Halfway up a seemingly endless fire road on a mountain near State College, Pennsylvania I got off of my bike and laid down.  No mas!  I had nothing left and I needed something to eat...now.  In those early years of what would become our "big rides" I really didn't have much of an idea of how to properly eat before a ride and what to pack for the ride.  Hence...there I was lying wasted on a dusty fire road eating my friend's peanut butter and marshmallow sandwich! Like bears in the woods, we all have different ways of finding sustenance on the trail.  Pictured from top left to right (top row first): Glenn Medice, Tim Sindlinger, Mark Lentz, Kristian Hains, Dave Raymond, Mike Nardelli, Bill Graves, Matt Linnane, & Kevi...