Tuesday, October 07, 2014

In Search Of Marky-Mark: Part 2

The nearly full moon over Marky-Mark
Another foray into the dark to search out the West end of Marky-Mark. Last time I went out there I got a little off trail near the West end, which was no big deal, but I wanted to see if the entire trail was still rideable.

So I grabbed the new fatter version of the Snow Dog and threw on some lights. I grabbed a water bottle and hydration pack and hit the road to the Green Belt. The initial route is well known to me. Riding it by night would be no issue. I didn't even fit a head lamp, just two bar mounted lights.

Once into the woods, I scared off a couple deer. Then further on in I heard an angry owl hooting when I approached. Maybe I screwed up its plan to aquire some prey? I don't know, but it made quite the racket as I went by.

Lighting without a helmet mounted torch meant that going around the tighter corners called for a slower speed, just so I didn't go off  the trail. That was okay, as I wasn't in that big of a hurry. I made my way to the Western end of where Marky-Mark would have dumped out into the shelter area off Ridgeway Avenue. I found it just behind a big pile of dead trees and branches. It was obvious where the single track went back into the woods.

The initial stretch that I missed last time was obvious, so I was curious as to where I might have went off track the last time coming from the East. It didn't take long for me to find where that was! I floundered around for a bit, but I stopped, dismounted, and grabbed one of the lights and scouted around. I finally came upon the solution to the problem and was back on the bike in a jiffy. A bit of branch clearing was all that was needed, and Marky-Mark is cleared to ride through.

Of course, this is no pristine, wide, clear walking trail. This is real woodsy single track. It is narrow, twisting, and there are dead falls which you can try and bunny-hop. It's not a long trail, but it is very, very different than anything else in the Green Belt. I'm amazed it is still there to ride, but I am glad it is.

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