I first went to Browning Mill Pond thinking I could start my trek on the Arcadia Trail but I didn't see a decent place to pick up the trail although I discovered a cute little foot bridge.
Browning Mill Pond and the Arcadia Trail
Where to Park?
Considering that setback, I then was set on starting from the trailhead right off Rt 165--which was the start of the JB Hudson Trail--but a huge tractor trailer was barreling down the hill behind me and I couldn't make the turn--BUMMER! So I turned right onto Frosty Hollow Road and parked at the lot by the small fishing pond.
Trailheads
Trailhead at the Frosty Hollow parking lot
The Small Fishing Pond
The Loop
I opted to ride the Yellow Loop counter clockwise but ended up riding on the dirt roads on the last section because I wasn't sure where to find single track- BUMMER!
Topo Version
Elevation
My Ride
I rode in on an uphill dirt road for a bit and got to the JB Hudson Trail only to discover it was a dirt road as well! I rode north on it for a while and finally I took a single track off to the left and my smile returned. It was uphill for a bit and then a fast and tight downhill to Breakout Pond.
Finally - Single Track!
Once out of the cover of trees, I felt the rain and was debating if I should forget the ride but decided to forge on. Good choice since the sprinkles subsided-- although it was overcast.
The ride along the pond was fairly flat and easy and for a stretch after that, the trail followed a stream and was kinda picturesque. Then it was a long uphill AND a never ending rock garden. I was on and off the bike for that stretch! :-(
At the top of the hill, the trail was blocked by a very recent fallen tree but I was able to carry the bike over it without an issue.
Then the downhill started--lots of rock obstacles but most of it was manageable (altho' a little scary!).
It was nasty humid and my GPS (cell phone) battery was getting low, so I decided to opt out of the park when I got to the intersection with the Shelter Trail (rather than continue to the Mt. Tom section). I made a left turn here and most of the Shelter trail was fun - you could bomb it pretty fast...
Shelter Trail (mostly flat and FAST!)
I came across an unexpected sight when I rode through an old abandoned lumber camp. There were about a dozen or so buildings rotting away...
Some makeshift paper plate signs guided me out of the section - there were some nice downhill bombs along the way. Once I got to the dirt road, I was looking for the single track short cut but wasn't sure where it was so I just rode out on the dirt road - boring yes but safe and sure.
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