Carl got hung up at work, Scott had worked late the evening before, John didn't have his mtn bike so he accompanied Gerald and I on connecting roads as we cycled some hardpack and Chimney Rock and Stillwater Trails in sunny, dry air with temperatures in the low 50s.
I made a navigational error and took the first left off the Chimney Rock Trail going north onto the Moneyhole Mtn Trail to nowhere. Gerald and I forded the stream that feeds Catfish Pond and, after contacting John, decided it was best to back out and take the Chimney Rock down to South Highland to the east of where we entered. We all ascended Dennytown, then John called it a day and Gerald and I went east on Sunken Mine Road to pick up the Stillwater Pond Trail at Wiccopee Road. Trails had a cover of fallen leaves, making steep downhill pitches dicey.
We finished at Cold Spring Depot with a couple of pints of Doghead IPA after a fast descent on 301.
What a pleasure to be back off road in the Highlands on a mtn bike. Looking forward to cycling these and other trails with the group.
Hank
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