Cannonsburg SGA - First Time this Year!

I finally rode Cannonsburg State Game Area for the first time this year. The lot was full so I had to part on the street, but that actually was a good thing. I was right next to the little babbling brook and prepped for the ride under its auditory spell. I actually took a little extra time getting ready just to listen to the water pass. Once off, I was right away behind a slower rider and was content to lay low as this was my first ride here for the year. I didn't know if there were significant re-routes or fallen trees. None-the-less, he moved out of the way and I passed. I pushed the tempo until I got into a good rhythm and was on my way.

The trail was primarily dry and fast. But with the dry also comes the sandy. There are a few surprise sandy sections that suck a ton of your speed and energy either at the base of a climb or during the climb itself. Not fun if you don't like sand. Even worse if you don't like climbs. But I like both... but don't hate me for that. Anyway, I sprint out of the trail with a 34:24 time on the clock. Not bad for the season's first run and passing a half-dozen riders in the process.

As a side note, I did hear a gun shot while going through the woods. What was intriguing was the pair of turkey hunters loading up at the trailhead. They connected the gunshot I heard a bit earlier with the limp turkey laying next to their truck. Its turkey season... and the trail runs through the heart of hunting lands (remember, SGA = State Game Area).

I circled the lot a few times to catch my breath and headed for the beginning of the trail for another loop and I run into a couple of the other Dirt Dad riders... some freshly returning from the annual trek to the North Carolina trails. One was there to air out the legs and the other was out for the first time this year. I rode another lap with them at a much slower pace.

At the end of the lap, a couple of us decided to do the downhill trail. So up the road we go to that trailhead. The trail was really covered with leaves and at some parts, hard to locate the trail without the little flags tied to some of the trees. On the long downhill, there is a handlebar height downed tree that broke our flow, but we went over it and kept on going. We washed back out at the trailhead and we called it a day.

Just perfect as I slowly put the bike away accompanied by the patter of the babbling brook right next to me.

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Difficulty: Intermediate
Length: 7 mi (not including the downhill)