Foggy Mountain

Delaware Valley Trail Riders brings you back to Tuscarora State Forest for the annual rocky beatdown!

At the start of the day, we transfer you from the always lovely Blain Picnic Grounds, along the creek trail, and out to section 1 a few miles down the road. Get ready for a mix of flow, some tight trees, and off-camber elevation change to start the day. Make sure you warm up your body or you’ll be locking up your forearms in this technical sprint!

Catch your breath, drink your electrolytes, and head down the road to the next few sections. Remember, this is a timekeeping event! We aren’t going to play any games with you, but maybe the next secret check won’t be where you are used too… We’ll see!

Our fuel stop is at the usual shale pit - if you have a support crew, make sure they get there early (preferably before row 1), and do not block the entrance. There will be club members directing traffic however space is tight so keep the trailer back at the picnic grounds.

From gas, we head North/Northwest into some trail that will be familiar to repeat entrants to Foggy Mountain. Keep those feet on the pegs and aim for the big rocks that don’t move to smooth everything out. Don’t forget to breathe!

Kansas Valley is my favorite part of Tuscarora so take in the mountain air and perfect piney forest we are so lucky to have access to while you transfer on the gravel road. At this point, C riders (and some others) will head back to the picnic grounds via Old Blain Trail, a many decades old classic.

The final section will be a course split for A/B riders (complete list of classes TBA). The section starts nearly WOT for those AA riders before the rocky off-camber ascent and descent which delivers you into the tighter rock gardens. This is a fun section for everyone with a lot of nice corners and technical straights over rocks and logs. Be careful passing, there is no telling what is hiding off trail. Many a stump and boulder have taken the brake pedal off unsuspecting riders bikes. I once even lost a rear disc guard here! We do our best with the weedeaters here, but those invasives grow back quickly.

Finally, the event comes to a close. Down Old Blain Trail, pay attention as you take in the views! A beloved rider many of us know, whose name I won’t mention, took a nice little spill off trail on the power line crossing last year and we needed 3 people to retrieve the bike from between the boulders! This is not a race section and you do not need to rush home.

I am happy to announce that the chicken pit is back this year after a short hiatus and we will have ice cream as always. My favorite. There will be pasta dinner on Saturday night hosted by the Blain Fire Department.

Ground Miles TBA, Closed Course (No license plates or lights required), gas is away. If it rains, bring a gummy or semi-gummy tire. If it’s dry, run what you brung.