ride report: an SV and Pilot Powers in the woods of Barnstead/Strafford NH

[brady]

[to skip to the funny stuff see the numbered list below]

I took off Sunday afternoon on the SV, told my wife I'd be back in an hour or two . Had a nice ride from Raymond up 156 to 152, 202A to Strafford, 156 to Center Barnstead (I hear someone on this forum lives there? ); had a cup of coffee at the general store/cafe before heading back.

A few miles out of town I see "Bow Lake Rd", sounds interesting and should cut off the corner between 126 and 202A, right? I love to explore (and refuse to get a GPS, it ruins the fun). One mile and it ends at a T with no sign of Bow Lake anywhere. So I look at the sun (it's 5:00? at this point) turn SE and wing it, make a few turns and end up on dirt "Evans Mountain Rd". I never pass up a road with "mountain" in the name, and it amazingly enough ends at the top of Evans Mountain (see top left of the map here), near a house with an amazing view (finally) of Bow Lake way down below. A sign says "Private, No Trespassing" so I start to turn around, but then notice the road does continue on to the left and down the mountain. I knew I could get there from here!

I continue down the mountain road maybe 1/4 mile and come to a trail sign , but it's still basically a narrow dirt road with some larger rocks thrown in for fun, and I think "how bad can it get?" (note: the last time I rode in the woods was on a 50cc minibike when I was 13)

I take the left trail marked "points South/services" (no distance indicated) instead of the right trail marked "to Bow Lake". See the map again for the wisdom of this choice ; Evans Mtn is at the top left, where the road ends with a small horseshoe. The trail I chose headed South East to Old Ridge Rd; the trail not taken headed due South to Bow Lake.

I am (mostly) laughing about it now. It was a great trail, lots of elevation changes and tight turns, but would have been a lot more fun with knobbies and another 6 inches of ground clearance.

A few things I learned about my SV, Pilot Powers, and the muddy, watery, boulder filled woods below Evans Mountain:

1. Use your cell phone to call home when you're at the TOP of the mountain with reception, not deep in the woods below when the sun is going down. I knew my wife would be worried, and I wanted to call to say "It's OK honey, don't call the police. I'm not a splat on the road somewhere, just spending the night in the woods; there are plenty of bugs and leaves to eat and my tailbag will make a great pillow...." I also should have taken a nice pic of Bow Lake from the mountain top.
2. If you're unsure about a trail that leads down into the abyss, turn around before it gets so bad that you can't make it back up.
3. When you start seeing "CAUTION!" signs after the trail has been kicking your ass for an hour you really start to wonder if you'll be sleeping in the woods (not that there's anything wrong with that...).
4. My Pilot Powers did OK on dirt roads and rocks, but the first mud hole I had to cross they slid all over the place and I barely made it through. I decided the center compound wasn't designed for mud, so I leaned it over in the next mud hole. The frame slider did its job. I finally decided the problem was I wasn't getting them up to temp, so I went through the next mud hole a lot faster. Apparently the deep water cooled off whatever heat I had so carefully put into the tires, but the frame slider on the other side worked well, too.
5. I had never dropped my bike before, not even a driveway tip-over. I guess I'm over that now. [edit for truthfullness/accuracy: T2 in a downpour doesn't count; I'm talking drops, here, not zoomie lowsides]
6. Mud makes everything really slippery, especially a downed bike and the gloves and boots that are trying to lever it back up.
7. My Prexsport touring boots really are waterproof as long as the mud isn't deeper than the top of the boot.
8. A tree that saves you from a tip-over can still snap your brake lever.
9. You can spin a downed bike on a frame slider to reposition the wheels when there's no clearance to get the kickstand down.
10. Not wanting to be "that guy" that the rangers and helicopters come looking for the next day is powerful motivation to persevere and get creative. Plus I was getting hungry.

In the next 2 hours I got seriously stuck 4 or 5 times, deep enough that my SV would remain upright in the mud and/or rocks while I swore, pondered my next McGyver move, and admired the poetic beauty of the late golden sunlight on the treetops. I tried detouring off the trail several times, skirting the visible mud hazards only to sink deep into booby-trapped pits camoflaged with leaves, between more rocks and logs.

I finally decided to stay on the trail and re-engineer the hazards as I came upon them, mostly filling in mudholes and deep gaps between rocks with downed trees that I kicked into smaller sections.

Around 7:30pm I emerged from my own personal "Deliverance" onto Old Ridge Road (see the map) and civilization. I stopped at a gas station in Northwood, called my wife (mostly worried, a little less pissed, only slightly amused), and rode my cold, sweaty, muddy, exhausted ass home.

My wife did crack up when she saw my face, as I had been wiping the sweat out of my eyes with my muddy gloves for 2 hours. I also had a few bloody scratches I don't remember getting, but when your rear tire finally gets traction after being mired off-trail you don't stop for branches, only trees. I kept my helmet on, but the dark visor had to go once the sun started going down.

Not many photos, as this was supposed to be a quick, casual ride and not a survival report.

time to ponder:


unstuck (for now):



pack in, pack out:


home:



I owe my trusty SV a warm bath, a lot of chain cleaner, 3 new levers and maybe a nice soft blanket. It never complained, always started right back up (at least 20 or 30 times), and the engine was well suited to the low speed abuse as I'm sure V-Strom riders already know.

[apollomx681]

ummmm


thats not a dirt bike lol

[RyanNicholson]

wow.... thats all I have to say. You've officially raised the bar. Sounds like you kept your cool for the most part and just figured it out as you went, not many people could do such a thing.

[Pittenger5]

Youre my hero.

[BLACK SQUIRREL]

Stand up and Faster is better

[Sheppo]

Great story and great sence of humor..

[dhuze]

Thats the route Randy takes when he's in a hurry.

[lrrs699]

you got my respect....i probably would have turned around

[brady]

ummmm
thats not a dirt bike lol

that's OK, I don't know how to ride dirt anyway

You've officially raised the bar.

actually, I think I lowered the bar; the last time I did something this dumb was getting 6 miles into the woods near Moxie Lake, Maine with my wife and 6 month old in the minivan...

Youre my hero.

you need a better role model!

Stand up and Faster is better

that worked in the mud until I hit the big rocks covered by the deep water

[Kham]

you shouldn't have been there in the first place. curiousity gets something kill dont you know?

[mikeb]

congrats i guess?! good write up and yes that sv deserves some love for not stranding your ass in the middle of nowhere.

[brady]

washing it today I also noticed a huge dent in the oil filter

[Nikki88]

That is where I live...I know exactly where you are talking about! At least you made the best of it!!

[Sheppo]

washing it today I also noticed a huge dent in the oil filter

atleast it's dent not a hole !

[brady]

you shouldn't have been there in the first place.

no argument there!

curiousity gets something kill dont you know?

curiosity often gets me trouble, but never boredom

[Kham]

so SV is a dual sport. ill stick with the street.

brake rotor is always shiny.

[sandman]

looks like fun.

i've always been amazed at how well street tires do off road.

at least it didn't start snowing.

[Kham]

at least it didn't start snowing.

i dont think he's stupid.

[brady]

i dont think he's stupid.

sure I am, I proved it!

there was one small patch of snow; I think I would have been better off with a lot more snow and a lot less water and mud....

[butcher bergs]

Minus the being stuck part, I know exactly how you were feeling out there.

Thank you so much for this great write up!!

[Degsy]

A picture up there would have closed the tag-o-rama thread.

[Danno]

Thanks for the comic relief - I had a close encounter of the mud kind early on (earlier on?) in the season, just enough to convince me that if I do get a Vstrom someday I will never put knobbies on to "give it a try".

My SV didn't get as covered as yours, but I confer about how useless boots are in mud unless they're thigh highs. And I never quite went over, but my quads and calves were burning for days after from holding the bike up.

I think you're either a Dirt Bastard or you're not. Figured out once again I'm not.

[mycirus]

So when you picking up a dual sport?

[brady]

A picture up there would have closed the tag-o-rama thread.

I thought about it, but didn't know if I'd ever make it back to get the previous tag, and didn't want to jinx it

So when you picking up a dual sport?

before I go into the woods again if I've learned anything from this!

[RandyO]

near a house with an amazing view (finally) of Bow Lake way down below. A sign says "Private, No Trespassing" so I start to turn around, but then notice the road does continue on to the left and down the mountain. I knew I could get there from here!
.

Thats the route Randy takes when he's in a hurry.

I know better, when I go visit my friend at the top of the mountain, I turn around return the same way I came

next time I see them I will have to tell them of your adventure