Fatbiking and Other Junk

Trail Conditions.

This summer the county put in a paved bike path from the west bank to town so now you can ride from Teton Village and Wilson into Jackson on a separate bike path and not have to worry about shitty drivers.  Recently I noticed this path has been plowed so you can use it in the winter.  While riding on a path in the winter on a fatbike seems a bit silly (and aren't fatbikes silly just by themselves), the path goes right past Emily's Pond parking area on the northeast side of the Snake River dike at the Snake River bridge and up until last Thursday I did not know this dike is groomed in the winter.  This opens up all kinds of options for winter riding.  According to the Friends of Pathways maps it goes for a mile or so but I know there is more than that.  Stay tuned for more exploits.

Trail Conditions.

I haven't been up Cache in almost a week and haven't ridden there in almost ten days.  Getting a bit bored with it.  I wish the Forest Service would allow mechanized grooming of the singletrack.  I know they are available, as this video shows:

Best Tracksled is the maker.  Love to see one of these here in Jackson.

Homemade Trail Groomer.

I have been grooming some of the singletrack up Cache Creek this winter and it is a bitch.  It takes me over three hours to hike from the trailhead up to the fifth bridge and back.  It isn't very far, perhaps three miles in one direction, but dragging the groomer is tough.

Just a four-foot kiddie sled clipped to a backpack.  I put a 60 pound sandbag (contained in a stuffsack) in the sled and then rig up some chains to drag behind to help smooth out the trail and fill in postholes.

After three hours dragging this, I'm tired.

Riding Lots.

Just looking over my posts from last season and the season before and I have ridden about three times as far as those two seasons.  In 2014-2015 I went on three rides and so far this season (2015-2016) I have been on six rides plus a few grooming hikes.  Amazing how a small weight loss can re-ignite biking interest.

Current Conditions.

Looks like we have a significant change in the weather coming.  Temps should (and have) climbed to the high twenties and it looks like snow is starting to fall as I write this so time to get out and groom Cache.  I should probably wait til after the storm but no time later this week so now or never.

Current Conditions.

I rode up Cache Creek road and down Hagen this afternoon and it was good.  The road was firm and fast of course.  Couldn't be otherwise after five or six days of little snow.  Hagen trail from the fifth bridge on down was in good shape but it was a bit dished out from the fifth bridge down to the third.  The small connector trail Sidewalk from the third bridge to the second bridge was a bit narrow and dished out.  All of Hagen and Sidewalk could use a grooming to widen and get rid of the dishing.  And I have the tool to do it.  Thursday I'll head out and see what I can do.