North Shore NEMBA Chapter News

SingleTracks, February 2008

It is hard to believe there was continuous riding through February last winter with the abrupt ending of the season this year. The deep snow curtailed the riding on the North Shore by mid December this year. Hopefully members took advantage of the snow and got out on the skis. The January thaw is in full swing as I write, so who knows what will happen for the rest of the winter.

At the November chapter meeting we discussed the great success of the Wicked ride this year. Proceeds from the event will go towards a new leaf blower for the staff at the ranger station at Harold Parker. Moneys will also go towards repairs and improvements to the Jenkins Road parking lot. This popular lot is used by many of our members and is getting worn and over crowded on nice days so it will be nice to give back to the park.

The chapter voted to donate funds to some local land trusts at the November meeting. Donations of $250 were made to both the Essex County Greenbelt and The Trustees of Reservations. These organizations have land and trails that members ride on; we have also done trail work for both groups over the past year. Hopefully this can only strengthen our relationships even more with these folks.

Dan Streeter and the trail committee have been meeting with the DCR and other land managers in the area to get some trail projects for the springtime so please make plans to come out and help. Details will be passed along as they come along.

Remember to tread lightly and avoid riding in the mud season. --Frank Lane

SingleTracks, December 2007

Many of our members enjoyed some fine mountain biking throughout the fall season; hopefully you were one of them. The weather was dry and the trails have been in great shape. Along with riding the many great miles of trails here on the North Shore many members have traveled to other New England hot spots, including trips to the Kingdom Trails and the White Mountains. The MTB Adventure Series was also well attended by local folks. Singletrack trails were explored at Bradbury up in Maine and Bear Brook NH, and still others attended the NEMBAfest at Wompatuck down in SE MA. New England certainly has a lot to offer when it comes to trails for the mountain biker.

Closer to home the Wicked Ride was bigger and better than ever! The rainy Saturday gave way to brisk but clear Sunday. Over 300 registered riders enjoyed two marked loops totaling over 27 miles of biking pleasure. The advance course featured over 20 miles of challenging single track, and the beginner ride had great views as it weaved its way around the many ponds of the area. A great job was done by Sandy Bray the wicked ride chairperson and all the other behind the scene people that helped with the trail marking and parking. Thanks to all the vendors that pitched their tents and gave it the festival look. The women's skill clinic with Team Vitamin water was well attended, and Cycle Loft, Ski Market, and Sinister Bikes set up demo tents.

A special thanks goes out to Lee Hollenbeck for spending the week before making more gallons of chili than one can count.

On September 15th the chapter installed two bridges in Harold Parker. The first boardwalk crosses a beaver caused mud section of the trail near Bear Pond. The second wooden crossing environmentally replaces the old tire bridge near the site of the former Jenkin's Mill. The steady rains did not slow the work crew of a dozen or more before completion of both projects. The second trail day on October 14th was canceled to allow members to attend some of the other scheduled trail days in surrounding areas. Projects were also scheduled in Lynn Woods and Bear Brook that weekend and the North Shore chapter showed presence at both events. Several big projects are in the plans for the spring so please plan to help.

The final chapter event of the season took place on November 11th with a ride though Bradley Palmer State Park and Willowdale State Forest followed by a cookout and meeting. Over twenty folks took part in the tour of the parks; it was great to see some new faces. Chapter elections are always held on the final meeting of the year. The following were elected for the 2008.

President Frank Lane
Vise President Fred White
Treasurer Ron Corporon
Secretary Jim Humphrey
BOD Representative Dan Streeter
BOD Alternate Frank Lane

—Frank Lane