So...Robinette's?

Well, yesterday I rode the trail at Robinette's with a friend and I'd like to preface this post by saying, the best part of riding this trail was the fact that it ended with wine. Actually, that was about the only real good part, in my opinion.

This was my first time riding at Robinette's (which is a purveyor of wines and hard ciders, in addition to singletrack!), and my friend's first time on singletrack, ever. Me, I hated the trail. My friend? Well, he loved it.

If there's a word for Robinette's, it's unmaintained. If there's two words, they're technical and unmaintained. It started out fun with the sandy downhills and bursts of climbing, but my joy ended quickly. There was an eroded, rutted-out descent pretty quick into the trails, which downhill folks might reveled in, but I found downright dangerous. It seemed like rough areas on the trail were mended by throwing sand at the problem. I found the branches on trails, erosion, and uncut thicket (which made it impossible to see the trail six feet in front of you at times) annoying and discouraging. I skipped out and didn't even finish the trail, and left with a bad taste in my mouth (until the wine, that is).

At least some good came of this ride; I spent time with a friend and hopefully inspired someone to get more interested in mountain biking. It got me thinking; there are definitely people who are more naturally inclined towards twisty, technical trails and those who prefer the smooth and fast. I've always been inclined toward the smooth and fast trails, but my friend was out there tackling (and clearing!) the same technical elements that took me months to get the hang of, and still sometimes make me squirm. I thought that was awesome!

After whining for some time about the trail's poor condition (and acknowledging my friend's sheer domination of the trail!), I became very thankful for my local well-maintained trails. It got me thinking that maybe I should take a more active role in trail building/maintaining in my neck of the woods, to help keep them that way.