Hatfield McCoy Trail System

I went trail riding on my ATV in the Hatfield McCoy Trail System in West Virginia. This was my first experience at riding outside of Colorado, Utah, and Arizona. It was different, for one thing the entire system is forested (all the riding is in the trees). Also, it was Muddy (with a capital "M").

My riding partners were all new to me, and I to them. I must admit, I wasn't sure what to expect since they were all younger and more experienced. But, I think I accounted for myself acceptably. I wasn't championship material, but I finished every run right-side-up with no new dents in either the quad or myself.

There were hundreds of miles of trails and they were well maintained. Mostly that means that the ruts created by hard riding and rain washout were graded. There was still plenty of difficult riding due to steepness, gigantic mud holes, and trails designed to be challenging. One great thing about the trails was that we encountered no off camber riding, that is trails slanted to one side such that you have to be careful not to tip. I hate off camber riding...

Here is a group shot (of course I am not in it...again). There was a Polaris RZR, a Kawasaki Brut Force 750, a Terex, a Kodiak 450, and me on my Grizzly 700.


Here is the RZR starting up one of the black trails (black is hardest, blue is intermediate, and green is easy, just like skiing). The RZR was brand new, having no trail miles prior to this ride. It ended up on its side once and crosswise in the trail once. The rider was really pushing it to see what it could do (and found some things it couldn't do in the process).


There goes the Terex up the same trail head. This machine was "mean" and it went anywhere it was pointed. It was also the widest and longest in our group, making it more stable but more difficult to get through tight spots.


Here the RZR and the Kodiak are finishing the last few yards of the toughest trail encountered. It was rated red/black, which is extreme and recommended only for very advanced riders. This is one that I chose not to ride, believing that I may be extremely good looking, but I am not an extremely good rider.......


This is a picture I end up getting on every ride. Recognize it, yes that's right, it is the "where are we" consultation that always occurs at least once each ride.


It may look as if this shot features one of our group, but nay, it is actually a scenery shot with a rider in the way......


This shot was not taken on this trip. It was taken during a Colorado ride near the end of August. I didn't publish it because that is my quad after I flipped it over. I was mightily embarrassed, but I have gotten over that now. Injuries were minor to both the quad and myself, neither of us had to have casts or replacement parts. The poor quad, however, is beginning to like an abused child.