Hatchery Ridge Trails - Current Conditions

We have had several very successful trail maintenance days this spring thanks to the many volunteers that continue to come out and put in the work. All trails in Hatchery Ridge are open and running.

Disclaimer: trail conditions can change from moment to moment, including newly fallen trees and unknown obstacles. Please ride with caution, pre-ride before you send it, and be kind to the trails.

Hugger Mugger: Clear

Puffin: Clear

Half Rack: Clear with some recent changes to berms and removal of braking bumps. More maintenance coming soon, so please watch for trail maintenance signage.

Cobbler: Clear

Rat Tunnel: Clear with new T off of Half Rack

Borderline: Clear

Interlude: Clear

Woodstock: Clear

In the Gnome of Love: Clear with new dedicated entrance just before existing Gnome/Woodrat shared entrance. Look for signage coming soon. New section needs to bed in, runs a little slow.

Woodrat: Clear with some recent modifications to the entrance.

Pits: Clear

Dollywood: Clear with several recent changes and upgrades to lips and jump landings. Use caution when riding for the first time.

Mermaid: Clear

Stable Genius (SG): Clear

Hey Y’all: Several bogs that need drainage overhaul. Please use caution.

Oakie Dokie: Clear

Banana Slug Round 4 - Dyerville Loop

The wind was blowing hard on Saturday, April 9, bringing all sorts of debris down onto the Avenue of the Giants. Not sure if it was the wind, the high gas prices, or the prospects of a grueling ride, but only six riders showed up to brave the elements and ride the Dyerville Loop. With mechanical issues turning Larry Kluck around only a few miles into the ride, only five riders completed the loop on Saturday. Dylan Fluet flatted twice on the ride but still returned with a great time and a smile on his face. Taj Krieger may have set a new local record for completing the Dyerville Loop in an astonishing 3:35. According to Strava, that beats the KOM by five minutes, but needless to say, it’s wicked fast, especially with a very cruel headwind to battle against. All riders returned with smiles on their faces and maybe a little pain in their legs, which is a sign of a good ride. The results are as follows:

  1. Taj Krieger - 3:35

  2. Daniel Holmes - 4:57

  3. James Becker - 5:05*

  4. Wes Bliven - 5:12*

  5. Hailee Schmidt - 5:36

  6. Dylan Fluet - 5:36

  7. Rusty Hansen - 6:38

  8. Larry Kluck - DNF

*Rode Sunday, April 10, and reported times via Strava.

Banana Slug Round 3 Results - Old Highway 299

We had a record turnout for this special Banana Slug. Was it because it was a shorter ride than most of our Banana Slugs? Or was it the promise of a well earned beer or hot dog at the end of the ride? We can only guess why a record 73 riders signed up to brave unknown weather conditions on the old Highway 299 and Snow Camp Road loop. The weather held out for the most part providing dynamic clouds and light on the beautiful landscape that we get to call home. A handful of riders made back in less than two hours with Tim Daniels taking up the sweep at just over four hours. Overall everyone came back with a big smile on their face, the true sign of a great ride.

RCMBA would like to thank Green Diamond Resource Company for providing access to the Old Highway 299 via their gate at the mill in Korbel. This really helped provide a safe route for people to ride this loop because otherwise we would have been on the actual Highway 299. We would also like to thank the City of Blue Lake for the use of their roller skate rink as the start and finish location as well as for the General Membership Meeting and gear swap meet location. Lost Coast Brewery deserves much gratitude for providing us with kegs of delicious beer to satiate our post-ride thirst. Finally, thank you to the Dog House for providing delicious hot dogs to the hungry riders.

Below are the results of the race. Please excuse any misspellings of people’s names. It was hard to decipher a few of them.

Banana Slug Round 2 Results

The weather couldn’t have been nicer for a day the middle of August… in the middle of February. Bright sunshine broke over the hills first thing in Blue Lake Saturday morning. The touch of frost from the night before readily evaporated before I stepped foot out the door and it only got nicer from there. 41 riders signed the roster and left Mad River Brewery only a few minutes after 10. Rather than sit around and wait, I headed up to Hatchery Ridge Trails for a quick ride before the fast riders returned. The dirt up there is eerily dry for February… dusty even.

I expected the fastest riders back in under three hours, but wasn’t prepared for how much under. Taj Krieger rolled in with an elapsed time of two hours thirty-nine minutes and forty-seven seconds. That may be close to a record. Steven Pearl (on a mountain bike no less), Matt Bowman, and Jason Barnes all came in under three hours too. That’s an impressive feat by any measure. A special thanks to Charlie Caldwell who rode sweep for us and helped make sure all our riders returned safely and were accounted for.

And thanks to all riders for your patience with our last-minute route adjustment.