When I think about mountain biking, there are so many things I enjoy. I love the idea of exercise, being out in nature, having a bike to tinker with, and generally having a hobby to nerd out about. What comes along with this though is of course sharing it with others. Once you get that connection over a passion, it’s such a great feeling. I felt this to an amazing extent just last weekend, when I went on my 2nd annual guys trip to Kingdom Trails!
If you have never heard of Kingdom Trails, it’s basically mountain bike heaven for anyone near the East Coast in the U.S. It’s a giant trail system in East Burke, Vermont, about 6-7 hours from NY/NJ. Way fewer rocks too, which is always a bonus. On top of that, the entire community supports it, which is not something we often see in my area.
The Preparation For a Multi-Day Mountain Biking Vacation
Let’s first take a step back. When I think of an upcoming trip like this, I actually get a little stressed out. I’m usually the slowest member of my group, so I’m always worried about holding people back, or generally being a liability. This year, I was thinking about it months in advance. My goal was to try to punish myself a bit more, and be able to keep up. Of course, that’s easier said than done.
I’m 45 and have three kids. Use your imagination for what that means for my free time! What I wound up doing was sneaking in a bunch of rides at either 7am, or right after school drop off and before work starts. Also sometimes a quickie during lunch, since I’m fortunate enough to have some local NJ trails near me. My focus was to hit more climbs, burn my legs more, and do better than last year.
My plan was partially successful! On day 1, I was with the pack the whole time, and even notched the fastest time on a trail or two, although those were mostly downhill where I do much better. Day 2 was a different story, but I blame myself for a few too many beers the night before. Gotta enjoy both ends of a trip like this when you can! I wasn’t a liability really, just further back than I wanted to be. Still, overall, better than last time!
Other prep was the usual. Coordination of 6 people, who’s driving, bringing what, which tools, who has the best bike racks etc. That mixed in with usual parenting duties always makes for some last minute rushing to be ready. It all came together though, and no one showed up forgetting anything crucial.
Stepping Away From Normal Life to Bond With Friends
There is something special about just being able to pause your normal life, and exist in an alternate reality for a few days. In my case, no more family, and the only thing that exists is mountain biking, eating tons of food, and drinking beer. Obviously I can’t exist like that forever, but it sure is nice to change it up.
As parents, our normal lives are so filled with compromise. Who needs what, do they have lunch packed, doing video game tech support, usual home DIY and maintenance, forcing through another work day, etc. Just for a few short days, we get to forget all of that, and be as dumb as we want, doing a hobby we love. This vacation is not just about accessing different terrain with friends, it’s also a mental vacation which we all need every once in a while.
What it’s like to ride at Kingdom Trails
Ok great, so how about the actual riding?! I’ll tell you in one word: amazing! New Jersey is referred to as The Garden State. However, mountain bikers know it as The Rock Garden State! That’s right, our average trails are absolutely covered in rocks. It’s pretty rare to get a nice long stretch of actual smooth dirt. Going to Kingdom is nice not just due to less rocks, but because of the amount, variety, and length of the trails.
Some that stand out from this trip were Moose Alley, Kitchel, Emma’s Sanctuary, and New T. They are all a blast, and I recommend them if you’re ever in the area. Last year’s favorite trail was Black Bear, and it’s seriously such an amazing experience. There’s a lot for everyone….unless you love rocks!
Besides the terrain itself, there were two major things I was looking forward to. First, actually getting a chance to ride with most of the people in my town who love mountain biking. We’re all dads, and getting freedom on the same day and time is actually extremely hard to do. I hadn’t ridden with some of them all year up until now.
Second, I got a new bike at the beginning of this season, and I wanted to see how it felt on the longer, more challenging trails compared to last year. Long story short, it was amazing, but the comparison was a decent cross country hardtail to a more proper dual suspension trail bike. It was really no contest. Also, not being a young guy any more, my body felt much better because of it.
The Inevitable Return Back to Real Life
Of course, all of this has to come to an end. The return to the real world always hits like a truck! I basically got out of a 7 hour ride, and started mowing my lawn, playing with kids, and preparing for random things with the family. Just like that, my little piece of heaven was gone. That’s how it is for any adult coming back from vacation though. We just need to accept it, and keep dreaming for the next one!
If anyone stumbles across this post, feel free to share your favorite trip location in the comments. I’m always looking for new ideas, or just new places to dream about riding, even if I can’t realistically get there. Ride on!