Sherman Branch – Section One

Sitting in the office plugging away at work, I glance up at the computer’s clock… it’s 4:00PM. Ride time is getting close and I’m ready to cut out of the office. I check the trail conditions online to see if the gate is open and send out emails to my riding buddies to let them know I’ll be there. Lucky me, the Sherman Branch mountain bike trails are only 2 miles from my office and it’s time to split.

At the trail head I check the bike, the gear… I’m all set. My buddies are all here and it’s time to roll in.

Sherman Branch is not what I would call a difficult trail, in fact it is quite easy for the most part. But that also depends on how fast you roll! I myself like to roll as fast as I possibly can, pushing myself and my bike to our limits. This makes the trail technically more difficult and the speed you can maintain is a blast! Don’t get me wrong, there’s a few climbs that will get your heart rate up a bit, but all in all… this is a fast flowing rolling trail that screams “GO FASTER!”

The first thing you’ll notice when you enter the trail is that it snakes through the woods of Sherman Branch, with tight corners that can get a little loose during dry conditions. As you roll down the trail you’ll hit a few small log jumps, narrow bridges and continue to snake your way through the tight corners of the trail.

Eventually you’ll pass an old farm silo and be warned… the little rabbits that hang out in this area are like little ninjas just waiting to take you out. Pass the ninja rabbits and back into the woods things start to get fun as you approach what I like to call “The Snake”, which is just a taste of the “Roller Coaster” section to come.

The “The Snake” is a short tight left drop that banks hard right once you drop in and snakes hard back again to the left, dips down into a small hole and rails back to the right across a narrow bridge and then finishes with a long left banking turn. It’s not long, but it is fun. Once you’ve cleared the “The Snake” the trails continues through the woods and eventually there’s a bit of a rooty climb that turns into a low narrow planked bridge. Up a brief easy hill and you’ve entered the “Roller Coaster.”

The “Roller Coaster” is a blast! And simply put, “the faster you go, the more fun it is!” As you roll through the “Roller Coaster” you’ll find yourself racing up and down through perfectly spaced rolling terrain. As you progress through the “Roller Coaster” each hill gets better and better. Half way through it, with enough speed, you can launch off a couple of the hills. but bet ready for a left banking turn as you land coming off the last jump. Then it gets better as you drop into a hole that is a lot of fun with “speed and knowledge” of where to stick the landing. And if you hit the hole fast, you’ll need to know how to stick the landing. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself wrapped around a tree or eating dirt. But if you hit the hole fast and stick the landing, you’ll be rushing back up through two trees and into a climb that leads into one of my favorite sections of this trail… the finale of the”Roller Coaster” that is a nice drop into a fast left banking turn that finishes out with a fast railing left turn that with enough speed you can really lay your bike over and power through into a short snaking climb.

Once you reach the top of the snaking climb, you’ll get a short little ridge ride in, drop into a few shallow holes, cross a narrow ground bridge and come out into a short field section. Next you drop back into the woods and get a few more amusement rides as you drop into another hole that with speed can launch you back out with a little air time. Back into another field, you’ll cross another narrow ground bridge, snake through some trees and eventually enter the woods again.

This section has a fast fun drop that rails hard left off a berm. But if you don’t stick the berm, you just may find yourself having a yard sale as you launch into the woods or smack the large tree that is just on the tail end of the berm. At this point you’ve reach about the lowest point of the first loop of Sherman Branch and now it’s time to start a rolling climb out.

Snaking through the woods you’ll find yourself climbing short hills, hitting small holes and drops and crossing log jumps that will give you some air time with speed. the climb continues up an easy grade with dips into small holes and a few fast sections and eventually climbs back out to the farm silo area onto a very short gravel section that is only about 40 yards long.

You’ve just finished “Section One” of Sherman Branch. There’s much more to this trail, so check back soon for details on riding “Section Two” of Sherman Branch.

Related Posts

• January 8, 2009 -- Help Support Mountain Biking in National Parks
• November 7, 2008 -- Separation of Bike and State?
• October 30, 2008 -- Poachers Need Not Apply
• September 17, 2008 -- Sherman Branch, Section Two
• August 28, 2008 -- Riding Green – 10 Tips for Riding Responsibly