WV>Greenbriar River Trail

This years GBRT bike/hang. Nothing you haven't seen before EXCEPT maybe Mrs. WV.
Poof, Neutron, and I for the 3rd year ride along the river for 80ish miles and just marvel at one of the country's gems when it comes to rail-trails (or we wouldn't keep doing it over and over).
Our kick off began with WV showing up at the Caldwell terminus to bode us well and show off his design genius ( I'd like first dibs on the tarp he is working on).....
The cycling was uneventful as far as break downs, accidents, etc.-a good thing. The extra day added gave us nice camp time to swim. Perfect weather though it did rain all night long two of the 3 nights but each time stopped before we got on the bikes.
Some new gear. MAD777 roched me into a chair. It is so far beyond the stool I've been carrying I'm scratching my head trying to figure what I can do to the backpack to make up the difference (now dont say anything about loosing it off me!).
Anyway, its just typical MM style reporting until the last night when WV and Mrs. WV show up and surprise us at the campsite near Anthony. I know any who have met WV know he truly is gentleman and scholar who has given a lot to our community of hangers over the years; his wife is just a sweet and pleasant. Did I mention they had a bottle of wine AND 1.5L of springwater from the Cranberry Wilderness (the pump water sometimes really tastes like iron).
Also didnt mention it but we also got to meet Leo who was also sporting a wonderful personality.
Another LEO was seen for first time on the trail and we thought it good seeing the trail authorities checking out the trail.
Until next year :)

MM ... enjoyed watching that when it came online. Another great trip. It was mighty nice to see WV and Lady WV. But hey you say you were going to make an announcement ... so did you and I miss it?

yeah forgot about that announcement...making it into a soap opera, maybe at John Rock in 2 weeks. Thanks for watching Hawk-Eye-you must get up early :)

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Originally Posted by MedicineMan

yeah forgot about that announcement...making it into a soap opera, maybe at John Rock in 2 weeks. Thanks for watching Hawk-Eye-you must get up early :)

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Wish I could ... guess I'll have to wait for the grapevine! :woot: You folks have a great time with HB & RF! They be gud' Gorge Rats!

nice video MM. I haven't ever done a bike/hang so it would be interesting to see how you pack everything on the bike. Have you ever made a video on that or maybe I missed it

Leo killed his first groundhog today! (Well, maybe not his first, but the first since we got him from the shelter at the ripe old age of "maybe 5 or 6". Could have been old hat to him.)

But I digress... MM, that was a great trip report. Your shots of the beautiful Greenbrier Valley made me want to live there. ;) More to the point, it made me want to fix my old clunker of a bike and accompany you next year. That trail would be kind to a geezer on a one-speed heavyweight. Neutron claims that downhill would be easier than uphill, but I think I'd need to do those 77 miles 5 times in succession before I felt the difference. We enjoyed providing minor trail magic, meeting Neutron, seeing Poof (talk about trail magic!), and hearing all your wisdom on bikepacking and hammock gear. You all made it seem easy, but I suspect considerable planning and experience went into those quick setups and gourmet meals. I'd like to bike with you just to learn how to do it right.

I especially liked seeing HNO's Airship, the first of his work that I've seen, and it lived up to my high expectations.

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By the way, MM, you left us hanging not only with your "announcement", but also with the "other Leo seen". A couple of years ago a rabid bobcat leaped onto a passing cyclist, and there have been periodic, but unconfirmed, sightings of mountain lions hereabouts, but your report would of course come with more instant credibility. Hope you weren't just alluding to a couple of McCats.

Thanks for taking us along again! Wish I coulda made it up there, maybe one day. Beautiful place. So how cold is the river? Glad WV and Mrs. WV got to visit y'all! Still shots on the end of the vid was nice!

Cant' wait for the announcement. Went on 42 trips together, are you saying you are going on a 43thrd? Ha ha ha!!

Wow, was so good to see that river again. I found myself picking where I would run it as I glimpsed it in the vid. Makes me really want to paddle it again.

Great vid. Thanks so much for sharing. Looks like no one was hungry!!

Great video... gives me another area to consider exploring.
Nice teaser... Like waiting for the next Hobbit movie (except I read the book and know what happens, disregard)
I've been in the cage lately to borrow a phrase but Guis Baltar has helped kill some time.

And the verdict is...."Frozen"

"ITS STILL FROZEN????" -ha I could just sense the ....oh crap in your voice

Another great vid from MM & Poof. Good stuff guys!

Wow, just wow. Great trip, great video, great narration. Made me remember an old Dean Martin song, "memories are made of this", and great memories they will be.

Glad everyone enjoyed the vid. I certainly enjoyed the 3rd GBRT Bike and Hang! It was great to be on another trip with Neutron even though he did about kill me with the Neutron flu last time!! :rolleyes:

Seeing WV again was a real treat and meeting Mrs. WV was an absolute pleasure! I look forward to the next time we meet. Thank you so much for taking the time to visit and bring the wine to share with weary bikers.

Hope others can join us next time. A lot of the joy is the company and the conversations.

42 trips and the only time MM has got really aggravated with me was when I lost the car at the Atlanta airport!!! :eek:

I might add that we eventually found the car....and all was forgiven...but now he insists on flying out of Tri-cities or Asheville. :o

Great trip vid! Thanks for sharing it with us.

Hi there MedicineMan!

I like the filming you did of the towns and houses, nice and peaceful looking places. A good shot of you kicking back next to your hammock. You’ve got the best bike trails. Thanks for the hammock tours. How’s that low rider bike going that you bought a while ago? Good to see WV out and about! All great photos at the end of another great video, thanks MedicineMan!

Thank you Brucie :)
Hard to vid a trail you've done several times. Next time no camera weight!
Actually I'm already looking forward to the next time. This trail is just that nice.
We've slowly learned the ins/outs of it, where the best hang sites are, where the easy food is...one doesn't need a heavy loud out, though fully loaded my bike was approaching HEAVY...mostly lots of lenses :( Anyway, looking forward to the John Rock hang next off cycle and seeing old members and making new friends.

MM

Great video; I need to make GBRT B&H 4.0 a priority as 3.0 was not a possibility. Glad to see Jimmy taking proper precautions against the dreaded Neutron Virus (something you don't want to roche). My guess on the big announcement - MM does the cooking on 43 .

Nice trip report.

No camera next year!!!!!

I wanted to try to make this trip, but there wasn't any way to pull it off this year. I'm glad you had a good weekend for it.

Ragnall

Ragnall considering what the rain is like right now it's just a blessing we never pedaled in the rain on this trip. Rain at night is one thing.

rain..you are getting rain..dang we need it badly here

MM looked awesome, great video report. Glad he was able to get it squared for ya, that food looked fantastic.

Enjoyed the video! I am going to have to put this trip on the "to do" list. Would have loved to see WV's insulated hammock. You are a dedicated sock user using it in the summer season.:)

Yoda, did you notice we built a stick fire in the Box grill feeding the sticks through the slots :) eventually had wood burning on top of the grill too.
Ewker- my front yard is a river :(

HNO-the highs were like 74 ish, lows in upper 50s=wool for me. First night had the sock in complete tarp mode, last 2 nights had the seep pulled around me but not fully up.
2 Sticks would love this trail--doubt any of our crew could keep up with her though. Next year riding the steam engine before the cycling :)

Yes I did see that and it seemed to work pretty well, what were your thoughts? You are slowly wearing me down on that thing, I may not be able to hold off for much longer.

Yoda with the surface area a any typical backpacking pot or mug would easily allow feeding sticks into and around so thumbs up.
I did experience a stability issue once, I think Ofuros in AUZ mentioned this...i was flopping meat on the grill and didn't get it quite centered and it wobbled for a bit, no biggie but i can see that now.
I think Neutron was roched on the Box.
Best thing we learned was that a small handfull of charcoal can cook a lot of hot dogs/Brats. So no regrets.
Also Vargoish, we ran out of canister fuel and used the BOT for a couple of boils. Liking it more and more too but really think its only a $60 pot they're gouging on, but for a 1liter ti water bottle they are the only show in town currently.

MM thanks for the info, very helpful.

I showed your video to my better half (Adia) and she was all a glow with the prospect of doing this in the future. She thought your vid was so cool, adn the first thing she said was when are we gonna do it!!!! She just got a bike not too long ago and since she works for REI she can get some deals on paniers and accessories for her bike (and the kid's). When the time comes we will def be PM'ing you for help and info on the Briar....

Looks like another wonderful trip, MM!

That trail just gets prettier and prettier every time I see it. I always kinda chuckle when folks mention their bike weights in videos; mine's 45 lbs of steel before I add anything to it.

Glad to hear that the sock worked well for you, even under conditions that should've--by all rights--wetted it out. That new quilt looks nice, too.

Dry ice is definitely the way to go if you want to keep your meat cold. Looks like everything went okay with the cooking, even what with it being frozen and all.

Thanks for sharing!

I did not see this until the after action review. I loved it. I would love to try this. Let me know when the next one is planned. :)

ps what is your announcement?!?

Neutron is finally reporting in. This was definitely a great trip on the best Rail to Trail route in the nation. It has some of the most beautiful scenery on any rails to trails segment that I have been on. The weather, although frequently threatening, was perfect. The only rain coming was after hammock time. The only downside of the trip was having to wear a mask for 80 miles to prevent spreading the Neutron Flu. As always, MedicineMan shooting the perfect trip Video. Meeting Mr. and Mrs. WV was a real treat. Seeing his experiment in an insulated hammock shows that I have a lot to learn.

Hopefully, next year, I will be able to convince Vortex to go again. MedicineMan and Poof’s two week warning was not adequate time for her to “mature the derriere.” Anyway, looking forward again to next year’s trip.

Yes, I was roched into a box – 8 inches square surface area is great compared to the dinky 4 inch top of a firefly. I was finally able to get a decent size piece of meat and not just the “steak nuggets” of our previous trips. CARNOVIORS BEWARE!

In addition, I was roched into the REI Chair. It is a definite carry for bike camping. I don’t know about hiking yet but with its comfort, it is definitely a consideration.

I have got to stop going on adventures with MedicineMan or else find some Roche spray. It always costs me money when I get back

Finally, as to the mystery or MedicineMan’s Soap opera. Let’s have some fun . . . I will offer a challenge. I have seen that members of HF are the most creative and inventive people on the planet. With that in mind, I will send a new caldera cone for your pot to a member correctly solving the mystery. The most important aspect of selecting the winner will be the creativity of the response. Any written, pictorial, musical, or response appropriate to the forums will be accepted. If no creative correct solution is submitted, then the most creative or bizarre solution will be selected. MedicineMan and Poof will have to select the winner prior to their foray to Alaska.

My Submission:

Anyone without presbyopia should perceive from the preponderance of the proceeding pictures in MedicineMan’s pictorial preservation of their prosession down the Greenbrier, should be perplexed and puzzled by the pouch protruding from poof’s paunch pot or panniculus that the population will soon to be pending a particular, peculiar, and precise solitary increase of one. That is . . . poof is with puff!

another quality Medicine Man production! thanks for sharing this, your videos are always candy for the eyes. looked like a great time.

Poof is with puff! HA! that's kinda like saying she is with child! Equally hillarious.
Very funny Neutron-also loved the idea of roche spray! Well I blame MAD777 on the chair roching but man it is a nice sit.
Yeah it was very short notice for a trip like that; we'll try to do better next time.
FLRider-dry ice rules. We soaked the meat for about 10 minutes in a baggy full of well water...did the thawing trick.

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Originally Posted by Neutron

Finally, as to the mystery or MedicineMan’s Soap opera. Let’s have some fun . . .

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I'm going with my original submission.

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Originally Posted by Roche

My guess on the big announcement - MM does the cooking on 43 .

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Originally Posted by MedicineMan

-also loved the idea of roche spray!

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Unfortunately it's useless against new gear or techniques. Here's something I roched from hangnout and slightly modified - Mentos mints. A nice pick me up on yesterday's 17.1 day hike in the Smokies. And amazingly it kept the rain away from wisenber and I - coincidence, you decide.

17.1 mile day--pics? There are few easy miles in that park, I can only imagine what 17 was like. Please share the details.
p.s. on the way to the store looking for mints :)

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Originally Posted by MedicineMan

Poof is with puff! HA! that's kinda like saying she is with child! Equally hillarious.

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Looks like MedicineMan was slow on the uptake. That was my guess for any simple uneducated hillbillies. (Proof in point . . . Only one L in hilarious MedicineMan.) Remember - - - presentation / originality counts.

I started a thread to get more involvement on this since I am offering a prize to the winner.

https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/...56#post1041856

That sure was a right good ride 'n hang. Good eats and fun to see what you see.
Loved it!
Shug

Thanks Shug....just wish I could eat on the trail like you eat in the backyard. Can't even imagine what the butts tasted like-and as I recall you are also master of real slaw.
We're very lucky that the Greenbriar is so close.

Well, if that don't just about take the prize! I am now salivating to make that trip! That is just a little more incentive to get back into biking! Great people, scenery, camping, biking and even music! What CD did the Eric Kunzel "Unchained Melody" come off of?

How would this trail be in the fall?

Gear questions: So that was a Vargo stove? Looks great for charcoal grilling, does it also work good as a regular wood burning stove?

Looked like you were using mountain, or hybrid, bikes?

Love the meat kept frozen in coolers, with dry ice?

EDIT: Oh, and that synthetic UGQ looks mighty interesting!

Anyway, definitely one of the very best trip reports and videos I have ever seen. And it makes me, one of the very few who has done more than one hammock trip through the magnificent Wind Rivers of WY, and not to forget hammock hanging in Olympic National Park. very envious! :drool:

How would this trail be in the fall?
Never rode it in the fall, bet it would be just more beautiful

Gear questions: So that was a Vargo stove? Looks great for charcoal grilling, does it also work good as a regular wood burning stove?

Looked like you were using mountain, or hybrid, bikes?
Poof rode a cyclocross, Neutron and I were on Fargos (Salsa brand). Fargos are a
do everything but nothing well bike.

Love the meat kept frozen in coolers, with dry ice?
Yes dry ice inside a small collapsible cooler which was inside a sizeable reflectix envelope

EDIT: Oh, and that synthetic UGQ looks mighty interesting!
Paul and Missy are making some really good products....I need cooler weather
to continue my beta though.

Titanium Box as wood burner...
There was one scene where we feed sticks into it through the grill 'slats'. Wanted
to show Yoda that it does work well that way. You can build up the fire up and out
of the firebox-above the grill surface and surround your cup/mug if you wanted to.
No need really but possible.
BillyBob, if you have an interest then keep in mind we're going to plan a C/O repeat
next spring. It's a longer trail and the surface isn't as forgiving but just as pretty
and huge history along the way...one you might want miles in the saddle before
riding.
Eric Kunzel-'Unchained Medody'
http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Movie...3395288&sr=8-1

BillyBob,
I live 8 miles from the trail, and in October I have real difficulty leaving such a beautiful place to go to out of state. (Also May, June, and some other months. :laugh:)

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MedicineMan;
How would this trail be in the fall?
Never rode it in the fall, bet it would be just more beautiful.................keep in mind we're going to plan a C/O repeat
next spring. It's a longer trail and the surface isn't as forgiving but just as pretty
and huge history along the way...one you might want miles in the saddle before
riding.........

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Originally Posted by WV

BillyBob,
I live 8 miles from the trail, and in October I have real difficulty leaving such a beautiful place to go to out of state. (Also May, June, and some other months. :laugh:)

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I can see why you might!

I'm playing with the idea of getting back into biking, but I would buy something that would qualify as a mountain or off road bike, for riding on the trails around here. And I gave up road biking years ago for various reasons. Would a "mountain bike" of the type made by Specialized etc etc be suitable for this type of trip? I will look those bikes you mentioned, MM.

You have sold me on the GBRT, and the C&O. I usually take motorcycle trips during the summer/fall. Definitely going to trade, and come ride these trails soon. Thank you MM /Poof (aka at goddess) and Neutron.

Fuhgawee, keep looking for news on the C/O for next Spring, be nice to have someone from the midwest along for the ride. If I was new to bikecamping I'd def. choose the GBRT over the C/O just for ease on the body-that said we want to do the C/O again...I'll just load up on vitamin I (ibuprofen) ....

how long is the C & O where would you start and end? Do you have any dates in mind?
why is the C&O rougher?

That sounds good, will do!

Silverpalm.
The C/O is 184 miles.
Good info here:
http://bikewashington.org/canal/
We hope to add 7 more miles; starting this next time in Cumberland Maryland and riding to Alexandria---then using the Capitol Crescent to get to Regan International Airport where the cars can stay 'safely' in long term parking.
Plus this direction is downhill ;)
Rougher? Well that's relative. If you are a single track mountain biker you wouldn't consider anything on the C/O rough. There are many sections that are smooth as glass; then there are sections that are rocky/rooty/muddy/potholes etc.
This trail was a tow-path and the mules didn't need quite the smooth surface a train would have; so it's not really a rail-trail.

very nice video - love those trails. I showed part of it to L and have her thinking about the Erie Canal towpath to start. Closer to home so a good place to start...

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Originally Posted by MedicineMan

Silverpalm.
The C/O is 184 miles.
Good info here:
http://bikewashington.org/canal/
We hope to add 7 more miles; starting this next time in Cumberland Maryland and riding to Alexandria---then using the Capitol Crescent to get to Regan International Airport where the cars can stay 'safely' in long term parking.
Plus this direction is downhill ;)
Rougher? Well that's relative. If you are a single track mountain biker you wouldn't consider anything on the C/O rough. There are many sections that are smooth as glass; then there are sections that are rocky/rooty/muddy/potholes etc.
This trail was a tow-path and the mules didn't need quite the smooth surface a train would have; so it's not really a rail-trail.

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think a cyclocross bike could handle it?

Poof used a cross bike last time we did it and she had no problems at all.
She got cold esp in the mornings but that had nothing to do with the bike.
What's more important than bike geometry is tire selection-I learned that the hard
way....cyclocross implies knobbies at least on the edge of the bike, and that's what I switched out to about 40 miles in after almost crashing 20 times and crashing once; after I switched out I had no problem slipping or dishing out...my only real problem came post ride with tendonitis from the bumping....having said that, a mtn bike with a front shock would be a good choice too. You'll see folks on beach cruisers as well but I think they were mostly out for small day trips.