Alone on "The Dark Side"

I am passionate about the things I do! I did and tried many different sports and adventures. I was competitively swimming, playing basketball, caving, rock-climbing. I loved and still love kayaking, white water kayaking, skiing, mountain biking, sailing, hiking! I know this mind sound like a lot of things and may make you wonder how somebody would have the time to do all of this! Well the
answer is simple: you don't have the time, unless you are some kind of professional outdoor guide or something like that! One thing is for sure, when I'm passioned about something I put all my energy into it! Once the passion is gone I am moving on to something else! As a child I remember being told that I start doing sports or hobbies and then I abandon them!  I was expected to do something for  a lifetime ! Well, I guess I was just searching , trying things, looking for what I really like ! After all we should enjoy  what we are doing otherwise what is the point lof doing something!

Bike riding and hiking  is  some of those things that are keep coming back in my life, and I think, it actually has to do with my love for nature and especially mountains! I started hiking when I was 5 years old, going to over 2000m high mountains! This had a very strong impact on all my life. This is one of the oldest memory I have! I remember walking down from the high mountains and I was exhausted, probably beging my parents for a ride on their back when this huge white dog showed up on the trail! I was mesmerised, I immediately started to play with him and run after him all the way to the cabin.
After this period  my parents started to do more fishing trips, especially on the nearby Mures river. Basically I spent nearly every weekend sleeping in a tent on one of the islands of this river. I loved it, I was fishing, swimming, watching birds and animals just exploring everything! It was probably the best period of my life!

About 10 years past until I get back to those mountains, but now with my friends, as a skier, as rock climber and a hiker.  It was fantastic to rediscover those mountains again. I was around 16  then, nothing seemed impossible! I was testing my limits. I very quickly learn to respect the mountains, I was looking at them like to a living creature! I learn that I am just a tiny ant, compare to them and that I am completely at their mercy! Around that time I got my first mountain bike which in those day in Romania was still a rarity! It was amazing, the idea that I can go on my bicycle where it was never imaginable before absolutely thrilled me! Even if the bike was not a very performant bike I was doing some of my best rides ever! This was a time of learning, I was learning with the method of trial and error, sometimes hurt! Later on when I started working I  could afford a better bike.And Man! what a difference. Finally I head a front shock, I was able to change gears  when I wanted to, stop when I wanted!
I was riding with my friends all learning from each other, youtube did not existed then!

Well I actually sat down to write something about my solo ride across the Dark Side trail, one of the most remote off-road trails in Jamaica, instead I almost  ended writing my biography! I wanted you to understand what is my background, where I am coming from! Some people think I am mad to do a ride like this alone, for some might be normal! For me is not a big deal, doing all this sports I learn to know my limits, and I learn that on ride like this you have to be prepared for everything. What do I mean everything:

• What if the weather is changing dramatically in a very short period of time! I was prepared with rain jacket and dry clothes !
• In case of heavy rains the trail might become impassable, due to landslides! With this my hiking and climbing background helps!
• What if the bike brakes down? I have sufficient spare tubes and some crucial parts, and mechanical knowledge to be able to fix almost anything on the bike!
• What if something brakes and you can fix it? It can happen, then i put the bike on my back and walk, I walked this trail before I know it well!
• What if you fall and get injured? That is always possible, thats why in cases like this I ride 10 times slower and I am very cautions not taking any risks and always wear protection!
• Is not a good idea to go alone, what if somebody robs you? In Jamaica robberies occur mainly in the urban environment,  country people are very nice people! I met two persons on this ride both of them asked me if I am alone! I said: No Man! Whole leep of people behind, them just slow, they might not make it though !
• I am always prepared to spend a night in the wild if I have to, and on ride like this I always carry a head light!

About the ride now!See Davids description of the trail here!
 It was very smooth everything went well, I finished the climb in 1.5 hrs. Being alone I didn't have to wait for anybody, I made about  four short stops not longer then 5 min. Its a challenging climb with slippery rocks, but you also have nice stretches with moderate climbs where you can recover! This road goes through some pine forests at the end of the climb you get to a large coffee farm! You pass an unfinished concrete building on your left then a wooden cottage on the right! The descent starts from here first on a double track then gradually changing to a single track! The track is almost always wet and slippery! You pass a small waterfall on your left the locals call it "The Fridge" that is the source of water for the coffee workers! The water flows on the track , it washed all the soil away leaving an interesting rock bed! The stream leaves the road at the first ( the bigest)landslide! It seems to get bigger and bigger each time, you have to climb higher and higher to avoid it!

After this you are on a very nice single track that seems to never end. It is very narrow, I mean  some places about 1/2 foot wide. The challenge is to stay on it , because you have fairly tall grass on both sides of it, wich can hide holes, ravines, stones, trees or whatever else! Otherwise there are no technical parts here! A lots of trees  fallen over the trail, some you can jump some you have to climb! Next you get to a nice clean area where you have some coffee bushes on you left!

The trail runs on a ridge from this point, nicely undulating until you get to Mas Loyds shed wich is built right on the trail! I always stop and have a chat with him! From here is all downhill to "Cum See", here you can hear the music from the village and you have at least there different ways to get to Long Road!
Non of them is easy , they are steep and technical with a lot of debris on it! I took the left turn here then about 500 m later a steep right turn. This took me to a blue concrete 2 story  house! The view is fantastic, you can see all the way to Robins Bay! After the house the right turn takes you into Long Road, from there on a terrible condition  main road you can get to Fort George and Annotto Bay.

However I took a left turn at the house, this extends the trail with another 5 km dropping you to Pleasant Hill! The trail was very over grown extremely hard to ride and because of this not really enjoyable except the last 2 km which are awesome!

There is one thing everybody need to know about most trails in Jamaica. They are foot paths use by locals to get to their farms or from one village to the other, they are the only one who maintain them but usually just as much as you can walk through! Due to the tropical climate everything grows very fast, therefore what you rode today might not be ridable in a month time! We explore all this trails always hoping to find a nice ridable trail , and we always hope that the locals are keep using them as well. The truth is, that there is an older generation, who still farms up in the mountains in places that in the past use to be an easily accessible community! Most of this communities dont exist anymore, only the older one are still farming there but usually they moved closer to the main road. Unfortunately when this generation dies out or gives up farming this trails are going to become overgrown, unless somebody else takes over. The younger generation is not interested in this hard type of work! Our intention through this forums is to publish all the trails we know, with maps and access information, so that as many people as possible will use the trails. They can be used by hikers, bird watchers or anybody else!
Our intention is also to promote All-mountain trail riding, right now there is a growing number of people who ride mountain bikes in Jamaica, but only a very small number of people  are interested  trail  riding!

I made a video about the ride, is rather long and boring but the purpose of it is not entertain but to document, and record the trail!

By Bogdan Simandan

The Dark Side Trail on Pinkbike

Create Maps or search from 80 million at MapMyFitness

Create Maps or search from 80 million at MapMyFitness

The North-West Passage

The name “North West Passage” comes from the efforts of sailors to go from the Atlantic to the Pacific through the Bering Straits between Russia and North America. This was a vain effort because the seas were always ice-bound.

Our Jamaican MTB equivalent is in the mountains above Mount Airy, trying to find a way through this remote area. John Richards, Amador Gilman and I tried three years ago and explored many tails, coming to dead ends or impassable landslips.

Last year Boogie and I tried it in the opposite direction, Mount Airy, Wataru Coffee Farm, over the ridge and on to the Leith Hall Gap trail and thence back to Mount Airy, showing that the area was not impenetrable. Apart from the stiff trail climbs on dirt and one bushy section we succeeded. See the 2012 blog HERE!

This Sunday we invite anyone to join us on the 3-4 hour ride, in the original direction and Keith, Mark, Paul, Bernadette, Boogie and myself set out form Mount Airy.

The stiff climb to Mount Cressy was even harder after the recent rain and we then turned left toward Leith Hall Gap on what as supposed to be a gentle climb. This was wet and muddy but rideable until we reached the latter part of the climb. Hurricanes and landslips had wreaked their havoc and the wide double track was a genuine single but very broken up and we had to climb over many fallen trees, until we reached Leith Hall Gap.

This should have been the end of the venture but as the descent seemed passable we continued but soon were climbing over fallen trees again and riding on a single track in high grass, mainly uphill. We eventually reached the little trail that takes you to the ridge and down to the coffee farm. This was rideable in high grass but frequently blocked by trees. Boogie did some sterling work with his machete.

We proceeded down the trail and experienced the strange feeling of riding on a single track in high grass so you could not see what was coming.

This was completed and we arrived on a small plateau overlooking the valley, where a wide but stony track takes you steeply downhill to the river. Bernadette was unfortunate to meet some deep mud on a corner and ended up sitting in it, again she refused a photo call!

Finally we arrived at the river crossing and Bernadette could not wait to get wet, falling in, bike, luggage and all. The gentlemen this time were polite and did not ask for a rerun to film. We disported ourselves here for some time, Boogie and I were quiet about the climb out of the valley and the same stony track, very steep in places and even with a granny gear there was no passing this test. However we all made it and collapsed on the tarmac so close to Mount Airy and the landslip barrier. We were advised to take the dirt road that went round it, but one look at the steep gradient was enough to send us up the tarmac road to the landslip.

Boogie and I had crossed it before, the locals having built a stairway of sorts, or rather Boogie took the bikes over and I shuffled across, without looking down at the enormous chasm below.

Bernadette set off first and got half way up the steep side and then over the top and down with some help from Boogie, who then turned himself into a super-porter to help us, including scairedy-cat me!

Never again!

We finished the climb and descended to the vehicles at Mount Airy although Boogie and I rode directly into the bar and our combined order of “cold ones” cleaned out their stock!


Conclusion: congratulations to all who made it, Bernadette and Paul particularly and Boogie for his tree felling exploits. However it is a pity that such a lovely and challenging trail is now really to be avoided, unless in the unlikely event that the Forestry Department cleans it up.

However we have other trails in the area, watch this space!


North-West Passage on Pinkbike , MAP



Trail Map Courtesy of Bernadette

By David Linehan

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THE MACCA MASSACRE ON THE COPTIC TRAIL

Bernadette (resplendent with new full “susser”), Mark and Keith joined us for a revisit to this newly found trail.

We started in Yallahs with the tough climb of more than an hour to the summit and took time to climb yet higher to the magnificent view site.

Then we began the trail and poor Bernadette christened the new bike with a tumble. We asked her to go back and do it again so that we could take photos-no luck!

We then began the stony descent from the ridge and had a couple of missed turnings before we came to the Bamboo Avenue, which is pretty and fun to ride.

Keith then had a flat and we found the alternative way down which was too rocky but eventually after a stiff climb arrived at the Coptic Church and met our Granny friend and the little boy from our previous blog. A few pictures and granny gave us two bags of mangos and some guidance for two ways down.

We chose the “road” which was clear but with plenty of the dreaded macca bushes. Boogie has already flatted with his auto-repairing tubeless and then it was Mark’s turn. I passed him and started a fun descent but the front felt heavy and taking a bend I lost it and ended up, totally upright in a macca bush and another front flat and a slow rear puncture. By this time Keith had flatted again and we stopped to repair a dozen or so flats (no exaggeration) between us and remove innumerable macca thorns.

I went down to scout the trail and followed the well-worn part, whereas the others went straight on.

Comedy, I did a circuit of the village after White Horses on a flat back wheel. My last tube being already punctured and the others were farther down the road. I was trying to ring Boogie when a pick up stopped and asked me if I needed help!

It was Howard our friend of “Fun and Thrills” on non-bike duties. I put the bike in the back and we passed Boogie and Mark riding towards Yallahs, then we picked up a walking Bernadette who had punctured again! Meanwhile Keith had ridden like a demon to catch me, thinking I was in front!

Moral of the story, I broke the rules by separating from the group and then we all split up. Thanks to Howard we were saved.

So Boogie and Mark were in a bar somewhere near Yallahs, Bernadette, Keith and I were having a cold one at a gas station opposite where our cars were parked.

Mark had two more flats where he stopped, he had already been patching patches!

Conclusion: don’t break the rules, then like the marines we all come home and the new trail was great, but for the macca thorns.

Just for those to think you have to have a super MTB for these trails, Mark was on a classic Giant with no suspension and rim brakes. If you have full suspension and hydraulic brakes you can go faster and it is more comfortable, but you can still enjoy the ride.

What is the next challenge? Boogie has found a new way from Flamstead to Dallas and the coast. He swears there are no macca bushes. He also told us a story about finding a skeleton once: no NOT a brave MTBer in Jamaica, it was a prehistoric one back in Europe!

Coptic Trail on Pinkbike



Trail Map Courtesy of Bernadette

By David Linehan

"Bamboo Shots"

This are pictures from a 2 day ride we did, which represents the southern leg of our "Tour of the Blue Mountains". We explore it, bit by bit before we do the whole ride. The exploring is made difficult by the relative big distance and accessibility from Kingston.The idea is to be able to do this ride unsupported as much as possible off road and have some cool single tracks in it!
Day1
 We left Kingston 5:30 am and get to the trail head at 10:30 am. Riding through: Guava Ridge, Mavis Bank, Mt. Charles, Hagley Gap, Ness Castle, Bethel Gap, Belle Clare. I research thoroughly the area and get as much information I could, load the single track on the GPS and still when we got there it was very hard to find the trail head. Maybe because just simply it was not there! But with the help of the local farmers we got some directions and still take a wrong turn.Luckily we met a farmer in the bush who gave us some directions:(' climb back to the main road and take the next left turn or follow a track that connects to the main trail") . We asked if there is any other turn we should be aware, he said: "No just follow the track" Cool, I taught! So we follow the track until we saw three trails branching off! Sh..t! Non of them was going close to my GPS track! Just when we thought we will have to push uphill to the main road we found a shack and a Rasta Man, we were happy to see him and he must have been a bit shocked to see two "White Man's" in the middle of nowhere with bicycles! With his help we found the right track which proved to be very nice , with difficult rock gardens and sweet switch backs. As we got close to the Mount Vernon the trail was running in a dry river bed with big stones, was fun , you could choose different lines, through or roll over with some small jumps! It was there that we started to hear "Gun" shots. We thought are hunters, maybe shooting for birds or wild hog. We were coming form the bush, so it was not irrational my friends Tony 's nervousness! He ask me if we should continue, my answer was simple " do you want to climb back up"! So we continued and shortly after we spot the first house!Here we inquired about the "hunting", a smiling face assured us we are safe is just bamboo burning! I always heard stories about burning bamboo and the explosion sound it makes, experiencing it, really sounds like gun shots! People from Mount Vernon were very nice, where very surprise to here we rod down the trail! I think the name choice for the trail was easy: "Bamboo Shots" 3 km long! So we have another single track trail, as most of the trails, is walking trail, no work was ever done to make it more rider friendly.It could be an awesome trail, hopefully one day the "Kingstonian" Mountain Biking community will do more mountain biking than "Road Mountain Biking" and will discover the beauty of the unbeaten tracks, and the huge potential this country has for mountain biking! It takes a group effort and dedication to build single tracks, Andy Giles and SMORBA, proved it already doing a fantastic job in St. Mary! BIG UP!

Day 2

 Our friend Wayne drove down to Whispering Bamboo, and join us for the ride!

Plan was to ride straight through Needdham Pen, Cory Hall ( locals called it "Broxton") Wilmington , Frienship to get to Ginger Hall where a hard 4 mile climb was waiting for us! As  almost always what looks like an easy ride on the map and Google Earth it turn to be a very steep climb, it was only 300 m elevation, but I always seem to forget that we start literally at see level. And the heat, those who been in Jamaica know what I am talking about. The views were fantastic we saw a ruin of an old wind mill, unfortunately to far to get a good picture of it. Than we finally reach the top, well the first top and then the next one and the next one and the......! Very interesting landscape  worth some more exploring , it would be a good area for some cross country mountain biking!

From Willmington a fast downhill to Friendship, cross to Ginger Hall and then climb and climb and when you think you are there you hit the steepest part of the climb. You literally you have to touch the handle bar with your nose to prevent your front wheel from lifting of the ground! And finally there!
We had a cold beer by Mr. Anthony's shop, have a little rest and talk with our local friends before we headed down!
The downhill was super fast and fun even though it was on a road, partly unpaved! We decided to ride through Airy Castle and Port Morant. We stopped in Airy Castle for one of the best jelly I ever had.
Our friend Rudi provided this delicious treat for us! We and the local crew, were all entertained by Tony's  way of eating the jelly out of the coconut.What can I say: "Tourist"!! After this, a nice downhill into Port Morant than follow the coast road back to the hotel! Drive back to Kingston!

 It was a great weekend!

by Bogdan Simandan (Boogie)