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!
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
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