EAGLE HEAD LAKE
 In 2007 Gavin, Cat, Andrew Payne, Rocky Reeo and Davis and I came upon this impressive rock ridge on our way to the north entrance to our famed Ingolf loop... We stopped for a few minutes, unloaded our bikes and pedaled around just long enough to realize that we had to come back one day... and explore this amazing piece of real-estate. In 2008 we came back. Over and over again.
Our first visit to "Eagle Head Lake" (as we've decided to call the trailhead) in 2008 was a real eye opener. It was indeed what we thought it would be... and so much more. We mapped out a loop of the lake that we named Karla's loop... lots of sweet terrain. Exceptional, jaw dropping vistas, we just had to come back and do some more exploring.
 July 6 2008 we did just that. Armed the token Newbie (Brian) vets and semi-vets Tony, Andrew, Gavin, Scott Sinclair, Gavin, Karla, JT and JF we set out to not only ride what had already been mapped but to also press forward to see if we could access our "slick rock" holy grail... What we bumped into went beyond the original plan... a simply fantastic climb all the way to the Cross at the top of "Gord's Peak". What came next was simply awesome. With the help of Karla (and let's not forget Andrew's GPS) we came oh-so close to what looks like some pretty amazing riding ahead... Great riding, unexpected terrain, some hiking and a great contribution from all that came out... Nothing is quite as exciting as coming around a corner onto a lookout with a view few humans have ever laid eyes on... and you're riding your bike... WICKED! check out the videos here.
UPDATES
What we'll do here is post blogs of each time we go out, just to keep you in the loop of developments:
:: August 11 2008 ::
 Back late from Eagle Head Lake (11:00pm) I had forgotten that I'd mentioned in my "come riding" email to club members that I promised something about being back for 8:30pm... Happily no one seemed to mind as Sunday turned out to be one pretty damn awesome day ... out on what Karla accurately calls "The Rock" at what some of us also call EHL.
On that glorious day we managed to hit quite a few trailbuilding/maintenance projects: [1] worked on ameliorating a difficult tight corner leading to "the cross", [2] worked on making a "girl's way up" a tough climb at the "first lunch spot" that turned into a sweet descent for the way back home (good idea Cat) [3] did some more rock marking, [4] created a few nice launch lines for the freeriders in or midst, [5] went swimming at the "rock beach" at Old Camp Lake and made a big push up to "Vista Peak" where some of us are entertaining ideas such as bike-transport zip lines and suspension bridges to get to our next target: "west-shore ledge".
 On our latest expedition we had the pleasure of having Garth (AKA Aquaman) "throw some water on him so he can lift that boulder!", as well as the ubiquitous Gavin (AKA The Constant Gardener), Dusen 1.0 and Dusen 4.0 on XLT's just kicking ass representin' the BMX contingent, Coppens, Cat, (riding what was probably her best ride of the year) Frazor, Chris Endo (ain't a ride unless there's an endo), JF (aaaaargghhhh), Chucky Parker,  Jenn3 who insisted on rockin' the badass north-shore look (shin pads and all), complete with the slammed down seat (too bad she was riding an ETSX instead of a 9" Switch) for her first Epic Ride ever (well done Jenn!) and "spin class" JT along who did manage to bleed a bit (just to keep the streak and the well earned moniker "bleeder" going) and finally we had the pleasure of having the ever positive (and excellent rider) Scott "perfect skin" Watson on board... he who has become such a mainstay as of late on these exploratory rides... Just another outstanding group of riders who took the time to not only ride but to help build what is turning into our most favorite trails ever.
Nothing beats the feeling of riding up and own what we've just built. It is so cool that so many people have contributed so much time to the creation of this fantastic piece of MTB heaven. It's humbling, actually. There's so much work to be done still but at the same time we've accomplished so much already. Provided we ignore the stats from the many GPS units we have on hand on these things (i.e.: 11 hours of working and riding, 6km's covered, 1km of trail built)...  because it seems like so much more. I guess this where the "quality over quantity" thing comes up... Unless you've been there... Because if you've been there, you know there's plenty of quantity to be had and that the amount of km's covered says nothing about anything out there.
The last push up to "Vista Point" is so nice to climb it's easy to forget the elevation change until you come back down... such nice flow (if I dare say so myself) and such sweet little descents that it brings a smile to my face just thinking about it. So much so that I can't wait to come back from Panorama so I can go back and scheme a way across to "west-shore ledge". I know for a fact Scott and a few others are salivating at the prospect as well... Oooh this is going to be AMAZING.
:: August 04 2008 ::
2 days in a row to Eagle Head Lake and while a little beat up we're make some great progress. Thanks to all who came out and put in a good hard day's worth of work... The riding is absolutely worth all the hard work. Here's Dale's ride recap (it was his first Epic Ride out there):
Very imposing or impressive; surpassing the ordinary (especially in size or scale); Definitely this past Sunday's ride at Eagle Head Lake was truly EPIC in every way! Never would I have thought that we would have so much excitement in one day.......
First there was the bike ride.....awesome is an understatement! Many members have made great efforts to make this one trail that will be talked about for ages to come! The terrain is something to behold, with rocks it seems, everywhere. Up and down is the norm, and definitely makes one work - endurance and skills are a must, as is patience and persistence. All those Thursday Learn To Ride nights should be mandatory for anyone wanting to ride on Epic days!
Second was the hike and trail clearing - let's face it, trails do not suddenly appear out of nowhere! And trust me, hiking up large hills of uneven, sloping rock is no easy task - but that is where some of the best trails out there came from: members willing to map out new trails and work at clearing same. We sure put the saws, cutters, and machete to work on this day.....and ran out of paint marking prospective new parts to the trail!
Third was the swim! Or was it the crawl.....anyway, being true adventurers never stopped us from pursuing even the most covert trails! Trust me, I never expected to cross what we have affectionately called 'The Swamp'.....but all 9 of us did, and it had to be the funniest part of the day!
Even with rain at the end, making this trail live up to its name 'Slippery Rock', did not deter from probably one of the most memorable rides ever! There was lots of laughing, encouragement, and even a few grrrrs! Oh yeah, we even had time to pick some wild fruit (blueberries and raspberries)! And lets not forget our 'scouting' dogs who always seem to find the right way to go (who needs GPS and compasses when they're around)!
In future years, Eagle Head Lake trail will be the most sought after adventure by true mountain bikers......thanks to all the dedication, hard work, and foresight put in by Gord's Bike Club members!!
-DALE!!!
:: July 16 2008 ::
 These days it seems like the "me me me" movement is gaining some steam... This weekend, on Sunday, I had the pleasure of spending the day with the anti-"me me me" group comprised of Leah, JT, Steve, Jeff N, Gavin, Eric, Cat, Scott W, Helmut, Brian W, Scott W, the lovely & talented Tony and our very own bushman Justin (aka Justin Timberlake).
Some of these folks were out for the first Epic Ride of their MTB careers, some of these folks had no idea what was in store for them and yet once there, everyone gave and gave and worked and worked and helped clear out a few kilometers of thick bush in order for us to press forward with our goal of reaching "slick Rock" from the Eagle Head Lake Trailhead. Not a whimper was heard, not a negative comment uttered as this fantastic trail progressed on Sunday. (scroll down for the video update).
 Here's how it worked when we first mapped out rge second phase of our trail: I would go ahead with Justin or someone else, map out with tape or surveyors paint where we'd scoped out terrain the week before with the help of Rocky (what can I say, the dog can scout a trail like Tonto)... often modifying the lines to allow for better ride flow, We'd bark back that this tree or that bush be trimmed and pressed ahead only to come back to what looked like perfectly manicured singletrack. Simply amazing what a dedicated group of individuals can accomplish with limited equipment and hard work. I am still in awe of the crews that we've had out over the past few weeks. Reinforced my faith in our Club as the very best in the business.
 As the IMBA rep for Southern Manitoba and Western Ontario I often read about sporadic trailbuilding efforts across Canada ... and it's important for me to point out to you how I am simply amazed at the quantity and quality of not only the members that come out to help but also the quality and quantity of projects that we have put forth in the past few years that we've been involved in trailbuilding. Sure, part of it has to do with the bounty of Crown Land that we have at our disposal (which deletes much red tape and political BS from the process). But the vast majority of our success comes from people like you who are reading this and people like Karla, Leah, Brian G, Andrew, JT, Steve, Jeff, Gavin, Eric, Cat, Scott W, Helmut, Brian W, Scott W, the lovely & talented Tony, Justin, Rocky, Reeko and Davis (ok, the last 3 aren't actually "people). People who don't ride with race plates on non-race rides, people who have more than one bike tray on their car racks, people who would stop on any given ride and help a stranger change a flat, people who not only ride but who stop and enjoy the view, people who sit on a rock at a technical section and cheer fellow riders on when waiting their turn.
You, ladies and gentlemen, humble me. You are the very reason I do what I do and I sincerely thank you for reminding me of why I made this career choice in the first place.
Check back for more.
|
First things first: Eagle Head Lake is a name we have given to a lake that has no name (we intend on fixing that this winter).
Feel free to share this file with others with the simple stipulation/request that the trailbuilding be left to us as we do not want several different variations to mess-up our master trail network plan. We need and hope people to go out there and ride EHL and enjoy it and while we would LOVE for folks to come out and help us on scheduled days to develop this potential Mecca for mountain biking. We have a plan, it'd be great if we stuck to it. We have sure spent many, many days out there walking, mapping, marking and plotting the best trail we could ever hope to develop. Thank goodness for Crown Land. 
Special thanks to Dean III for the GPS file and to all the Gord's Club members who have worked so hard and so diligently over the summer to create one of the most technical, fun and picturesque trails anywhere... These fine folks have paid their way to go and work every weekend, bought tools, donated supplies and have earned our thanks for doing what most just talk about. 
Listen, if you ride any trail, flat as it may be or steep as you can find... If you're over 19 years old and you want to keep on riding into your sixties and beyond... if you're still riding that hardtail WAKE UP! Give your head a shake. Do yourself, your body and your ass a favor, get with the times. INJECT SOME FUN in your moribund life, get a full suspension bike and join the ranks of those who do more than just ride, join the ranks of those who are having the time of their lives on their bikes, join the ranks of the living. LIFE IS TOO SHORT TO RIDE A HARDTAIL. (We should make a T-shirt!) Check out our full-suspension page 
Attention all bike lovers! Gord's is very proud to announce that we'll be offering 
