Have fun be safe

 

Which trails will you be riding? I've riden all the systems many times. Best riding on East Coast!

 

Staying at Branwell ATV Resort. So starting with Pocahontas tomorrow and then who knows where fate will take us.

 

You should be nice and muddy by tomorrow night. Pocahontas has some real muddy terrain. They do have a hose at the resort and you will probably need it. Have fun. One other thing....when you start out you will go up a long hill and near the top there is a ditch that you can either go left of it or right of it. I would suggest staying to the left because if you go right you will have to cross the ditch at the top of the hill and it can be tricky. As much rain as they have gotten lately I would suggest AWD on the hills. Bramwell was also my first trip at H-M. Stayed the same place as you are staying

 

Just came back from HMT. We spent most of our time on the outlaw trails, but some places are in rough shape because of the recent weather. Pay attention to where you're riding, be careful, and have fun !!!

 

The official trailhead that you go down the road from the POP Shop and go up on the left can be very slippery and rutted after heavy rains and traffic. There is a very easy alternate trail head.
When you are at the POP Shop go straight across the road and up the ramp to US-52, at the top cross US-52 (carefully) and go left about 200 yards and turn right at the old Gray Church. This is an easy green trail that will connect to HMPO-10.

 

Can't wait to go to There some day. Have fun and be safe! Post lots of pics!

 

Here is the start of the album. Lots of stuff stuck on the GoPro and my poor old iPad 2 running iOS 8 isn't wuite up to the task. But here is my photobucket album so far.

Hatfield-McCoy October 2014 Photos by kicker431 | Photobucket
And my favorite photo from today:

 

have fun out there! Stayed at Bramwell awhile back as well. we got back 2 weeks ago from our 4th trip this year.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk 2

 

Any fuel at the little gas station near the Pocahontas trail head? They've been out of fuel for a long time.

 

They did get gas a couple of days ago. 87 octane only. But at least it's gas.

 

In the truck on the way home, so I will start my tale. For tose that just want to look at the photos without any narative, here is the link to the photobucket album.
Hatfield-McCoy October 2014 Photos by kicker431 | Photobucket
There will be more later when I can access the memory card on my remaining GoPro.

For those who want the narrative, read on.
We left Upstate Ny Monday Morning and arrived in the evening to Bramwell ATV Resort in Bramwell WV. We had a "cabin" which was a smallish room with bunkbeds, coffee maker, minifrdge, and hotplate. Most important it had a bathroom with shower and what appeared to be a limitless supply of hot water. So while the accommodations were far from 5 star, dividing the $125/night among 4 of us, left me paying $30 a night. Couldn't argue much. We cooked on the barbecue grill outside and ate on the foldup table but otherwise really only used the room for sleeping. The place has a hose that borders on being a pressure washer for cleaning your machine whn you get back from your daily ride.
The first night we went for a short ride to see what there was to offer.

The trails are closed after dark but we were so excited to be there we went on a little 8 mile loop and were only gone for 30 minutes. It had rained a lot (and would continue to do so) so things were pretty muddy and slick, which only added to the fun.
[IMGhttp://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa428/kicker431/Hatfield-McCoy%20October%202014/B48AC2A7-4563-4DCA-BEDF-3DAB37AF2E28_zpsxtftkufn.jpg[/IMG]
The next morning we met a friend who spends a lot of time at HMT. He (Driving his Maverick 1000) took us on a long ride to Spencer (I think it was called) including a bunch of outlaw trails. This was a place he called the top of the world.

We found a fun little mud pit. The Maverick didn't get through but did get himself out backwards. Then my buddy on his Outlander Max got truly stuck and I was privelaged to winch him out.

He tried again and made it the second time. I made it through on my first attempt.
EBBAD7E0-7C79-4B07-BECA-499F0166A500_zpsgu8eqkec.mp4 Video by kicker431 | Photobucket
The aftermath

We also found some nice scenery while out and about. We rode hard though and made over 90 miles that day getting back after dark and after it had started raining.

The second day the 4 of us traveling together decided to explore Pocahontas Trails. The friend with the Maverick had headed home so we took it easy and enjoyed the ride. Pocahontas isn't a large trail system but provides decent variety. I started the day by trying a water hole that got really deep after being 3/4 of the way through.

and having to be winched out by my buddy's outlander. This evened the score
We found som water,

a little mud,

and some steep hills.

We hit all the green and blue trails as well as all the black that were open.

Some have been closed due to logging. We even found a large tree that was blocking a trail and had to use 2 winches to pull it out of the way, just in time for another group to pass while we were catching our breath.

The third day we loaded the machines onto the trailer and took a drive over to Rock House. This is where things went awry. After mastering all the black trails at Pocahontas the day before we went right to Black Trail #32. The Outlander Max went up with a little difficulty. The most inexperienced rider rolled his Grizzly backward and I grabbed it before it went off the trail. We straightened the handlebars and got it up the hill. I was next.

I went for a right side line but had to move center to not hit the tree on the right near the top. The tires hit the rock step and flew up and over. The machine rolled over me once and then kept going. Off the side of the trail

I jumped up to try and grab it before it made it off the trail but could only stand and watch as the machine played PLINKO, spreading my tools and belongings, until it was out of sight. Even when out of sight we could still hear it bouncing down the mountain. The one guy who hadn't gone up turned around and went back. The two that made it to the top went around and met us at the bottom. I walked down the side of the hill looking for my stuff as I went. I found most of it except my newest GoPro which had been mounted on the headlight pod. This is what I found when I got to the next switchback in the trail.

Needless to say I was stunned and at a loss. But I called a Trail Ranger to report the accident. And arranged to meet and insurance adjuster the next afternoon. It took us the whole rest of the day to get the remains to a place where we could get the trailer. Finally ended up just hooking the Grizzly 700 and dragging it backward for 4 miles. Then lifting and winching it onto the trailer.

It was a long day with a few minor injuries and a huge loss. Total miles made: 9
The third day became maintenance day. I was waiting on the insurance adjuster. One Griz needed a new spark plug. One needed a bearing and a belt (after towing my scrap out of the mountains). So we hung out at camp and cleaned up and played mechanic. Once the insurance adjuster came and gave me a pretty good idea of my coverage, it was time to go SHOPPING.
I waffled between a leftover 2013 Outlander 1000 with all the bells and whistles but the Polaris guy finally threw in a winch, bumpers, and handguards on a brand new 2015 Sportsman 850 SP. I took it for a spin in the parking lot and was in love.

By the time I signed paperwork and the dealership installed my accessories, that ended the day for us. (I don't spend that kind of money quickly) But now we were ready for a finally day of riding before heading home.

The guys made me lead the way on the last day. Being on a new machine that I had never ridden they wanted me to set the pace. The 850 SP with it's power steering made them regret that decision. It's so smooth and the power steering takes all the work out of it. We rode from Bramwell at the Pocahontas trailhead, across the Indian Ridge Connector to the Pinnacle Creek Connector and had lunch in Pineville. Made just over 100 miles and broke the new machine in right. We moved fast so not many photos were taken. At the end of the day, the CanAm Rider and both Grizzly riders were stiff and sore. I was ready to go on further but rain had moved in and we needed to pack for the return home. But here a few photos from the last day.

And the aftermath of the ride was a dirty Wheeler and a huge smile. As much as I loved my old '04, I think it's death was well served to get me this new, beautiful, powerful, comfortable machine.

 

I stayed there in the spring. Hope you aren't in the big house, it was a dump.

 

Like I said earlier glad u made it out ok and it seems like everything else worked out nicely also.

 

Nice pictures, looks like a nice trip. Oops and Ouch on the crash.

 

We've seen many parts and pieces laying at the bottom of trails from crashes like that one. My bro-in-law and I both bought our Sportsman XPs when we were at Hatfield after my old Scrambler 400 kept stripping hubs and breaking down.

 

We've seen many parts and pieces laying at the bottom of trails from crashes like that one.

I walked down the hill picking up my tools and stuff from my storage box and came accross parts from at least 7 other ATV's. There were Sportsman parts in black, red, pursuit camo, and two sets of sage green, as well as some CanAm, Kawasaki, and Honda parts all on that same hill. When I was doing the accident report with the Trail Ranger he told me that Rock House Trail 32 is known among the rangers as the Polaris Graveyard. Wish I had known that before I headed up.

So ur telling me you rolled that thing and completely destroyed it And the very next day you had your insurance guy out there to look at it onsite where u were staying in the woods. They totaled it out on the spot and had a check for you to buy a new one the same day? That's unheard of. What insurance company u use?

I use Erie Insurance. They have always bent over backward for me. I called and filed the claim while still on the hill. Before we could get back down they were calling me and telling me who the adjuster would be. I called him right away and scheduled the appointment for where I was staying the next day. He worked with me because I told him that I couldn't take the wreck home and wouldn't be in town after the weekend. I did not get a check that day. I should get that tomrrow. And while he wouldn't commit to an exact figure, he ballparked it for me well enough that I felt confident to go get another.

 

So ur telling me you rolled that thing and completely destroyed it And the very next day you had your insurance guy out there to look at it onsite where u were staying in the woods. They totaled it out on the spot and had a check for you to buy a new one the same day? That's unheard of. What insurance company u use?

 

One more ATVS claim and I'll probably have to switch to Progressive too. :lmao:
Also, with the number of ATV deaths on trail 32, I'm thinking they need to go ahead and make it black and red, instead of just black. That might not have stopped me from going up it, but it certainly would have made me run out my winch or at least a spotter to keep the front end down.

 

Wow. That had to be the worst thing, watching your ride go down the side of the mountain like that. At least you weren't hurt. So far, we have been pushing the odds by not having insurance yet. I think it's time to get cracking on it. I got a fairly decent quote from Allstate, about $300 or so a year for all 4 Polaris. I think it's time to move on that! Reminds me of going down Trail 24 on the Indian Ridge system. I can't imagine trying to go UP that one. I am just thankful none of us rolled over FORWARD. It was a delicate ballet of brakes and 4wd Low..the rear of the machine would try to come up and a careful application of throttle would rotate it back down. Then, back on the brakes and moving on...was like going down a broken set of stairsteps, one wheel at a time. I heard from a reliable source a guy was trying to go UP that trail on a brand new 850 XP. You guessed it, ended up like Sarge.....

 

Glad you were not hurt buddy. Stayed there last spring your right it isn't the Ritz but when you split it up between the fella's it is pretty cheap. Did that ride to Pinnacle and back which is a great ride my buddy went thru Arby's drive thru on his quad thought was some funny stuff. Hopefully someday I will go again trails and people are awesome down there just a long drive