I went for a ride in the forest because it's free of cars

Have you heard it already? Cars are ruining our cities! No, seriously. Designing transportation network around privately owned vehicles that require expensive infrastructure and lots of valuable space, didn't work well in any large city anywhere in the world. Yet for some reason, we would rather follow this paradigm blindly, than realize it's time for a change. I guess old habits die hard.

Most Americans drive, basically because they have to. There are few alternatives. Public transport is lacking and bicycles (being a very decent short-range alternative to cars) are treated with hostility. From cyclist's point of view, "sharing a road" usually means dealing with driver's road rage when he's trying to force you off "his" road.

This likely explains growing popularity of riding, ehm... "gravel" bicycles in places where cars just don't go. The more remote area with worse quality road surface the better. Only then you can be sure you won't meet crazy drivers feeling entitled to own "their" road.

Unfortunately, there aren't many of such places here in eastern Massachusetts. Continuing my search for the unpaved, last Wednesday afternoon, in order to stay away from car traffic I decided to explore Townsend State Forest at the border with New Hampshire.

Big mistake.

I mean, the place is awesome but my big mistake was to go there last Wednesday. It was over 83F (28C) and very sunny, which I would refer to as "officially too hot to ride".

It all started well, even though sun was scorching my head. I entered Mason Rail Trail in the deeper forest hoping to find some shade between trees. Silly me - there is no shade in the forest in early May because spring came late this year and trees simply have no leaves yet!

I continued along the trail to its end and then took Kimball Hill Rd, which was unpaved, muddy, steep and... closed to thru traffic. Fortunately, the maintenance crew let me pass - yet another advantage of being on a bike. Next, I had to climb 8% grade on Isaac Frye Highway to Wilton Center (which doesn't look like center at all). That climb perhaps wouldn't be so bad if not for the burning sun.

Finally, after using a short, unpaved (and very rough) Garwin Falls Trail I reached Wilton and then continued south to find a very inconspicuous entrance to a network of trails just off the Mitchell Hill Rd. This is where all the fun starts. The trail takes you downhill over some rocky terrain until you reach Mitchell Brook, which often floods the area.

The trail will eventually lead you to a small, grassy parking lot (marked Mile Slip Town Forest Parking on the map). I rode further south Mile Slip Rd until it didn't resemble a road anymore. In fact, this forest "road" looked much more like a dried out riverbed - lined with rocks of all sizes. Add a very steep decline to this mix and you end up with conditions that would easily qualify for UCI World MTB Downhill Championship. The good thing is - despite having no suspension on my bike, thanks to its 2.2" wide tires I could actually ride the full length of this trail. I visited this place last year on my old bike with 35mm wide tires and that time riding here was pretty much impossible.

The fun was not over though. I still had another long stretch of fire roads, gravel roads, forest trails and rocky paths to explore before I reached my car parked in Townsend. I have to say the whole area is great for someone looking for some really wild places to ride a mountain bike - especially the section from Mitchell Hill Rd all the way south to Dudley Rd. Technically, it's all forest riding but trail conditions change so frequently that I wouldn't call it boring at all.

If only it wasn't that hot..., which made me think - I have good lights on my bike. Maybe I should try to ride at night?