Following last year's unexpected weather events and resulting lake paddle instead of the planned river paddle, I think everyone was pretty excited to get back to moving water for the Juniata River Sojourn this year. It was time for the Frankstown Branch on the 3-year rotation cycle, though there were some changes to the previous …
Dirt Fest 2015.
Another Dirt Fest has come and gone, and, as usual, it was a big blur punctuated by highlights. It was my third year helping out with the event, and it seems as though every year I become farther removed from the participation aspect and more closely intertwined with the organization and making-stuff-happen aspect of things. …
Frozen Fat, Day 3: Shoreline Shenanigans.
If Saturday's ride is at all serious, Sunday's is anything but. Rather, it's wheelies and derbies, costumes and skipping stones. It's a party on bikes, no endurance needed. There are lots of stops, laughs, and log ride attempts. And everyone wins. The venue changes from Rothrock State Forest and Martin Gap to the Allegrippis Trails …
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Frozen Fat: Things that happen after dark.
After a long day of riding, we all stand around the fire, commune in exhausted happiness, and take part in random bicycle-related debauchery. This years feature was the ski chariot pull.
Frozen Fat, Day 2: It’s about the comaraderie, not the competition.
When the alarm woke me Saturday morning at o-dark-thirty, I felt like I got hit by a train. My head was pounding, my stomach was queasy, and my muscles hurt. Coffee helped, as did the small amount of food I choked down because I knew I'd need to fuel up for the 30 miles of …
Continue reading "Frozen Fat, Day 2: It’s about the comaraderie, not the competition."
Frozen Fat, Day 1: Fires and Fries.
January can be kind of gloomy. The holidays are over, there's not much going on, the days are short, and the temps are generally pretty frigid. Luckily, there's Frozen Fat, a winter fat-bike weekend full of camping, beer, bonfires, good people, and of course, plenty of riding bikes. This is the fourth year of the …
Cleanin’ up.
Canoes full of old tires, rusty metal, and garbage bags full of bottles and cans were not an uncommon sight on the Juniata River last Sunday, as 55 volunteers of all ages and backgrounds floated down 6 miles of river as part of the 2nd Annual Juniata River Cleanup, hosted by Keep Huntingdon County Beautiful and Rothrock …
Sojourn.
It had been dark a while by the time I joined the others at camp, pulling the borrowed Jetta in beside the iconic yellow van and trailer full of boats of every shape and size and color. I was greeted by familiar faces and warm hugs of people I hadn't seen in a year, since …
The day(s) of Dirt Fest.
For those attending, it lasted 3 days. For those of us helping to make it happen, it was more than a week of concentrated effort, of thinking only of Dirt Fest, and of making sure that the event went as smoothly as it could possibly go. The houseboat arrived on Monday, and we had one …
Frozen Fat, Day 2.
After a more leisurely start on Sunday and a change of venue from Rothrock State Forest to Lake Raystown, riders gathered in the Bakers Hollow Lot, ready to begin a second day of fat-biking. Today's ride was a bit different than Saturday---more casual, but punctuated by various "stages" or mini-events that riders could compete in …
helena kotala 