Skip to content
to the nth degree

to the nth degree

every day's an adventure

  • Home
  • About Me
  • Best of the Blog
  • Published
    • Singletracks
    • Dirt Rag Mag Online
    • Bicycle Times
  • Gear Reviews
  • Cartography
    • Event Maps
    • Pennsylvania Environmental Council

Tag: allegheny front

Posted on February 4, 2020February 4, 2020

On the Allegheny Front: Sandy Ridge to Blandburg

A couple weeks ago, Evan mentioned that he caught wind of a new snowmobile route from Prince Gallitzin State Park to Black Moshannon State Park, traversing the Allegheny Front through mostly Game Lands on a mix of dirt roads and doubletrack trails. We did some research and found a GPX file. Time to go explore. …

Continue reading "On the Allegheny Front: Sandy Ridge to Blandburg"

Posted on January 6, 2020January 6, 2020

Adventures in Coal Country: Exploring the Houtzdale Line Trail.

*I started this post last spring but never published it. I found it as I was cleaning out old post drafts and figured it was worth a share, better late than never! Last spring, I was dealing with some hamstring injury issues, meaning I was forced to cut back on the intensity of my bike …

Continue reading "Adventures in Coal Country: Exploring the Houtzdale Line Trail."

Helena Kotala

Lover of bikes, outdoor adventures & sharing my experiences. Map-maker & other duties as assigned at the Pennsylvania Environmental Council. Central PA based.

  • View helenakoala’s profile on Facebook
  • View helenakotala’s profile on Twitter
  • View helenakoala’s profile on Instagram
  • View helenadiana’s profile on Pinterest
  • View helena-kotala-ab860761’s profile on LinkedIn
  • View 104462377203830683438’s profile on Google+

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 256 other followers

Pick A Topic

Past Adventures

Stuff I Dig

  • 2019 in Photos: Charging Forwa… on 

Snippets of Life

Sunrise light at #24HOP. Playing double duty bike racer/journalist meant some sacrificed sleep to capture these moments but it is so worth it to get to do this.
Night laps at #24HOP were super fun! Racers were more spread out, so there were many moments of solitude before coming up on another person. The stars were amazing. Then you get back into #24hourtown and there’s a party happening all night long.
Holy rip these trails are so fast! 16.5 miles of singletrack in less than an hour and a half is definitely not something I’m used to. My first race lap started around sunset and it was GORGEOUS. Navigating cacti-lined trail at night while going fast requires such mental focus and it was incredible. If you can’t tell, I’m loving every minute! I was crushing too hard to get pictures on my race lap so here’s one @jeffcoylesatx snapped of me when we pre-rode this morning. Time to try to get some rest before heading back out around 3 am.
Scenes from the desert. I am fascinated by this landscape that is so different than home.
Out here with some sunshine and cacti in the Sonoran Desert for the weekend at 24 Hours of Old Pueblo! 🌵☀️ I’m on assignment with @singletracks for my first press trip in a couple years and excited to dive back into doing some freelance writing. 😃 Thanks @simbolpr @hustlebikelabs @archercomponents @kaliprotectives @pivot_cyclesusa for the opportunity!
Fresh tracks. ❄️😃 Thanks for the 📷 @moshannonshannon!
A weekend well spent playing in the snow. ❄️ Fat bikes are so fun. 🤗
Pavement -> gravel -> singletrack -> bushwack -> singletrack -> doubletrack -> gravel -> pavement. Some of my favorite rides lately have a little of everything and there is no “right bike.”
Commute 2: Obligatory Wampler Vista stop on the way home. 💜
Enchanted forest.
*looks sketchier in person*
First bike commute of 2020 on Tuesday and it was tough going at times — icy and dicey on the State College side (even with studs) and slushy on the forestry roads on the Stone Valley side. I’m going to try to do this more often this year. It’s a 2-2.5 hour ride (yesterday it took almost 3!) so it ends up being something that is harder to fit in than it seems like it should be. I ended up losing count but I know I didn’t do it more than 10 times last year. Would definitely like to improve on that number this year. With views like this and several different routes through the forest to choose from, there aren’t many good excuses not to.

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 256 other followers

Pick A Topic

Past Adventures

Stuff I Dig

  • 2019 in Photos: Charging Forwa… on 

Snippets of Life

Sunrise light at #24HOP. Playing double duty bike racer/journalist meant some sacrificed sleep to capture these moments but it is so worth it to get to do this.
Night laps at #24HOP were super fun! Racers were more spread out, so there were many moments of solitude before coming up on another person. The stars were amazing. Then you get back into #24hourtown and there’s a party happening all night long.
Holy rip these trails are so fast! 16.5 miles of singletrack in less than an hour and a half is definitely not something I’m used to. My first race lap started around sunset and it was GORGEOUS. Navigating cacti-lined trail at night while going fast requires such mental focus and it was incredible. If you can’t tell, I’m loving every minute! I was crushing too hard to get pictures on my race lap so here’s one @jeffcoylesatx snapped of me when we pre-rode this morning. Time to try to get some rest before heading back out around 3 am.
Scenes from the desert. I am fascinated by this landscape that is so different than home.
Out here with some sunshine and cacti in the Sonoran Desert for the weekend at 24 Hours of Old Pueblo! 🌵☀️ I’m on assignment with @singletracks for my first press trip in a couple years and excited to dive back into doing some freelance writing. 😃 Thanks @simbolpr @hustlebikelabs @archercomponents @kaliprotectives @pivot_cyclesusa for the opportunity!
Fresh tracks. ❄️😃 Thanks for the 📷 @moshannonshannon!
A weekend well spent playing in the snow. ❄️ Fat bikes are so fun. 🤗
Pavement -> gravel -> singletrack -> bushwack -> singletrack -> doubletrack -> gravel -> pavement. Some of my favorite rides lately have a little of everything and there is no “right bike.”
Commute 2: Obligatory Wampler Vista stop on the way home. 💜
Enchanted forest.
*looks sketchier in person*
First bike commute of 2020 on Tuesday and it was tough going at times — icy and dicey on the State College side (even with studs) and slushy on the forestry roads on the Stone Valley side. I’m going to try to do this more often this year. It’s a 2-2.5 hour ride (yesterday it took almost 3!) so it ends up being something that is harder to fit in than it seems like it should be. I ended up losing count but I know I didn’t do it more than 10 times last year. Would definitely like to improve on that number this year. With views like this and several different routes through the forest to choose from, there aren’t many good excuses not to.

Tags

  • Adventure by bike
  • Adventures with E
  • Advocate Cycles
  • Advocate Watchman
  • Allegrippis
  • Allegrippis Trails
  • Amanda
  • Bald Eagle State Forest
  • best of
  • Big Bear Lake
  • Big Valley
  • bikepacking
  • Black Moshannon
  • Camping
  • central PA
  • Central PA Back Roads
  • century
  • Coopers Gap
  • Dinah
  • Dirt Rag
  • Dirt Rag Dirt Fest
  • double century
  • endurance riding
  • Exploring
  • Fall Foliage
  • Fatbike
  • Fat Bike
  • Fat Bikes
  • Fat Front
  • Framed Marquette
  • Friends
  • Frozen Fat
  • Gravel
  • Greenwood Furnace State Park
  • Group Ride
  • Huntingdon
  • Huntingdon County
  • Ice Riding
  • Jackson Corner
  • Juniata River
  • Martin Gap
  • Matsumoto
  • mental health
  • Morning
  • Norikura
  • overnight ride
  • penhale gypsy
  • Pennsylvania
  • Petersburg
  • Purple Lizard Maps
  • Raleigh Willard
  • Raystown Lake
  • ride central pa
  • Rothrock Outfitters
  • Rothrock State Forest
  • running
  • salsa beargrease
  • Salsa Cycles
  • Salsa El Mariachi
  • Salsa Fargo
  • Salsa Mukluk
  • salsa powderkeg
  • shingletown gap
  • Snow
  • Snow Biking
  • State Game Lands 322
  • Sunday Funday
  • tandem cycling
  • The Cabin
  • trail running
  • Trough Creek
  • Tussey Mountain
  • West Virginia
  • Winter
  • Winter Riding
Powered by WordPress.com.
Cancel