Where to escape hot fart season?

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Originally Posted by stuckathuntermtn

How is mountain biking in Alaska not just getting flayed alive by devil's club? You make the trails 10 feet wide?
Without the thorns, mountain biking around Seward sounds awesome. Can you still mix in some patch skiing too?

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Haven't been to Alaska but I had read about cow parsnip being the plant of concern on some trails. Sounds wonderful.

From google: Cow parsnip is not considered to be as toxic as giant hogweed, but like its smaller relative, wild parsnip, it can still cause nasty burns that take weeks or months to heal and can leave scars. If the plant touches your skin, immediately wash the area with soap and water and protect from sunlight for 48 hours.

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Originally Posted by evdog

Haven't been to Alaska but I had read about cow parsnip being the plant of concern on some trails. Sounds wonderful.

From google: Cow parsnip is not considered to be as toxic as giant hogweed, but like its smaller relative, wild parsnip, it can still cause nasty burns that take weeks or months to heal and can leave scars. If the plant touches your skin, immediately wash the area with soap and water and protect from sunlight for 48 hours.

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Yikes. I'll take the thorns. Although, their tips can break off and fester if you don't find them and get them out.
Now that I think about it, digging deep in my memory, the devil's club is mostly in the flats and lowlands. Maybe. Imagine a raspberry bush on steroids. Without the fruit.

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Originally Posted by altacoup

3 hr drive is totally worth it. I recommend coming with buddies so you can shuttle and make multiple laps. Road climb is pretty steep in spots. And you’ll definitely want to ride it more than once. Trail is so remote that even at the end of summer it’s still in great shape. It’s perfect hand cut dh trail, mix of steep, huge jumps and flow. 3 laps and my rear pads were totally shot.

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I’m the domestic house dad for a 3 and 5 year old and my riding windows are when my kids are in school midweek - I’d have barely enough time to get there and back!
But it sounds like I need to spend one of my two annual kid-free dad weekend cards (one of those is for BC skiing, the other one is for MTB camping) on that place one of these years. One day in Tillamook SF and then hit Black Rock the next day on the way home … sounds like a good weekend for renting a battery bike.

I'm not sure you can really get the thorns out once the tip breaks off. They're not like cactus thorns. Devil's club thorns are pretty thin/frail at the tips. On the underside of the leaves they can even be like microscopic hairs that can also irritate.

Probably not a big deal for MTB though. I've mostly seen Devil's club along streams. It's easy to spot.

I live an hour from Jackson State Forest in Mendocino and not sure it’s a worthy riding destination if flying. It is beautiful though and worth bringing a bike if you also just want to be somewhere gorgeous with lovely weather.

What about the Sunshine Coast or northern Vancouver island? Cumberland etc.


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Originally Posted by Abies

What about the Sunshine Coast or northern Vancouver island? Cumberland etc.


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Those places are parched most of the summer. I rode on the sunshine coast on July 4th, and it was already getting a bit too dry in some sections.

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Originally Posted by Abies

What about the Sunshine Coast or northern Vancouver island? Cumberland etc.

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Parents live in the Comox Valley, so Cumberland is a 10min drive. Last time I visited in summer I had to be on trail by 6am to avoid getting cooked.

The west side of the Island is cooler but there's not much for trails.