When:  Friday August 13th, 2010… 4am – ???  Riders have been known to ride this trail, end-to-end, in the time frame of 16-24 hours.  Will you be the one to set a new course record?

• Where: Maah Daah Hey Trail in the North Dakota Badlands.  We will start on the north end of the trail at the CCC campground Trailhead and ride south toward the Sully Creek Trailhead.

• What: A “group ride” on the whole 105 miles of mountain bike friendly singletrack, starting at CCC and ending at Sully.  This is an unofficial event with the intent of evolving into an official race one day!

• Why: To see if you have what it takes!  R U Legendary?

• Cost: FREE!  Your only costs will be your own personal travel, lodging and food.

• How: Each rider determines their own support crew, food, drink and checkpoints.  There are about 15-17 obvious checkpoints where the Maah Daah Hey crosses roads and campsites where vehicles can meet riders to replenish their supplies and communicate their physical condition and plan for the next 5-15 miles of riding.

Ride: Everyone rides at their own pace.  Mountain bikers are a tight-knit group of people.  If a rider becomes aware that a fellow rider is in need of serious medical attention they will not leave their friend to be a late night mountain lion snack.  But do not expect anyone to stop to hold your hand while you change a flat tire or push your broken down bike to the next checkpoint.

Rule: Each rider is responsible for staying within their own personal limits.  In other words; no one is coming to your immediate rescue if you bonk or crash out on the trail.  It is up to your own support crew to know approximately where you are and how to help you if you get into trouble on the trail.

The Maah Daah Hey is a shared trail in many ways, it is used by mountain bikers, hikers and equestrians.  It is also shared by cattle, big game, predators, snakes and other wildlife.  This information is not intended to alarm you, but rather to inform you on some important things to consider when you encounter other trail “users” on the Maah Daah Hey.

MOUNTAIN LIONS:

I have biked and hiked this trail for years and never seen a mountain lion, but I know that they have seen me!  Every once in a while I’ll get that feeling like something is watching me, I’ll stop and look around and not see anything.  Don’t be fooled if you ever feel like that, your senses are probably right, something probably is watching you.  So what do you do in that situation?  Just keep your cool and stay alert.  Mountain lions will typically do anything to avoid people and will most likely head in the opposite direction.  The best thing you can do is to keep on enjoying your time on the trail.  Don’t become overly paranoid but just look over your shoulder once in a while.  Your chances of being attacked by a mountain lion are less than one in a million, but you do have to respect the critters and understand that you are in their territory.  If you encounter one it is your fault not theirs, but would you know what to do?

I have been mountain biking on the the Maah Daah Hey since 2001 and I had never seen a mountain lion track until April of 2010.  To see a mountain lion would be a real treat, as long as the experience didn’t end with you being the treat.  In 2005 there were two bikers who were pestered by a mountain lion (links to the stories are below).  If you have the rare opportunity of encountering a mountain lion there are a few tips you should know.

1. Never run from the animal, that makes you look like a play toy and a meal, don’t even turn your back to it.
2. Don’t crouch or try to hide, but stand up tall and raise your bike or at least your hands above your head.  What you want to do is make yourself look as big as possible, if you are wearing a jacket you can unzip it and hold it open to make yourself appear larger.
3. Avoid looking the cat directly in the eyes, as they may consider it as a threat.
4. Be loud, make yourself sound tough, make them know that you are not an easy prey.
5. Throw rocks or sticks at the animal, be somewhat aggressive, but don’t charge them.
6. Then slowly back away.

I think that mountain lions are beautiful creatures. The opportunity of seeing one is extremely rare, but following those tips will increase your chances of living to tell the tale.  The fear of being attacked should not deter anyone from visiting the Maah Daah Hey.  The fact that they are around the Badlands is testimony that this truly is a wilderness trail that offers the kind of solitude and adventure that most outdoor enthusiasts are searching for.  Mountain lions are mostly nocturnal and prey mostly on deer.  People planning on using the Maah Daah Hey can be 99.9% sure that they will never even see a mountain lion.  But if you are wanting to add to your peace of mind, I would recommend bringing some type of protection with you, especially if you are traveling alone.  The three options that I use are; knives, bear repellent spray (super duty pepper spray) and a handgun.  Just the sound of a gun being fired is probably going to send a mountain lion or any other predator running.  If you plan to be on the sections of the Maah Daah Hey that pass through the North or South Teddy Roosevelt National Park units you are not permitted to carry firearms.  In that case I bring a knife and my bear spray.  I am often riding the trail alone which is why I choose such extreme measures of protection.  Many people will consider these items a little “much” or a bit “overkill.”  But to me it is about respecting the wilderness and being prepared for what you may encounter.  Traveling with other people is your best option for protection on the trail.  But if you do decide to bring protection with you the real key is to be familiar with it and have it quickly accessible.  It won’t help you much if your bear spray is buried in your pack or if you don’t know how to fire your weapon when you are face to face with a mountain lion.

Mountain lion encounter of 2005 links:

1. ESPN link
2. Bismarck Tribune link

WOLVES AND COYOTES:

SNAKES:

ELK:

DEER:

ANTELOPE:

MOOSE:

TOADS AND LIZZARDS:

SCORPIONS:

BIRDS:

It has been a great winter.  I have kept extremely active in hopes that it will boost my endurance once I mount my mountain bike for the first time this spring.  I do not believe in exercising for just looks or even physical health or strength.  Exercise should be the byproduct of having fun.  And the best place to have fun is outside.  The great thing about being an ex-employee of an outdoor recreation store is that I have all the gear to go and play outside no matter what the weather is.  And this winter the weather was snowy!

We got dumped on in western North Dakota.  And since it is usually breezy, I had many kiteboarding sessions getting tugged around on my red, white and blue Slingshot T2 seven meter kite.  Blazing new trails across the snowy and rolling hills of the North Dakota prairie.  The feeling of freedom that is experienced while carving lines through untouched powder, broken only by gaps where my kite has boosted me and my board skyward for a quick thrill is hard to beat.  But at the end of a session I gaze back at my tracks through the snow and think to myself how I will never get to ride those exact same lines in the exact same way again.  Then I cut a hard tack back into the wind digging my edge in hard as I can until I feel my leg muscles burning.  I smile as I crave singletrack.

On the non windy days I strap my snowboard to my back and my snowshoes to my feet and head out into the backcountry of the Badlands.  I crunch through the deep snow observing animal tracks and frost covered trees.  I keep a steady cadence with my feet as I purposefully pick the longest path to the highest point I can find.  Looking down the steep and untouched valleys of the Badlands I remove my snowshoes and trade them for my snowboard.  I ride untouched and most likely unseen powder as far as I can go into the bottom of the valley.  Then I hike out through the waist deep powder and steep hills.  Breathing hard and wiping sweat from my brow, as I think about singletrack.

Today the sun is shining and there is no breeze and not nearly enough snow left on the ground to snowshoe.  I am not sad to see it go.  I enjoy each season for what unique and divine adventures it brings with it.  But I am craving singletrack.  What is different about today’s cravings is that it’s not just a craving for the buzz of my tires and the sound of my rear hub as my pedals go neutral and the wind brushes my face as my momentum carries me down into a cool valley.  I am craving a specific valley on a specific trail.  I am craving Maah Daah Hey singletrack.

Nick Ybarra

Primary Rider: Nick Ybarra

The Other Studly Rider: Chad Bergan

Photographer: The One and Only… Chad Ziemendorf

All photos on this website are property of Chad Ziemendorf.