The Stottlemeyer area is a local area owned by Olympic Resource Management (ORM), who allow recreational use during daylight hours. Approximately 4,300 acres in size, the area is a convenient place (10 minutes away) to hone skills and have fun. It's pretty easy to put in more than 10 miles on the extensive logging road system, plus there are several single-track trails providing easy to intermediate fun. The terrain is mostly gentle with only a few moderate hills. There are a couple areas that have some downhill sections, but these are short, and not very steep. But...this area is the first area I tried a clipless bike on single-track with obstacles, so I'll always remember it fondly...
ORM uses the land primarily for it's timber resource, so at any given time, there may be logging going on. When there is, they do a pretty good job of marking the area, so you don't get run over by a logging truck. Unfortunately this spring, a prime single-track known locally as The Woods is no more. However, we did by chance, get some of the area on film before its demise... Below are some shots and narrative of some of the spots we frequent when we don't want to put in the effort to go anywhere else...
| John crosses a large log... - While cruising around one day, John noticed a trail heading down through old clear-cut that led to some older growth. Looking over the area, we noticed an opportunity to expand some trail. Following some natural lines, we found several large logs for obstacles. Here, John shows me how it's done by crossing a 14 inch log on the first try. While I didn't exactly crash when I tried it, I did high center, but managed to step out before crashing! |  |
| Tom makes it across... - In the same area as above, we found another log to put the trail across. In this shot, I give it my best, and make it! Actually, this log was a bit soft, making the crossing easier. You can see there isn't a well defined trail yet. We've been saying we need to get back and develop the area some more, but as the weather gets nicer, we've moved on to more challenging pastures... |  |
| Not successful this time... - Here is my normal position, on my ass, still clipped in! I tried yet another log, only to high-center, and this time, failed to unclip. At least the landing was soft! John had been waiting all morning to take this shot... |  |
| The
Woods Dam... - At the lower section
of The Woods trail, we found a creek that was blocked by wood, causing
it to pool to about 12 inches, with soft bottom - very hard to get
through. We decided to provide an alternative by clearing the flow
a bit to allow more drainage. But because of the soft bottom,
draining 6 inches of water didn't make it much easier. So we built up
an edge by aligning some small logs, and strategically placing a flat
rock in the flow. A spot on approach allowed easy passage.
But make a mistake on the line, you slip off the rock, and get
wet! In the upper two frames, John catches me as I make it
across. After trying three times, I failed to capture John within
the camera's frame, but the lower picture is the best. Something
about the stupid trigger timer...
Anyway, this particular trail is no more. If you notice the mature growth in the background, this stand was harvested about 2 weeks after we took these pictures... :.>( |
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