Monday, May 29, 2023

Biking the Bay Circuit Trail - Ward Reservation to Middlesex Community College (Days 4 & 5)

Day 4 - Ward Reservation to Chelmsford Center

After a four-week absence, I was back on the Bay Circuit Trail to continue my quest to ride the entire bike route end-to-end. When I planned this ride, I assumed it would be a solo adventure. Much to my surprise, two of my friends took an interest in riding the trail and have been with me since Day 2. Tony even recruited a friend to join us on Day 5. If this trend continues, we could have a crowd by the time we reach the southern terminus.

Overview of route - Red indicates paved, blue is unpaved.

Andover arguable has the best maintained and blazed trails on the BCT.  Unfortunately, bikes are prohibited from nearly all of its nine miles of trails with the exception of Doyle Link Reservation. Since the trails were off-limits, Day 4 was essentially a road ride. The air was crisp and the wind whipping as we departed Ward Reservation. The first two miles were a delight as we lost nearly 300 feet of elevation.

At mile four we entered Doyle Link for our only off-road section of the day. It was a pleasant one mile stretch of rideable single-track. Nothing like to torture of Harold Parker on our previous ride. Leaving the woods, we were met with two sustained climbs on High Plains and River roads as we paralleled the Merrimack River and BCT hiking route in the adjacent woods. What goes up, must come down, and I was rewarded with a 28 mph downhill entering the city of Tewksbury. 

There is a gap in the BCT route though the city of Lowell before it resumes again at the Bruce Freeman trail head. I had mapped a route on busy Rt.110 to get us out of the city. Fortunately, Bill is very familiar with the city and led us though less traveled, and presumably safer back roads. Once we reached the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail it was an easy, traffic-free ride into Chelmsford Center where we ended our ride.

Note: There was some discussion during our ride on who is Bruce Freeman? He was a state representative from Chelmsford and a major advocate for turning the abandoned rail line into a multi-use path. Unfortunately, he died of cancer before he could see his vision a reality.

Day 5 - Chelmsford Center to Middlesex Community College

One week later I was back on the BCT with Bill, Tony and our new BCT recruit, Nancy.  Today's ride included a BCT spur trail known as the Reformatory Branch. The spur trail follows a former rail line built between Bedford and Concord in 1873. Locals dubbed it the Reformatory Branch after it was extended to Reformatory Station next to a state prison in 1879. Thankfully, Team Orange had removed their brightly colored orange jackets and would not be mistaken for escaped convicts!

Overview of route - Red indicates paved, blue is unpaved.

The first seven miles on the shaded Bruce Freeman Rail Trail provided a nice warm-up for the ride ahead. There were few people on the trail, so we were able to double up and ride side by side most of the way. Chatting made the time pass quickly and soon we were entering Nashoba Brook Conservation Land. I recalled from my BCT run in 2011 that the trail here was very rocky. What I failed to remember was how long it remained that way. We soon found out!

We had some difficulty at the trailhead finding the BCT as there were two trails leaving the parking area, on left and one right. We went left, but as soon as we crossed a footbridge over Nashoba Brook I knew we had chosen the wrong path. The brook should have been on our left but now it was to our right. We backtracked a short distance and headed out on the correct trail. We rode a short distance before dismounting due to an overabundance of large rocks and roots. This would mark the beginning of a long hike-a-bike.

The BCT in Nashoba Brook was a hike-a-bike marathon.

The BCT travels though Acton conservation land for approximately 3.5 miles. I think we walked close to three miles of it! Before this ride, I read a trip report of a cyclist who completed the BCT. He suggested bypassing the official BCT here because you would just be pushing your bike most of the way. I should have heeded the warning, but I wanted to stay on the official route whenever possible. Riding here on any bike would be impossible for all but the most accomplished mountain bikers. I hoped this rude introduction to the BCT would not dissuade Nancy from future rides. Before leaving the woods, we made the short but steep climb up Strawberry Hill. I was able to stay on the bike due to switchbacks and a smoother trail surface.

This old stone chamber provided a brief distraction from the difficult "riding" in Acton.

With my cell phone flashlight in hand, I was able to explore deep into the earth to find this ancient carving.

A five-mile road ride ensued, broken briefly by an off-road section on conservation land in Concord. We took a short break at the visitor center in Minute Man National Historical Park before riding the gravel path to North Bridge for a photo op. Posing completed, we hopped onto the Reformation Branch for six miles of smooth dirt rail trail riding. The final mile was stop and go on overgrown, rough singletrack. The BCT portion of the ride ended at Middlesex Community College Campus.

Are we having fun yet?

This ride was more difficult than anticipated mainly due to the rough terrain in Acton, but still enjoyable. At least for me!

Day 4 - 17.9 miles, 60.2 cumulative.
Paved - 17.0 miles, 31.2 cumulative.
Unpaved - 0.9 miles, 29.0 cumulative.
Elevation gain - 1,141 feet, 4,563 cumulative.
Max grade - 13.0%
High point - Salem St, Andover, 306 feet
Towns traversed - Andover, Tewksbury, Lowell, Chelmsford
Green spaces visited - Doyle Link Reservation

Day 5 - 23.7 miles, 83.9 cumulative.
Paved - 11.5 miles, 42.7 cumulative.
Unpaved - 12.2 miles, 41.2 cumulative.
Elevation gain - 1,113 feet, 5,676 cumulative.
Max grade - 11.7%
High point - Strawberry Hill, Acton, 379 feet
Towns traversed - Chelmsford, Carlisle, Westford, Acton, Concord, Bedford
Green spaces visited - Nashoba Brook Conservation Land, Spring Hill Conservation Land, Stoneymeade Conservation Land, Annursac Conservation Land, Great Meadows National Wildlife Preserve, Bedford Conservation Area

2 comments:

  1. Good job Team Orange. Fun to read your play by play. Karen on j’s fb

    ReplyDelete
  2. Dan fabulous account of your adventure. You are amazing.

    ReplyDelete

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