October Playtime

October has to be the quintessential New England month. Crisp air, an orange afternoon sun hanging low on the horizon, and of course, the riot of colors the trees adorn themselves with in their own coming out party of the year, made the day today a refreshing and restorative salve for the soul. It does not get any better folks; take this from a west coast boy who had the blue sky beach days of southern California available virtually every day to do outdoor activities without having to think about how the weather might affect plans.

If you are one of the many local mountain bikers you may already know about Harold Parker State Forest. Sprawling across 3500 acres of forest between the communities of Andover, North Andover, and Lawrence, HPSF is, in this writer’s estimation, one of the best playgrounds Massachusetts has to offer for technical riding in the suburbs. A fellow mountain biker told me about the effort and loving care committed local riders have invested to sculpt and clear interesting and imaginative single track trails that loop, intersect, and branch out in a labyrinthine web to offer an almost limitless variety of riding enjoyment. Many of these trails are criss-crossed with exposed tree roots and sprinkled with embedded rocks of various shapes and sizes. More than a few are complimented with amusing man-made water crossings. Several runs require at least upper Intermediate to Advanced skills to deal with rocky ridgelines, log hops, and drops. I have yet to navigate any of the advanced trails without clipping out or dumping at least once. The prospect of tumbling over a tangle of roots and rocks has encouraged me to invest in body armor. I look like an extra out of Mad Max. I should also mention that I love my new bike: a Kona “Tanuki Delux” dual suspension rig. Fun, fun, fun.

I regret not having a camera to photograph the beauty of today’s ride, and the intimate vistas of still ponds reflecting peach and lemon colors, but the technical nature of most of the trails does not allow for anything but the most essential on-board supplies. Evangeline was not able to join me, but I would not have brought her on today’s route since her bike is a hard frame, and suspension is a must to be able to navigate the obstacles.

At the moment I am savoring the day’s ride with my feet on a hassock and a tumbler of marvelous Irish whiskey chilled over crushed ice while enjoying the televised spectacle of the International Rugby championship match between New Zealand and France. The pre-game “Haka” ritual the “All Blacks” of New Zealand performed to their opponents was quite the show. Evidently it’s a traditional ancestral war challenge of the indigenous Maori people of New Zealand, and has been co-opted by the national rugby team that has had many Maori players over the years. The whole display sent chills down my back. The direct violence of the game has a certain visceral appeal, and it is interesting to note that the rules do not allow a player to leave the game unless he is unconscious or has a bone poking through flesh. The folks playing under the FIFA banner could take a few pointers here. I guess the pressure is on New Zealand since they haven’t won it all for a long time. I’m rooting for them.