Return to the Berryman Trail

I can't remember the last time I rode the Berryman Trail.  It's locally famous and has changed a bit since I first rode it with friend and mentor Neil Kopitsky in 1989.  I know I rode it in 1996.  But I can't remember a time after that.  It had been long enough that I had to ask for recommendations on Facebook as to which trail head to start at, and which direction people like.  I totally remember getting off at the Bourbon exit.  That was easy.

And I remember this intersection, in which Highway W (really is an upside down M) would take me to the trail head.  But wow, it was quite a ways on W.  I didn't remember it being that far.  In total, it was 20 miles from Highway 44.

But there it was.  Marked better than it was in 1989, for sure.  The Brazil Creek trail head.  A small, quaint lot with a well-kept all weather bathroom.  I was totally the only person there.

Ah, a trail map!  Not that I thought it would help.   I was always surprised at how poorly the trail was marked with the little silver diamonds nailed to random trees along the Berryman.  Lucky Neil showed me the way the first time around, so each time after that I was diligent when coming to cross roads.

Certainly in the early 90's there wasn't a cool sign designating the Berryman as a cool place to mountain bike.  That was certainly a plus.

The trail was in solid shape, with no mud to speak of.  It was 90% leaf-covered, but trampled down enough that it wasn't a problem.  I climbed over 5 downed trees.  I only had a brief moment of panic when I came to a crossroads and didn't see the NEW Ozark Trail (OT) signs that were now so prevalent.  After a minute, I spotted one and was no worse for wear.  The entire 25.5 miles, I saw two people.  I was virtually alone, which was an awesome feeling.  I wasn't feeling so awesome when I finished.  Anything over 2 hours is long for me, and it took me a shade over 2 1/2.  I was glad to be done, but also pretty happy to be able to ride such a long, storied trail in the dead of winter.  It was 39-40 degrees most of the ride, with some pretty high winds, but weather was never a problem.

....and I stopped at Pizza Hut in Sullivan.  How cool is that?  I continued to eat everything in sight for the rest of the day.