... Saturday morning four of us head out - as I recall the place was located near 'Champion, PA', up in the 'Laurel Highlands - don't remember exactly where (was following behind on the drive up) - do remember exiting the hardtop and following a long dirt drive, eventually arriving at this older, two-story farmhouse with an adjacent large barn - both could use some "fix'n-up" - but the property is pretty nice - lots of open, rolling fields surrounded by woodland - they've recently rough-graded a small, gravel parking lot - next to the lot there's a newly built small shanty - a banner reading "Mountain Biking" is tacked to the wall...
... we're walkin' over to the "Pro-Shop" (shanty) - out steps a short, "hippie-lookin' dude" - long hair and beard and wearin' a 'psychedelic' print shirt - informs us that we are indeed at the 'Polecat Lodge' - there's a fee for trail riding (think it was $2.50 each) - we pay up - he hands us each a trail map - there's lot's of "hipster-type vernacular" as we banter back and forth with this guy - there's also a strong, pungent odor of pot (smelled like he just stepped off Willie Nelson's tour bus) - and he has that "certain glow" about him - he's obviously "burned one or two" prior to our arrival - and that's OK - just commenting, not criticizing - seems like a nice enough fellow...
... so he's tellin' us about the trails and I'm lookin' at my copy of the hand-drawn map - looks pretty nice - one large circuitous loop with several interconnecting interior trails - however, I notice that there is no scale annotated on the map and mention it to him - "What do you mean, man?' - "Well, there's no scale on the map" - he steps closer to look at my map - "Well, what do you mean, man? - I point to two points on the map - "Well - how far is it from here to here?" - "Ohhhh (now I understand)... man, it's like... you know man... it's like... it's like ...man... you know ... it's like..... far" - we're now all lookin' at each other...
... before "hitting the trail", he takes us on a short tour of the "lodge" - the barn is pretty beat up - we start walking toward the house - "Where you goin', man?" - "To the Lodge!?" - 'That's not the Lodge, man... that's like... you know man ... that's like .... like ... a house" - we turn and follow him to the barn...
... we step thru the large barn door into - a BARN! - there's nothing in there but old cattle stalls, no lighting except what is coming in thru the open door and several large holes in the ceiling and walls, and be careful you don't fall thru the floor - buddy Ken asks him how they plan to house people for the race next weekend - "Man, they can just sack out here in the 'Lodge' in sleeping bags" - they did have a pretty nice artificial climbing wall constructed along the near end wall - artificial climbing holds were just being marketed - was the first time we had seen them - 'buddy Matt' tried it out - he bouldered maybe 12 feet to the top of the wall - down climbed maybe 6 feet - and jumped off - the floor board he landed on bowed about twelve inches and sprung him back up about a foot into the air - if it had broken, he would have fell straight thru the floor to the lower level...
... we finally head out on the trails - from the trailhead to the first intersection (not visible from the trailhead nor the 'Pro-Shop') is maybe 100 feet - if that is an indication, then scaling the distance on the map, if accurate, puts the total length of the trail, from one side of the loop to the other, at less than a half mile! - to be honest, I estimated at least six originally viewing the map...
... we follow the intersection left - we're droppin' downhill on some decent 'doubletrack' and soon bottom out on level ground that parallels and slowly meanders over toward 'Indian Creek' - the trail so far "ain't bad", with a few decent mud holes - we're soon parallel to and riding along banks of 'Indian Creek' - so far so good, but not for long - we soon come to a residence (cabin) constructed along the creek - the trail goes right thru the "backyard", maybe ten feet from the cabin and fifteen feet from the creek - we stop - double and triple check the map - doesn't show a 'house' of any kind, but we're goin' the right way - so we proceed - we're passin' the back of the cabin and glance over into the large ground-level picture window - there's a large family settin' around the dinner table starin' right back at us...
... a guy in maybe his early thirties gets up, steps out the door and stops us - says that this is private property, and "... what the hell do we think we're doin'!?" - we pull out a map and explain, but fail to mention the 'Polecat Lodge' by name - "Did that 'Polecat Lodge' send you down here?" - "Yea" - "Well, we have a lot of problems with that place up there - this is going to end!" - he was nice enough, and we headed on - the boys are now pissed and we're ready to get out of there - which didn't take long - the trail soon wound back uphill - we took the first intersection to the right and headed back to the trailhead and 'Lodge' - don't believe that we rode for more than a mile total (and thats being generous)...
... we got back and told the "hippie-dude" of our "experience" - he's got four pissed guys starin' at him - "Man - it's like... you know ... it's like ... I don't even know where those trails go to ... I just like ...you know, man ... just like ... work here!"...
... didn't get many photos that day - wasn't there long enough - shot some B&W negative - Ken hittin' a mudhole...
... that's the property owner far - Matt sayin' "Let's get the XXX!! out of here!!...
... the boys are lookin' pretty grim...
... he bagged the "race" none-the-less, and we don't think that it was ever held that day - about two or three weeks after our visit was reading a local paper - a large drug bust occurred at the 'Lodge' - ATF agents swooping in by vehicles and helicopter - plus they were investigating the disappearance of a girl from up there...
.. still have a copy of the trail map stashed somewhere - been searchin' folders and files, but so far no luck - will attach it if found...
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