We have been working on this project with our partners at Vermont Forest, Parks, and Recreation for a few years. Where did we end up? A Double Black extension to Six Flags that starts from the top of Joe's! Say Whaaaaaaat?
That is correct. Six Flags is one of our least ridden trails in the Perry Hill network; surprising, right? Although really fun, it's a short section that doesn't have a high return on investment after doing all that climbing. There were also persistent issues with Duct Tape and we really felt it's better for the network’s health to trade it in for this new section.
This has been a work in progress for a really long time. Dana "The Mainah" Allen started the ball rolling. As the former President and striking Freddy Mercury look-a-like, he spent a lot of time scouting the trail corridor and working with our friends at FPR.
"The corridor for this trail is both obvious and compelling as it capitalizes on what Perry Hill has in abundance - rock features. In scoping this trail, I wanted to respect the traditions and history at Perry - constructing trails with a relatively minimal 'built' footprint, keeping the tread as raw as possible. It's taken a very long time and a lot of effort by a lot of volunteers to bring this trail to fruition. It's a classic though, and it'll endure." - Dana
The torch was passed on to Alex Showerman, another former WATA President who worked with Dana and kept the enthusiasm for this project going.
"For years we were hearing from the community, we want more gnar, and for years we've been working on getting it done. Building any new trail is such a lengthy and collaborative process. This project represents multiple generations of leaders and volunteer work finally starting to come to fruition, I can't wait to see the magic Knight works on it!" - Alex
And you read that correctly! We have the green light to break ground next week with one of our favorite trail building teams; Ideride Builders. Knight Ide and his team have a knack for amazing rock work due to his past as a professional stone mason turned talented trail builder. You’ve probably noticed his work elsewhere in our networks like LRSP, maintenance on Permission and the rock work done on Joe’s in 2019.
In the end we will say goodbye to Duct Tape. Yes, it has it's special charm, but it had too many issues compared to the potential we see in the future Six Flags. It just gets too muddy and difficult to work with. Many volunteer trail nights have worked to address the many issues. In the end we are coming out with a much more robust tread that will add a nice level of spice while continuing the hand-built feel of Six Flags.
The blue line coming off of Joes represents the new corridor and the black lines represent what will be closed. While contruction is underway please, for the love of all that is good, stay away from the contruction! Let the builders do their job. If we all go about mucking around and ruining their work, it will just take longer to open.
