Haw Ridge

I was recommended by another classmate to make a trip to Haw Ridge Park and I enjoyed every minute of the ride. The 780-acre peninsula, originally owned by TVA, is now a favorite place for hikers, trail runners, and mountain bikers. From the University of Tennessee you take I-75 west to Pellisippi Parkway after a couple turns and twenty-five minutes of driving time, you arrive at a parking lot on the edge of the Clinch River.

I turned in the parking lot, the sun in the middle of the sky, I became anxious because I knew this might be as good as Raccoon mountain. I checked out the trail map near the parking lot. As you see from this trail map, there are plenty of different trails to ride.

The trails by the lake offer 7.5 miles of easy singletrack, but I came here to challenge myself, so I decided to enter the trail off Old Edgemore Road. I got my stuff together, shoes, water, trail map and camelback and hopped on my bike and took the trail that tunnels me up into the dark green unknown.

I quickly found out that the entrance fee to Haw Ridge is the hill at the beginning. I started peddling uphill and what seemed to be an eternity, I found myself half way up the hill, lungs sucking any oxygen they could find, legs shaking, and “tunneling”. “Tunneling” is term that bikers use referring to tunnel vision or when you lose your peripheral vision because of overworking your body. The severity of this is based on your health. A healthy rider probably wouldn’t experience this as much on this trail but I have been out of the game recently and it quickly hit me.

I try my best to concentrate, focusing on your smoothest route, being sure not to turn too sharp and maintaining a speed that is comfortable, but this is not always easy to do. When rocks get in your path, you have to reach deep for acceleration so the tires can easily roll over them. In the lowest gear the bike can go, my feet are pedaling at a high rpm while my tires are barely moving. It seems like forever and you think your not going anywhere but you have to ignore the easy option to quit. I kept my head down and as soon as I saw the slope in front of me, I gave up. It was too sharp and I was out of breath but happy for what I had accomplished.

At the top I had to take a break. I was drenched in sweat and decided to stretch my legs. Like any other sport stretching is a necessity, otherwise you lose mobility and you’re sore the next day. As soon as I hopped on my bike, I made a turn onto “Saddle,” a trail that follows a creek downhill into the middle of the park. The run was just what I needed: fun and fast, crisscrossing a creek that splashed my legs with a cooling spray of ice water.

I eventually made it up an expert trail and found a trail called “rollercoaster.” The name had struck me earlier and was

looking forward to it. At the trailhead I was nervous, I usually don’t do experts but there was no time to second guess, I clipped my shoes and pedals and went for it. Before I knew it I was speeding down a couple turns, gathering speed by the minute. Then I hit what is my favorite section to this day. The trail cut back, the turns had banking measuring the same degrees as the Daytona 500 track. I made another turn and

felt like I was parallel to the ground, and then hit the first uphill, launching into the air for a brief moment, I knew to keep my weight back and spot my landing. Landing perfectly on the down slope, I accelerated and hit the next uphill with even more speed. My stomach tingled as I was defying gravity with both wheels in the air; I felt a heavenly sensation like nothing else before. Landing, I h

it at least twenty-five miles per hour, accelerating, uphill, jump, weight back, spot the landing, perfect. I did it again, my breathing steadied, I felt some type of mind and body “high,” and I couldn’t help but sing “Roller Coaster of Love” by the Red Hot Chilli Peppers. SmiliSmiling and laughing in the face of danger, before I knew, it was over. I deemed it the greatest mile I had ever ridden. I took a deep breath, realized I could have easily died with a single mistake, and continued down to the south where I could connect to a trail to take me west along the lake back to the parking lot.

Back at my car I stretched, relaxed and thought about my ride. It was great, the ‘entrance fee’ is a little rough but you sure do get it back especially if you make it on the roller coaster trail. I jumped in my car, turned up the AC and felt great after another successful mountain bike ride.

I recommend Haw Ridge just as much as Raccoon Mountain, they are about the same size have wonderful trails that give each park their own personality. I do recommend grabbing a trail map for Haw Ridge, some trails aren’t marked and there are a lot of them, enough to get you mixed up and lost for maybe even a few hours. All in all Haw Ridge is perfect for every level of rider and should be maintained to keep its full potential.