Huntington Quarterly Summer 2022

him fall victim to one of his mountain biking mottos: “When in doubt, walk it out.” “As you’re learning and gaining more experience with mountain biking, there’s no shame in hopping off your bike and walking it over those rolls and berms (hills and turns),” Perry said. Safety is a priority for the Heritage Farm team, which is why staff take care in teaching the ABCs — air, breaks, chains — and assessing each rider’s comfort level while encouraging as many practice loops as they need to be ready to ride. While this slow start is great for novice riders, the more experienced mountain biker will be pleased to learn that a return trail is currently under construction for those who enjoy the intensity of making their way back up the mountain without the assistance of a UTV. “We want to make our trails accessible to new riders, but we want to keep our more experienced riders inmind, too,” Perry said. “This is why we are building a pump track at the top of the mountain, which will allow for more intense activities that require a higher skill level. We also have immediate plans for threemore expert-level trails: the Rock Crusher, the Reeper and the Chainsaw.”

When it’s all said and done, Perry said there will be 10 miles of trails for the mountain biking community to explore. “Appalachia is simply amazing, and we take it for granted. For years, Heritage Farm has celebrated the amazing Appalachian people and the challenges they overcame to make our life possible. We want our visi tors to go make their own challenges and solve their own problems within the mountains,” Perry said. “Not only are theAppalachian people amazing, but so are the mountains, the forest and the wildlife that surround us. We have been very blessed, and we just need to remind ourselves of that more often.” The cost for all-day mountain biking is $25 for those who bring their own bike, with prices starting at $40 for bike rentals. The price covers full admission to the farm, including access to the museums, the artisans, the animals and the wagon rides. Heritage Farm will be open on Fridays and Saturdays this fall.

MEGAN ARCHER is a freelance writer living in Huntington, West Virginia.

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