After the most incredible ride up the mountain, we arrived and were surprised at how many people had eagerly shown up for the festivities. The promoters in conjunction with the Brimstone staff had ceaseless activities planned throughout the day for the attendees such as scenic guided trail rides, a show-n-shine, drag races, a poll bending competition, tractor pulls, and the extremely popular (with the guys of course) "Ladies Dash For Cash." We stuck around to experience some of the events taking place, but honestly John and I just wanted to ride and experience the vast array of trails that meander throughout the 20,000 rugged and mountainous acres of the Brimstone property. Apparently, we were not the only ones with this idea as we came across hundreds of riders who shared in our idea of adventure throughout Brimstone's massive property. Making our ride even more exciting, we ran into Women's racers Jodi and Jesi Stracham and joined up with them for a couple of hours of riding. As you might imagine, the pace quickly evolved from scenic trail ride to blistering fast as I don't think these girls can comprehend any other speed.
As the sun began to crest over the tall pines that afternoon, we made our way back to the events area to check in on the "Lady's Dash For Cash" race, which arguably could be considered the most sought after event of the day. I must confess, it was quite entertaining to say the least. Imagine fifty cash-hungry ladies diving in unison into the rankest smelling sludge-filled cesspool this side of the Mason Dixon. Handfuls of hair were being grabbed-tripping, pushing, and all exiting the opposite end of the pit painted from head to toe with the most unpleasant smelling muck. Jesi Stracham ended up sloshing her way from that competition $1,100 wealthier as she battled hard and was the first to grab the cash (and a few handfuls of hair), but not before GBC's Randy Tsai was tackled and drug in the sludge with her. Heck, I might've dove in myself if I could've won that kind of loot.
Early Sunday morning, we awoke to ground-shaking thunder and an annoying trickle of raindrops. This day would host the first ever "King Of The Mountain" endurance race competition. This six-mile racecourse offered some of the most rugged obstacles that Brimstone's mountainous terrain could throw at the racers. After braving sharp, deep whoops, gnarly boulders, mud holes, large telephone poles, a couple of old junkyard cars, and the nearly impossible-to-pass muddy trails, I thought a more appropriate name for the race would have been "King Of Carnage." Quads spent the first half of this rainy day tackling this near unfeasible course, but by the time the side-by-sides were unleashed, the rain had nearly vanished. Witnessing the quad and side-by-side racers not only destroy their equipment but enduring such a difficult challenge was nothing less than spectacular-and I can't wait to do it all over again next year. Hopefully, we'll see you there.
Brimstone Recreation
Property Information
Size: 19,196 acres
Trails: 70+ trails covering over 300 miles
Location: Huntsville, Scott County, Tennessee
Hours: The Brimstone Area is open 24/7
Office Information
Address: 2860 Baker Highway
Huntsville, TN 37756
Toll-Free Phone: 1-800-BRIMSTONE
Local Phone: 423-663-HUNT (4868)