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By: Rodney Fagan
Day of Relief
 My mind fondles through the various projects
to come in the future days ahead of me while I
sit at my desk. Next Monday I have a meeting
with the new client, Tuesday lunch with the boss
to discuss new marketing ideas, then there’s
Wednesday, packed full of phone calls to plan
for the following week. Thursday comes and goes.
Friday, finally I glance down at my watch and
breathe a deep sigh of relief. Its five O’clock.
I shut down my laptop, pack up my planner, head
for the door. When I get home I have a bright
idea. Let’s find something to take my mind off
the hustle and bustle of long hours at the
office or in the field, but what to do….. I
ponder through the options. Uh huh! I’ve got it.
Let’s hit the trails. I load up a few snacks in
the toy hauler, the quads, wife, and of course,
the guard dog, and we hit the road. I drive for
forty-five minutes to the Little Tiger OHV trail
in Laurel, Mississippi. I arrive at a tranquil
setting with no one in sight, set up camp, kick
back, and watch the stars while enjoying the
sound of coyotes in the background. Next
morning, I wake at the crack of dawn and crawl
out of bed anxious to hit a trail. After the
usual two hours of getting ready for the trail
with a wife, I’m finally on my quad. I breeze
around a tight turn and reach for the clutch,
second, third, then fourth. I feel the RPM’s
rise and my heart beats faster as the long-leaf
pines race by. I shift my body left with all but
my right leg preparing for the upcoming turn,
then I’m back on the throttle. After a while of
hard pounding on the quad, I stop for a break. I
listen to the surrounding sounds. A mocking bird
sings in the background, and I hear a frog
calling for rain. No phones, roads, city noises,
or yelling clients can be heard. I’ve found the
closest thing to heaven you can ask for. I snap
a picture of the trails and a couple of the
surrounding topography, then saddle back up for
the remainder of the trails.
 The above narrative may sound silly to some, but
it’s an insight to what riding does for the ones
that enjoy it as much as I do. In Mississippi,
there are very few public places to ride, and
Little Tiger OHV trail is one of the few. If you
have never been, then it’s worth the trip. There
are no mountain views like in Colorado, or
sloppy mud like in Louisiana, but what it does
offer is a quiet place to have fun and enjoy the
great outdoors. The area consists of about 13
miles of trail with a warm-up loop, and outer
loop, and a cut through. They are
multi-directional trails so it’s like having 26
miles because if you ride it the opposite way on
your second loop, you’ll find many surprises
that didn’t exist on the first loop. The parking
area is plenty big for the amount of riders that
come to the area, but I’ve seen it a bit packed
when there is a lot of camping going on. The
restroom at the trail head utilizes a
non-flushing toilet, but it’s kept clean. There
is no electricity or water at the trail head,
but primitive camping is allowed. This trail was
closed for three years for reconstruction due to
a lack of management and destructive use by the
public. After the three years, a quarter million
dollars, and countless volunteer hours by the
South Mississippi All Terrain Vehicle
Association (SMATVA) it’s back open and ready
for use. The trails are a bit wide, but offer a
great area for beginning riders or those that
like to watch for wildlife. Deer frequent the
area, and I’ve seen turkey, rabbits, quails,
coons, and even a couple rare snakes. The area
is home to the red cock-headed woodpecker, the
gopher tortoise, and the black pine snake, all
three of which are on the protected list, so
please respect these animals if you should see
them on or nearby the trails. Remember, you are
in their homes so treat them like they own the
place.
 If you decide to make a trip to the Little Tiger OHV area, you can buy supplies at one of the
nearby towns such as Laurel or Richton, but let
them know you came in to visit the trail system.
The local businesses need to realize just how
much these trails mean to their survival. The
local riders want to see more development of
trail in the area, and we are working on getting
around 100 miles of single track trails opened
for the OHM riders and possibly some of the area
opened to quads as well. All of this is
possible, but we need the participation of
everyone that rides the area and all that visit
it to push the local businesses. They will in
turn push the political powers, and the wave
will work its way to the ones that open and
close trails.
For directions to the trails, visit
www.smatva.com and click on the places to ride
link. There are other reviews and directions to
the trailhead on the Little Tiger link. I hope
everyone will come out and enjoy the woods of
the Deep South. See you on the trails. Until
next time, ride safe and keep the throttle
pinned!
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