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Sanitizing trails


TheX
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I didn't want to thread jack the BCGB thread. Out doing a few laps at Walnut this morning, and came across a spot on Windy that pissed me off. Doing the loop CCW, starting at the west most entrance. Just before the second rocky climb (the first being by the water), there is a spot with a big root that runs down the center of the trail for about 4 feet or so. If you're not paying attention, it can mess with you if you aren't familiar with it. Well...NOT ANYMORE! The root is completely gone, and the whole section is smoot and easy. It wasn't hard to being with. That had to take some work to do. It was still there Saturday, but on Monday it's gone.

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14 minutes ago, TheX said:

I should have stopped for pics.

Nobody has time for photos. STRAVA! 

We really have become a group of folks with a lot of very specific concerns. 

Modify trails you didn't build? Asshole.

Cut a branch (face slapper)? Hero.

Cut a branch incorrectly? Asshole. 

Join an official work day? Hero.

Head down non-waver? Asshole.

Cut a root? Asshole.

Do a good job fixing a mud hole? Hero.

Not wearing a helmet? Dumbass.

Oblivious headphone wearers? Assholes.

Newbz or short timers with no group to let them know the rules? Assholes. 

 

But I haven't gotten my head around the scree rakers. I've seen a bit of this at Walnut over the last few months. It's particularly evident on Doghead loop, but also going up Tangle. Is this a good thing or bad thing? I can't decide. 

 

 

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I guess that's also my thought on scree rakers. I ain't raking scree, but I ain't complaining if you do it. 

 

And every time leaf blowing comes up, I have to tell the story of the guy in Rochester who had a trail zamboni. Dude had an old bike with a leaf blower attached on the front and rear. It was awesome and worked great. We removed leaves in the northeast because we had a lot of leaf fall and a lot of rain. We found the trails dried much faster without leaves. So we removed them.  

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Regarding scree raking or even moving good size rocks off the main trail, I'm a pragmatist.  If you don't rake the scree off the main trail people will widen the trail.  Same with face slappers or a loose rock in the middle of the trail.  It's not quite like golf's "play it as it lays" (or whatever that saying is...I don't do golf).  This is the kind of stuff I was asking @GreenMTBrider on the Brushy trail.  Some of the 1/4 Notch trails are wide for no reason other than people not wanting to ride on scree.  My desire was to move the scree in such a way as to define the outline better but I wanted to get approval for it.

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Rode slaughter creek preserve saturday and the two small ledges/steps on the upper mesa area BOTH had rocks stacked to get up what was at most a 12" lip. Funny thing is to the left of the stacktackular is a B line that my wife can do with her eyes closed. 

People are strange 

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Speaking of sanitizing, someone put some dirt to ramp down across Walnut creek on the single track that runs from the NCWT just east of mopac to the next NCWT bridge (#3).  Couple of days later we encountered some electric -uniwheel riders on that trail. Coincidence? I guess we have that to look forward to. Probably can't get those things wet. I did trim some face slappers on that trail a few weeks ago.  Maybe made it too inviting. 

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I see scree as just another trail feature. Similar to when riding 1/4 Notch and a big rock flips over to center of trail, that rock now becomes a feature for the next person. Same thing when I come across a big rock right in the middle of the trail, I just treat it as if it's always been there and ride over it.

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I've noticed at Brushy when it's dry there is a ton of scree that winds up on the trail but after a really hard rain it seems that the scree gets carried away. The trails actually do need a good hard rain. The dust is like talcum powder and all the buried rocks are getting polished smooth making it almost as bad as wet limestone.

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