Saving the Bookcliffs Trails

I just went out yesterday and did my usual trail maintenance and started looking for ways to
de-sanitize the paved road that the IMBA trail crew left behind last week on our technical xc trail.
The problem is how do you pull up 5' wide pieces of flagstone and put singletrack back where the 5'
wide IMBA bullbozer went through?

At least they're gone now...the bad thing is they brainwashed 30 people in the trailbuilding school
and now we may have an epidemic of people removing every obstacle and every hill/descent that's over
15% grade.

Mark

JD says:

Quoted message said:

Answer me this: How many of you think that altering a trail to make it easier or more difficult
when visiting an area is acceptable behavior?

Well, I'm off to Arcadia today to go play, since the girls are taking Glone away for a Mother's Day
day. I just hope no-one's messed with the parts I usually walk - I need the chance to slow
down........

Steve

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

I just went out yesterday and did my usual trail maintenance and started looking for ways to
de-sanitize the paved road that the IMBA trail crew left behind last week on our technical xc
trail. The problem is how do you pull up 5' wide pieces of flagstone and put singletrack back
where the 5' wide IMBA bullbozer went through?

At least they're gone now...the bad thing is they brainwashed 30 people in the trailbuilding
school and now we may have an epidemic of people removing every obstacle and every hill/descent
that's over 15% grade.

Mark

Yeah, i may be an IMBA member, but i don't exactly agree with their methods of "fixing trails".
should i go on a trail maintenance ride, i will not sanitise a trail. even now, if a fallen tree
looks used, i leave it there. i only fix things like hanging "widow-makers", or trim back bushes a
little for better visibility on tight corners. other than that, the usual stuff. raking out ruts,
fixing water blocks (can't remember what they are called). on anything i'm not sure if it is used as
an element of technicality, i leave, unless it poses a safety risk. and BTW, that last statement is
not what your thinking. what i am talking about is for instance, if a tree falls and gets used, i
will leave it. if it has lots of broken off branches that seem to pose the risk of impaling some
barney, i remove the branches and leave the tree if it is used.

Unfortunately, these old duffers on their ATVs find a tree and can't get over it, or don't want to
ride over it, so they hook the winch onto it and move it to the side. but, that's the trouble with
sharing trails with non-mountain bike traffic.

Some time, pending more financial backing, i intend to first get permission fro the land manager of
a ski slope (she doesn't own it, but she controls it) to build a bike specific trail on the
back-side of the "mountain" (it is actually a hill, contrary to the ski slopes name). but then, i
would also want to research what is possible to ride, and what can only be ridden in the imagination
(ie, 60' drop to an inclined landing full of boulders). that and get a group of other area bikers
involved to build something that everybody wants to ride. of course i would have to try and base the
trail on stable ground (hence the back- side) or it would only be ridable during the middle of the
year when it is dry.
--
~Travis

travis57 at megalink dot net megalink.net~farmersOpen ↗

I just went out yesterday and did my usual trail maintenance and started looking for ways to
de-sanitize the paved road that the IMBA trail crew left behind last week on our technical xc trail.
The problem is how do you pull up 5' wide pieces of flagstone and put singletrack back where the 5'
wide IMBA bullbozer went through?

At least they're gone now...the bad thing is they brainwashed 30 people in the trailbuilding school
and now we may have an epidemic of people removing every obstacle and every hill/descent that's over
15% grade.

Mark

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

Answer me this: How many of you think that altering a trail to make it easier or more difficult
when visiting an area is acceptable behavior?

A situation on the Bookcliffs right now involves just that. A few selfish bozos are altering
trails that have existed there for over eight years in an effort to "increase their fun". They
have built "kickers" throughout the Prime Cut and Kessel Run, widening the trails in the process
of their fun seeking and most illegal efforts. Yesterday, Troy and I spent three hours undoing
what they had done, as well as attending to a few problematic areas that required a little
attention as well.

We're being nice about it, for now. The encounter I had with these people today was almost funny.
They indicated that we tore the offensive alterations out because "you (Fruitians) can't handle
them". That was pure gold (if gold were [censored]). They also said, "people do it where we live"
which was highly juvenile, confirming the level of intelligence we are dealing with in this issue.
They also indicated that even if they stop doing it, others will follow. They were told that we
cross each bridge as they arrive in our path and have much more fight in us than one might think.

I like looking at it in several parallel lights. If someone dynamited a reef on a visit to the
North Shore of Oahu to make it more "rad" or "fun" in their eyes, I'd bet that there would be some
very [censored] of surfers out there looking for blood. If someone carved a few handholds in a piece
of rock on an established climbing route, just to make it more "fun" while on a visit to that
climb, I bet some local climbers would want to beat the [censored] out of them. If someone felt a river
was too dangerous to run and wanted to make it "safer", then dynamited a few boulders to do so,
wouldn't the land manager take action? Yes, the river dynamiting happened and the perpetrator got
busted for his illegal efforts. Altering natural resources or established trail systems is not
only selfish and lame, it's illegal.

Trail sanitizers are bad enough to deal with, placing helper rocks in technical trails and riding
around obstacles. An added attraction of ignorant do-gooders from the other side of the spectrum
is not a good thing. If you want to make a trail more "fun", design, get it approved, and make a
new trail that is more "fun" to you. Don't go drawing larger [censored] on the Mona Lisa just because
you think she'll look more "fun".

JD swinging a pick for everyone with a clue

I have to say, i agree with you fully.
--
~Travis

travis57 at megalink dot net megalink.net~farmersOpen ↗

JD said:

Answer me this: How many of you think that altering a trail to make it easier or more difficult
when visiting an area is acceptable behavior?

If you want to make a trail more "fun", design, get it approved, and make a new trail that is more
"fun" to you. Don't go drawing larger [censored] on the Mona Lisa just because you think she'll look
more "fun".

JD swinging a pick for everyone with a clue

Agreed.... Excellent analogy!!

Jimbo...keeping the [censored] real...(san)