I used to dread going to trail workdays, they're not easy, I always go home sore and head straight for the ibuprofen bottle. Yet I still went because there was always a certain satisfaction when the job was completed. Now I go to trail workdays and I actually look forward to them. I still walk away sore and looks for the pain meds as soon as I walk in the door at home but I always have a smile on my face and look forward to the next workday.
Now that Chestnut is pretty much finished I'll admit I was dreading starting the task of fixing Big Oak. I knew it wasn't going to be easy and I'll admit I'm still a little on the fence about how well our plan will work but I do know that if it doesn't anything will be better than the swamp that was there and I know we'll keep plugging away at it until we find a solution that does work.
Our trails coordinator identified 2 or 3 natural springs that were feeding directly into the trough that we called the trail and instead of draining off it was staying put right smack dab in the middle of the trail causing a huge mess. Instead of moving the trail to higher ground we are exploring other options by request of several local riders who for some reason have grown fond of this area. I'm not really sure what attracts them but we're going to give it a go and see what happens.
Several spots we were able to knock the edge off the trough and drain the water and then going back in a filling in the lower sections.
As for the natural springs we dug a channel and routed the water across the trail and down the hill like it should. Then we added rock to keep this flow going in the right direction.
This job will definitely call for more rock armoring that we've seen at any other trail at Bays Mountain. Last Saturday several of us did nothing but hunt for rocks worthy of trail armoring. Armed with a wheel barrow and a keen eye for all things stoney we paved several feet of the trail with large rocks.
I'm sure you've probably already heard about the fundraiser tonight at Texas Roadhouse in Johnson City hosted by our local mountain bike club, NTMBA, or now known officially as SORBA Tri-Cities. Come out and enjoy dinner with like minded folks and present the flyer above to your waiter. 10% of your bill goes to the club and our quest to purchase a trail machine. Trail machine = more trails, and more trails built quickly. Who doesn't like trails? People who don't like trails should be drug out into the streets and whipped with a dead rabbit. You don't want to be beaten with a dead rabbit do you?
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