Dig stoke, who else likes to play in the dirt???

[Andeh]

Yeah... the local shop owner's 16 year old shredder son regularly complains about corners on the local trails get "clapped out" (mostly from him "schralping" them excessively because that's what's cool on Instagram). We tell him, "you know where we stash the tools." Silence.

If I'm in a good rhythm and branches / eucalyptus bark strips are in the trail but don't interfere with my line, I'll just ride past. But once one of them is, I'll stop and move them, and all the rest of them below it. Once you have to stop once, may as well take out the rest of the trash.

[LeeLau]

I'm not diminishing any of your concerns and realize they're venting. God knows I do that too.

I get random strangers and friends of mine who I know don't do trailwork offering "feedback" or imparting the someone should do some thing .... schtick.


When the feedback is negative sure it sucks but I try to remember that I do trailwork for me. Because I find it fun. And it it stops being fun then I can always move on to other things that are fun.

Anyhow tldr. Definitely hear you all.

[californiagrown]

Easier nature dumps?

Deeper poo holes for those REALLY stinky dumps:

[jackstraw]

Well yesterday was super fun with a devastating end.

This up and over was a BB grind that we never fixed properly until today.

Tweaked the rocks beforehand for a little jump into it.

Then this...fuck me!
Entrance to the network

[californiagrown]

Oh No!!

Is there a new landowner, or did the current one just have a change of heart about access? Is the whole network on that person's/entity's property?

[LeeLau]

Oh jackstraw that sucks

[CS]

That yard looks ridiculously fun. Did you import the dirt? Doesn't look like you dug down much, if at all.

Yeah, most all of it was brought in. From any free source I could find. So I have a lot of varieties of dirt. I only dug down 2 transitions in the doubles.

[toast2266]

Yeah, most all of it was brought in. From any free source I could find. So I have a lot of varieties of dirt. I only dug down 2 transitions in the doubles.

Nice. Makes for a clean looking yard!

[jackstraw]

Oh No!!

Is there a new landowner, or did the current one just have a change of heart about access? Is the whole network on that person's/entity's property?

So, yeah we've obviously been aware of this potentially happening. The land abuts an old railroad that was just approved for a rail trail and in typical New England coastal fashion, there are 20+ lots spanning three towns within the network. Many landlocked, but this one guy owns the bulk of them and he passed away in 2016 I believe. Then it went into a family trust which is never a good thing and here we are today.

What is annoying is that they posted it. Now the mtb network has become much busier over time and there is no formal parking spot. There is a dirt pull off for maybe three-four cars, but then people were parking on the sides of the roads. This definitely was drawing attention and since COVID most people have been walkers out there. The mtn biking is really difficult, so the walkers are more popular than the bikers. They haven't even closed on the sale and are very far from the first bulldozer, so I just don't get the no trespassing signs. Its a place for people to go for a walk right now and everyone needs a release. There is no liability in NH for open land according to my attorney bud who I ride with, so why post it?

[jackstraw]

My friend just finished his first trail at my work lunch spot. Another .5 miles! Pretty psyched for an addition that I didn't build!

This tree was lined up perfectly. Little chainsaw work and she's good to go. The tree on the left is inches away which adds another challenge to riding it. Super fun! Still need to add exit/entrance ramp at other end.

[californiagrown]

My friend just finished his first trail at my work lunch spot. Another .5 miles! Pretty psyched for an addition that I didn't build!

This tree was lined up perfectly. Little chainsaw work and she's good to go. The tree on the left is inches away which adds another challenge to riding it. Super fun! Still need to add exit/entrance ramp at other end.

I hate riding skinnies soooo much, but everytime i see a downed tree i just start imagining all the cool ways it could get implemented as a skinny into the trail haha.

And yes, its not that i suck at riding skinnys, its that i suck at riding and the skinnys prove it.

[jackstraw]

I hate riding skinnies soooo much, but everytime i see a downed tree i just start imagining all the cool ways it could get implemented as a skinny into the trail haha.

And yes, its not that i suck at riding skinnys, its that i suck at riding and the skinnys prove it.

It's not that I'm good, I just enjoy it! I like low consequence skinnies. Just need to work on ditching by wheelieing (I've never spelled that word...is it one!?) off or hoping off. Practice helps, but I'll never be close to a Danny MacAskill! Tire pressure makes a difference as well as the bike if you're taking it next level.

There was a fat flat one in Santa Cruz that I could definitely clean, but the fall was too far into a wet rock garden. No way!

[jackstraw]

This is some brand new stuff going on close to me. I don't know the builders, but I hear their young. And from the looks of it they're probably young, but damn hard workers.

Not my vid

https://vimeo.com/421064589

[LeeLau]

Loam berms

[toast2266]

This is some brand new stuff going on close to me. I don't know the builders, but I hear their young. And from the looks of it they're probably young, but damn hard workers.

Not my vid

https://vimeo.com/421064589

That looks fun. And yeah - they put some serious effort into that.

[californiagrown]

This is some brand new stuff going on close to me. I don't know the builders, but I hear their young. And from the looks of it they're probably young, but damn hard workers.

Not my vid

https://vimeo.com/421064589

Thats awesome. Looks super well built, and took a lot of manpower. I love when a big build looks polished and sculpted and despite there being a ton of earth work, the footprint is small. I don't care if youre into MTB or not. Any person who had hotwheels as a kid, or an imaginations should think a trail like that is pretty cool.

[brannen]

went to the desert. brought a rake and shovel.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4VVHPGTVhc

[jackstraw]

Local kids build right in the middle of the elementary school parking lot! Love seeing stuff like this

[jackstraw]

Worked on my first sanctioned trail with 3 others that I've never built with today. It's kind of a mess because of so many potential features on the downs that all we essentially built was a playground off the main (nonexistent quite yet) trail. It was quite comical. We decided to start from the "start" next time instead of features in the middle of the trail. Spent most of the time working the "up" which is a pretty good grind.

[LeeLau]

One area

[LeeLau]

Another area

[toast2266]

Moved rocks last night.

Early in the process



Mostly finished (still needs a bunch of dirt work).

[LeeLau]

Moved rocks last night.

Early in the process



Mostly finished (still needs a bunch of dirt work).

Holy cow. Next level

[toast2266]

Holy cow. Next level

The whole trail is a fun little project. Semi-uninteresting terrain that we're trying to make more interesting with rock work (since there's a ton of fairly move-able rock in the vicinity).

[LeeLau]

The whole trail is a fun little project. Semi-uninteresting terrain that we're trying to make more interesting with rock work (since there's a ton of fairly move-able rock in the vicinity).

You're killing me with this! Reminds me of videos of the Captain Ahab build. I'm working sidehill in a spot of deep organic loam with lots of roots and random glacial erratics. It'd be great to have telekinesis to move some of those erratics into the massive holes I'm excavating but till then it's dreaming of chains, come-alongs and mostly just trundling rocks downhill and hoping they land in place