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

[evdog]

Out again this afternoon. Perfect dirt. Re-benched a couple sections that became rutted, fixed a roller and cleaned out a bunch more drains. Bring on more rain!





The runout for this roller was beat. Big hole below the last rock followed by a trench. Need to build a berm after the runout. The one that was there has fallen apart.

[bonewrenched]

Christmas stoke!

Funny, I've had a Travis tool on order since June...still not here and my kids gave me one for Christmas obviously not knowing i had one backordered. Soon I'll have two to share with friends!

Love it. At first glance I thought it was hanging on your tree and was more impressed by the branch strength.

[babybear]

Christmas stoke!

Funny, I've had a Travis tool on order since June...still not here and my kids gave me one for Christmas obviously not knowing i had one backordered. Soon I'll have two to share with friends!

Awesome thought by the kids! I was thinking of getting a nice trail tool for Andrew for Christmas but he has a summer birthday so I opted to wait until then. It would be great to hear your take on the two and rec on which you prefer once you get a chance to use them this spring

[evdog]

Back out there today. Re-built a berm to open it up at the top end and then turn more sharply below. Also re-built a rock ramp into it. Dirt in the berm had moisture 2-3" down and below that was bone dry.

[jackstraw]

Awesome thought by the kids! I was thinking of getting a nice trail tool for Andrew for Christmas but he has a summer birthday so I opted to wait until then. It would be great to hear your take on the two and rec on which you prefer once you get a chance to use them this spring

Yeah, one son works for SC Mtn Trail Stewardship, so he's has learned a lot about trail building and the tools even though he's mostly an office guy. I'm pretty stoked about the Travis! Christmas night it snowed 2-3" otherwise I would have been able to use it right away. Based on last year, we went from fatbike to dirt three different times, so it may come out sooner than spring. Climate change doesn't exist tho [emoji849]

[jackstraw]

Nice dirt work Evdog! So much work for 1 second of your ride, but so worth it!

[evdog]

For sure, but worth the satisfaction of having a sweet trail rather than one that's an eroded mess. If we don't fix it now we're stuck with it for the next 10 months.


Out again yesterday and today trying to get drains cleared as we'll have lots of rain the rest of the week.

Yesterday re-worked this switchback that had water running onto it from above.



The trail from above is abandoned and closed but some riders insist on re-opening every time we block it, and they bust down the berm getting back on this switchback. Had to re-dig a trench behind it so water can escape. Threw a bunch of debris back on the trail above, will need to add lots more.




Today was mostly cleaning drains but also threw a bunch of dirt back on the entrance to this rock as a lot had worn away




There were a couple trails I hadn't been on since the last big storm so I took a walk just before dark. Had to laugh at this. The rock there is obviously super scary, so every once in a while riders will try to re-establish a ride-around below it. I despise lame cheater lines and widening trail so I keep blocking it with rocks and downed branches. Some one thought making a fence out of dead branches will work. I have my doubts but we'll see lol. Most likely I'll end up digging away the slope below it so they can't get back on the trail if they go low.

[jackstraw]

Happy to be back to dirt again so we can continue our new line. Buffed out little natural rock drop here.

[evdog]

More work the last few days. Continuing drainage work even though we have had our last rain for the foreseeable future


Also finished a few bigger projects. Yesterday I rebuilt the runout to the roller up top here which was rutted out. There's a B-line merging in from the left which always gets rutted as well; I cleaned it up so people don't keep widening it or create a cheater line to the B-line. Also had to re-establish a dip so water can cross the trail.




Spent most of today out there again. The entrance to this roller was starting to fall apart so we rebuilt and re-"mudded" it. If you dig a pit there is a super sticky clay in places here that is perfect for spots like this. It will bake in the sun and harden like cement.




Next mission was to fix up this section that was getting beat up. It hasn't been worked on since the trail was built ~10 yrs ago.




Same section, looking back up. There used to be a rock ramp here, but it fell apart over the last few years and the rocks were thrown aside. With the big boulder trying to grab your handlebar and the deepening hole and subsequent rut, this drop was getting pretty sketchy. The line people should be taking is to roll over the rock on the right side of the hole or air off it, but it's pretty intimidating with a blind landing you have to line up correctly so most people won't hit it.




The trail below that section originally was built to go up and over the boulder on the left. But so many people have been taking the cheater line through the gap the original line is barely noticeable and its entrance getting chewed away




Finished ramp, 3 rows of rocks at middle bottom of the shot.




A rider came through and popped off the diving board rock rather than use the ramp.

Only one guy came down and complained we were ruining the trail by making it easier. He was shown the diving board line (which hasn't changed) and the roller below. Instead he took the ramp and the cheater line through the gap




We cleaned up the rut and built a berm at the bottom of the line that leads into the rock roll on the left. The base of the berm is a 5-foot long slab that required a rock bar to move. The cheater line is the gap on the right. Riders can still roll over the berm and hit that gap. But at least now the berm will show people that rock roll exists. A lot of riders didn't seem to be aware of it.




Finally we guinea pigged a new roller above the rock ramp. There isn't an entrance to get onto it yet but that will be added soon.

[toast2266]

^^^ nice! That all looks super fun. I love trails like that with a bunch of little bonus lines on the sides.

[jackstraw]

Nice job fixing that. I love when jabronis who don't do any trail work bitch about people making it 'easier' and have no clue wtf they're talking about.

I find that people always head for the low spot when trying to avoid an obstacle when the reality is it's actually more difficult, well maybe not more difficult, but shittier with greater odds of pedal striking or smashing your derailleur.

[grskier]

Nice job fixing that. I love when jabronis who don't do any trail work bitch about people making it 'easier' and have no clue wtf they're talking about.

I find that people always head for the low spot when trying to avoid an obstacle when the reality is it's actually more difficult, well maybe not more difficult, but shittier with greater odds of pedal striking or smashing your derailleur.

Wish I could vote up the proper use of the term jabroni.

[XXX-er]

I looked at the 1st post on this and it was 9 yrs ago, at least around here shit has changed, people get paid to make trails

[evdog]

^^^ The people around here who get paid to build trails tend to have an "I know what's best" attitude and build stuff that isn't much fun to ride.

Nice job fixing that. I love when jabronis who don't do any trail work bitch about people making it 'easier' and have no clue wtf they're talking about.

I find that people always head for the low spot when trying to avoid an obstacle when the reality is it's actually more difficult, well maybe not more difficult, but shittier with greater odds of pedal striking or smashing your derailleur.

Yeah the rock ramp that we built isn't actually the best most direct line, that is the diving board rock if you can commit to it. To ride the ramp you need to slow down and duck and weave a bit so you don't clock your shoulder on the boulder to rider's right.

The "you're ruining it" guy rode through again today while I was working. Didn't say a word. I watched him and he hit every single cheater line and B-line possible until he was out of sight. He had a jersey on with "ENDURO" in huge letters.


Not much time today but I got out there for a couple hours. Fixed a few spots then built a berm below a rock roll. There used to be a berm in place but the dirt sucks and over time it broke down so we were left with a flat sandy turn that sucked. Now there is just enough to bite into and carry a bit of speed around the corner.




When I stopped by to retrieve tools I took a couple more shots of the berm from yesterday

From above. Berm isn't really needed to make the turn but it sure leads you visually to the right line. Looks like most riders are now hitting the roller rather than the gap.




I did add some goal posts, since going too far left won't end well




From below. That rock isn't going anywhere

[jackstraw]

Nice! I noticed the berm earlier as a direction marker.

My kid is involved in California sanctioned building and the rules are quite strict in SC county. The trails are dumbed down significantly. They do some private builds also which are obviously more fun, but most are tied to the state/County.

[XXX-er]

Around here trails get built to the whistler bike park standard, sketchy stunts got taken down and the gov gives out money, if they are dangling half a million in front of a mtn bike association the tendancy is to follow the money

I should add that most of the trails are on crown land and so where a lot of ghetto stuff got built built 20 yrs ago its much less possible to fly under the wire anymore when the BC Gov guy responsible is often a mtn bikerc

[evdog]

Nice job fixing that. I love when jabronis who don't do any trail work bitch about people making it 'easier' and have no clue wtf they're talking about.

I find that people always head for the low spot when trying to avoid an obstacle when the reality is it's actually more difficult, well maybe not more difficult, but shittier with greater odds of pedal striking or smashing your derailleur.

I've seen said jabroni out a couple more times lately while I've been working. First time I saw him ride a good stretch of trail and take every single available ride around and b-line. The second time I got to thinking and pulled out the phone. Long distance grainy vid captured his innovative quick-dismount technique for this one boulder roll. Once he turns left immediately after that is where he called us out for making the trail easier. If I see him again at that spot he's definitely getting called out. So should we build a ramp down from that boulder, since ya can't seem to ride it???

[evdog]

Went out this afternoon with a bottle of biodegradable graffiti remover to test.


Before, with spray applied




After letting sit for 10min and some scrubbing. Not the best result, but instructions suggest pressure washing to remove residue. Not really possible out here. I may try a spray bottle and see if that helps at all. At very least the grey is less obnoxious than what it looked like before.




While I waited, I started digging. Didn't take a before pic but this was a tricky section with a flat, sandy corner leading into a rock-ramp that is off camber from the boulder you roll over, and you need to turn slight left at the top.




Found some nice rock nearby to bury and help support the berm. The dirt isn't very good here so it needs all the help it can get.




I thought I might be making it too easy, but aiming the berm at this trajectory brings rider's shoulder and head seemingly very close to the boulder. Probably closer than actuality. But definitely adds a different dimension to this section.

[schuss]

Question mostly for jackstraw (as he knows NH surfaces) from a jong at trailbuilding - What's the best way to set a surface? I raked out some lines in my woods and tamped them with a metal tamper as well as rode them, but are there other things I should be doing to get a proper trail surface? Should I till, add soil or both? Just making a small, mellow track in my woods (acreish on mostly flat in relatively mature majority deciduous forest) so I can let the kids have fun with minimal supervision.

[raisingarizona13]

I've seen said jabroni out a couple more times lately while I've been working. First time I saw him ride a good stretch of trail and take every single available ride around and b-line. The second time I got to thinking and pulled out the phone. Long distance grainy vid captured his innovative quick-dismount technique for this one boulder roll. Once he turns left immediately after that is where he called us out for making the trail easier. If I see him again at that spot he's definitely getting called out. So should we build a ramp down from that boulder, since ya can't seem to ride it???

I don't listen to the naysayers any longer. Most people complaining are the ones that don't do any trail work anyways. I got into this work because I'm a mountain biker but now I feel that the mountain biking trail user segment is often the most annoying and besides, after riding for 36 years and doing trail work for over 20 now I know that I'll watch a lot of em come and then go.

I thrive on the tears of mountain bikers crying over the removal of "that one rock" or the 2 foot Napoleon Dynamite jump to flat.

[jackstraw]

Question mostly for jackstraw (as he knows NH surfaces) from a jong at trailbuilding - What's the best way to set a surface? I raked out some lines in my woods and tamped them with a metal tamper as well as rode them, but are there other things I should be doing to get a proper trail surface? Should I till, add soil or both? Just making a small, mellow track in my woods (acreish on mostly flat in relatively mature majority deciduous forest) so I can let the kids have fun with minimal supervision.

Yeah, we just rake. Hard rake the big debris first, then fine rake if necessary. The trails I build get ridden quite a bit, so the surface gets packed by riding. That's all we do...well, for the soil aspect anyway. So with your kids it may take some time to pack that down unfortunately. Keep scraping with a hard rake will expedite the process...or invite a couple hundred of your closest mtn bike friend over to ride it in

I will say when laying out a new trail here, because of the mulch bed, it's best to run the line. When you initially ride the line it will obviously be slow and will become much faster in time. Running it while building will give you a much better idea on how to shape the corners. Always think you'll be going faster and widen that turn a hair. Of course trees come into play, but that's EC riding. My absolute worst builds are unnecessary brake checks. It is the worst part of being a trail builder when riding your own trails. I've fixed many, but have several more to fix.

[schuss]

Yeah, we just rake. Hard rake the big debris first, then fine rake if necessary. The trails I build get ridden quite a bit, so the surface gets packed by riding. That's all we do...well, for the soil aspect anyway. So with your kids it may take some time to pack that down unfortunately. Keep scraping with a hard rake will expedite the process...or invite a couple hundred of your closest mtn bike friend over to ride it in

I will say when laying out a new trail here, because of the mulch bed, it's best to run the line. When you initially ride the line it will obviously be slow and will become much faster in time. Running it while building will give you a much better idea on how to shape the corners. Always think you'll be going faster and widen that turn a hair. Of course trees come into play, but that's EC riding. My absolute worst builds are unnecessary brake checks. It is the worst part of being a trail builder when riding your own trails. I've fixed many, but have several more to fix.

Thanks, that's what I though might be the case, but wanted to confirm. Definitely feel you on the wide corners. I'll be expanding in spring/summer, so at that point might see about adding berms and rollers of a sort, but want to just get the layout right first before committing to bigger digging. Though honestly the biggest challenge is making sure I have all the old trash out as basically all of NH seems to have been a garbage dump at some point.

[geomorph]

New trails in NH are slow as shit. Gotta get through the top O horizon of the soil, either with vigorous raking or repeated rides. Once you get down to the sand/silt/rocks and through the organic layer is when it has fully developed. Riding it in is more funner and easier on the hands.

[jackstraw]

Though honestly the biggest challenge is making sure I have all the old trash out as basically all of NH seems to have been a garbage dump at some point.

I know, it's quite strange. The Pease trails have an old dump in one area. It's disgusting. The amount of broken glass on the surface is disheartening. I cannot imagine how the wildlife avoid cutting the paws/hooves whatever wide open. I wish the PDA would go in there and clean it up. I also think a lot of trash just gets blown in the wind and the leaves bury it...year after year. I have certainly pulled a lot of trash out of the woods over the years building trails. I'm not sure it offsets the damage I've created in the woods by building trails. There's a fine line and I do struggle sometimes with disrupting habitat. Not on purpose or knowingly, but I know I'm messing with nature and the natural order of things. But hey, the deer definitely love our trails! We see their tracks all the time.

[evdog]

I don't listen to the naysayers any longer. Most people complaining are the ones that don't do any trail work anyways. I got into this work because I'm a mountain biker but now I feel that the mountain biking trail user segment is often the most annoying and besides, after riding for 36 years and doing trail work for over 20 now I know that I'll watch a lot of em come and then go.

I thrive on the tears of mountain bikers crying over the removal of "that one rock" or the 2 foot Napoleon Dynamite jump to flat.

I hear you on complainers and generally ignore them as well. This guy was notable because he complained then you see him riding around all the hard stuff as he rides away.

Also agreed on MTBers being annoying as a group. I'd add the word entitled.

Speaking of "that one rock," I've been removing some of them lately because of the trail widening they always lead to here. This used to be narrow singletrack, but a rock starts to poke out of the dirt and all of a sudden people have to take the low line around it, doubling the trail width. But remove it, and someone will get outraged for dumbing down the trail. lol