Karate Monkey
Well-Known Member
I mean, it's still there, it's just at the bottom of the hill, is all.
Hartshorne/Huber Conditions
- Thread starter jerzey111
- Start date
I mean, it's still there, it's just at the bottom of the hill, is all.
mwlikesbikes
Well-Known Member
The hairpin was definitely there first. The fall line route came after by the people that think Harts is a downhill park.
A tree fell down right at the hairpin last year that blocked it and now you have to trials around it.
oh.. I beg to differ Mickey. The trail used to always be the fall line ever since I have been riding there. When it got to washed out they built the reroute with the hairpin turn on it. I am sure I can get backup here from the Regular locals... right guys????
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knobbyhead
Next off the Island.
Yes, the tree fell on the reroute.
Yup...the fall line route was there in the '90s
mwlikesbikes
Well-Known Member
I seem to remember the trail going straight down where the hairpin is now in early ‘90s.
In any case I think the fall line route has to go.
In any case I think the fall line route has to go.
mwlikesbikes
Well-Known Member
Maybe we need chainsaw guy back one more time...
TimBay
Well-Known Member
How many of you are registered MCPS volunteers? Since there's no Jorba allowed, maybe if enough of us sign up, we can push for TM sessions and can have a say in what's done. Otherwise it'll just be more fireroad repairs with a sprinkling of mud spot fixes. Unfortunately, there's no TM without the MCPS mafia involvement and they require all to be signed up as volunteers probably for liability purposes. Maybe I'll start a thread in here about that...stay tuned.
SmooveP
Well-Known Member
I'd sooner gnaw through it with my own teeth.
@TimBay
I am a volunteer for MCPS...for a number of years I was a trail crew leader and did the training classes for all of the new volunteers as well, but have not been on a crew for about 3 years or so (as life sometimes gets in the way). It's not that there is a MCPS mafia, but the goals of the MCPS and the different user groups don't always align with what we the MTB user group think needs to be addressed. They are understaffed and underfunded, and their priorities aren't necessarily ours...it's not a bad thing, it just is.
I petitioned for changes for years when I was more involved (I was in the winter planning meetings, etc. I even advocated right after Superstorm Sandy while the park was "officially" closed to take that opportunity to shut down some of the blown out trails such as Grand Tour up to the water tower and build some more sustainable re-routes, but there was no appetite from the park system to do it). I would absolutely come back in to the fold and put more hours into the parks, but I would like to see newer, more modern and sustainable trail building techniques used instead of just adding old tech like water bars. Hartshorne and Huber Woods are my local parks, I ride from home to ride them and it is where I learned to mountain bike. I've been riding them since 1990 and still feel there is a lot of opportunity to improve all of the user experiences for those that ride/hike/run in our county parks.
Remember that time I stopped and climbed over the tree at the hairpin turn only to realize it went through the turn and 2 steps later climbed back over to trail. Funny stuff
Karate Monkey
Well-Known Member
I'm also a volunteer. I also work on Saturdays. The problem is, as the JORBA leaders could attest to, is that the park [system] is not willing to accept outside help. It's not a new problem, and it seems unlikely to change unless there is some serious leadership change in the MCPS. Note, I'm not bashing the MCPS--they do the best they can with their, frankly, limited resources--but if a group of accredited trail builders/maintainers can't get them to listen (much less do work in the park), the best we have to hope for is two beat-backs of the bushiest trail during the summer, and some water bars thrown in on laurel ridge. Occasionally, the rangers will remove fallen trees, but even the particularly bad one (for the trail, which is currently sliding down hill from people botching the log-over) on Rocky Point is still there. Something like a month? It's a 6" tree, and doesn't even require careful removal, as it would probably slide downhill if someone cut it at the top. It's what, 1,000 feet from the road?
TimBay
Well-Known Member
That's why I suggest others volunteering. It would be inside help. If we can get enough of us on the roster and they don't listen, I'm willing to put time in going above their heads to the county and town governments. To let them know that there are a lot of properly registered volunteers looking to focus time and energy on the county's most popular park to the benefit of all. But I'd like to go to them with some numbers and specifics. Lets create the resource they need to clean up the trails. I bet there's a dozen registered volunteers on here and a few dozen more who ride harts that could register. Thats a lot of people. Worth trying something or why bother complaining, right? I doubt we'll change their stance on jorba or their restriction on outside TM. So why not join and make it work from the inside?
TimBay
Well-Known Member
That's why I suggest others volunteering. It would be inside help. If we can get enough of us on the roster and they don't listen, I'm willing to put time in going above their heads to the county and town governments. To let them know that there are a lot of properly registered volunteers looking to focus time and energy on the county's most popular park to the benefit of all. But I'd like to go to them with some numbers and specifics. Lets create the resource they need to clean up the trails. I bet there's a dozen registered volunteers on here and a few dozen more who ride harts that could register. Thats a lot of people. Worth trying something or why bother complaining, right? I doubt we'll change their stance on jorba or their restriction on outside TM. So why not join and make it work from the inside?
This is why id like to see others in the mtb community register. I dont mean to be harsh on the park system and am sure it's partly govt nonsense that creates their restrictive TM policies. But if we get some numbers from our community and have an experienced leader like yourself willing to oversee the sessions, why not let us do it? We're not looking to build pump tracks and doubles, just better trail conditions. But first we need people signed up. It's free
TimBay
Well-Known Member
Yeah. But there's a difference between saying "I want, I want... you need to fix our free trail system you lazy bums" vs "I have a large number of able bodied people registered and willing to do this for the park.
Let us do our own TM sessions or add them to the calendar. " btw you can register as a volunteer and not even have to actually do anything. This would support the numbers argument and, if you ever did want to help out, you'd be registered with the park system, making you able to do it.
There are already quite a few registered volunteers. Set up some TM dates to address the problem areas talked about. We all want the same thing, see if you can make it happen.
TimBay
Well-Known Member
That's exactly what I'm trying to do. I created a thread to see who's a volunteer or becomes one. Id like to say I have "x amount of people from the community registered including @rottin' who is an experienced trail leader. If we pick a date for our own TM with our registered volunteers, will you allow us to get out there and do it? If not, what red tape do we need to worry about?" It would also be cool to say that their influx of volunteers this month are all from out community.