Beware the Stumps

[OddTrickStar]

On a recent ride through Black Run I came across a 10" high stump right in the middle of the red trail. Didn't notice it until after taking inventory of my busted ribs and thumb caused by the same stump sending me over the bars. Nicely camouflaged by the leaves pushed up around it. It was all but impossible to see.

I am in no way stating that the woods and trails need to be obstruction free but this is a total fail on the party doing the trail maintenance. This was 2-3" tree growing in the middle of the trail that you went around on either side. Somebody cut it down, covered it in leaves and left it to cause a hazard whether intentional or not.

I have disarmed some half buried sharpened sticks and boards with nails in various places within Black Run also. A few of each in the last year.

 

[jackx]

sorry to hear about your crash. 🙁 hope you heal up soon.

thanks for the reminder to be vigilant on the trails, especially there.

 

[OddTrickStar]

I should have updated this thread long ago. The obstruction that caused my wreck on that day was a booby trap not a cut off stump. TBH, I was injured and beyond pissed off. Went back and inspected the trail, where it happened, the next day. No tree stump but I found the soft spot where the piece of wood had been inserted in the ground right in the middle of the trail. Somebody must have removed it and smoothed it over.

Another detail about that day that has had me wondering ever since. Immediately after I hit the ground I heard a female voice ask “Are you OK”. I was on the ground hurt, maybe even a bit of shock, and answered “no”. All I saw was her feet and another set of feet that appeared male. Closed my eyes for a moment, opened them and they were gone, nowhere to be seen. Can only speculate.

I volunteered in this preserve multiple times before then. It was when I started to learn that there are hikers that want to exclude bikes from the trails. Before I got caught in this one I had found and disarmed other booby traps, mostly buried pointed sticks and a couple cords tied across trails at neck height. Stayed out of the woods bike-wise for years after this. That’s some evil shit trying to hurt other trail users because you don’t like them.

 

[JDurk]

Glad to hear that you weren't hurt more seriously. But I'm willing to assume that since BRP has been recognized as a multi-user location by the township and has regular TM with support from a JORBA chapter, that type of sabotage is in the past. 8 years and 2 months is a long time ago. Purely speculation, but was hunting permitted in there back then?

 

[tankhead]

Holy crap!!
W
T
F

Crazy town

 

[tankhead]

I just started riding there late last year and have been a total of 3 times. Very crowded. Rode on a Saturday with a group last time and the “leader “ was a good dude named Mark (?) local guy as was the rest of the group. Didn’t go back though cause of my rib problem.

 

[OddTrickStar]

I’ve ridden there some since I got back on my bike last year. Haven’t seen anything like that since, thankfully. It’s a good place to go but there was definitely some things like this going on back then.

I don’t think hunting has ever been allowed there, at least for a long while.