Hartshorne/Huber Conditions
- Thread starter jerzey111
- Start date
Mountain Bike Mike
Well-Known Member
Rain last night...
Anyone get out to Huber / Hartshorne today? If so, how is it?
Anyone get out to Huber / Hartshorne today? If so, how is it?
wonderturtle
Well-Known Member
huber....
that hill on the "fox hollow" trail is bombed out...again. totally eroded. rebuilt twice already in the last year.
rode hartshorne yesterday evening...
the condition of "rocky point" is ridiculous. just simply unreal how this trail is literally falling apart before our eyes. "devils elbow" in particular is unbelievably bad...again, just rebuilt within the last year but now worse than ever by a FAR margin.
the switchback hill connecting grand tour to rocky point can certainly use a lot of work
the sandy/rocky hill on Laurel Ridge is worse than ever.
counterclockwise on grand tour, the first 1/4 mile or so of singletrack from the log bench has numerous deep sand pits that need to get raked.
and holy crap, the watertower hill is unreal!
sorry to bitch but it makes me VERY MAD to see these trails get neglected the way they do. the parks system allows what 6 hours a year for volunteers to fix the problems?!?! meanwhile the erosion damage is getting worse at an EXPONENTIAL RATE!!!
just as mad, frankly, I am heartbroken to watch the condition of these trails deteriorate like this.
see y'all Saturday at TM :cry: I PRAY they let us re-route some of these trails (if not Saturday, then SOON). some of these trails segments are beyond repair. having volunteers rebuild these sections TIME and TIME again when we all know they will be washed out AGAIN after the first major storm is .... well.... let's just say it doesnt make me very happy.
***my rant aside - was bone dry last night - based on that and the amount of rain we got I think it is safe to say the trails are good to go***
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RobW
Well-Known Member
It's very sad indeed, way too much traffic there for only allotting 6 hours a year
Did a H & H ride this am. Like WT says the whole place is a washout.. Even worse from last nite's rain. Big washout holes after the waterbars so please keep your head up going down over them, really bad at Huber. The rain did help fill in some of the Devils Elbow ruts and the sand was firm. other then that go ride and have fun..
wonderturtle
Well-Known Member
with the rate of erosion accelerating at a signficant rate, the trails are only going to get progressively worse.
hartshorne used to be wonderfully flowey. the challenge was the grade...not the trail, the trails used to be butter. fast and flowy with some nice leg burning hills thrown in.
but now?! that Hartshorne is gone IMHO.
there are so many VERY ERODED sections that require the less skilled/ballsy riders to dismount...time and time again. so a place that used to be a wonderful challenge for new riders (or the less ballsy) is quickly becoming a place where various sections are unrideable to all but the more skilled/ballsy (e.g., the water tower hill is what I imagine a highly technical downhill course would be). not knowing how bad it got I went down it and ended up walking a signficant part of it last night....huuuuge ruts, BIG drops. just not the type of riding I enjoy. that section used to be FUN to go down. not now, for me.
some may not see this as a problem (e.g., the stronger folks may love the fact that hartshorne has become far more technical/difficult) but its simply not the fast-flowy Hartshorne I used to love. and its making the park (or at least portions of it) unrideable to a growing proportion of mountain bikers . its a real shame.
I personally dont even enjoy Hartshorne anymore. i really dont. until MCPS figures out how to properly take care of these trails (having their staff maintain the trails and/or allowing the volunteers to work on the trails FAR more than the once or twice a year) I'll continue to stick to Huber (which isnt as bad) and Allaire. nonetheless I'll be there tmrw morning
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Mountain Bike Mike
Well-Known Member
Damn... Sorry I asked...
All that said, I'm bringing the Alll Mountain / DH bike tonight.. I may be slow but I'll be well equipped with enough suspension to handle what Wonderturtle reported.
All that said, I'm bringing the Alll Mountain / DH bike tonight.. I may be slow but I'll be well equipped with enough suspension to handle what Wonderturtle reported.
wonderturtle
Well-Known Member
I would bet a kidney that re-routing is not gonna happen. They'll probably just just have us re-build stuff that was rebuilt last time and do some unnecessary work on segments of trail that don't need attention while leaving some of the really bad parts unaddressed.
Sorry...am I being too negative (or just painfully realistic)?
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No I have been to some of the TM sessions unfortunately I think you are dead nuts on...
RobW
Well-Known Member
No, I rode it tonight. There is a ton of work to be done, all of the downhill sections are rutted, it's a big mess. But I call it a challenge.
Mountain Bike Mike
Well-Known Member
I thoroughly enjoyed the challenge.. there was only one or two times we were climbing where I was like - "damn, this sh!t is washed out, now I see what wonderturntle meant".. But overall, the park still rocks... Great tech sections, excellent flow, super tech /fun descents. I wish I lived closer to it so I can rode it all the time. IMO - its the best central Jersey park for training and tech riding.
RobW
Well-Known Member
Wanna buy a house!? I know someone selling one.
wonderturtle
Well-Known Member
Glad you liked it but this is kinda my point. You mentioned "tech" 3 times. Hartshorne is NOT a technical place...or shouldn't be.
The ONLY reason hartshorne now has "tech" sections is due to the neglect. The "tech" sections were created, and remain, due to the uncorrected erosion and the numerous downed trees that stay for months (or longer). That's NOT what hartshorne is (or was)....if it was maintained.
Other places like sourlands, for example, are NATURALLY technical....and that's great....that's what it is supposed to be. But that's not what hartshorne was... Hartshorne used to be a nontechnical flow fest with hills to keep you honest.
Not picking on you....that's not my intent at all. But without knowing it your post summarized the issue.
I used to ride hartshorne on my rigid singlespeed and I could ride the whole park with my foot barely ever touching the ground. But now? I am off my bike all the time and I f##king hate it.
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MMuller
Well-Known Member
Have to say that the "devil's elbow" climb has (for me, anyway) finally eroded into being unclimbable. The park has a way of recovering on its own over time though. Will see what some rain and cooler temps do to it. Wouldn't mind if they cut that little steep cluster of logs away in Rocky Point though. def flow killer as you're just getting going. But, have to say that I do like how some of the erosion has made the park a bit more techy and hope some of it isn't TM'd away.
ChrisG
Unapologetic Lifer for Rock and Roll
It's even more unclimbable now that it's been "fixed".
wonderturtle
Well-Known Member
Problem is that the section is beyond fixing. The upper portion of the elbow, the water tower hill and the laurel ridge hill have all reached a point where they can't be fixed. They need to be re-routed.
As far as the "fixes" at devils elbow...I am partially to blame as I worked on that yesterday. The thing to remember is that the goal of the MCPS TM sessions differs somewhat from those at Allaire, for example, in that the ones at Allaire are geared at fixing the trail while ALSO improving the riding experience. In the MCPS TM there is no emphasis whatsoever on the riding experience...it's only about getting water off the trails. That, and limited time and manpower...well...it is what it is.
Btw, there is another TM planned at hartshorne on September 6
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