I was really surprised it got this bad. At one point on GT we turned back because the foliage was too dense but we found that an alternate trail on GT was just as bad. Thought it would clear but it actually got worse.
Are these sections of the trails (tight singletrack) just not getting enough use? You'd never know it from the amount of people you see in the lots.
You're not kidding. Got hung up on one of the rocky descents where the dirt had washed away and had to bail. Wound up snapping off the "upshifter" for my rear gears :cry: ... I guess I'm doing my part keeping my LBS in biz.
Went to Huber for the first time a few weeks ago. Nice little course. Kinda reminds me of Clayton.
It's not from under use. It's just very fast growing undergrowth that needs hedge clippers every few weeks to cut back. The system they have of waiting for volunteer-manned TM sessions clearly just doesn't work for those sections. A ranger with a pair of hedge clippers could clear that section in less than one hour. If that doesn't happen we'll have to wait til the TM session. It's a shame
The eroded section of huber is marked "easy" - not moderate or black diamond - but "easy" - which it is clearly not. Which I think presents a liability situation for MCPS - ie, their trails are not meeting the criteria for their designations. Gotta think that would be a slam dunk for a personal injury attorney if someone gets injured in that "easy" trail.
A friend of mine just got a scratched cornea riding in hartshorne as a result of the overgrowth.
It's unacceptable IMHO.
Lastly, agree that huber is a nice park. I do 2/3 of my riding in huber. Clayton is a good comparison. Similar in size and character. But lacks a bit of the "roller coaster " effect that makes Clayton somewhat of a destination
Sorry for the rant but I spend basically all my riding time in those two parks and I have seen them decline VERY quickly the last few years. It pisses me off.
But just to be clear: (1) I am not criticizing the volunteers and (2) I am not criticizing the people at MCPS who coordinate the volunteer efforts - clearly they have a very robust volunteer program.
But it clearly isn't working when a very heavily used park like hartshorne continues to erode, when sections of that heavily used park become so overgrown so as to be unpassable and when the conditions degrade to a point where they are causing scratches, scratched corneas, etc.
They need to figure out a different way of doing things. I know this has been discussed here many times over the years. I don't care. It's clearly not working. Either have the staff maintain the trails properly or allow an appropriate group to do the honors (like the state does with jorba). This in between state ain't working.