Switchbacks

Glancing Aft

Active Member
I wrote a little blurb about it in another post but I felt it would get lost so wanted to start a new thread.
I was riding the Tourne yesterday afternoon for the first time in a while when I noticed that someone has removed some of the barriers blocking off the old trails at the bottom of the hill where the new switchbacks are. I know the folks at JORBA have put in a lot of effort to making this new trail, and it's a ton of fun to climb, so I hope people will use the new trail instead of the over eroded old one.
 
C

Cthulhu

Guest
Will,

Which "old" trails are you talking about? The one next to the switchbacks going counterclockwise up the tourne?
 

Glancing Aft

Active Member
this is the area I'm referring too, it's not going up the Tourne.

switchbacks.jpg
 

mergs

Spokompton's Finest
JORBA.ORG
Hey Will, thanks for this... I'll let Ryan and Greg know about this and see what we can do.

Typically this is an issue of lack of signage and possibly the blazing not being present. Could be folks thinking that the old trail is legit, and the new trail is not. This unfortunately part of the game.

If you see anyone cutting the trail or removing deadfall off the old trail, please politely advise them that Morris Trails Partnership created the new trail and closed the old one. The old one was eroding and the evidence of that is all the loose rocks and the silt near the base of the old trail. If they give you the stinky eyeball and a smart remark, just say "well, sorry I just thought you'd like to know that you're re-opening a closed trail" and leave it at that.

thanks again will.
 

monkey boy

Self-Imposed Exile
I was in there yesterday.
What seems to have happened to the new switches is this.....
Leaves have almost completely covered the new trail. the old one is more evident because it goes straight down the fall line, so the leaf litter washes down it clearing off the old and covering the new.
The new section just needs to be ridden in or raked out. to clairify where the trail actually runs.
Other than that it rides quite well.
BJK
 

mergs

Spokompton's Finest
JORBA.ORG
thanks bogey... we need a couple of check dams then.

update: dropped a note to Ryan and he plans to address this sometime this spring.
 

Glancing Aft

Active Member
I agree that part of the problem with finding the new trails are the leaves that are covering it, but it did appear to me that someone had moved some of the underbrush that had been placed on the old trail to serve as a barrier of sorts. Unless it just washed away in one of the many rain storms we had this winter.

t.watch, try this link for the full map,
http://parks.morris.nj.us/aspparks/tournetr.asp
 

xc62701

Well-Known Member
Yes things have been corrected but they still need to move the blazes to direct traffic onto the right trail.
 

BAIN

Member
Sorry folks who attempted to fix the switchbacks. I had to remove your branches and place them to block the old trail. I didn't want any of the TM done last summer on creating awesome switch's to go unnoticed. The proper reroute of that trail from the beginning would have you swing left in to the first turn of the switch, not go straight and make a right. If you look up the hill you will see that it is the old trail that you were opening up instead of blocking.

:getsome:
 

Glancing Aft

Active Member
Sorry folks who attempted to fix the switchbacks. I had to remove your branches and place them to block the old trail. I didn't want any of the TM done last summer on creating awesome switch's to go unnoticed. The proper reroute of that trail from the beginning would have you swing left in to the first turn of the switch, not go straight and make a right. If you look up the hill you will see that it is the old trail that you were opening up instead of blocking.

:getsome:

When did you move the branches? Cause Ryan, my roomate, and I fixed the trail the same way you mentioned on Thursday. So somebody is being a swift little #$@!er and getting out there quickly to put things back to the old route. That sucks cause I moved some rather large logs and rocks to block the old trial.
 

BAIN

Member
I moved them saturday. Just to make sure we have our routes correct. If you were coming from the upper parking lot / playground going counter clockwise on the red trail. When you hit the bottom of the switchbacks, the trail should not got straight up and turn hard right on to the reroute. The trail should go to the left and uphill in to the first right turned switch?
 

Glancing Aft

Active Member
Correct! And that's how we had set it up! We put a bunch of logs across the trail that goes straight up and covered it with leaves to try to make it clear that you should go to the left at that point and not straight up. So somebody came between Thursday night and when you rode on Saturday and moved the stuff around! The switchbacks are riding great right now and the old trail is really eroded so there is no reason to use it! As Ryan pointed out the Red blazes still mark the trail as going up the old way, so that's something that should be corrected at the next TM!

Next time I ride there I'll bring my camera and snap some photos.
 

BAIN

Member
I also had one other question? Is the map right? I thought that the switchbacks were the red blaze and on the map that was posted on here, it is to the left of the red blaze, making the trail below the switches the red, but that ends and does not continue through to the upper parking lot. Lake a look at the map and tell me if I am crazy. Is the red blaze on the map right and they just don't have the lower trail on it or is the map just wrong?

:getsome:
 

TJYeti

Knows about bikes
as of yesterday everything was still good with the switchbacks.

Someone was there after you than.I rode it around 6:00 with some friends and the switchbacks were blocked off at the top and bottom.I don't know if it's hikers or stupid people but it keeps getting blocked.Maybe the MC park people need to post something there.
 

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