Quimper Trails

Last weekend we started a little TLC project on one of our favorite trail features: The Long Skinny. Part of it was rotten and making the entire thing simply unsafe. We also decided to deck the entire surface to make it more rideable by more users. As you can see in the picture, we removed a large rotten chunk, added new stringers, and new decking. The project has made it a lot easier to ride in damp conditions, and the approach is a lot straighter. Yes, it is a lot easier than before, but it’s still fun to ride the woodwork, and the smell of fresh cedar is always intoxicating.

We’ll be finishing up the decking as soon as we can make more. So far we have about 16 man hours on the refit. As for the rest of the trail, it’s in premium shape. The leaves are turning and covering up some of the roots near the top, making for some interesting conditions, but it’s riding fast and fun in both directions.

Make sure to check out at least the first two videos, towards the bottom of the post. Australia is fantastic, but I’m dying to get back on the trails

http://www.pinkbike.com/news/First-Annual-Shoot-the-Trails-benefit-in-Bellingham-2011.html

The crew has been out in force during the last few weeks. We successfully completed two big projects that have been pretty high on the list for sometime, and desperately needed before we get back into the true wet season. The first was a bridge extension on the San Juan trail. This extension will allow hikers/trail runners and cyclists to be elevated above a section of trail that gets pretty wet and mucky in the winter.

The new bridge works well in either direction.

The bridge has a small bend in the middle and is anchored by concrete pilings that were donated.

The next big project was a reroute on the Cascade Trail. After a few attempts (and a bridge) were made to fix a section that seemed to be getting murkier we were approved to build a small reroute that brought the trail a little further up the hill where water won’t be draining into it. The new trail needs a little bedding in yet, but it’ll keep the two user groups authorized to use Cascade Trail out of the mud.

As you can see, it’s still pretty fresh dirt. It’ll take the winter to really pack down.

The new section actually has a nice little bend to it and flows pretty nicely compared to the old section. The old bridge was pulled and recycled as a new bridge to allow water to flow underneath a portion of the new trail.

The old route is now decommissioned. As you can see, even after a relatively dry summer it was still pretty muddy.

Downed Tree Alert
There are still a few downed trees around Anderson. They’ll probably be removed shortly. We also need to get out and remove a small log pile that appeared on the Savage Memorial trail to get over another downed tree. While the pile might have seemed like a good idea to whoever put it there, it is now more work for us to remove it and get the trail back open for multi-use.

Also, for those Connector Trail lovers: going out sometime this week to cut up some of the wood that came down last week.

I went out rode The Connector and Anderson yesterday. Lower Connector is wide open, save for one smallish tree that is now near the beginning. Upper Connector and the DH Return are both pretty much closed. About 6 or so trees are down at various points. We’ll be getting up there with the saw over the next few weeks to reopen the good stuff.

Anderson has a few smaller trees down as well. Cyclists should use extreme caution on the Savage Memorial Trail as the new turnpike that was installed has a mandatory gap that will swallow a front wheel and send you over the bars. If you (or someone you love) isn’t competent at bunny hopping, it should definitely be walked until a fix is made.

There are two work parties this weekend to install a reroute on Cascade Trail, moving a portion of the trail up and out of a perennially wet section. Parties are 10am-1pm on Saturday and Sunday. We’ll have tools, but more are always appreciated. Volunteer hours will count towards state park passes.

I finally got out and rode Gibbs for the first time since we were out there working on the little reroute on the backside. Super loamy and nice out there right now. Roots are just right, dirt is perfect, and there was even a breeze today to keep the jersey a little drier than normal. I even did the Impossibowl Log Ride for the first time in ages.

Parking lot has recently been mowed, and the overgrowth has been trimmed back from the trail. Get it while the getting is good!

There was a small tree down on the lower leg of Americorps, right around the bend from the parking lot. Nothing a little hand saw can’t take care of. I’ll probably get out there tomorrow to clean that up.

Cheers,

gg

I got out today and rode around Port Townsend, hitting Cappy’s Trails and Fort Worden. It’s crazy wet out. Global warming making more moisture available to precipitate? Yes, I’ll buy that.

Speaking of trail work, we’re planning on doing a little update to the beloved “Long Skinny” on the Connector Trail. Jim and I got out on Sunday to give her the once over, and Jim pulled in trusted team member Stu for a second opinion yesterday. Part of our love and joy is rotten. The plan is to chop it right at the stump (where the rot is), add some stringers, and deck the whole thing. That’s a change in our last plan where we were going to keep the skinny and build a heck of a long ride-around, which was a change in our original plan to deck the whole thing anyway (which was all before I knew who Jim even was). Really, this allows us to get this job done, build a more sustainable feature, and focus our efforts on repairing some of the winter damage that has been done in Anderson Lake. See the photo below to see what we’re replacing.

Lastly, a few weeks ago several QTA members (who also happen to be on a local racing team) gave a little to our brothers in the Olympic Dirt Society by helping them out with some trail work at the storied Dry Hill. They’re playing host to a little XC race later this month, and while I can’t say I’ll be racing it (hello Rhody Parade and Victoria Parade), if you are racing it, you got cajones. Parts of the course looks to rival the stuff we see world cup XC riders doing in the magazines. Other parts are wide open allowing riders to pick off the weaker pedalers. Looks like you better bring your A-Downhill-Game to that race as well.

Here’s a pic of us draining a little lake that was on the course. Now it’s just a soft spot.

Unless it’s dry for the next two weeks (HA!), I’d recommend a tire that sheds a little mud.

We knew the planned logging was going to mess up the Whatcom falls side, but hoped it would be temporary. This isn’t a decisive death-blow, but it ain’t lookin good…

http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2011/04/12/1963590/polygon-plans-to-end-galbraith.html

Hi Kids,
I rode Anderson yesterday, April 7th, and I’m here to tell ya it’s not worth it. It’s going to need a chainsaw hike & at least two weeks of drying out before it’s ready to ride IMHO.

All trails are wetter than I’ve EVER seen them in my 10 years here. San Juan loop has multiple standing pools that have to be walked around. The first bridge on it has it’s exit rendered unusable by someones attempt at an extension section. There are 1/2 dozen trees down requiring dismount, including one Hemlock coming off the ridge that is so extensive it’s difficult to walk around.

I might walk the saw around there this weekend, it sure needs it.

Lots of shots of places all around the PNW. Some familiar faces in there, too. If there is a place not capitalizing on mountain biking that really should, it’s Port Townsend. Paper and mountain bikes. It could happen. What the great state of Washington is lacking is a town coming out and saying to everyone: “WE are the center, WE are the focal point, come here and ride, camp, hotel. Ride there tomorrow, but come back tonight, because we are the focal point.” It could help us.

The upper portion of the Connector trail got some serious love today. Jim and Garth got out early and rebuilt a berm. The berm was made bigger, better. We had the technology. A tape measure was even used. Pete showed up at a later time and continued the love of the berm. The berm continued to grow.

Looking up at the berm you can see clearly that this will be a treasure trove of fun. Almost all of the dirt you see was moved during the 8 hours of trail work (almost 20 total man hours went into the Connector, today).

Looking down at the berm you notice that it sends you back almost 180 degrees. Rail this, and you’re having a good time.

We also managed to do a couple of other house keeping things in the area. A couple of other smaller berms were built to increase flow, trail was widened to repair a spot that changed during the logging operation, a turn was fixed that just needed it, and some roots were tweaked to be just right. We also added a little drop and a jump for good measure.

There are plenty of things Pete does well. What pete does really well is make sure a jump is damn solid before he rides it.