|   Trail building rant follow up. | SunDog
Apr 28, 2003 12:15 PM | | Well I just got into work today and took a look at the original thread from Friday. I thank all for their positive feedback.
Before I showed up for the Friday evening work party I decided to answer a few of my own questions by riding the entire 50 Year Trail to include the rerouted segments and several side trails. I figured after posting my rant on Friday I owed to myself and to Senior Flint (a.k.a. Tommy Titus) to be better informed on what makes a good trail, how a trail building in progress will differ from a developed trail, and how the rerouting feels in comparison to the old segments.
The Old 50 rocked! Well there is that dirt road section from corrals to hill above the Cottonwoods that one of the new segments eliminates. Other than that the trail is a fast, swoopy, and fun slalom through desert vegetation that though not technical it is quite entertaining for advanced and beginner riders alike.
The New 50? Well I feel there are some issues. But first allow me address some things from my initial rant.
I know the 50 Year system like the back of my hand (it's my back yard) so obviously I know it's a beginner trail that joins to several more challenging trails. Poignantly on Wednesday's ride just before I bumbled into the trail party I rode for a bit behind a man and his young daughter as they enjoyed the trail.
My "geriatric golf cart trail" statement was an obvious exaggeration. The new segments does vary between 18-36 inches in places but I have come to find that this is because the trail is freshly and lightly scraped and is not yet defined by the natural flow of traffic. As the trail defines itself through use it will develop into the 12-18" wide track that resembles the current system. My initial perception was definitely off the mark here.
Not all the rocks were pulled and rolled away. Here I also came to understand the as the trail develops some rocks will surface. I still feel that too many rocks and boulders were moved in some areas, even considering that it is a beginner trail but not to the extent I originally though and ranted on. The jury is still out on this one but I went a little too far in my initial ranting. But that's why they call it a rant, isn't it?
My current issues with the new segments:
On the segment that bypasses the dirt road there are several areas that do not flow well at all in comparison to the original system and my initial impression is that it does not flow as well as the overall system. How and if this will be addressed is something I would like to be privy to. If it's unavoidable I want to know why and if it will be corrected I would like to know how and be part of the solution.
Overall the new segments lack in the flow of the overall system. Is there a reason for this? One I thought I had was that the as the trail is being routed time and effort should be set aside to test ride it to work the kinks out of the flow but perhaps that is impractical.
Several fun/challenging areas were rerouted or bypassed. I think they could have easily been incorporated into the trail with easy maintainable options for both advanced and beginner.
After riding the trail I showed up for the work party with enough of my questions asked that there was no need to pester the trail party leader with obvious questions from a passionate but inexperienced trail builder. Rather I had many new questions to be answered of which most could be answered through observation. With my new found knowledge I immersed myself into trail building and observation. I learned plenty and I came away with some new questions and some potential solutions. I even managed to succinctly voice my concerns and have a few of my questions answered by Senior Flint. I came away pretty happy with what I had learned and somewhat at piece with the rerouted segments.
Inspired by all this I rode the whole system again on Saturday evening. My filtered concerns remain the same primarily with the flow, especially on the section which bypasses a sandy portion of Sutherland Wash which is too convoluted and really not that much fun to ride in comparison with what it replaces. On the flow and challenge issues the rework would require some significant blood and sweat that I'd be willing to provide.
To any folks who feel misled by my rant I appologize. To SDMB and Senior Flint I apologize for any feathers that I may have ruffled with my rant and thanks for allowing me to participate and learn. Hopefully with some perseverance and knowledge I can be part of a positive solution.
Louis |
| legitimate concerns | Diamond Dave
Apr 28, 2003 1:13 PM | | The time and energy you put into building a trail also builds a keen sense of ownership in that trail. It is what keeps volunteers and trailbuilders interested and coming back for more. There is nothing better than riding trail you helped build. The darker side to this is that it is also common to have questions and doubt about the work being done. I think we all deal with this at some level. There is a big difference between sustainability issues and personal preferences. The former will tend to prove or disprove itself over time. The latter is a matter of opinion, and everyone has a slightly different variation. It's up to you to decide which fits the situation.
There's nothing wrong with being passionate about what your doing. Your attitude towards being "part of a positive solution" is spot-on and I'm sure it will be greatly appreciated by the work leaders.
Dave in KC |
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