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New Trail Construction in the Mt. Hood forest

Bri&Bub Off-Road

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Fairview, OR
Hello Peoples - we are building trail this weekend 9/1-9/3 and need your help! If you don't build this trail, who will?

This weekend we will be hosting our second work party in the MT Hood National Forest in an area called La Dee Flats. The trail we are building (the 800 Trail) will be approximately 2 miles long and is being designed to be a medium difficulty trail. This will be the first, legal class II trail in this new OHV area. We've been talking about this trail system for a couple years now, and it is good to finally be started building this trail.

The trail construction involves a new section of trail which winds through the forest that is approximately 2100' long, and the rest of the trail construction is done by ripping an old road and then converting it to trail. We held our first work party last weekend, and made some good progress, but there is still much work to be done. Our goal is to have this trail complete by Halloween if not sooner, anmd with your help we can meet that goal. How can you help? Glad you asked! Let me 'splain how you can help make this happen.

The easiest way to help is to donate to our trail fund. This trail fund is being used 100% for equipment fuel, maintenance and rental (if we need to rent... we are hoping we wont as that gets spendy). To donate to our trail fund, you can click on over to the following link and donate on line. https://www.wepay.com/donations/65556

The next way to help is to donate in person. The we pay link above is awesome cause it's something that people can do on line and from the comfort of there chair. It does have some fee's we have to pay though, so the best way to donate money is in person. You can do this by showing up at our work parties (location listed below), or by stopping in at Good Guys Auto Care in Clackamas, asking for Tonka and giving him your money telling him it's for the La Dee trail project. He's one of the founders of my club, and will make sure the money gets to the trail. His shop is located in the Emmert Development business park off hwy 212/224 in Clackamas. Here's a map to his shop from I-205 http://goo.gl/maps/DFh3n

The next way to help is to come out to the work party we are holding this weekend and put in some good old fashioned manual labor and sweat along with us. We will be working this weekend, both Saturday, Sunday, and yes... even on Monday. There's no rest for the wicked, and this trail needs to be built. We will be camping up on the trail, and would like to see you come out and help us make this happen. Here's a map to the location we will be at from Estacada. http://goo.gl/maps/vS6HC

We really need a Dozer with rippers, so if anyone has one, you would be my new best friend! We've been ripping the road with a small excavator, and while it's working, it's really slow going. A dozer with rippers could do it in 4-6 hours, if I have to do it with the excavator we have it will take... well heck, I am not sure how long, but let me put it this way. If I have to do it with the excavator I am not sure we will get it done by Halloween. Seriously, if anyone has a dozer with rippers we really need your help! We can help cover fuel cost. If anyone has another excavator, or a backhoe, or other equipment that can rip up an old road, we need your help!

For this project we will need the following;
- excavator
- dozer (if it has a ripper even better)
- backhoe
- equipment operators
- dump trailer
- dump truck
- saw (hand saw)
- safety gear (glasses, gloves, hard hat which I can supply)
- Lopers
- Shovel
- Pulaskis
- pick axe
- weed whacker (ribbon fed, not metal blade as the metal blade will spark when it hits the rock in the trail and could be a fire hazzard)
- metal rakes
- Tow Straps
- Chain
- clevis's (small clevis to work with the chains would be great for helping build a net out of to be used to move boulders on to the trail).
- snatch blocks, the more the better.
- Diesel fuel can's (full or not although full would be appreciated )
- Water both for drinking, cleaning, cooking and in the event of a fire.
- Fire extinguishers - per the fire ban which is currently in effect, all vehicles should have 1 gallon of water or a 2.5lbs extinguisher.
- 4x4 vehicles ideally with a winch, a working winch will be needed to help pull boulders, logs and other natural debris onto the sides of the trail to help anchor the trail.
- Wheel Barrow
- Manual Labor
- Patience
- Good attitude
- A strong work ethic - we will be working Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Come to one, come to both, there will be work to do.

As listed above, we also need trail rigs to help run this trail, to compact the soil and define the trail as it weaves through the forest. These trail rigs should have a winch, we need that to pull logs and boulders into the trail to help anchor it and define the trail so people stay on the trail. This is a great way to help and also play a bit, and I am bummed that as much time as I have put into this trail I have not yet wheeled it. I've been driving a truck to get the excavator to the site, and am a bit jealous that I haven't been able to get my TJ on it. So far there has only been one rig on the trail. Who will be the second? Will it be you?

Folks - It's not often that new trail gets to be built. This is a very exciting time, and I am pumped to be part of helping make this happen. This trail is being built by volunteers from the 4x4 community. That being said though, we wont be able to do it ourselves, we do need your help! So come up and help, donate on line or in person, or even just help spread the word. If you don't help us build this trail, who will?

Thanks for your time an I hope to see you on the trail! If anyone has any questions on the project, or how they can help, bump this thread or shoot me a PM.
 
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