Re: Saddle Up - Finalizing Centerline W/ ODF
sort of off topic, BUT heres ideas/questions:
I realize the following- A) Not every trail is intended to be difficult and cater to the more dedicated wheelers such as blacks/double black rated trails
B) diverse trail network is ideal, and in the process of creation.
C) sustainability is important
You're correct on all counts. The TSF trail system is one of the most expansive and diverse in the region, with that comes ALL kinds of terrain, that vary not only in difficulty, but also terrain type. We are limited to what is available in the area... this is why you wont see sand dunes in the TSF... lol,
Sustainability is another topic altogether. Each trail has its own level of sustainability, and weather and terrain plays a big part of how this is done, and of course how the trail "evolves" over the years thru use and seasonal wear.
That being said I have talked to a bunch of my friends i wheel with (mostly dedicated rigs runnin 37's or larger that like the technical stuff) and we all pretty much came to the conclusion that TSF is nothing but hill climbs and always has issues with sustainability.
Obvious problems arise with hill climbs and high traffic, so why not build more trails that mirror crushers??
Crushers is a very unique area to the TSF, granted the mountain is just that... a mountain, so it has a lot of rock of varying type. Crushers is of course man made (from what I've been told - i could be misinformed) ...as you can imagine, a lot of work would go into the building of such a rock field... if a second one were to be made. It's not for everyone, and crushers is big enough that you can play all over that area and expect to have varying degree of technicality on an extreme level. The Rock Garden, and that area off of Fire Break 5 are also similar, so the demand for a second crusher's is minimal (not to discount you & your friends.)
Questions- a) who owns the land above and around crushers? Im asking because ive hiked that area and found a ton of random natural rocks, stumps, holes, and berms etc.
Don't quote me on this, but we had a conversation with Jahmaal about this, and I cant remember if he said it was BLM or it may be a private owner, honestly I cant remember. But we did talk about the possibility of a land trade deal, where the TSF would acquire some of that area in trade for an equal size/value of land from the TSF.... this would of course have to coincide with a rock harvest or tree farming operation in order for it to even be considered, and would take a long time to iron out all the legalities of such a transaction...
b) what constitutes a trail being black diamond?
Several factors... including but not limited to slope, camber, width, and terrain, basically the obvious stuff. More technical factors include what tire size, amount of armor, and whether or not traction devices such as one or two lockers are required to SAFELY navigate the trail.
c) is funding the main hold up to building more new trails at TSF or are we limited to a certain amount? Theres a lot of land up there, more trails means less traffic on the main ones.
Pretty much all the trails up there are made from either dead/no longer used/dead spur roads, or are incorporated into ongoing timber sales, or rock harvesting projects. When a lumber company comes in and clear cuts an area, they are usually required to replant said area within a certain period of time, at which point the public (us) a.k.a. offroad enthusiasts thru a stewardship/partnership with the ODF then plan, route and build a trail in cooperation with a reforestation project. The trail is routed, and the replanting of trees happens in that area with the exception of the where the trail is routed. Money isn't the only factor. Granted the ODF doesn't have deep pockets.... especially for us. But what we/they do have is a guy like Jahmaal Rebb who understands the plight of the lowly wheeler, and has the means to present and push thru projects like the Saddle Up trail rebuild project. Granted there were circumstances which really helped move this forward thru all the necessary channels, like the fracture in the hillside, and the fill in of the old trail.
D) is Jahmaal the guy to present these questions to?
In short... yes.
E) whens the next Saddle up Work party? id like to come out and help/meet you guys if my schedule allows
We're waiting on equipment at this point. We have two available (hopefully) ....one that belongs to the ODF, who when time and means permit, will be operated by Jahmaal, and the other is thru a private donation/volunteer. (icemans) Once we get the green light on either or both of them then we can schedule a work party. Honestly the big work party will be next spring, as once the initial cut in is done, the trail will most likely be closed for the inter to allow for erosion observation and natural compaction. Thanks for your willingness to help, I think thats awesome, and will be much appreciated when the time comes. There may be a meet-n-greet planned soon, so if there's no work party going on we'd love to get together and put a face to a name!
I think a lot of people would love more than anything to wheel trails that mirror the entrance to lower crushers. Its virgin dirt with natural obstacles weaving through the trees, and its sustainable because of the rock content and Flatter land. Sort of like Quack Attack at Hoodoo, that trail is awesome because its diverse in elevation and isnt a gravel road wherever there isnt a hard hillclimb -like much of TSF is.
Ive heard Airplane hill is going under the knife soon to repair the main hill climb, when the trail probably wouldnt have been torn up so badly if the gate would have been closed during times of heavy rain after dry spells (we had no rain for a long time and then it dumped creating a lot of gooey mud and erosion.) brain storming.. Great news on the new Saddle Up trail though! The old one was a little.. boring. ill stop here for now haha
Yea there is some awesome terrain up there, and personally I love wheeling on that kind of stuff too.
.....Airplane is a whole nother discussion.
PS where did your post go with the video of you walking the center line??
http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=1089467
