Friendly Reminder!

[Angela]

Several SORBA members have been working hard to prevent the ride around that keeps popping up on the top of the skinny - it is a great root/rock feature in the midst of some good dips.........just to remind everyone.........these trails on USFS land are flagged and built with the approval of the USFS. It takes a lot of work to flag miles and miles of trail, creating sustainable lines and good trail flow. In addition after the trail has been flagged environmental, biological, archeological, and other necessary studies are conducted and the trail plan is approved .....all that said it is important that the trail be maintained in it's original state - any bypass trails, reroutes, etc must be done with the approval of the USFS (SORBA-CSRA works closely with the USFS on trail maintenance issues that require their input). Please stay on the trails, if your skill set does not allow you to ride the trail in certain areas please dismount and continue on or stay at that spot and practice riding the feature until you are able. Please do not create new trail lines or ride arounds. Leaves and debris have been piled on the original trail feature which now forces riders to use an illegal bypass (hopefully the debris can be removed soon). Usually these instances occur when people simply don't know any better so please help spread the word on good trail stewardship at every opportunity. Thank you!

[Apollo]

Picture?

[Mark Y]

Can't miss it. It is the rocks to the right of a tree going CW well before the cutoff to Brown Wave. It is really the only natural obstacle on Skinny going that direction and it is clear that people are making a ridearound to the left of the tree. This has occurred fairly recently as I didn't notice it until a couple of weeks ago.

[brianW]

I blocked it about a year ago and noticed it was there a week or so ago (did not have time to re-block it)

the illegal re-route is to the left of the uphill tree.

[seenvic]

If given enuff time, riders won't realize (or care) where the trail that was built for them to ride is and where the ride around is. And that in a million years they would never see the line that was the original line.

We covered that pretty well last week with Shrimpers Rock.

I know I made an old ride around at this spot unrideable last winter. Looks like it is being skirted around. This spot is easy to fix. It is really close to a gravel road and only a 20 second hike in from a car.

[Apollo]

you should put dog poo on the left side, that'll teach em a lesson. then like halfway down skinny put a sign that says " if it smells like dog poo you were doing it wrong"

[seenvic]

I don't have a problem with folks making their own trails in the woods to ride a bike on if they don't like the trails we have built for them to ride.

Just don't make it right next to the trail we spent about 10 years getting permission to build, raised $300K to build it and then we built it! Go find another place to put the trails you want to ride. I'll give you the number of the USFS office and you can call them and ask for permission and start the process to build the trail you want built.

Is that too much to ask? Seriously?

Dog poo.....have at it. As long as you don't put it in the real line.

[mhanna]

Problem is that the people who do this never read this forum anyway.

[seenvic]

I'd be inclined to continue to block the ride around.

If one day the real line is unridable, it can stay there and be fixed with some hard work.

I don't mind doing the work when that day comes.

I rode over that spot on Saturday and didn't notice the ride around. I was going CCW and just rolled over the rocks/roots. It is not hard, but you have to pay attention.

The line is more challenging CW, but I rarely ride Skinny CW.

[Angela]

We rode on Sunday and the rocks and roots were not only totally covered in leaves (as if there was not a trail there at all) but there were also logs placed there as well - the bypass had been cleared of debris so it looked like the bypass was the intended route.

I understand that the folks who don't know might not read the forum but I always hope that our regular readers and SORBA members will stay on the alert and remind folks if they see them creating bypasses or alternate trails.

We have lots of folks who are happy to let riders without helmets know they should be wearing helmets (and since that is optional over the age of 16 they are just expressing concern for the rider with no helmet.... no actual rules broken) I'm hoping those same folks will care enough about our trails to educate someone who might not know they cannot create illegal bypasses or illegal trails on USFS land.

[JIMMYC]

We'll just keep covering up the bypass. I really like that spot, it makes you focus.

[seenvic]

Dec 7, 2010 21:48:46 GMT -5 Angela said:

We rode on Sunday and the rocks and roots were not only totally covered in leaves (as if there was not a trail there at all) but there were also logs placed there as well - the bypass had been cleared of debris so it looked like the bypass was the intended route.

I understand that the folks who don't know might not read the forum but I always hope that our regular readers and SORBA members will stay on the alert and remind folks if they see them creating bypasses or alternate trails.

We have lots of folks who are happy to let riders without helmets know they should be wearing helmets (and since that is optional over the age of 16 they are just expressing concern for the rider with no helmet.... no actual rules broken) I'm hoping those same folks will care enough about our trails to educate someone who might not know they cannot create illegal bypasses or illegal trails on USFS land.

I had no idea it was more than folks riding around the techy line. People actually got off the bike and unblocked the ride around and blocked the actual line? Probably thought they were doing others a favor. Makes me look down, shake my head and wonder how they can think "wow, what a nice trail these folks built. except this one spot, let me fix it for them".

There are 185,000 linear feet of trail at FATS. No more than 500 feet of it have anything remotely technical. I'd like to see MORE tech features built into the trail over the coming years. Others want to take out what tech we have.

Thanks for clarifying the vandalism of the trail.

[dgaddis1]

Dec 8, 2010 8:37:44 GMT -5 seenvic said:

Makes me look down, shake my head and wonder how they can think "wow, what a nice trail these folks built. except this one spot, let me fix it for them"

I'm betting a whole lot of people never even think about the fact that someone built the trail, and built it the way it is for a reason...the trail just simply exists. Especially the people that started riding after it was built, who don't know of a pre-FATS era in the CSRA.

Just like when you're driving you don't think "who built this road, and why did they build it this way?" But you will think "they need to fix these potholes, all this bouncing around almost made me spill my latte!" ;D

I know when I first started riding I didn't think about it, not till after I went to my first SORBA meeting and met the people who make things happen, and realized how much work it takes to make things happen.

My first time at FATS my thoughts were more like:
This is fun!
WHOA, almost died!
My legs hurt...
I think I'm going in circles...
etc

The ride around should be easy to hide now, right? Just kick some leaves over it, maybe put some logs/branches over it, and clear some of the leaves on the real line. Most folks will never see the ride around.

[seenvic]

Point taken.

Education is the key.

I think the long term "fix" is to make the original line a little more friendly "looking" while making the ride around completely unrideable.

How?

Secure a piece of cedar or treated lumber along the low side of the roots, parallel with the trail. Dig a borrow pit from the alternate line, creating a hole there that will be uninviting. Fill the void around the roots and between the tree and cedar with the dirt. Pack the hell out of it.

Outcome: Line stays there. Rocks and the roots stay in play. Ride around is uninviting.

I just don't think the line is so bad yet to have to do this. But will one day.

[jtaylor]

More of the story- I spent 15 minutes Saturday morning covering up the ride-around with leaves and debris; looked great, couldn't see it from either side. It was about 30 minutes later that I saw Bill in the parking lot on the way home to watch Kentucky get beat by UNC. So someone who knew that line was there kicked all my camouflage off, downhill, into the trail, to prove their point that they wanted the new line, I guess.

[seenvic]

Dec 8, 2010 12:35:42 GMT -5 jtaylor said:

More of the story- I spent 15 minutes Saturday morning covering up the ride-around with leaves and debris; looked great, couldn't see it from either side. It was about 30 minutes later that I saw Bill in the parking lot on the way home to watch Kentucky get beat by UNC. So someone who knew that line was there kicked all my camouflage off, downhill, into the trail, to prove their point that they wanted the new line, I guess.

Damn man, the more of the story that comes to light the sadder it gets. That explains the ride around "wasn't there" when I rode on Saturday. Perhaps time to get out the "Stay on trail or stay home" signs??? USFS didn't care much for it last time, though.

And the Ky getting beat by UNC part.....great game that didn't go our way. But, I'd rather have the talent on KY than the talent on UNC's team. And the coaches too. If we get Kanter eligible, he will play circles around Tyler Zeller and Henson. Kanter is a lottery pick whether he plays this year or not.

Did you see that the NCAA is going to open the next 3 seasons with the top four current programs playing each other? UK, Duke, Kansas and Michigan State. UK has Kansas next year, then Duke in 2012 and the Mich State in 2013.

GO BIG BLUE!

[Angela]

Now I feel compelled to tell ..........the rest of the story .........so we don't feel like we need to get the tar and feathers out! The riders who "fixed" the trail are relatively inexperienced and were doing everyone a favor by creating a rideable line. They actually stopped to speak to a fellow SORBA member in the parking lot and told him what they had done because I guess at that point they felt uncertain. He told them that bypasses should not be created and the answer is to simply walk the feature or learn to ride it. I think that simple education will go a long way and there are a couple more folks who now have the message and I suspect won't do that again.

Education goes a long way, when we first started riding we rode the canal trail. Frequently we would find large logs blocking the trail and started doing little work parties with our chainsaw. Now these weren't riders (we wouldn't have bothered hauling the chainsaw in) they were large downed trees.

Although we did a lot of work to keep that trail cleared in those days (pre Lake Trail and pre FATS) we honestly never gave a thought as to whether we were even allowed to cut trees in that area, who owned the land or the rest. Was introduced to the organization and what they stood for and did and the rest of course is history but just revealing that not all things folks do have malicious intent, sometimes they simply don't know any better!

[seenvic]

Thanks for telling the "rest of the story".

Glad to hear you know who did and they have been told not to do that anymore in a nice manner.

[dsquaredmsquared]

Dec 8, 2010 12:59:45 GMT -5 seenvic said:

UK has Kansas next year, then Duke in 2012 and the Mich State in 2013.

GO BIG BLUE!

Pheewww...good thing they don't have to play UCONN again this year

[seenvic]

Dec 8, 2010 13:58:03 GMT -5 dsquaredmsquared said:

Dec 8, 2010 12:59:45 GMT -5 seenvic said:

UK has Kansas next year, then Duke in 2012 and the Mich State in 2013.

GO BIG BLUE!

Pheewww...good thing they don't have to play UCONN again this year

Kemba Walker....POY?

I hope we do play UConn again. In March, 2011.

Now cue the stage for Ted S to chime in about Syracuse who beat Michigan State pretty good last night.