March 4 2012

[seenvic]

FATS will be soft all over and downright muddy in places.

Good day to give FATS a break.

It should say this on the homepage.

[azdrawdy]

The ten or so cars that were there this morning could really care less about the front page. They were there because the sun was out and the parking lot was dry. They don't look at the web page for permission.

Just sayin'

MD

Actually, what I am sayin' is that we need a gate and lock. Been sayin' that for several years now.

[brianW]

Is there a sign at the trail head mentioning not to ride the trails when wet, the reasons not to ride and maybe alternatives to riding at FATS? I remember there used to be temporary signs in the past but is there a permanent one?

[Angela]

We can certainly put up some recommendations on the kiosk but then a lot of people never even walk over to the kiosk. The USFS controls the open/closed status so for now we have to rely on spreading the word the best we can. They periodically do close down Long Cane Horse Trails when the trails are being damaged due to use while they are wet but again it isn't a closed today, open tomorrow or the next day closure, a closure can go for days or even weeks before the trail is reopened. Truly we need to do our part to spread the word to those who do not know (understanding that you can't do anything about stupid ).

Personally I think if there were only 10 cars in the parking lot then the word is being spread and we should be thankful for that.

Every time we are in the parking lot we talk to people who have never been to our website, have no idea who SORBA is or what the mission is and have no clue that they are damaging these trails by riding them when they are too wet. Do your best to spread the word - when I hear someone talk about how much fun it is to ride in the mud time to just do some educating but in a positive way. Most people just don't know any better - yes there are those out there that simply don't care and are going to do what they want to do but generally those people are only about 5% of a group of people. Nothing is going to change that.....

[bigfish]

coming from out of town and hoping to ride tomorrow afternoon (wed 7th). I've never been to the trails before. is it too wet or is it ok?

[kconner]

Mar 6, 2012 18:16:02 GMT -5 bigfish said:

coming from out of town and hoping to ride tomorrow afternoon (wed 7th). I've never been to the trails before. is it too wet or is it ok?

I havn't been out myself in over a week, but we havn't gotten any rain since about last Saturday, so it SHOULD be pretty dry, with the exception of some low spots that tend to hold water for longer periods.

Also, check out some other local rides on the homepage in the case that FATS is still on the wet side. Bartram is a good alternative, especially if you're looking to make a long ride, as it can be easily linked to Keg Creek and Mistletoe (Bartram also tends to fare better after a rain, and has over 20 miles one way, before linking to other trails). Modoc and Lick Fork are also personal favorites of mine.

Happy Trails!

[mhanna]

Road Big Rock and Tower tonight. Only a couple of damp spots because someone has done a TON of drain clearing in the last week. Whoever you are, THANK YOU. It was outstanding.

Not sure about the other four but there were about a dozen cars in the lot at 6:00

MH

[Angela]

If I don't have them mixed up - Paul, David and Matthew took care of Tower on Sunday and Ted and crew? took care of Big Rock!!! That drain cleaning makes an amazing difference. Steve was out and finished up Brown Wave recently. Totally awesome work and you never realize just how many drains there are on any given trail until you start cleaning them!

[bigfish]

Thanks for the replies. Sounds like it will be ok to ride. I've heard a lot about fats- can't wait to check it out. Thanks again

[beckyl]

Big thanks to everyone who took care of BR and Tower last weekend. Those are our two favorite FATS trails and it is greatly appreciated! Now we just gotta get back out there....it's been too long.