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Post by dsquaredmsquared on Apr 4, 2013 13:18:37 GMT -5
The Lakeview Loop at Hickory Knob State Park is closed to all traffic until further notice (per the maintenance supervisor at HKSP). The trailhead has been signed accordingly.
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Post by crockpot2001 on Apr 5, 2013 6:12:51 GMT -5
Below is a letter to Xterra and the promoter of a recent event on some local trails. If you are a multisport athlete, participate in offroad events such as Xterra events, or simply like the great out of doors, please read and do as you see fit. Dear Mr. Andy Kennedy and the Xterra Foundation, I would like to express my sincere thanks for holding your Multisport Fitness / Xterra event at Hickory Knob State Park of South Carolina in March. I was unable to attend due to other obligations but I have had my eye on others in the near future. Your event appears to have been a successful one. However, I hope that significant changes happen in your organization to address and prevent trail damage and littering. Your event has left the local CSRA trail crews and parks department to pick up your event trash and repair the trails. We hope you take the time to thoroughly review the pictures and videos you have been provided by Sorba-CSRA. See the link below if needed. I recognize that there may have been no prior agreement between your organization and the land manager to prevent such widespread destruction of the tread surface and surrounding vegetation but I can imagine this was seen as a green light to hold the event without respect to the weather. This situation leaves me with no other option than to withhold my participation in future Multisport Fitness / Xterra events. My abstinence will continue until Xterra and its affiliated promoters publish clear guidelines to address adverse weather, staying on the trail, trail damage repairs, and provide a 100% commitment of event trash abatement. In addition, I will strongly encourage my friends to do the same through e-mails and Facebook. I know this may sound harsh but there are a significant number of upcoming events and trail access is something that is not guaranteed anyone. We have just been notified that the trails are now officially closed per the park manager. In closing, I look forward to participating in future Xterra events. It is my sincerest hope you will be part of the solution for the revitalization of Hickory Knob State Park trails as well as moulding Multisport Fitness and Xterra into organizations committed to and executing truly sustainable public events. Respectfully, Stanley Crocker Augusta, GA sorbacsra.proboards.com/thread/3433/2013-hickory-knob-trail-conditions?page=3#page=1
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Post by dgaddis1 on Apr 5, 2013 6:39:52 GMT -5
Below is a letter to Xterra and the promoter of a recent event on some local trails. If you are a multisport athlete, participate in offroad events such as Xterra events, or simply like the great out of doors, please read and do as you see fit... Well stated. I posted one of the pictures of the trail damage on the promoter's Facebook Page (search for Multisport Fitness, LLC) and told them the trail was now CLOSED due to the damage, and asked them to encourage participants to come to the work parties once some dates are set and scheduled. And thanks to Stan's inspiration, I sent the following e-mail to some of the Xterra people. Main Xterra email: info@xterraplanet.com Dave "Big Kahuna" Nicholas, Managing Director kahunadav@xterraplanet.com Marketing Contact: Janet Clark, President jclark@xterraplanet.com
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Post by brianW on Apr 6, 2013 7:21:23 GMT -5
To keep this family friendly and after watching the video of the race and hearing "I never did a river race before" or "This is like one of those mud runs.", I will refrain from comments.
May the trail gods destroy their brake pads and drive trains.
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Post by crockpot2001 on Apr 8, 2013 6:48:54 GMT -5
Folks, I want to share a response I received last Friday from Tom Kiely the CEO of Exterra. It appears that they are motivated to understand what happened and avoid these problems in the future.
Dear Stanley,
Thank you very much for your note and your concern. Feedback such as yours is helpful and important for us to monitor our events and respect the places where we operate.
Please know that we take your feedback seriously, and are moving forward with the discussions with the park to review and remedy areas of need. Surely the weather was a challenge, and this can happen from time to time, however we live with a philosophy of leaving a place better then we found it.
Thanks again and you have been a great help to us, the park and to people who enjoy the trails and outdoors.
All the best to you and Aloha,
Tom
Tom Kiely Chief Executive Officer TEAM Unlimited / XTERRA P: 808-792-2601 M: 808-428-0869
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Post by dsquaredmsquared on Apr 8, 2013 7:58:39 GMT -5
For those of you that do not visit our FB page, below is a response the XTERRA Race Promoter, Andy Kennedy, posted last evening. This is very similar to an email he sent the SORBAcsra officers. From the SORBAcsra FB page: As a trail runner and mountain biker and as the race director for XTERRA Hickory Knob, I understand the need to maintain the integrity of the trails. I am aware that there will be a work day designated for the Lakeview Trail in the near future. As such, I have sent an e-mail out to all who registered for the race, whether they raced or not, letting them know that SORBA-CSRA will be holding a work day on the trails on a date in the not too distant future and asking that they come do a bit of work if they are able. I have also directed them to the SORBA-CSRA web site with the request that if they are unable to make it to race day, they contribute to SORBA-CSRA through the web site. I've joined IMBA-SORBA and designated CSRA as my chapter. We will also be contributing a portion of the funds from the race to SORBA-CSRA through the web site in support of the trail maintenance. Annually we look for sponsors for the XTERRA Hickory Knob race as well as local organizations to which we contribute a portion of the race proceeds. I invite SORBA-CSRA to be a sponsor in future years and would certainly enjoy having SORBA-CSRA involved as an organization that could receive contributions from the race. XTERRA will be providing post work day pizza and beer so plan to come help out!
SORBAcsra is trying to arrange a meeting with officials from HKSP. This meeting is necessary to determine their intentions of hosting XTERRA events in the future, understand the Park's (weather) policies to protect the trails, and determine the best course of action to repair/store Lakeview Loop. Stay tuned.
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Post by crockpot2001 on Apr 10, 2013 14:13:23 GMT -5
Folks,
Below you will find my most recent response from Mr.Kennedy, the local Xterra promoter responsible for the HK event. Below that is my response to him which I sent today.
To: stanleycrocker@hotmail.com Subject: XTERRA Hickory Knob From: andy5267@aol.com CC: tkiely@xterraplanet.com Date: Tue, 9 Apr 2013 15:15:03 -0400
Mr. Crocker, Each race with XTERRA is run as an individual event. Each race has it's own race director. I am the XTERRA Hickory Knob race director.
The race went off regardless of the weather. It is rain or shine with the "wiggle" room for the race director to modify the race or course as he deems fit for the safety of the participants. Our no refund policy is specifically provided on the registration page. While the conditions were tough, there were no complaints from those who raced. This is an XTERRA race. It is not your classic road tri...it is not intended to be. Please let me know if you have further questions.
Andy Kennedy Certified Run & Endurance Coach CSCS, NSCA-CPT SUP: PaddleFit Instructor/WPA Instructor USAT Certified Race Director
Response made on April 10, 2013 Mr. Kennedy, Thank you for your response. I have read it multiple times now and have come to the conclusion that your response was written from the context that I was looking for a refund. I was not able to attend as I noted in my initial communication. I am simply a trail user, local resident, member of Sorba-CCRA, and a frequent trail worker. In the case that you fully understood the direction of my initial note I am VERY concerned. Yes, I know that your race went off "regardless of the weather" and "rain or shine". This is exactly why I had written you and have had communications with Mr. Kiely of Xterra. Your most recent response contrasts sharply with that of Mr.Kiely in that he appears to be looking for ways to mitigate trail damage and embrace stewardship. To date, none of your communications reflect that. Also, I am acutely aware of the difference between a classic road triathlon and an Xterra type event. The stakes are much higher for and off-road event site with trail erosion, ecological destruction, and endangerment to wildlife through negligent littering. This is exactly why efforts should be made to detail what happens in the event of bad weather and how to work with the community to repair event damage (within reason) and leave facilities in the order you found them. We are continuing dialogue with the park managers and hope that that can include future access for cycling and running events of all types, including Xterra events. This will require all parties be involved. If you wish for us to represent your future endeavors positively you may wish to acknowledge that there must be better outcomes. Respectfully, Stan Crocker
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Post by Angela on Apr 16, 2013 22:04:14 GMT -5
I moved the pics in Photobucket and promptly disrupted the links to the photos. I have just reposted the pics!
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Post by Angela on Apr 17, 2013 21:33:19 GMT -5
Excellent full page article about the Lakeview Trail in today's copy of the Metropolitan Spirit, check it out - www.metrospirit.com/?p=6882
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Post by dsquaredmsquared on Apr 18, 2013 11:23:35 GMT -5
I received a nice email from the president of TriAugusta Triathlon Club offering to help with trail repair at HKSP and maintenance of trails in the CSRA. We will certainly take them up on their offer. Maybe one positive thing to come out of the HKSP/XTERRA debacle is a greater awareness for protecting our trails and increased participation from other user groups to help maintain these recreation resources
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Post by dsquaredmsquared on Apr 24, 2013 16:15:50 GMT -5
SORBAcsra met with the manager of HKSP to discuss their trails and the recent XTERRA event.
On Saturday, April 20th, SORBAcsra had a productive meeting with the manager of Hickory Knob State Park (HKSP). The discussion centered around the recent XTERRA off-road triathlon that was held in the park during the weekend of March 23 & 24. You may recall that, despite nearly 2 inches of rain that weekend, the XTERRA event did not use an alternate route for the mountain bike portion of the event. The result of event participants riding wet trail (actually, underwater in most places) was significant and resulted in extensive damage to the Lakeview Loop, which is now closed.
Briefly, we discussed the policies and procedures used by the park when hosting this event, how HKSP will modify their policies to protect the trails and prevent event-related trail damage from occurring in the future, how to approach the repair of Lakeview Loop, and expanding the supporting role of SORBAcsra by providing consultations and trail assessments to HKSP for events that utilize their trail system.
So, what will change? Going forward, trail event permits at HKSP will contain provisions mandating alternate routes or, when practical, rain dates when adverse weather conditions affect trail integrity and/or rider safety. HKSP, in consultation with SORBAcsra, will assess trail conditions prior to the event and determine whether alternate route(s) must be used to protect susceptible trails from damage. Lastly, the event coordinator/director will be responsible for repair of trail damage that results from the event or event participants.
The decisions and agreements made during this meeting at HKSP now allow us to move forward as an organization and plan the work parties necessary to repair the Lakeview Loop. Specifically, SORBAcsra’s motivation and willingness to assist in the repair of this trail is possible because of the commitments outlined below:
• Changes to the permitting process at HKSP and greater involvement of SORBAcsra in the decision processes regarding trail use at HKSP ensure that preventable damage to Lakeview Loop or other trails in HKSP will be minimized in the future.
• HKSP is committed to repairing Lakeview Loop Trail, but needs the help and expertise of SORBAcsra. The park manager has offered use of their facilities and resources (Red Barn, overnight lodging, etc.) to facilitate recruitment of volunteers and support work parties.
• Long Cane Trails LLC, the company that built the HKSP trails, has offered their expertise as we assess the specific types of damage (ruts, erosion, mud holes, etc.) and develop specific strategies to repair each damaged section of trail.
• The HKSP staff member charged with leading this trail repair project is a former ranger at Baker Creek State Park and long-time friend and supporter of SORBAcsra.
• HKSP is arranging with the S.C. Department of Parks, Tourism, and Recreation to have two tool trailers available for use by work party volunteers.
• Multisport Fitness LLC, the XTERRA race promoter, has committed to donating a portion of the race proceeds to SORBAcsra for trail repair, as well as providing food and beverages for the upcoming work party.
• The Augusta Tri-community has offered their support by participating in an upcoming work party to repair Lakeview Loop.
After we complete the damage assessment and develop a repair plan, we will schedule the first work party to restore Lakeview Loop. Stay tuned.
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Post by dsquaredmsquared on Apr 27, 2013 12:50:23 GMT -5
Sponsors of the XTERRA HKSP event have been contacted.
SORBAcsra has been contacting the sports marketing directors of companies listed as sponsoring the XTERRA HKSP triathlon. These include AVIA, John Paul Mitchell Systems, PowerBar, Gatorade, Rudy Project, XX2i, XTERRA wetsuits, and XTERRA footwear. In our communication(s) with these companies we made them aware that their brand was a sponsor of an off-road triathlon that caused extensive damage to Lakeview Loop at HKSP, encouraged them to directly contact XTERRA and the race promoter to ask if/how their trail protection policies have changed since the HKSP XTERRA event, and solicited their help/support as we make plans to recruit volunteers and repair Lakeview Loop. While it is too early to expect any tangible results from this effort, already we have received replies from two of the sponsors. In both cases, their sports marketing directors expressed concern, requested more detailed information about the XTERRA HKSP event, including sending them pictures of the trail damage. One sponsor has said that this will be discussed with the XTERRA group.
We also sent a formal letter to Tom Kiely, CEO of TEAM Unlimited/XTERRA making him aware of the damage caused by the XTERRA HKSP triathlon, the amount of work that it will take to repair the trail, and the modest olive branch offered by Andy Kennedy (the race promoter). We asked Mr. Kiely to consider developing an XTERRA trail protection policy that is enforceable when they license the XTERRA name to local race promoters (we suggested that IMBA would be happy to help) and for XTERRA to lead the way for other event sponsors by bettering their offer of pizza and beer. Mr. Kiely promptly replied that he is traveling and would need a few days to get back to us.
In the next day or two, we will be sending a letter to Mike Van Abel, President and U.S. Director of IMBA, to make him aware of the XTERRA event at HKSP and ask that he leverage the size, membership, and lobbying expertise of IMBA to reach out to XTERRA (as well as other trail user groups) and encourage/help them to develop policies for responsible and sustainable trail use. I'm sure that most of you appreciate the irony of IMBA building/maintaining the trails that XTERRA uses/exploits for their off-road triathlons.
Thank you for your support and stay tuned.
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Post by dsquaredmsquared on Apr 30, 2013 10:19:45 GMT -5
Letter from SORBAcsra to XTERRA and the XTERRA response... I have attached as a PDF the letter SORBAcsra sent to XTERRA ( XTERRA - Tom Kiely.pdf (217.49 KB)). The response from XTERRA is below. In the meantime, XTERRA appears to have been in damage control mode and sent emails to their partnering sponsors suggesting that they will adopt a new trail protection policy (yet they do not mention any new trail policies to us) and minimizing the extent of damage that occurred to Lakeview Loop at Hickory Knob. From: Tom Kiely <tkiely@xterraplanet.com> Subject: Thank you Date: April 29, 2013 5:24:53 PM EDT To: dave.sorbaCSRA <dave.sorbaCSRA@gmail.com> Cc: Janet Clark <janet@xterraplanet.com>
Dear Mr. Kozlowski:
First and foremost, thank you so much for taking the time to contact us and share your thoughts and observations relative to the recent event at Hickory Knob State Park. It is only with sharing information and concerns that ensure trails can be properly enjoyed now and in the future.
In our history, there have been over 600 XTERRA off-road events, and most of these events keep returning to the same venues on an annual basis and this is a good sign of our goodwill for communities and track record for respecting the trails. After these 600 events, this is the first such situation/question relative to respect and care for the trails.
It is safe to say that Mother Nature played a strong and unexpected role which affected the situation at Hickory Knob. The event of under 100 people proceeded with the approval of the proper authorities and whether, in retrospect, the decision should have been different can surely be debated; however, what happens going forward is really the more important focus. We have reviewed the notes of the follow-up meeting with involved parties, and it is very good to see the positive and proactive steps which are being taken. The event producer, Mr. Andy Kennedy, is committed to playing a key role relative to trail maintenance and ongoing improvements at Hickory Knob State Park and we fully support and will assist with his efforts.
Thank you and Aloha,
Tom
-- Tom Kiely Chief Executive Officer TEAM Unlimited / XTERRA P: 808-792-2601 M: 808-428-0869 www.xterraplanet.com www.xterra.tv
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Post by dsquaredmsquared on May 1, 2013 19:21:52 GMT -5
Sponsors are starting to step up and help us recruit/reward volunteers at the HKSP trail repair work parties. XTERRA Wetsuits replied within hours of our email and offered schwag to raffle at the repair work parties. The events director at Rudy Project and XX2i Optics has done trailwork and is sympathetic to how much work will be required to repair the trail at HKSP, so they are stepping up BIG time with raffle prizes.
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Post by Angela on May 22, 2013 6:27:13 GMT -5
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Post by brianW on Jun 24, 2013 14:53:23 GMT -5
Is Hickory Knob still closed? Has the next work party been set?
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Post by dsquaredmsquared on Jun 24, 2013 15:07:18 GMT -5
Is Hickory Knob still closed? Has the next work party been set? Lakeview Loop should be open. No, next work party has not been set. We have to get back up there and test a few fixes to see which one(s) will work/not work to band-aid the most damaged sections of the trail. We are scheduled to rebuild/repair two bridges at Horn Creek on Saturday. Hopefully, we'll see you there. CCTT this week and (hopefully) the next two, explore the Trail Ride at Horn Creek on July 6th, NMBP training/CPR on July 21st, and FaRT@FATS in August. Lots of things happening.
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Post by azdrawdy on Jul 22, 2013 16:32:21 GMT -5
Got in some laps this weekend. Spiders were plentiful, as were downed trees. Probably about a dozen already, with several leaners that will drop soon.
The areas that the volunteers worked have come together so very well. Great job. The areas that were not touched by volunteers are, as expected, very obvious. Some of the areas have continued to erode pretty badly. Looking forward to the next work party. Hopefully we will get really good participation once again.
MD
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Post by Angela on Jul 22, 2013 16:54:56 GMT -5
We are working with the land manager right now to determine the best course of action to get the materials we will need to do those repairs into place. Will be working to set the date of the next work party soon (need the weather to settle down a bit too!)-stay tuned!
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emac
Gear Masher
Posts: 13
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Post by emac on Aug 5, 2013 7:06:21 GMT -5
My son and I rode the Lake Loop this weekend. A few trees down in the first mile or so (counterclockwise). All things considered, I thought it was in pretty good condition. I was unable to make the workparty, so I want to give a big thanks to all that went and saved the trail. I couldnt believe the amount of work that I saw! Tons of cuts trees and drains pull out. Good motivation for me to get out and get on the LCHT since the horses beat it up! Thanks again.
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