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Post by Angela on Feb 26, 2021 21:38:00 GMT -5
FATS is still under closure by the USFS (please share this information with others), wet conditions persist but are improving. Trail check this afternoon revealed there are the usual wet/mucky problem areas but there are still too many active seeps that have created 20 to 40 feet wet areas on the trail that need to dry out.
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greg
Fred
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Post by greg on Feb 27, 2021 12:00:44 GMT -5
Hope it dries up soon. Drying to ride offroad for a change. Been a long Winter.
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Post by Angela on Feb 28, 2021 8:24:28 GMT -5
Hope it dries up soon. Drying to ride offroad for a change. Been a long Winter. Fortunately there is about 100 miles of singletrack other than FATS to ride in this area. Other than when we had the 4 inches of rain we had in a week earlier this month those trails have been good to go. Go to sorbacsra.org/trails for the whole list. Our trail champions have been keeping them in great condition!
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Post by Angela on Feb 28, 2021 8:24:45 GMT -5
FATS Update> trail is still under official US Forest Service closure due to wet conditions. The water level is dropping and there are fewer seeps but still not where it needs to be. With no more rain the trail system should be ready to open in a couple of days.
Please respect the FATS closure and help keep the trails in good condition. The other area trails have dried out enough and are available to ride/run/hike.
Pollen is already in the air so things should start greening up very quickly. Warmer temps and the growing season contribute greatly to a drier FATS!
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Post by Angela on Mar 3, 2021 9:36:32 GMT -5
Trails Update> FATS is still under official US Forest Service closure and we picked up approximately another inch of rain in the past 24 hours.
All the local trails still had some seepy areas prior to this additional rain so will also need a day or two to dry out.
We will keep you posted!
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Post by Angela on Mar 6, 2021 12:14:33 GMT -5
Trails Update> FATS is still under official US Forest Service closure. We are working with them and with authorization have done a preliminary trail check today. Trails are still too wet. Will probably be another 48 hours with no additional rain.
We are getting preliminary feedback on some of our outlying trails and some of those trails are in condition to ride after the additional inch plus of rain on Wednesday (report in on Bartram Trail). There will still be wet/mucky spots here and there but the majority of the trail tread is in good condition.
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Post by Angela on Mar 10, 2021 8:10:49 GMT -5
(3/10/2 8:00AM) FATS Update> Trails are still under USFS Temporary Closure. Trail check indicates the trails will need at least another 24 hours to dry out. Please do not use the trails until they dry to avoid damaging the tread in those additional soggy areas.
In addition, the fire unit with the USFS intends to begin the prescribed burn on the north trails (Big Rock and Tower) on Thursday and Friday if weather conditions are as expected.
They may use the main FATS parking lot as their staging area. Since it is possible the south trails will be open on Friday (the north trails will be closed during the burn and for a short period after if needed to assess safety concerns) you may need to park in alternate places to access the trails if they are open.
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Post by Angela on Mar 10, 2021 21:00:33 GMT -5
Prescribed Burn Update>
The USFS prescribed burn scheduled for Thursday (3-11) and Friday (3-12) around the Big Rock and Tower Trails at FATS has been postponed. We will provide updated information as it becomes available.
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Post by Angela on Mar 11, 2021 18:17:08 GMT -5
FATS is officially open! There are still some wet/mucky areas and some seeps, most should be gone by the weekend.
There is an issue with the north trailhead gate hopefully it will be resolved shortly.
Exciting news particularly for our out-of-town visitors......the new pump had been installed and the water checked and it is good to go! That is potable water from a well that is checked regularly!
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Post by Angela on Mar 11, 2021 18:17:22 GMT -5
FATS is officially open! There are still some wet/mucky areas and some seeps, most should be gone by the weekend.
There is an issue with the north trailhead gate hopefully it will be resolved shortly.
Exciting news particularly for our out-of-town visitors......the new pump had been installed and the water checked and it is good to go! That is potable water from a well that is checked regularly!
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Post by Angela on Mar 11, 2021 18:17:28 GMT -5
FATS is officially open! There are still some wet/mucky areas and some seeps, most should be gone by the weekend.
Exciting news particularly for our out-of-town visitors......the new pump had been installed and the water checked and it is good to go! That is potable water from a well that is checked regularly!
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greg
Fred
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Post by greg on Mar 12, 2021 8:16:49 GMT -5
YES!!!!!!!
PS I stopped by and noticed that the main sign was damaged by criminals.
How much would it cost to replace that? If it's reasonable, I'd be willing to fund it : D
Love that place!
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Post by Angela on Mar 12, 2021 9:15:40 GMT -5
Thank you! Which sign has been damaged?
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greg
Fred
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Post by greg on Mar 15, 2021 12:53:52 GMT -5
The Big Rock trail head sign looks like it was shot with pellets or something. May be a few years old damage but nonetheless, maybe we can get a replacement. If the price is reasonable, I'll fund it. Greg Thank you! Which sign has been damaged?
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Post by Angela on Mar 18, 2021 15:30:19 GMT -5
FATS is open and in good condition! This week was sketchy in terms of weather moving across the area but FATS only picked up about a quarter of an inch over the last couple of days! /?d=n
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Post by Angela on Mar 24, 2021 11:11:10 GMT -5
The US Forest Service plans to do a prescribed burn in the area of the FATS north trails (Big Rock and Tower). Those two trails will be closed until the burn is completed and they have completed a safety check of the trails (checking for any hazard trees). This whole process usually goes very quickly.
The main parking lot (south trails) will be their staging area. The parking lot won’t be closed (nor will those trails) but there will likely be fire trucks and bulldozers there. Please leave plenty of room around those vehicles so if things are getting tight please park down the gravel road to access those south trails.
Thank you!
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Post by Angela on Mar 25, 2021 10:02:42 GMT -5
The US Forest Service is burning around the FATS north trails today (Big Rock and Tower) FS 661 and Woodlawn Road between Deep Step and 28 are barricaded. DO NOT attempt to access those trails.
The south trails are open and there is some room in the parking lot but if parking gets tight use alternate parking down the gravel road FS 662 just past the FATS parking lot.
Please help spread the word!!!
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Post by Angela on Mar 26, 2021 17:43:50 GMT -5
The rain has finally moved out of the area. FATS received nearly 3/4 inch of rain from the system that rolled through. Please give the trails time to dry out. Minimally 24 hours but we will keep you up to date.
North trails (Big Rock and Tower) are still under official USFS closure due to the burn. The rain kept them from doing the trail safety check. We will update you as we get additional information!
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Post by Angela on Mar 27, 2021 20:53:40 GMT -5
USFS has cleared Big Rock and Tower after the burn and those trails are officially back open.
The remainder of FATS should be good to go although there will be wet/mucky spots from the rain that came through. Please keep the singletrack single by staying in the middle of the trails.
This is a heads up because the remainder of FATS is scheduled to be burned in the coming weeks. When the US Forest Service closes the trail during a burn it is closed for trail user safety. Accelerants are being dropped from a helicopter during the burn. After the burn the USFS burn team goes into the trail to check for hazard trees and removes them for the safety of all trail users.
Please do not access the trails while they are closed. You can be ticketed but more importantly there is heightened chance that you can be injured or killed by one of these hazard trees.
While the USFS team was working to remove downed and hazard trees they had to contend with 30 cyclists who decided to ride those closed trails. Hopefully our community of trail users or visitors will do better next time.
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Post by Angela on Mar 29, 2021 6:36:27 GMT -5
Fortunately the weather system that rolled through yesterday only dropped about a quarter of an inch of rain. Weather predicted for the next 10 days looks excellent although subject to change pretty rapidly.
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