From Martin...
Sat Nov 17 8:30am - 12pm Swanson Park (map)
On 17 November from 8:30 – 12:00 THOR will be hosting a trail day at Swanson Park to:
- Reroute the downhill section vicinity of the Fire Department Training Area
- Correct water drainage problems on Tetanus Ridge
- Add a new trail extension
Volunteers are requested to bring gloves a shovel, pick-axe, brush saw, loppers/clippers or commercial type rake to help cut in the two new trail sections and to help fix some erosion problems. Tools will be provided by THOR if you don't have any of your own.
The current downhill trail will be closed and replaced with a new downhill trail that follows the current IMBA guidance on building maintainable and sustainable trails. The current downhill trail is not within IMBA standards and remains in constant state of rain damage. Nearly 25% of all volunteer THOR trail day work for 2007 went into maintaining this 400+ foot section where we have to support over 5 miles of total trail. Look forward to seeing you there!
-- Swanson Trail leader
14 comments:
dude, your having a trail day during the lincoln cross race?
dood,
For those coming out to Trail Day at Swanson the tool of choice is going to be a Pulaski/Pick-axe since the ground is still so hard from no rain.
Three small bridges are already prepositioned for one of the rerouted area.
Dood...there will be more new trails up here for you to race on when your leg gets better.
Thanks for re-blogging MOD.
Why close the trail, it is probably the most fun it has ever been to ride with the washouts. I realize that erosion is a problem and that the new trail will be nice, but no reason to close the trail, just let who wants to ride it, ride it!
It puts some technical skills into trails that we direly lack here. Every where in the country the trails are becoming more and more technical to challenge riders because of the vast improvements in bike technology making it easier to ride the trails. Here it seems to be going in exact opposite direction (mtb trails should not be able to be ridden on cross bikes). Think of riding in Moab or Colorado on cross bike. Cross bikes are great and have there purpose but lets get some skill in Omaha’s riders.
That's why god gave us suspension and 29ers smooth out the bumps.
Hopefully in the next few years of trail maintenance we stop the "the pave the trail bake sale" that seems to be going on in Nebraska.
Both places you mentioned are technical because of natural land formations and rocks. To let trails that we are responsible for erode badly just because they are fun to ride, is like leaving the muffler off your car because you think it sounds cool. Lots of good people have earned the trust of city officials, just to get into parks. We must continue to build trails responsibly to keep that trust.
mtb4life2007, the reason they close the trails is because they know the new trails won't be ridden if they don't. All they care about is building more trails. At the current rate when they get done there will be a 15 mile loop. 12 miles of lumpy landfill and 3 miles of singletrack. They have no idea that maybe some of the people that ride out there could care less about the next race and only ride for fun.
BTW: it takes a lot of technical skills to ride off camber lumpy landfill trails that lack any kind of flow.
Too bad the guy with all the vision moved to Colorado. He knew how to build a fun trail with flow, not some switchback landfill POS.
I'm glad some people have the trust of the city. Too bad they can't build a fun trail at Swanson. Contact the city parks department and let them know how you feel.
Spidey you have got to be kidding me. Your are so in the minority on this one. Myself, & everybody I ride with greatly appreciate all of THOR's efforts.
THOR-Please don't think Spidey's opinion on this issue is the majority.
Were it not for people who volunteer to give up half their day on a beautiful Saturday to fix problems (and that hill was a problem) at places like Swanson, we'd have no place to ride at all.
Further more, anybody who volunteers as much time as THOR members do have the right to run a trail anywhere they damn well please, they've earned it.
Haro and many others we appreciate your support.
To all the magnificent folks that came out to Swanson on such a great day THANK YOU for all your help yesterday. We accomplished all THOR Trail Day goals and then some.
We had 35+ THOR volunteers at Swanson to help out with the reroutes and maintenance of the trails. I couldn't keep track of all the folks that kept coming out of no where to earn some dirt!!! We nearly ran out of tools for folks to use which would be a THOR first. Even sold more THOR sweat shirts to boot!
I was totally impressed with the steady turn out of FIRED UP up folks ready to work on the reroutes. I thank you, THOR thanks you and the many other trail users thank you. Volunteers get out and ride YOUR new trails.
Full report to be posted on the THOR site in a couple of days.
Boys (MTB4/Spidey), you got to get off the crack. You obviously know nothing about trail building and less about being a good community member. We have plenty of folks who can complain and are not willing to do anything to improve a situation. Myself and a handfull of others worked with Resetar on every trail project he was ever involved with, there was always plenty of dialogue about what would work and what needed to be fixed. Mike would never have sided with whinners who were unwilling to help. One of the most important things in trail management is knowing when a trail needs to be closed, as much as I enjoyed the downhill at Swanson the erosion problem was too great and the efforts required to fix it just didn't justify having to work on it twice a year. By the way how often did either of you work on improving it? Yeah, I thought so!
Do I like every trail or reroute in the area? No, but I'm not willing to be publicly critical of someone elses efforts unless I'm willing to do something about it. Redeem yourselves, (get off your asses)if you have ideas contact the local THOR Trail Rep and discuss them. Otherwise keep your whinning to yourselves.
Thanks to all of those who did show up and their willingness to work longer than planned, I know Rusty would have liked to see everything come together like it did.
I completely support thor and what does for the trails in the omaha and nebraska area and I completely realize that we live in nebraska, so our terrain doesn't help us. I wish I had more time to help with thor and local trails but I plain and simple dont. I am just a just saying quanity is not better than quality. I just hope that with futher reroutes and additions some more time and thought is put into so we have no more "miles of lumpy landfill." Yes I know it takes time to break stuff in.
Swason is the least of my worries, how about the new addition at tranquility or the leveling of good trails at plat not to mettion the taking out of both ladder bridges.
Lets make our trails better not bigger!
To all who were out working on the trails. I wish I were back home so I could have helped with the reroute. I've always enjoyed working with everyone during trail days. Let the cowbell ring.
Don't you mean "You make the trail better not bigger?", "Lets" assumes you will be participating. You obviously have time to be critical, helping only takes slightly more time.
THOR MEMBERS AND ALL WHO RIDE,
Thanks for supporting THOR both with sweat and passion. It was a tremendous effort by volunteers and COULDN'T HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE without Martin's organization and forethought. I was stunned at the number of KIDS who were helping. One dad's daughter was all over the pick axe and breaking up the dirt. It was awesome to see.
Every time I looked up someone new was moving dirt or hammering a steak. At one time we had 5 crews of 5-6 people in different areas of the trail. Rusty woulda been stoked.
Everyone has their own idea of what's fun. Safe and sustainable trails are our responsibility. The fun part is up to you all.
Now go ride.
I was very encouraged by the turnout and dirt moved. Patience, organization, and some direction provided a great opportunity for people to give of their time and energy to leave something of themselves in the trail.
Trail design is part science and part art. Sometimes we do it well and there is flow, challenge, fun in a layout that minimizes erosion and maintenance. We make mistakes too. Usually in any criticism, there is some truth.
Though we can learn about good trail design by reading "Trail Solutions: IMBA's Guide to Building Sweet Singletrack", how the designers ride, their likes and dislikes, and their eye (vision) for design possibilities go into the art aspect.
Different experiences, likes, abilities, bikes, personalities affect our response to a trail. I wish we had more rocks in our soil to increase the natural technical trail features and the design options. But I am also grateful for the trails we have and those who spend some their life building and maintaining them that could have been spent riding them.
Like it or not, THOR is the mechanism for changing most trails around here. You can criticize from the outside and cause questioning of THOR by our land managers. Or you can earn some dirt cred by putting some of your life into building and maintaining trails. Your ideas will receive a better hearing within a working relationship.
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