in Blue Mound (Moderator: Walt Hougas)

Here's what's coming up for Blue Mound the month of June.  It's going to be incredibly busy. Walter and I are going to be booked every weekend in June, starting with the WORS race this weekend.

• Sat June 6 - Blue Mound trail run.  See wisconsintrailruns.com for more information
• Sat June 13 - CORP Workday.  The plan is to do finish work on the boundary reroute from last year, tune some drainage/berms/jumps, and improve the overall quality of the trail that we roughed in last year.  If you like to add your creative touch to MTB trails, this is your opportunity!
• Sat June 20 - Horribly Hilly Hundreds.  I would avoid the parking lot until later in the day/evening.  If you're interested in volunteering, I know the Friends group would appreciate it.  It also gets you a guaranteed spot in next years race.  See the HHH volunteer page for volunteer opportunities.
• Sat June 27 - REI Trail Stewardship Day.  CORP members are welcome to attend. There will be lunch and beverages provided.  Please RSVP on the volunteer registration page.

Volunteer opportunites for the bike trails always exist.  Please see the current work opportunities thread for details.

NOTE The work day for Blue Mound was changed from Saturday June 13 to Sunday June 14. My Saturday was preempted by a family event. Hope to see you on Sunday. The new reroute is going to eliminate some badly eroded trail that stays wet late into the spring. The new trail will be significantly drier and will include a scenic ravine crossing. We started the work five years ago. The project was halted by the DNR master plan amendment process. We finally were re-appoved last year, only to get bumped by the emergency boundary reroute. The time has finally come to make this section of trail a reality.

Walt

Recent developments: We're getting the weeds under control. Gary, Rich, Ryan and I have cut weeds in Over Lode, the beginner section, Serpentine Climb, and Holy Schist. More work is needed.

The Phase 2 reroute in Holy Schist is roughed in and open to ride. The REI work day got us punched through, a big thanks to all the REI folks who made the day a success, especially Events leader Kathleen Witman. Several CORPers  were there too. The old trail is now closed. The reroute is a significant improvement over the eroded old trail, even in roughed in condition. Five years in the making!

Maybe the biggest development is the park is now into summer mode regarding rain. We had 0.4" of rain Monday, and the trails were all open again by Wednesday afternoon. My tires pack up with mud, making Holy Schist a workout, but being able to get out and ride is huge.

The streambed crossings in the beginner section reroute have all been improved. Gary has led the charge on this effort. The results are easy to take for granted, but something that makes the trail more fun to ride and more accessible to riders of all skill levels.

Walt

August update:

The big news is CORP Fest is coming up on Saturday. Hope to see you there.

Gary got out and did some more weed trimming on Over Lode. Thanks Gary!

I spent most of Sunday reworking the new ramp down from the trail head. Haven't had a chance to ride it yet. Let me know if it needs adjusting.

The trails are in great condition. The rain on Friday August 14th hardly did more than settle some of the dust. The new Phase 2 reroute in Holy Schist is packed down and riding well.

The Friends of Blue Mound State Park want to change their second Candlelight Ski event to a winter festival, and would like to have a trail ride as part of the event. This will be an good opportunity to put together an event to promote the trails. I'll post again when we have a date.

Some recent tweaks to the trails:

Gary and I have improved the ramp down off the trail head again. It's now at least 2.5 ft wide all the way down, and insloped so the trail is pretty easy to stay on. If you take it at moderate speed.

We finally found time to improve a couple of the stream bed crossings in the Holy Schist Phase 2 reroute built this spring. I'm pleased with the quality of the rock work we've put in this year, hope some of you are enjoying the ride.

Gary cut down the bank approaches for several crossings. Two in the new beginner reroute, a couple more in Holy Schist today. Makes it easier to see the crossing from farther back and get lined up before hitting the rocks. Also the smoother transitions make the crossings fun to take at speed. Whee!

Leaves are just starting to come down. We will clear the trails at least once this fall, maybe more if we get dry weather. No telling what will happen, but I keep thinking we're due for a dry spell some time soon.

The damp weather has made riding very challenging at Blue Mound. I hope everyone is being careful and staying safe out there.

Walt

Gary and I worked on the last streambed crossing on the Phase 2 reroute in Holy Schist. We moved some big rocks into the bottom. It is in good shape.

There's one more crossing in Pokerville I'd like to rework this fall. That should be the last trail work for 2015, except for leaf blowing.

Walt