in CamRock (Moderator: TheMayor1)

Yes that is right! Two days of Trail Building fun! It is time to finish up some projects already started, and give the rest of our system some TLC. This wet and cool weather has been perfect for keeping moisture in the soil for working. We plan to take full advantage. Here is your chance to give something back to the trails you love to ride.

No excuses. Two days. Same location. We know some folks are busy on certain days, so we are holding Trail Days on both days this weekend. I hope you can make it out for one of them.

So come on out either Saturday or Sunday for some fun and camaraderie with your fellow mountain bikers. As a bonus we get to put the finishing touches on some sweet new trail, and add some nice new features to existing trails. We get to finish the day with some sweet eats and beverages on the great outdoor deck at Heather's Rockdale Bar and Grill after the trail building, and leave your wallet at home (except for the tip). Heather is a great sponsor to CORP and she will pick up the tab

General Plan:
Coffee, milk, and donuts in the CamRock III parking lot at 7:45a.
Tool Safety talk and general plan for the day at 8a.
Trail building from 8a to noon.
Heather's from noonish to 1:30ish.
Riding after your belly is full if you are up for it. Maybe before is that is your preference.
If you have to come late, make it when you can. Some folks will be working on the hill right off the CamRock III parking lot so it should be easy to find us. Ask for The Mayor if you are new to our group and I will get you heading the right direction.

Needed:
Work boots preferred. Or at least shoes you can get dirty. This is a trail building day after all
Long pants. Preferably tough jeans or tough nylon material works well.
Leather or other work gloves.
I will try to have some water and snackage for on the trail. If you like something particular, bring it.

This should pretty much cover it, but it you want more information, read the post "CamRock Trail Days". Even more information, give me a call at six 0 eight seven 7 3 seven eight two 2.

I will be basking in the Ozarks this weekend, so THANK YOU in advance for all of the hard work!  :D

Bring on the trail building! I am confident if we get enough folks out we can get much of the Beer Run trail completed and some maintenance tasks scratched off the list.

I will be out as early as possible for me Sunday.

I am looking forward to making that dh run as fast as possible!

I will be out as early as possible for me Sunday.

I am looking forward to making that dh run as fast as possible!

It should be fun as hell when done. We just need to move a fair amount of dirt on turn 2, pack in the dirt and then shape/cup the thing and its ready to ride. Easier said than done, lots of work to do.

I will be out as early as possible for me Sunday.

I am looking forward to making that dh run as fast as possible!

It should be fun as hell when done. We just need to move a fair amount of dirt on turn 2, pack in the dirt and then shape/cup the thing and its ready to ride. Easier said than done, lots of work to do.

Yeah everyone wants to play on the new trails and I get that. And we need to get Bee Run completed as our erosion control permit runs out on the 11th.
Somehow we also need find the time and labor to give the existing trails the TLC they deserve and need. It really bothers me to see posts about "only wet in the usual spots" or "only wet on a few corners". Those are areas that need to be worked on.
This is not unusual, and I don't mean to harp at all. I just don't want us to lose our focus. It is way more fun to build new stuff than to maintain existing trail. But we also need to find the time to take care of what we have or we can lose it all. The #1 priority we are charged with in our MOU with Dane County Parks at CamRock is to keep our trails sustainable and prevent erosion.
Hopefully we have a ton of people out this weekend and we can have enough folks around to do both

That sounds good and important.  I figured i coupd be most helpful in the gravity dept as thats my area of experience

That sounds good and important.  I figured i coupd be most helpful in the gravity dept as thats my area of experience

Most definitely Tim. If folks have a specialty it is best to use them where they have talents. It is all important. I just don't want us to lose focus that what is really important is to keep what we have. As of now that includes Beer Run. But I don't plan on anything more new until we get what we have taken care of.

We can always get the troops riled up to build more jumps, more berms, more features. But next is making trail sustainable. If features are a part of that equation all the better. If not they are on the list as "wants" not needs.

The more folks that can get out and help the more we get done, and the more fun we can make everything.

That is all......

That sounds good and important.  I figured i coupd be most helpful in the gravity dept as thats my area of experience

Most definitely Tim. If folks have a specialty it is best to use them where they have talents. It is all important. I just don't want us to lose focus that what is really important is to keep what we have. As of now that includes Beer Run. But I don't plan on anything more new until we get what we have taken care of.

We can always get the troops riled up to build more jumps, more berms, more features. But next is making trail sustainable. If features are a part of that equation all the better. If not they are on the list as "wants" not needs.

The more folks that can get out and help the more we get done, and the more fun we can make everything.

That is all......

Chuck, I think everyone agrees with you on all points but folks do get excited about new things its human nature. I think you have done a fine job and put in a lot of hours in trail building the last week so I hope you see you bestowing knowledge at this trail day instead of swinging a tool.

With that said I like the beer run trail it will be cool but we need to continue to maintain sustainable trail by fixing ill-built trail and building new trail that is sustainable and built right the first time. I've seen trail that hasn't been touched in 3 years that still rides and looks the same as the day it was built. I look forward to maintaining and building great trails at CamRock for years to come.

What's the best resource that doesn't cost a lot for info on building sustainable trails.  The only kind of trail I know how to build is the fun kind, I know common sense in picturing where the water will go and making it not take soil with it works pretty well but isn't exactly the right approach probably. 

What's the best resource that doesn't cost a lot for info on building sustainable trails.

IMBA.org

http://www.imba.com/resources/trail-building



Look to the right menu bar for some specific topics.  Picking up the book is a great idea as well.  As an IMBA member you get 10% off the price.

http://www.imba.com/resources/trail-building



Look to the right menu bar for some specific topics.  Picking up the book is a great idea as well.  As an IMBA member you get 10% off the price.

Truly is amazing what knowledge can be gained from the IMBA site, and even more from the book Trail Solutions. And now that CORP has bought all of us Trail Stewards inclinometers, it is very interesting to go back to trail that is having erosion issues. There are five basic principles of trail building. With an inclinometer and the IMBA trail building guides, you will always find what the design flaw was in the original layout. There will always be at least one, and most times two, of the principles that were violated in the original trail layout. It is much easier, and more fun, to build sustainable trail than to go back and fix unsustainable trail. Unfortunately at CamRock we have lots of trail built over the last 14 years that, while we did the best we could, was not done correctly. We now have to go back and give some love to keep it around for the next 14 years. Not an overwhelming amount of work to fix. But every year we will need to tackle the worst offenders and keep ahead of the issues.

That book is your trail building bible! Read and pray on it every day. But Chuck is dead on. Heck even really well built trail will EVENTUALLY need maintenance but we try to built it in such a way that this isn't needed for a very long time. Tim, I like how you ask questions to know why trails are built and managed the way they are, you are a minority when it comes to users; thank you!

Anyhoo, come on out to the trail day and learn Chuck, myself and other experienced trail builders.

http://www.imba.com/resources/trail-building



Look to the right menu bar for some specific topics.  Picking up the book is a great idea as well.  As an IMBA member you get 10% off the price.

Truly is amazing what knowledge can be gained from the IMBA site, and even more from the book Trail Solutions. And now that CORP has bought all of us Trail Stewards inclinometers, it is very interesting to go back to trail that is having erosion issues. There are five basic principles of trail building. With an inclinometer and the IMBA trail building guides, you will always find what the design flaw was in the original layout. There will always be at least one, and most times two, of the principles that were violated in the original trail layout. It is much easier, and more fun, to build sustainable trail than to go back and fix unsustainable trail. Unfortunately at CamRock we have lots of trail built over the last 14 years that, while we did the best we could, was not done correctly. We now have to go back and give some love to keep it around for the next 14 years. Not an overwhelming amount of work to fix. But every year we will need to tackle the worst offenders and keep ahead of the issues.

Thank you for pointing these things out.

I realized how we've more than quadrupled trail miles where I've worked for 9 years and more of that time has been spent repairing what was not ideal in the first place. Some areas where people laughed or harassed when we planned with measurement tools haven't been touched for years. Some might remember "the Bender turn".

Many thought it spoiled the party measuring the pump track with stakes and the clinometer but that's what took it from a lake to what's often the first place you can ride after a rain. The turns that didn't work did when they got to text book specs.

I see all of our trails have a hand full of people who are paying attention to them in the worst of times and see getting things within or toward proper slope, radius, attention to fall line, and grade reversals bring a benefit of less work and the benefit of ear to ear grins when you ride.

Yeah, some unconventional things work, but when you've spent years at it AND counting and reporting the hours spent you know well that it's wearing the a$$ hat ignore the practices that are known good.