Fort Harrison Trail Building Updates

[jasonhilt]

Please keep posts on the topic of trail building updates.  Off topic posts may be deleted.

[jasonhilt]

Thanks to Jeff for coming out tonight.  We got the last ravine on the LC downhill rocked.

[Dave Tozer]

Proof that you guys do indeed rock.

Thanks to Jeff for coming out tonight.  We got the last ravine on the LC downhill rocked.

[mountainbikemike]

A special thanks to Paul Arlinghaus who is leading a group of Eli Lilly and Company volunteers this morning in a light rain to tear down an old bridge and build a couple of new ones on the Lawrence Creek trail!

[David Kuehnen]

A big round of applause is in order for Paul, Huff and all the other volunteers who have made mountain biking a reality at Fort Harrison!

[tomc]

I had a question about the leaves. Would there be an uproar if someone were to do some "random raking" out on the trails. (I had to type that carefully). Seems to me a few small sections have a lot of leaves and others have none. This may be something I could work on on my own when I have time but wouldn't want to do anything that would be detrimental or piss anyone off. I know uncovering the layer of thick leaves would leave the trail a bit slick until it dries but, as is, the leaves hiding those slippery roots and wet ground is just as bad if not worse. Any thoughts on this matter?? 

[mdbhound25]

I know I'm just an N of 1, but I like the leaves down, it makes the trail a little more challenging to ride at speed.  Thanks for helping as Ft Ben has turned into a great place to ride and run over the years.  Also, would like to start helping with bigger projects if needed, done officially coaching youth sports and son's buddies now drive which should open up some time.

[David Kuehnen]

Removing the leaves off of the trail, in the past, has resulted in the leaves on the lower side of the trail to dam up water.  Let's leave the leaves on the trail for now.  With the traffic that Fort Ben gets, the leaves should get compacted down pretty quickly.

[jasonhilt]

Leaves on the trail in the Fall is just part of the changes we all have to deal with as the seasons change.  It's also part of the challenge of riding.  In my opinion, the leaves can both hold water and help to shed water off the trail.  Both a give and take. 
To me hearing the leaves crunch under my wheels is part of the enjoyment of riding in the fall.

[tomc]

Well, glad I asked. I wasn't sure if leaves were something that most people would prefer removed from the trail or not. Seems like not. I'm cool with that. I just don't like falling and it always seems to be a slick root off camber where I bite it. Those leaves keep some of the hidden roots pretty slippery. I get zoned out sometimes riding these trails because I know them pretty well so it's probably a good thing for me to experience it differently as the seasons change. This is a good opportunity for me to work on my biking/handling skills. Thanks for the comments.   

[MikeHufhand]

As far as removing the leaves from the trail, I'm all in favor of it, and here's why: This last spring I rode and worked on several of our most popular trails around the state...BCSP, VSP, French Lick, Westwood, and certainly Fort Harrison.  Without exception the slowest drying segments on all these trail systems, were the spots that had compacted leaves in abundance.  While the rest of the trail was nice and dry, these segments held moisture for DAYS! Once the leaves were removed, these "trouble" spots dried up very quickly.


Certainly you don't want to create a damn or berm with the discarded leaves, as all the rules of good trail design are still in play, but I won't stop anyone from removing excess leaves....the trail drys faster!

[Paul_Arlinghaus]

Mike,


Last year, we intentionally left the leaves at Brown County in the fall / early winter.  It helps shed water and reduces freeze thaw this time of the year.  We blew off the leaves in Early spring, when they hold water and block drains.  This did seem to help.  But timing is important. I would not leaf blow this time of the year.


As always, each trail may require a different plan of attack.


Paul

[jasonhilt]

We blew off the leaves in Early spring, when they hold water and block drains.  This did seem to help.  But timing is important. I would not leaf blow this time of the year.

I agree with that.  It would be a lost cause to clear them off now considering there are still a LOT of leaves yet to come down.  By the time they are all off you get to Winter time.  Spring would be the time to clear them off once you are past the freeze/thaw point.

[Jpmerz]

For what it's worth, I think the first bridge on the new small loop on Lawrence Creek needs some attention. Mud and water seem to collect quite a bit on the entrance. And after the second bridge, there is a large dip that tends to collect quite a bit of mud and water. It seems like it either needs to be filled with rocks or round it out so the approach isn't so abrupt. I tried filling in both of these areas with larger sticks that were lying around, but I'm not sure that's going to cut it. Hopefully I can meet up on the next maintenance night to help out.

[David Kuehnen]

Please do not fill holes and depressions with sticks.  They really don't do the job and they just makes a bigger mess to clean up. 


Please be patient with the trail workers.  That section is less than 3 weeks old and it has seen a lot of rain in the last two weeks.  Dialing it in and added the proper armoring will take some time.