Are the trails widening?

[indyshred]

I am not a Fort Ben local, but I do ride it regularly. Is it just the time of year or does it seem like BOTH trails are getting wider? Rode the Fort today and it was great (as usual) but it had some serious mud puddles. It just seemed like its becoming single + 1/2 track instead of singletrack. Not just around mud sections its like the whole trail is wider. Just wondering what others think.

[jasonhilt]

One word.  Hikers.  Fort Ben sees a LOT of hikers all year.  When the trails are wet they tend to walk to the side of the trail instead of in the trail.  That is most of the reason for the widening.  A little bit of it is due to the fact that the plants have not grown up yet which give the illusion of a wider trail.  Most areas where it's wider will close back in once the plants come up.

There are some areas that were machine built so those sections of trail will be wider than normal hand built sections.

[indyshred]

Yeah I thought so, had encounters with them yesterday. Saw the arm swinging old guy again and some jogger reluctantly let me by. As I said thanks to her she grumbled "yeah whatever". It's my one of my beefs with the Fort, hikers and joggers. Plus new riders going backwards on the trails.

[mdbhound25]

Yes, let's get rid of all those hikers, walkers and new riders.  C'mon man.

[indyshred]

Not implying that at all, just stating what I'm observing.

[mtbikernate]

Not only new riders go backwards out there. Saw a guy in a well known local team kit going backwards on camp glenn last year.

But yeah, I would also peg the widening on traffic and especially traffic skirting the edge of the trail when the trails are muddy and should not be used.

[Jeff Blum]

Not implying that at all, just stating what I'm observing.

And you were observing... people?  On the trail?  How dare they!

No one would ever call me a people person, I don't like a lot of people.  You know who I DO like though?  People who get out and hike/bike/run in the woods.  I love seeing hikers and joggers out there, and it makes me proud to see them enjoying something that I've been a part of building.  And there are always going to be other users that are going to be upset that they have to share the trails with bikes, but for the most part you GET the type of attitude that you GIVE.  I'm friendly to everyone I see on the trail, and that friendliness is almost ALWAYS reciprocated.

[ryantrek]

 What it boils right down to is understanding. I ride, my 1 year old, 3 year old, and wife don't, so our time spent together getting outdoors is done hiking. When we hike, we tend to hike on trails that are specific to hiking, however, I have hiked at schoen creek to show my wife where we ride. While I as a rider know that trail very well, and know when to walk on the outside of blind turns, most people have never covered that trail at 15 mph, and don't know that some of those turns you're walking around aren't easy to see if someone is walking on the other side of. I also tend to pull the kids and wife off to the edge of a trail when I hear a bike coming to let them roll right on through. ( I hate stopping mid climb to yield to a hiker or trail runner, I won't make a fellow rider do it because of me ) Not every trail user is going to see things that way, and likely as not won't step off to the side to let you finish that climb, or nail that turn. It's just not something they know or understand because they've never done it, nor should they have to understand. We have to yield to the other users, it's hierarchy of trail use.

[indyshred]

Well now that Jeff B & Hound seem to know what kind of rider I am, I prolly shouldnt be on here replying. But here goes,  I am a very considerate rider, I am old, slow and always slow down and get out of the way of all hikers until they wave me by. When they do I always reply with a thank you and if its a nice day I'll throw that in also. I was only commenting on the observation that the trails at the Fort SEEM to be getting wider and thought it was funny that the arm swingin guy was there and some lady jogger was the crotchety one on the trail. At no time did I say all hikers and new riders need not enjoy the Fort, its whats expected when I go there.

[indyshred]

By the way Ryantrek reply is spot on, I do the same when I take my wife into the woods.

[Jeff Blum]

Now that shred knows how much of a sarcastic jerk I am, I probably shouldn't be on here replying, but here goes:

Old?  CHECK!
Slow?  CHECK!
Love being out in the woods?  CHECK!

We always did feel the same, we just started from a different point of view.  Some people are going to be grumpy about sharing the trails with bikes no matter how considerate we are, but I view those people as outliers and put them out of my mind shortly after they're out of sight.  They will always exist, and I don't think they're worth wasting any time thinking about.

[indyshred]

Well stated, ridings ALWAYS good.

[garydzeb]

I hike at Ft Ben a lot, and I always listen for bikes and I step out of the way off the trail for them.  Some of you have probably seen me, and 95% of the bikers are always polite and say something friendly (you know the other 5%).  Hey, I know who builds those trails, and they always get the right of way from me...

[David Kuehnen]

A lot of corners being cut on LC.   
I blame the people who are not interested in having fun.

[jasonhilt]

There has also been some trees knocked down on corners so they can cut it sharper.  Irritates me to no end.