NWC Trail cleanup

[mud1059]

While my boys are taking a nap today I decided to do some more formal research in wheeling, mostly in the PNW4WDA forums. Alot of trail carnage and closures pending. I know we discussed taking a bolder stand on cleanups as a chapter although what to do and how to do it is in question. As I was reading all I could think of was 197/198 up at Evans. I seriously wonder how some of you guys made it through there without more damage than what was recorded. I saw lots of winching up places you guys made it along with new deep tire swallowing holes where the skinny pedal was overused. The ruts Phil spoke of were very real. Again, I have no idea how to begin the repair of a trail especially ones as far out as those. However, I believe something needs to be done by the lower level of users without a political agenda. I know time is tight in the world we're living in but in order to keep our...YOUR jeeps straight and our hobby open perhaps we should REALLY consider doing something productive at a higher level.

I'm certainly not one to make trails easy for everybody. However in a more mature way of looking at it, I think what's happened up there is on the verge of getting out of hand. Hopefully we can do something about this as a group arm in arm with a more experienced group of wheelers with a broader spectrum of trail repair.

I'm certainly not a speaker and a horrible writer, and this isn't my usual type of idiotic post, but I appreciate you guys reading it and I think any kind of information would help us get to where we need to be as a club.

Thanks again,
Paul

 

[2xtreme]

This is the best post I have ever seen from you
I am sure Matt is proud, he probably thinks he is rubbing off on you

Since this is a reasonably new activity to many of us, we need to act in a way for us to educate ourselves and to help us determine where we are most useful and how active as a group we would like to be.

Matt should be in the process of scheduleing our first or first few optional trail clean ups in this area. There are several that have also been posted as well at Elbe and Reiter. The idea is to become active as a group and help put the "people" power together to help support these activities. IF we prove that we can support more than helping more formal groups and activities THEN we can work towards other activities that we can plan/coordinate.

Here is what I see happening:
1. Everyone caries a garbage bag with them on every run and picks up trash along the way.
2. We start supporting several trail clean ups that other larger groups have coordinated.
3. We then discuss adopting a trail or other activities for our own trail clean ups.



It is best not to take it apon ourselves to work on a specific trail without talking with the group or club that is responsible for that trail, ORV park, etc.
If you do want to do something specificically for that trail, I recommend you find out who is responsible for that trail and talk with them directly about what they would like you to do to help support them. We might find that they have some work in the plans that we can support or something similar.

Just my .02
Michael

PS. I appreciate the post!!

 

[KarlVP]

The "userbuit" trail at Evans has been discussed. They are working on getting it closed.

Thanks for getting involved.

 

[mud1059]

This is the best post I have ever seen from you
I am sure Matt is proud, he probably thinks he is rubbing off on you

Since this is a reasonably new activity to many of us, we need to act in a way for us to educate ourselves and to help us determine where we are most useful and how active as a group we would like to be.

Matt should be in the process of scheduleing our first or first few optional trail clean ups in this area. There are several that have also been posted as well at Elbe and Reiter. The idea is to become active as a group and help put the "people" power together to help support these activities. IF we prove that we can support more than helping more formal groups and activities THEN we can work towards other activities that we can plan/coordinate.

Here is what I see happening:
1. Everyone caries a garbage bag with them on every run and picks up trash along the way.
2. We start supporting several trail clean ups that other larger groups have coordinated.
3. We then discuss adopting a trail or other activities for our own trail clean ups.



It is best not to take it apon ourselves to work on a specific trail without talking with the group or club that is responsible for that trail, ORV park, etc.
If you do want to do something specificically for that trail, I recommend you find out who is responsible for that trail and talk with them directly about what they would like you to do to help support them. We might find that they have some work in the plans that we can support or something similar.

Just my .02
Michael

PS. I appreciate the post!!

There's a lot of things I wanted to quote from you and post a reply to but I just don't have the time throughout this week. However! I agree wholeheartedly that we can't do it by ourselves. Also there's a LOT more to "fix" a trail than I think anyone here comprehends. Honestly, I saw a spec page for work in Manatash by the DNR I believe. It was down to the percentage of a slope of all obstacles on a trail, how many logs per mile could be in the trail, lots of things I nor most people don't normally think about when we wheel.

I know trash cleanups always help, although there's also a lot more to it than just picking lazy folks' trash. However I do feel it's a great place to start. I've been wheelin a few times with Josh where I got tired of jumping in/out to pick up trash, so I just walked through the brush for 2/3s of an entire trail. Seemed odd that 90% of all trash was beer bottles/cans. :doh:

The "userbuit" trail at Evans has been discussed. They are working on getting it closed.

Thanks for getting involved.

Thanks KarlVP. What forum/website/group do you HQ out of. I only see your name here when it involves preserving our hobby.

Micheal in the most mature way I can say this... neener neener neener I told you that trail was there!

 

[2xtreme]

Micheal in the most mature way I can say this... neener neener neener I told you that trail was there!

And I can say I have no idea what you are talking about And will get back with your neener neener neener later (just wait)
I can assume that the trail (Userbuit) which I have never heard of, is the "un named" trail you were talking about at Evan's? Did I say it wasn't there?

Where is Matt with all of these discusions about trail clean ups!! Where are we with this stuff?!?!?!?!

Michael

 

[ladywolf]

There's a lot of things I wanted to quote from you and post a reply to but I just don't have the time throughout this week. However! I agree wholeheartedly that we can't do it by ourselves. Also there's a LOT more to "fix" a trail than I think anyone here comprehends. Honestly, I saw a spec page for work in Manatash by the DNR I believe. It was down to the percentage of a slope of all obstacles on a trail, how many logs per mile could be in the trail, lots of things I nor most people don't normally think about when we wheel.

I know trash cleanups always help, although there's also a lot more to it than just picking lazy folks' trash. However I do feel it's a great place to start. I've been wheelin a few times with Josh where I got tired of jumping in/out to pick up trash, so I just walked through the brush for 2/3s of an entire trail. Seemed odd that 90% of all trash was beer bottles/cans. :doh:


actually, knowing a lot of the jeepers and weekend go getters that go up there, its not surprising at all. unfortunately, they will eventually ruin it for the rest of us if we dont do anything about it now.



Thanks KarlVP. What forum/website/group do you HQ out of. I only see your name here when it involves preserving our hobby.

Micheal in the most mature way I can say this... neener neener neener I told you that trail was there!

 

[KarlVP]

Thanks KarlVP. What forum/website/group do you HQ out of. I only see your name here when it involves preserving our hobby.

I whore all the boards. I try to stay as involved as is humanly possible. I moved out here to the PNW from Virginia about a year and a half ago.

Not enough people are involved out here. We have it easy with trail systems.

There is ONE legal public area in Va to go wheeling. And it sucks, I could take my Stock, 1988 open diffed XJ through there in 2wd with no problems. Not "wheeling" in any real sense of the matter.

 

[mud1059]

And I can say I have no idea what you are talking about And will get back with your neener neener neener later (just wait)
I can assume that the trail (Userbuit) which I have never heard of, is the "un named" trail you were talking about at Evan's? Did I say it wasn't there?

Where is Matt with all of these discusions about trail clean ups!! Where are we with this stuff?!?!?!?!

Michael

Yes Micheal the trail KarlVP speaks of is the one I got all my damage on. I don't recall if you said it wasn't there. However you DID say that you've run every trail up there and there's no way anyone can leave with the damage I did. Either way that wasn't the original topic of the post so much as the authorized trails 197/198. They're rutted out bad, hopefully the mud helps with filling them in naturally. If not, we may be skipping them come end of October.

It's not surpising at all Ladywolf, I was kinda being a smartass about it. I know lots of guys that drink while on the trail or before, but at least they throw it in the backs of their rigs when they finish.

There is ONE legal public area in Va to go wheeling. And it sucks, I could take my Stock, 1988 open diffed XJ through there in 2wd with no problems. Not "wheeling" in any real sense of the matter.

I hear ya, I was stationed in Jacksonville, NC for two years and it was like that too. That was pre XJ though.