We’ve been making steady progress on a number of important issues and there have been some substantial updates to the website.  This post will summarize these and let everyone know the key ways to help, which are:

1. Be a responsible and courteous trail user.
2. Tell people about the trails and make the time to take new people for their first experience.
3. Make a donation to help fund the spring build.  The link on the donations page allows you to set up a recurring monthly donation if that’s easier for you.
4. Attend upcoming workdays. 

Volunteer Trail Maintenance

• A number of issues have been handled, almost all of which are part of the process of breaking in new trails and were related to the 11-12 inch rain event earlier this fall.  As general matter, we were very pleased with how the trails handled that extraordinary amount of rain. 
• The leaves are falling and the cold and wet are coming.  We’ll be doing a lot of work clearing drains and doing other winter maintenance beginning after Thanksgiving.
• Now that fall is here and the grasses and undergrowth are dying, we’re beginning to work on getting the “troads” currently on the kiosk map cleared and signed.  We have someone identified to mow/clear all but one.  The hope is that if we do that and then drive traffic onto them by signing them, we’ll get a nice compacted path that doesn’t need to be mowed in the future.  You can already see this happening in number of places.

Infrastructure

Parking

• We’ve addressed the lack of sufficient parking and now have about 100 spots.  We don’t need that much parking currently, but it would not have made sense to add 20 spots at a time.  It wouldn’t oversimply things all that much to say that the main goal over the next few years will be to start filling up the new parking area.  We need to go from 20-30 cars at peak times to something like 60-70.
• The new parking area is pretty much complete.  We were able to do build that lot for just over $30K (half the cost of grading contractor) because of the generosity of Jack Hughston and Hughston Homes. 
  • We are working on getting some trees planted in the island (that area just had a much of small pines and nothing worth saving).  Once we do that, we’ll eventually work on picnic tables and some changing stalls.
  • In a few weeks we’ll have a workday to build a short section of trail to connect the southwest corner of the lot to Primary Goods.
• We’ve also moved the wheel stops on the west side of the upper parking to make it a little bit wider as well as cleaned up the downed trees on the east side. 

Hubs and Rest Stops

• While we had workers and equipment for the parking lot, we created some spots for bike racks and benches at Hub I (Primary Goods and Bimini).  Fairly soon, we’ll begin working on racks and benches there as well as a few other spots (e.g. new section of Bimini by the water).
• We also need to get some mini-kiosk maps at some of the hubs.
• Please let us know if you are interested in helping with this (e.g., you’ve got some carpentry skills or a contact about getting some picnic tables donated or provided at cost).

Management

• E-bikes: We’ve put off taking a position on e-bikes for a variety of reasons, but as the trails become more popular we’ve more and more e-bikes on the trails.  The current rule is that e-bikes are allowed on a trial basis.  Please see the E-bike link under “Trails.”

Construction and Fundraising

• The revised master plan is up on the website. 
• We are hoping to construct the following beginning in March:
  • Complete the inner blue loop: seg 10 and 11
  • Outer teal loop: seg 22 (coupled with the green trails and the section of Lonely Hunter by the river/lake, this will create an outer loop that is somewhere between green and blue, or teal)
  • Segments 10, 11, and 22 are the remaining segments that are most important for creating connectivity.
  • Jump trail near parking: seg 24
  • A few tweaks (e.g., widen the turn on new section of Bimini by the water)
• Cost: $300K
• Fundraising:
  • Existing Funds and Pledges: $100K
  • Matching Grant: $100K
    • Every dollar you gives turns into two dollars
  • Need to Raise $100K of new dollars
    • Remaining Need: $88K

• New Hiking-Only Trails: we are struggling a little with how to approach the new hiking-only trails in the Master Plan.  The “troads” offer excellent “walking” experiences, so we want the new hiking-only trails to be narrow, rugged, and very natural – in other words, hand-built.

Hiring a contractor for hand-built trails is difficult and potentially inefficient since volunteers are more than capable of building these trails.  But, we need one or two people to take ownership of this effort and lead it.  Our current trail maintenance leaders are already spread too thin to take on the construction of a significant amount of trail.

Thanks for taking to the time to learn about what’s going on and please consider a donation to help us complete the spring 2022 build.

New trail map and directional signage going up this morning. A few quick notes:

• Now that Primary Goods is, for the most part, a loop, we are going to run Primary Goods and Bimini directionally.
• A small segment of Bimini is not quite complete, but will be soon.
• We are waiting on State Parks to clear some downed trees from the old road beds before we sign them and offer them as hiking-primary trails. I think Ridge Trail South is the only one with truly bad damage. Hopefully we can drive a lot of usage this fall and get nice paths worn in all of them (this is already the case with a number of them).
• I know the directionality can be annoying and that, as it stands now, it’s almost a little silly, because so little is not directional. Also, doing laps on Lickety Split on counterclockwise days is going to require people to stop and think. However, the plan from the beginning has been to have a robust long-term plan and act like we going to be successful.
• Here’s where we are going:
  • One of the two priorities for additional trails is the completion of the blue xc inner loop. That loop will be comprised of (i) the existing Lonely Hunter trail that climbs up the ridge from the parking area to Lickety Split and (ii) new trail that continues around the ridge in a U shape and descends back down the ridge on the other side of the lake (segments 10 and 11 on the Master Plan). Once this inner blue loop is completed, it will be the only blue xc (i.e., not gravity) trail that is directional.
  • None of the additional xc / non-gravity trails depicted in the Master Plan will be directional.
  • With additional parking scheduled to be completed by this fall, we are going to shift a lot of time and emphasis from fundraising and construction to driving utilization. In other words, we want to get enough users out there on a consistent basis that the directionality is required for everyone to have an optimal experience.
  • A guiding principle in the project has been to hire experts and listen to them. As far as trail layout and construction, there is very little flexibility on this principle. Management, however, is different. If we get down the road a year or two and, for example, everyone seems to think running Bimini directionally is unnecessary, it will take about 30 minutes to pull the directional signage and cost $100 to print a new kiosk map. In other words, when it comes to trail management, we’ll start with the plan but then watch, listen, and adapt as we go.
• To run laps on Lickety Split on counterclockwise days, the best option is climb up Ridge Trail South and take a left on Main Stage.

IF YOU AND YOUR FRIENDS ARE ALL CONFUSED ABOUT SOMETHING, CHANCES ARE WE DIDN’T DO A JOB COMMUNICATING AND A LOT OF OTHER PEOPLE ARE TOO. PLEASE LET ME KNOW OR MESSAGE THE SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS.

Really stoked most of the rain missed us and we should have really good conditions this weekend!

Sorry for the lack of communication the past couple of weeks as most trail construction has been completed and all but one trail has been opened. I’ve been really busy with work and out of town a lot.

The tape is down on the two sections of green that have been completed (Primary Goods and the “river segment” on Bimini). If you’re out in a group and can move the tree across the entrance to the Primary Goods segment that would be great. Otherwise, we’ll get to it as soon as we can. The last segment of Bimini on the other side of the field will be constructed soon.

On the blue gravity (“Lickety Split”), we have been waiting for the clay-heavy section by the lake to firm up. If you remember Quality Time when it first opened, this is probably going to be similar. Slimy and sticky until it fully compacts and then very, very durable. Fortunately, all the descending and features are over by the time you get to the lake, so we don’t need to be too protective of that section. However, please do walk it if it’s really sloppy.

The clay-heavy lake section was good last night when Keith and I went out there to walk it, but then we got a little rain overnight. Still, should be ready to open in the next day or so. Please exercise caution on your first lap as Lickety Split is a different flavor than the other existing trails.

After we pull the tape, we’ll do as we have before with some of the new trails and on some days ask everyone to stay off, even though the rest of the trails are open. Any new trail takes some time to harden up, and it’s especially important to protect the dirt features on Lickety Split. Hopefully, the time of year and lot of laps will help it finish hardening up quickly.

Many, many, many thanks to everyone for staying off. Walking it last night I could tell that no one had been poaching it. That’s really awesome to see and says a lot about our local riding community.

We’ve got the directional signs in hand and I just got an email that the printer has the new kiosk map is ready. The map will be up on the website soon and I’m planning to get all the new signage up at the trails on Friday afternoon. Now that we have a map, I’ll also get a short video up explaining how the trails will be managed until we can get a few more segments built and transition into what will hopefully be a more final management plan.

On other fronts, we are just waiting on the final permit from the City on the expanded parking lot. The Master Plan revisions are being finalized but I do have a final map. With that map in hand, I can do a video and explain to everyone where we are planning to head next. Coming soon.

Again, thanks for being patient with subpar communication this past month or so.

Finally, now that the pandemic is less of a hinderance and we have tons of additional parking on the horizon, we need to shift a big slice of time and energy from building and maintaining to creating community. Please encourage our shops to start organizing some group rides, especially beginner rides. The same goes for other stores/entities and group hikes or runs. The pandemic, outdoor recreation boom, and supply chain issues have everyone stretched thin, so hearing from people that want to attend the group hikes, runs, and rides will help get precious time and energy allocated to making them happen.

On the CVA SORBA front, we need some people that have interest in facilitating loosely-organized group rides. If you’re interested, please get with me, Tim Watley, or Keith Wills or message the social media accounts.

Please note that free, noncompetitive, informal group hikes, runs, or rides are just fine. Anything beyond that has to be cleared through State Parks.

Thanks to everyone for their support of the trails, including everyone who has given financially! If you haven’t donated, please do so!

The trails are in great shape and I hope everyone has been enjoying them frequently. I was especially pleased with how quickly the trails dried out after the heavy rains we had a few weeks back. All the work we did over the winter allowed us to open the trails sooner and not have lots of soft, muddy areas. Thanks again to everyone who helped out over the winter.

CONSTRUCTION UPDATE

IMBA’s Trail Solutions has been building the blue gravity trail. It will be a bike-optimized, bike-only, one-way trail like The Bug. It’s looking really, really good. It should be completed and open in late June. Until then, please help us by continuing to stay off.

FlowMotion out of Anniston is building the green trails and is currently working on turning Primary Goods into a loop. It’s looking great as well. Preston and crew did an especially good job of dealing with a tricky creek crossing. Again, please help us by staying off until we can open it.

As soon as Primary Goods is a loop, we’ll start running Primary Goods and Bimini directionally. To clear up any confusion, right now the only trail that’s directional is Lonely Hunter. Eventually, there will be an inner blue XC, shared-use loop that follows the ridge and forms a horseshoe around the lake. Once this is completed, the current plan is to have Primary Goods, Bimini, and the inner blue XC loop be directional. Everything else (other than the gravity trails) will be whichever way you want to hike, run, or ride it. The theory here is that making the most heavily used trails directional will give everyone a better user experience.

I’ve got a draft master plan map in my inbox on which I need to get back with Trail Solutions. We should have our revised master plan soon. Environmental surveys on all the new trail we flagged are ongoing. Hopefully by this fall we will have a fully-revised master plan for 35 miles and clearance on almost all of the trail corridors.

We will hopefully get started in the coming weeks, depending on contractor availability (which is tough right now given the season and the amount of construction going on). Many thanks to Jack Hughston for lots of help on this. The new lot will add 70 spaces and solve our parking problem.

Once we have all that parking, we’ll start having group hikes, runs, and rides. Right now we can’t concentrate a lot of users to a specific time (especially on weekend mornings) or we run the risk of running out of parking. (I have, however, encouraged the bike shops to start having some weeknight beginner rides to help people that are new to riding)

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP

We still need about $20,000 to complete Bimini. If you have not given, please do so. If you have given, please consider giving again. You can use the Donate page on the website or give via Facebook. We need everyone who is using the trails to contribute.

After storms, please take the time to stop and remove some downed branches. If everyone will move a few, then they’ll all get cleared quick.

We also need help with keeping the trail corridor clear. If people would hike, run, or ride with a small pair of clippers and/or a small folding saw in their pack and take the time to stop and cut back a few branches growing into the trails, we’d get this taken care of quick. If you do this, make sure to cut them back all the way to the tree. (Pro Tip: if you are are a rider and have younger kids, this is really easy to do on the green trails when you’re taking your kids to ride. You can stop, cut, and catch back up quick).

Finally, please help keep the parking lot free of trash. I’ve got a roll of small trash bags in my car and try to pick up anything I see in the lot from time to time. Please consider doing the same. The cleaner we keep it, the less tempted people will be to leave trash.

All of these maintenance activities are great ways to contribute for people who have physical limitations that prevent them from helping with rock armoring and some of the other more physical maintenance activities or work weekends and cannot attend the workdays.

Thanks for everyone’s help making the trails a success!

MANAGEMENT

If you’ve been out there recently, you’ve no doubt noticed the green collection box near the kiosk.  It relates to the transition from a hunting/fishing license or lands pass to a State-Park-style daily parking fee or State Parks Pass, which will be complete as of June 30^th.  More info to come. 

TRAIL MAINTENANCE

All the work we did over the winter has been very beneficial and things are looking great (there always going to be a few muddy spots).  We’re looking at some options for a few spots on Bimini, but otherwise volunteer works on existing trails should be fairly limited in the coming months.  Besides respecting trail closures, the biggest thing everyone can do to help is take the time to move a few limbs off the trail after storms.

TRAILHEAD

Gate – The automated gate is operational and is an incredible management tool.  Many thanks to ACOM for donating it and State Parks for working with us on the

More Parking – The additional 70-car lot is funded and the environmental survey has been completed.  We have an on-the-ground meeting with DNR this week to look at one small tweak.  After that, we’ll just be waiting in line for our contractor.

NEW TRAILS

Trail Solutions begin working on segment 18 (blue, bike-only gravity trail) this past Monday.  It should take about 10 weeks to build.

We need about $25,000 more to complete the green trails (turn Primary Goods into a loop and complete Bimini) and address a few problem areas on Bimini.  Please donate to help us get there.

MASTER PLAN

All of the new trails have been flagged and the environmental survey is underway (with good results so far).  As soon as the environmental survey is complete and we can officially add these trails to the Master Plan, we’ll put out more info on what exactly is being added and why.

Thanks for everyone’s support and hope everyone is getting to enjoy the trails a lot during this beautiful time of year!

This past Saturday, we had over 20 people turn out for the workday! THANK YOU! Because we had such good participation, we not only armored the lower 1/3 of The Bug, but we also got gravel in the problem areas on the upper 1/3. Because of good participation in the workday, we’re expecting to be able to open to The Bug this Wednesday. Also, because we had lots of people, toward the end of the workday we were able to send off a small group to handle some issues on Lonely Hunter.

This past Sunday, a small group armored the remaining problem spots on Primary Goods (with the exception of one area that likely needs some gravel).

This coming Saturday, we have 15 people from the officer school coming to volunteer. We’ll be working on the northern portion of the section of Lonely Hunter by the river (from Hub E to the old roadbed). We are hopeful we’ll be able to armor most of the problem areas.

This coming Sunday, we’re holding a public workday at 1:00 to resolve the remaining issues on South Bimini and anything remaining on Lonely Hunter. If we can get another good turnout, we should be able to finish our list of armoring projects for this winter. That would put all of the trail on equal footing in terms of being open and position us really well for any periods of dry weather in February and to have great trail conditions in March and beyond.

We’ll then focus to about 4-6 areas that need some gravel. I’ll explain more about that when we get there.

Absent getting surprised by trail conditions, we’re planning to open all trails sometime Wednesday morning through whenever the rain starts on Friday. However:

• please go real easy through the wet sections of Lonely Hunter and walk your bike up climbs rather than spinning your rear wheel. If we hammer them, it will make the work we need to do Saturday and Sunday take longer.
• BE CAREFUL ON THE GRAVEL AT THE TOP OF THE BUG. It will sink in and mesh with the soil quickly, but until then be aware and ride light.

Please be there this coming Sunday and please, please, please donate. We’re not going to be able to complete the green trails without everyone who uses the trails making a financial contribution.