Mid-State: Bennett Park

[yaggie1]

Made it back out tonite. Ran out of light and almost got lost a few times. Lots O leaves down as well as a few new trees that I don't remember from a couple weeks ago. There is a good one right when you enter the pines and a few in other places. Trail is very hard to follow right about now......but still fun

[jacked]

... Lots O leaves down as well as a few new trees that I don't remember from a couple weeks ago. There is a good one right when you enter the pines and a few in other places. Trail is very hard to follow right about now......but still fun

Thanks for the head up Yaggie. Your opportunity and others to help clean up the trail for the remainder of the season's riding is at hand. This Sunday, 10/23/11, starting at noon we will be cleaning the hard woods and pines, more if possible. Hardwoods need the remainder of the summer growth cut back and the pines just need to be cleaned from a summer's worth of needles and branches obscuring the trail. I will have the chapters blower and trimmer there. Bring what you can. Let me know if you will be able to help and I am not just talking to Yaggie here.

Thanks,

David

[rvd]

Your opportunity and others to help clean up the trail for the remainder of the season's riding is at hand. This Sunday, 10/23/11, starting at noon we will be cleaning the hard woods and pines, more if possible. Hardwoods need the remainder of the summer growth cut back and the pines just need to be cleaned from a summer's worth of needles and branches obscuring the trail. I will have the chapters blower and trimmer there. Bring what you can. Let me know if you will be able to help and I am not just talking to Yaggie here.

I doubt that I can make this. It may be worth also posting an announcement on the Mid-State board - more people will probably see it there.

[jacked]

Thanks to the two who made it out this weekend to work at Bennett. Pines and the gully are clean.

All you haters blow my leaves.

I am not a big fan of removing the leaf cover, but when I have to stand there and study the woods to find where my trail is supposed to be, it is time to break out the leaf blower. So the gully got the treatment as well as the pines. Today I was just running the line trimmer on the trail in the Hardwoods to clear and cut. Quite effective even if it removes more cover than I like.

Hardwoods still needs love. I made a re-route on the north side of it that dumps you onto the two track for 40 feet or so where a tree top took out another tree and laid them both on the trail and the road. The city removed them off the road, but unfortunately removed or buried a section of trail with it. A permanent re-route is an opportunity for a volunteer waiting to be taken care of.

There is at least one tree that needs to be cut on Trillium Road just before the berm. Cut it, ramp it, I don't care, just make it flow.

I have yet to be in the Jungles, North Shore, or half of the hardwoods in the last month, so if you are out there please post up the condition. Better yet, if it needs work, which I am sure they do, please chip in and take care. Work is taking me out of town for the rest of the week, it would be great to see some activity there. Part of the need to clear the leaves is that not enough people are riding it. So please come ride BP, if only to tell me what needs to be done.

David
Frustrated TC

[Neysahead]

Is this trail rideable this early in the season? I’m considering riding in the May six-hour race, and I’d like to check out the trail to see what I’d be getting myself into.

Thanks for any help you can provide.

[jonw9]

I am sure the trail is open, as it never closed.

I would expect some deadfall on the trails, as we haven't had a cleanup day out there yet.

If there is a day you are looking to ride, post here or Facebook and see if somebody is able to meet and guide.

[jacked]

It is rideable and quite dry right now. There are a number of trees that need chain saw love and should be taken care of in the next week. The usual winter debris is there as well. Trail day I believe is 4/28. PM me and I will be glad to show you around.

[Neysahead]

David’s graciously offered to roll out the red carpet for me Wednesday. We’re planning on starting at 5:00 if anyone else wants to join up for a ride.

Now I just have to figure out what tires work best on red carpet.

[Felt6]

Two of us went out there to navigate as much as we could today. For both of us it was our first time out to Bennet Park. One of us parked at Bennett and the other at Camp Frances and we kind of met and started out at the Frances end of things. Neither of us had a trail map with us and we found ourselves running some parts backwards and re-running some both ways, but I think we covered most of the trail today.
There is a fair amount of deadfall that you have to carry over. The leaves are pretty thick in some spots and some signage is down, but we had a great time. A good trail day and it will be a regular stop for us both. We moved some of the brush on the trail, but it was a lot for the two of us and our limited time today. There are some great opportunities for skinnies and log rides that we saw, and a few of us are willing and ready when an organized trail day comes around. I am looking forward to the May 19th event as well.

[jacked]

Thanks Felt. I am planning my first ride tomorrow afternoon to take a little inventory of the "to do list". A little chain saw work on Tuesday. And a guided tour on Wed. at 5:00 meeting in BP by the kiosk. Fell free to join us and give me some input. The first trail day is April 28th. This weather has things rolling much sooner than expected. That said, we can always work in some extra time for enthusiastic volunteers.

David
BPTC

[Felt6]

My friend Paul should be there at 5PM wednesday with his chainsaw. I will try to give some ideas for trail features when I can make it. It is tough scheduling time to get out for me right now. Thank you.

[jacked]

Rode and walked both Jungles tonight, clearing small stuff and making a cut list. If the rest of the trail is similar to this, we have a fair amount of cutting ahead of us. I'll be out there tomorrow afternoon and possibly Wed before the 5pm ride.
Other than the number of downed trees, I thought the trail looked great all things considered. A little heavy in the leaf cover in parts of Jungle 2 (along Veterans Dr), but that is expected in that location, so it really shouldn't take much in the way of clean up. That said it would do wonders if everyone who rode out there would take a few minutes during each ride to toss a few branches away from the trail.

David

[jacked]

Both Jungles are cleared of deadfalls. Onward to the pines ....

[jacked]

Not heading to the park tonight - 30 mph gusts and BP equal a bad combination, it just ain't worth it. Thanks Paul for the tele call. We'll try and hook up later.

[Kerb_77]

Hey i was wondering if you needed help cleaning up the trails. me and my friend have been riding down there for a long time. we are both 18 and love riding bikes. so anytime you need help i can come down, maybe my friend can come too. Also great job on jungle 1 and jungle too, just rode both of them today and they are looking great, i got some pics from the ride.