TA Report: Hurd State Park

Date: November 30, 2010
Location: Hurd State Park
Condition of Trails: Good

Observations: I managed to sneak a ride in before the deluge on Wednesday. Hurd Park is a fun place to ride The trails are in good condition, no wet or muddy areas to speak of, and evidence of recent chainsaw work to keep the trails clear. I saw one other biker and several dog walkers. The trails can be divided into two parts- the old trails that are on the map, and the new ones not on the map. The old ones are hillier and more eroded, and have a few sections that are nearly impossible to ride. The yellow or Split Rock Trail is one of these, but is worth riding for the view. The new ones are the better trails for riding. They're accessed off the green trail, and have splotchy, spray painted blazes. They have good flow for mountain biking, and the hills are shorter and less steep.

TA Report: Rocky Neck SP

Did my usual spin through Rocky Neck today. It's just sooo nice having the trail within a mile of your home :) Trails were nice and leafy but getting packed down more and more.  Love my Conti Mtn King tires for the leaves though, almost never slid with them. 

Fork in the Trail

Started out cold but warmed right up and ended up shedding a layer. Cruised the board walk and instead of doing the normal run through the camp grounds for milage I headed over to Giants Neck Beach and rode through to the Park grounds that wrap around the housing and over to Rt 156 ( the name escapes me right now, Raven woods I think??)  My buddy Steve rides through there to meet up at Rocky Neck all the time.

Boardwalk

 Was really surprised at the trails, very nice double and single track. another nice way to add milage if at Rocky neck and just want more. On the way back I stopped at the house our fearless leader as informed me he rented for a week next summer. Took some shots to tease him with of what he's going to have for a view  ;)

View from Front Yard

Trail Ambassador Name: Thom Lamourine

TA Report: Upper Paugussett State Forest

Date of Activity: November 28, 2010

Location: Upper Paugussett State Forest

Condition of Trail(s): Good but the oak leaves make it very slippery

Observations:  Headed out on the Gussy Trail in frigid temps and after discovering that leaves can be slippery and experiencing a little Endo action I rode further up the trail to find that the blowdown that Paula cut up for me last month got moved again, only this time blocking the trail proper.  This section has been moved around a bit but it current position disrupts the flow of the up hill climb so I cut a lever from one of the spring poles that Paula already cut and started levering it into position.

I tried it on the right side of the trail but didn't like the stubby branch coming off one side.  If someone were to try riding the skinny and were to slip off in the crotch they would surly endo.  I armored the crotch so if someone did slip off they could get back on the skinny but I didn't like the line at the end of the skinny.  After all that work, I cleared the armoring and levered it to the other side of the trail.

When I got it lined up perfectly with the rest of the trail there was one problem, part of the log was sticking right into the middle of the trail.  I got out my collapsible saw and proceed for the next fifteen minutes to saw through the 12" section of the log.  I was amazed at how fast it cut.

Then I re-armored the crotch and made a tranny on the on the other side so you have three riding options.  Come in on the left and ride the skinny and huck back into the trail.  Approach from the other side for ride and huck, or just huck through the crotch.

After spending an hour on this feature I continued up the Gussy and then looped the top of the Brody and an excerpt of the Mulikin Trail and then back to the Gussy, where I met a walker and his dog.  Apparently, he came up from Blue Trail, where he found a yellow blaze and followed that up to the Gussy.  Looks like the Equestriennes blazed their trail.

Trail Ambassador:  Mark Lurie

TA Report: Cockaponset SF / Weber Woods

Date of Activity: November 28, 2010
Location: Cockaponset SF / Weber Woods
Condition of Trail(s): Nice shape, some clear windblown sections
Observations: To start, I drove over to the west parking lot and filled the map box, then headed back home; with my full suspension bike out of commission for the near future, I grabbed my hard tail and headed out on this beautiful day; I had no plans and just rambled around for a while and came upon a nice couple on the upper green who seemed delighted to be out in the woods; on my first pass on the white, I saw another couple with a dog who seemed equally happy; on the grey by the horse farm, I had to laugh when I noticed a ladder to a tree stand (Safety First) that looked like it was a prop for the next Jack Ass movie;

continued down the lower green to the blue where a guy was walking two dogs (no leashes) that looked like they wanted to eat me, but they turned out to be gentle; headed to the parking lot, then back out to the orange when I heard a small kid crying and came upon a young mom holding her (must have fallen) and walking with another small kid and a dog; here and there for a while longer, then up to the upper green and onward home; I love the smell of wood fires in the evening; another great day for a ride.
Trail Ambassador Name: Don Hazuka

TA Report: West Rock

Date of Activity: Nov. 28, 2010
Location: West Rock Ridge State Park
Condition of Trails(s): Mostly solid, but starting to get wetter and muddier
Observations: The low spots on the White Trail, and a couple on the Red Trail are starting to get soggy from the recent rains. The bypasses around these low areas are definitely needed now. There are no issues with overhanging branches on the trails I walked, although there are plenty of invasive species that need removal.
Encounters: Lots of dog walkers. Surprisingly, there were no bikers, given the fact that it was a fairly mild day. I had a few "thank yous" from the humans, which I always appreciate hearing.

Work Performed: I picked up a bucket full of trash, including lots of cigarette butts left by fishermen. Using my hand truck and two buckets, I hauled four loads of gravel up to the junction of the Purple-White Trail to firm up the trail alongside the seasonal watercourse, and a low section just beyond it. While coming from Lake Wintergreen, I noticed one low spot covering half the trail, just north of the lake. I will let the DEP know about this so they can get a crew to fill it. I found the other low spot that I partially filled on Thursday and it was considerably wetter. It is way too far for another trip from the shrinking gravel pile at the Purple Trail, so I will let the state know about this as well. I did fill a smaller low spot just north of the Purple Trail on the Red Trail.

Trail Ambassador Name: Tom Ebersold

TA Report: Cockaponset SF / Weber Woods

Date of Activity: November 27, 2010
Location: Cockaponset SF / Weber Woods
Condition of Trail(s): Good shape
Observations: A little chilly at the start, but a beautiful day for a ride with the smell of wood fire smoke in the air; started on the green and took it over by the horse farm and then a grey trail north where I startled a hunter leaning against a tree and gave a wave; jumped on the Quinimay west then a grey down to the white to the green and over to the west parking lot; said hello to an older couple walking their dog coming from the lot where I found just two trucks parked; on the orange to the red and looped around by the horse pond; continued on a grey south near route 145 and was moving along nicely when I heard the dreaded sound of a branch lodged in my derailleur;

by the time I was able to stop, the hanger was in two and I was dead in the water; I called my pit crew (aka my wife) and asked her to pick me up at the Messerschmidt Pond parking lot; hiked a few hundred yards out to the road and over to the lot where my wife was shaking her head and asking me how much this one was going to cost.
Trail Ambassador Name: Don Hazuka

TA Report: West Rock Ridge Sate Park

Date of Activity: Nov. 25, 2010
Location: West Rock Ridge State Park
Condition of Trails(s): Good
Observations: The best news this month at West Rock actually takes place outside the park. Hamden has finally paved Main Street from Benham Street all the way to the Lake Wintergreen parking lot and beyond. This means you can access the parking lot without risking suspension damage to your car if you are coming from Exit 60. Hamden has also done some paving near the main entrance to smooth out some of the bumps, but Wintergreen and Springside avenues in New Haven remain a bumpy proposition if coming from Exit 59.

On another topic, when heading north on the Red Trail at Mountain Road, mountain bikers have created TWO ways to exit the Red Trail onto Mountain Road bypassing the metal gate. In the past, I blocked off one of those pathways, both of which are rapidly eroding, and returned to find it unblocked. I figure that one pathway is enough, so if you or anyone you know is unblocking the one pathway, please leave it blocked to protect the park.
Encounters: A father and his two children rode through on mountain bikes, highlighting the importance of keeping the trail accessible to all users. If the trail were too difficult, they might get discouraged and not want to come back. There were also two adult runners and one man hiking alone.
Trail Ambassador Name: Tom Ebersold

TA Report - Millers Pond 11/27/10

Date of Activity: 11/27/10
Location: Millers Pond
Condition of Trails(s): great
Observations: trail was blown free of leaves. Some one spent some time clearing the trail....thanks!
Trail Ambassador Name: Troy Turner

TA Report: Rocky Neck SP

Date of Activity: November 25, 2010

Location: Rocky Neck SP

Condition of Trail(s): Dry, leaves breaking up and packing down a bit, some small blow down over past few days

Observations: Old High School Friend of mine came down from VT for Thanksgiving. We used to hike every where back in the day but my knees and other issues make that kinda painful so having 2 bikes I told him to come down and we'll ride around Rocky Neck, was perfect because his wife wanted to walk the beach with the dog... Win win!!  Trails were pretty good condition, tad leafy but it's getting broken up and packed down with all the hiking/dog traffic. We did see other Bikers there which has become more and more over the last year or so. Place it seems is getting popular for that "quick spin with a bit o' fun"  Wind was light and we warmed up rather fast. Few new downed trees but nothing you can't get over. All in all a great Thanksgiving morning ride.

TA Report Huntington State Park

Date: November 25, 2010
Location: Huntington State Park
Condition of Trails: Good

Observations: Paula and I rode Huntington Thanksgiving morning. The place was busy with bikers, families, and dog walkers- we had to park in the overflow lot. We rode part of the Rock and Roll trail and some of the unmarked stuff. The fallen leaves made it a challenge- these trails are littered with rocks and roots and, when you can't see them under the slippery leaves, they can take you right down, as Paula and I can both attest. But it's all a part of autumn riding. The trails here get a lot of use and some of the unmarked ones are getting eroded in places. People are also creating chicken lines. The Rock and Roll is holding up well due to Paula's good design.

TM Report: Wilton Woods

Date of Activity:11/24/10
Condition of Trails(s): Dry, Leafy
Trail Ambassador Name: David Francefort
Observations: Completed Blue Trail Re-route which included closing down the old section, again, as someone decided that the trail should remain open, even with signs from WCC that I posted. I closed the section again and also hiked out and began the process of closing all the yellow trails, which included dragging in brush and logs for the first 20 feet or so of each trail head and then posting the WCC signing indicating the trail is under restoration and is closed. I will be going back this Sunday to check on the status of the trail closures.

TA Report: Cockaponset SF / Weber Woods

Date of Activity: November 24, 2010
Location: Cockaponset SF / Weber Woods
Condition of Trail(s): Dry, slick on dry leaves, some small blow down from recent winds
Observations: Didn’t have a lot of time, so I decided on an outer loop roll in the counterclockwise direction; came across a guy (looking bored) and girl (looking happy) riding horses (I dismounted and gave them the trail) on the green by the horse farm; continued west and came across a tree across the trail, probably due to the strong winds last night; kept on to the end and traded hellos with three teens on bikes with no helmets; took the unmarked north, up the red and greeted a guy walking three dogs of varying sizes, shapes, and colors; cut to the orange, then north to the green, and said hello to a grandmother having a walk with what looked like her two grandkids and a dog; onward onto the lower Quinimay west and back to the green, and looped around to home with some light to spare; said goodbye to a few calories in preparation for tomorrow’s feast.
Trail Ambassador Name: Don Hazuka

TA Report: Millers Pond

Date of Activity: 11/24/10
Location: Millers Pond
Condition of Trails(s): great
Observations: trail was blown free of leaves. Some one spent some time clearing the trail....thanks!
Trail Ambassador Name: Troy Turner

TM Report: Wilton Woods

Date of Activity: 11/22/10
Condition of Trails(s): Dry

Trail Ambassador Name: David Francefort
Observations: Completely the blue trail re-route and posted up signs at each end, also closed the old trail section with leaves and brush. Will need to get in and unblaze old trail and blaze new section.

TA Report, West Rock

Date of Activity: Nov. 22, 2010

Location: West Rock Ridge State Park
Condition of Trails(s): Good
Observations: The trails at West Rock are dry and solid for riding, although the White Trail is potentially slippery with a carpet of leaves. There were no leaves on the Red Trail. The recent rains have started to replenish some watercourses in the park, but others are still dry. There is one chronically low muddy spot just north of the Purple Trail, a problem to address some time in the future. I saw three people walking dogs, but no bikers. There are various by-passes along the White Trail designed to by-pass areas that are wet most of the year. One of these by-pass trails rejoins the White Trail about half a mile south of the Purple Trail, near an unauthorized trail. I have blocked off this unauthorized trail several times and return only to find the brush tossed aside and the trail reopened. Please respect the park by riding only on the White and Red Trails. In this general area, I hope someday to relocate substantial portions of the White Trail, potentially one-third to one-half mile in length to get the trail out of an area at the bottom of the ridge that tends to collect water and becomes a sea of mud in the spring. The relocation would place the trail about 100 to 300 feet upslope of the current trail. I would need to identify the potential new trail location and get state authorization for the work to proceed.

Work Performed: I walked the Red Trail from Mountain Road to the White Trail and back on the Red. I did some minor pruning along the White Trail, and took care of invasives along the Red Trail, focusing in particular on removing the berries of a barberry bush. West Rock does NOT have a barberry problem, unlike other places where barberries grow as far as the eye can see, so I wanted to take out the berries on the one bush I saw, that I also cut to the ground. I was not happy to see some baby autumn olive shrubs growing along the Red Trail, as I have not previously seen them in this area. Left unchecked they will choke out ever other plant species. I cut them and hope they will not resprout. There are many multi-flora rose bushes to cut down in this area. I took out the ones that were hanging over the trail, which is a potentially nasty encounter in bike shorts.
As a reminder, the updated state park map may be downloaded at http://www.ct.gov/dep/lib/dep/stateparks/maps/westrock.pdf.
The phone number for the park office (based at Sleeping Giant State Park) has changed. The new number is 203-287-5658

TA Report: Millers Pond State Park

Date of Activity: 11/21/10
Location: Durham
Condition of Trails(s): good, a lot of leaf cover
Observations: beautiful trails and weather
Trail Ambassador Name: Troy William Turner

TA Report: Cockaponset SF / Weber Woods

Date of Activity:  November 21, 2010

Location:  Cockaponset SF / Weber Woods

Condition of Trail(s):  A little moist in low spots, slow due to leaves

Observations:  Started on the northern green and soon came across two dogs, then a woman on a horse, and we had a nice chat; continued on the Quinimay back around to the green down to the white and over by the beaver pond and ran into two guys hiking with their kids and two dogs; the beavers were obviously hard at work damning up the water flow because someone had constructed a walkway of boards across the normally just muddy section in order to get to the wooden bridge; back up to the green and two more sets of hikers each with two dogs; over to the parking lot where there were seven parked vehicles and an empty map box; orange to red and crossed route 145 to the lake parking lot for some great views; back around to some unmarked and spooked a hawk on a low branch that took flight about eight feet over my head; around and around for a while more until the light began to fade; for the most part all the trails were in really good shape, but slow because of the leaf cover; a real nice ride to wrap up the weekend.

Trail Advocacy at Trumbull

The Trumbull Trails Coalition & CT NEMBA held a Trails Advocacy Coffee Klatch on Saturday morning, November 20th to air issues in the Pequonnock River Valley amongst the predominant mountain bike riders that use the park.  All this stemmed from work the TTC did over the summer that was dismantled or destroyed and then someone, without permission, went in and created a bootleg trail (rake and scrape) and then spray painted arrows and tagged rocks that lead to heated forum discussions.  It's uncertain whether the Mr Rake and Scrape did the spray painting or it was done by someone else.

Rich Coffey, talks to Trumbull Park Ranger Mark Ceneri (l) and
CT DEP Land Manager James Beschele (r) about
critical areas in the park that need addressing

Ironically, as the heated discussions over the Rake and Scrape trail flared tempers across the Interwebs, Dmitri Paris, the Trumbull Parks Commissioner, contacted CT NEMBA from out of the blue wanting to form a trails partnership.  While it seemed his main concern was cyclists on the rail trail whizzing by joggers and walkers on the rail trail, he did acknowledge that he could use some trail help in his other parks, like Old Mine and Twin Brooks where Mountain Biker usage is steadily increasing.  Dmitri sent Trumbull Parks Ranger Mark Ceneri to the meeting.  Also in attendance was CT DEP's State Park Supervisor (for Sherwood Island, Mianus River State Park, and of course The Pequonnock River Valley State Park) James Beschle.  There seems to be a grey area when it comes to jurisdiction over managing P-Valley SP.  The State owns the land but the town has some sort of jurisdiction over it as well and that works to our advantage because we can get both local and state support for improving the park.

Steve McAllister (l) speaks with long time park rider Bob, who rides
a red, rigid Karate Monkey

From the Coalition we had founder Rich Coffey, Steve McAllister, Alex Bijanada, Robert Rickman, Nick Hague, and Rich Stinchcomb.  Representing CT NEMBA were Paula Burton and myself.    Also in attendence were other mountain bikers who live in the area and passionately ride the Pequonnock River Valley.  The dialog revolved around issues on the red trail that the TTC tried to change over the summer and that the free riding community felt destroyed character of that particular trail.  They were right and the TTC acknowledges the mistake and wants to work with them to fix it.  Stemming from that discussion was the idea that in order to make the Red Trail descents more sustainable, they are turning into washed out gullies, we could work together to create two, well thought out downhill runs, using natural features, that could rival Diablo and The Highlands while improving the sustainability of the trails.

During the trail walk, Nick Hague took off on his
bike for ride in the Valley

Some more immediate concerns were also discussed, like the water run-off on the White/Red/Yellow trail that makes the initial ascent into the main part of the park after you cross the stream from Park Street.  By the way, the TTC has been doing little fixes here and there, like armoring this water crossing and all the other water crossing in the park.  However, in the pictures below you can see what the run-off is doing here.  All the water coming down the trail is carrying with it additional soil that collects at the bottom and makes this intersection always muddy.  In fact, the only time it's dry is during the height of summer. 

The solution here is simple.  Create a nic or channel further up the trail that will draw the water off before it hits final descent.  The key to making this effective is finding the right area so that the water will easily exit the trail and there is such a spot before the bend of the trail.  It slopes down and away from the trail and if you were to put in a nic in the picture below all the water that formed the channel within the leaves would have flowed off the trail at this point.

At the bottom of the last descent another nic is key to keeping the water out of the trail intersection.  As you can see the land slopes away from the trail here so it will easily draw the water off at this point.

While these two easy fixes should draw the majority of this stream off the rest of trail it won't be 100% and we might have to think about building a turnpike (raising the trail up a few inches) to keep the trail out of the mud that you see there now.

From here, Rich led the group over to the old Reservoir Basin to look take a look at some of the other water issues effecting the trails.  The Reservoir Basin is often referred as the Serengeti due to the open grasslands reminding some of the plains of Africa.  There are two main problem areas, one is on the south end and the other where the Blue and White trails come into the basin from the north.   Both the Town and State representatives felt that some major improvements are needed here and that we would work with them to facilitate them.

TA Report: Upper Paugussett State Forest

Noticed this last weekend - who's handiwork?

Date of Activity: 11/20/10
Location: Upper Paugussett State Forest

Condition of Trails(s): Trails are nice and dry, in fact a bit slippery with the Oak leaves.  There were two cars parked along Sanford Rd meaning hunters were on the western side of the forest.  I only saw one hunter, though.  Glad I had plenty of orange on and wearing my bear bell.

Found a trail braid on the lower part of the Gussy.  Kind of dumb if you ask me because it turned almost at 90 degree angle.  This must be by the same person who dumbed down one of the up and overs near the top of the trail.  Dude, this if you are reading this, improve your skill, don't dummy up the trail because you can't ride it.

I covered up the braid and hope who ever did this get's message.  If you want to make changes to the trail, contact me and let's talk.

TM Report: Trout Brook Valley

Date of Activity: 11/20/10
Condition of Trails(s): Dry, Leafy

Trail Ambassador Name: David Francefort, Ed Perten
Trail Ambassador Email: dfrancefort@excite.com
Town: Weston
Location: Trout Brook Valley

          

How did you use the trail?: Trail Maintenance
What was the time of day?: 9AM
Duration (Hours): 3

Observations:  Our second official TM Session. Today we worked on a planned blue trail re-route, up off of the Elm Drive entrance.   Today's crew was 2 CTNEMBA reps, one mountain biker and 3 TVA trail stewarts.  We re-routed about 100 feet of trail along the hillside, which required a full bench cut the whole way.  After I went through the process and showed a diagram, we tackled the work swiftly.   We ended up completely the benching in a little over 2 hours and then focused out attention to a small wood bridge across a muddy area and we opted to remvoe it and go with a rock bridge.   This took 4 of us with my rock crib to move 2 very large rocks over and between the 4 of us came up with an awesome solution. 

TM Report: Wilton Woods

Date of Activity: 11/19/10
Condition of Trails(s): Dry

Trail Ambassador Name: David Francefort

Observations: Received approval from WCC to reroute a short section of the blue trail that is heavily eroded because of fall-line.   I had previously flagged it and was approved this week.  I had to do full benching in a few sections which slowed progress.  I am about 75% done and need only about an hour to finish up.  I will be posting signs on the closed section next week after I receive them from WCC.

Meeting of the Spirits > Pequonnock River Valley Trails (Sat Nov. 20th)

Trumbull Trouble?

The Park, as you know, is one of the premiere spots in Connecticut for mountain biking. It receives a large amount of visitors (especially on the weekends). Blessed with an amazing terrain of giant granite outcroppings and awesome scenery, Trumbull has fueled a passionate community of riders.

After a long period of neglect; recently-built highly-visible bootleg trails, graffiti, open firepits and more and more visible wooden stunts (ramps, etc.) have alarmed the Town. (The Park is jointly administered with the State). There's even talk of limiting biking!

Starting at 9 AM, there will be a special "Pow Wow" in Daniels Farm Parking Lot to speak with any and all park users (bikers, hikers, etc.) about responsible park use. A Park Ranger from the Town of Trumbull will be stopping by at 10 AM and a lively discussion is anticipated. Folks of ALL persuasions are encouraged to come.

Depending of numbers and interest, there may be a "walk thru" of the park as a "collective" to gather input from various park users.

Bring your passion for the park and help forge a healthy collective with everyone else who loves this place. There'll be donuts and coffee to kick it off...

TA Report: Roosevelt Forest

Date of Activity: 11/17/10
Location: Roosevelt Forest
Condition of Trails(s): Trails in good condition with a heavy coating of leaves, puddles, and streams that now have water in them. They were dry all summer long. The weather report had called for rain all last night, I guess they were right this time. I expected to find some blow downs as the wind was howling, I did not find any.
Observations: I had the forest to myself.
Trail Ambassador Name: Ed Perten

TA Report: Wilton Woods

Date of Activity: 11/17/10
Condition of Trails(s): Damp

Trail Ambassador Name: David Francefort
Trail Ambassador Email: dfrancefort@excite.com
Town: Wilton
Location: Wilton Woods
Trail(s) Ridden: Blue, Red Orange
How did you use the trail?: Mountain Biking
What was the time of day?: 9AM
Duration (Hours): 2.5 Mountain Biking
Distance (Miles): 3
Observations: Played on all the goodies, did not see any other park users

TM Report: Seth Low Pierpont State Park

Date: 10/25/10

Location:  Seth Low Pierrepont 

Condition of Trail(s):  Good

Observations:I finished up the work from the week before. I took down all the flagging tape, cut another blow down on the orange trail, and bush whacked around scouting out trail possibilities.  

Trail Ambassador Name:Paula Burton 

TA Report: Miller's Pond

Date of Activity:  11/14/10
Location:  Miller's Pond

Condition of Trails(s):  great!  Beautiful day. 
Observations:  none
Trail Ambassador Name:  Troy William Turner

TA Ride Report: George C Waldo & Upper Paugussett State Forest

Date of Activity: 11/14/10
Location: George C Waldo State Park and Upper Paugussett State Forest

L to R:  Mark Shaw, Paula Burton, some guy from Ridgefield and his Son Richard
Mansen from Beacon, NY and Ed Perten

Condition of Trails(s): Trails covered with a heavy coat of leaves, otherwise in beautiful shape.  Excellent.

Hunter's Trail Intersection Ride Stop 

Those of us that kept our layers on suffered

Observations:  It was a beautiful day. The day started a bit chilly in the parking lot and temperatures gradually increased as we rode. We had two newcomers to the sport and a rider travelled from Beacon, NY to check out the areas. It turned out to be a great social mountain bike ride.

Mansen in the foreground

Trail Ambassador Name: Ed Perten

Paula cleans the Blue Cross Roller on the Upper Gussy Trail