MTB Trailcare

This week Pete from Trailworx came back to help us out a bit more. He was not able to rough-in the new Exit Trail to Three Hills link in December and there were a few issues on Three Hills Singletrack that he felt obligated to sort out. Given he completed the third hill when he was only being paid to rough it in, we are more than impressed with his commitment to the job.

After starting work at Jubillee Park, Toowoomba at 6AM, he was at Nerang with his excavator and truck at 11.30 last Wednesday. Ash and I were able to help with the new Exit Trail start, but I don't have any pics of the new trail line despite having been there a few times now. We didn't want to advertise it because of the wet conditions and in the end I just forgot to take any at all. It is a logical, easy and fun alternative to the current eroded fire road crossing.

With the weather developing, Ash and I spent 4 wet hours barrowing gravel up to the new trail on Friday afternoon. The surface in many places was already super soft after 150-200mm of rain. The addition of gravel and some subtle drainage work has helped. The trail is still quite soft and best avoided, but is firming. Take our word for it, the gravel was needed.

Where did we get the gravel? With respect to the chance of very heavy rainfall, Pete used his truck and excavator to bring gravel from over on North Street Fire Road to QPWS Way Point #20 on Wednesday. He also drove all the way out to Slipstream (Wimps) to get blast rock to armour the creek crossing on Three Hills Singletrack between hills 2 and 3. That task is also now completed

When hill 2 was completed, the creek crossing was very dry and solidified nicely.

Trailworx enhanced the creek crossing with soil excavated nearby, making a more bermed turn through the creek. However, the intense rains of late December and January blew the creek cossing apart and left a boggy mess. Ash repaired the worst of the mess with local stone and gravel harvested from the fire road above.

but with Pete's help, today we had the supply of rock required to complete the job and protect the stream line from fire road runoff.

As well as armouring the entire trail surface, we built up rock above the crossing to slow water flow and to assist with dropping sediment on the crossing. Below the crossing we used a combination of sediment traps and channels to move water and protect the roots of the huge tree below the merge of the 2 creek lines. Excavated clay and mush was used to form corrals.  Hopefully the very old fence post will feature nicely after the mounds revegetate. It all looks pretty messy in the last 2 pics, but that's because it was messy.

One of the jobs postponed on Wednesday in lieu of moving rock and gravel was modifying a bit of hill 2. This spot seems to give riders a bit too much to think about. Things like looking ahead, using brakes and judging your skill have been forgone at this spot. Reckless speed and failure to turn have been more popular! Without changing the riding line, we believe riders will cope better due to better sight lines and more room to lean through the corners.

That's it for this trail news, but just a final thank you to all the riders who stayed home this weekend. We know it was almost everyone, as we saw few out riding. It WAS to wet to be out riding and the trails appreciated your abstinence. No surprise we were again personally criticised for the work we were doing by some who did go out today; as usual it was those who never help and who obvioulsy know better....