MTB Trailcare

Thanks to a better than average turnout, we made an 11th hour decision to work on Brett's, rather than Pete's today.  By nature of the work on Pete's, Ash felt we would be working too close for safety or just standing around waiting for a turn to do something.  Unfortunately I sent Peter off to Pete's about 5 minutes before that decision was made.  Sorry for the extra walk Peter.  

Along with Peter, we had Bruno, Mark, Aaron, Michael, Doug, Ash and me.  It was a good and dedicated team.  Dedicated enough that Michael and Doug both drove up from Lennox Head, where they live, to help as they do regularly.  As Michael says - it's a matter of making time to look after the trails you call home.  It's tough when you leave at 7.30PM and cross the border to daylight saving an hour ahead.

Although not on the trail audit, QPWS requested this section of trail (just below the "shortcut"  from the fire road) have better drainage.  At the low point, we would have chosen a short re-route to avoid a sodden area of black-soil, but QPWS prefers to reduce the footprint.  Making sustainable drainages in wet, black soil is no small thing, so it is up for debate as to whether a simple re-route has a larger footprint than the work that had to be done today, to enable the trail to last.  At the end of today's section, there is still work to be done due to surface and subsoil water movement. 

I missed the chance to get a true before photo, but these are only a few minutes after starting and show the flat and cupped trail that channels more water into the wettest low point

we put in a small rolling grade dip back up near the shortcut to start getting water off the trail before it gains speed

At day's end, the first of the series of rolling grade dips was big - bigger than this pic shows  After it is a smaller dip, then a raised section of trail on a bed of rock harvested elsewhere, followed by more grade dips and drains

Berms and more drains were needed farther down

The last pics show trail that is not yet stable because of surface and subsoil water.  We will have to go back (in daylight) to fix it

Thanks for a great job, team.  All the best to the Wimps and Norco Flow team for their first day of digging tomorrow.