MTB Trailcare

Ash and I were really looking forward to a ride today and a day off digging.  I am not sure what happened at your place, but it rained torrentially on Nerang early this morning.  From 4-8AM there must have been 50-70mm of big raindrops, so WE TOOK A RIDING RAINCHECK.  It was the right thing to do.  The trails were vulnerable, given the still-sodden ground and needed help, rather than use.

We were concerned about our work from yesterday after the intense rainfall, plus the guarantee it would have been hit by riders out to prove they are tough enough to ride in all conditions.  

If you think you are tough enough to get out in all conditions, then how about helping work on your trails?  Even if you could care less that QPWS will inspect Pete's and Brett's in the next few weeks and will be quite picky about damage riders see as minor, a good rider does not make a point of damaging trail.  

"That'll settle down and be fine in no time!" = "In 2 months erosion will hide the damage".  How about not riding for a few days and then having great trails for 2 months minus a few days???  You think Nerang trails drain well, but that is only true for surface water.  The majority of trail damage comes form wheels over ground sodden by subsoil water movement.  Durable or not, I've never seen the level of a trail rise from overuse.

Anyway, on to today.  Peter Hallinan told Ash another tree had fallen across Pete's above Casuarina.  A new trail line had been started around the roots on the upslope.  It is now cleared, but before we reached it, I snapped this pic of previous work which is holding sound (although the original trail either end is sodden)

Here's the fallen tree

Then it was back to Brett's Trail to assess the effects of the rain.  The following pics show areas QPWS had issues with, but decided to accept, or did not mention at all.  We believe trail should be made as soundly as possible.  Sometimes clearing sight lines or fallen debris can make more difference than major works.  This part of Brett's needed both to get the trail to IMBA standard.

This boggy creek crossing has been an issue since the first rains after our 9 month drought in 2012.  As is always the case, the photos do not show just how deep and nasty this mud was

Rock armouring could work here, but it would have to be massive slabs to remain stable.  We do not have access to imported stone and could not risk another failed armouring with small rocks, aka a bit of Happy Valley where 300mm of rain fell the day after we did some serious armouring, leaving just debris to show for the work.  

So, instead of armouring, we dug a substantial drain (grade dip).  Water was flowing out of the upslope and even bubbling up from the base of the excavation 20cm or more below the surface.  One spring was almost squirting up.  We know it will harden given a chance, but with more wet weather coming (for months) and with lots of rider use based on the new popularity of Brett's, this spot will have to be reviewed at intervals

The water was not clear until after we cleared  this

Just past the crossing is this bit of trail near the creek

The wet bit in the foreground looks worse than it is, due to proper outsloping of the trail.  The wet mess is just collected leaves etc and we left it to dry.  Just past it though, there was a problem puddle.  It's gone now, plus we added more debris and transplanted grasses to the old trail closure below

Next job was this area of exposed roots.  

The pic also shows a fallen limb in the background.  Both the upper and lower sharp ends were cut away for safety.  We decided to add a substantial drain in the form of a bermed nick above the tree to stop water flowing downtrail and over the roots.  On top of the roots, we added stones and small pebbles (to lock those stones in place) and a thin layer of gravelly clay harvested from the drain

Next up was a perenial puddle.  The limbs on the left were not sawn fully at the time these pics were taken

Next up was the remains of this fallen tree.  The limbs were added to the old trail closure above and better sight lines were created by moving the debris and trimming lower branches off a small tree just below the trail

Then there was this fairly simple bit of trail

Not a lot of water collects here, but it stays for a long time due to traditional Nerang trailbuilding standards - ie, sticks kicked to the downslope edge of the trail, trapping water and causing trail cupping.  When people talk about Nerang trails being what MTB is all about, we think of this sort of trail - lazy work hoping for good luck, rather than good building in the first place.  That's why QPWS has us back here sorting out trail that was made in 10 minutes.  Sorry to those who rushed to build it back in the day;  it was illegal then.  Now it it is OK so long as the work is good, so now is the time to help make good trail.  

By simply making 3 new, small dip-drains, this section of trail should remain sound.  We also removed an old, dead tree trunk

Next was something no trail audit would list.  These 2 old trail lines have been closed, but we thought it could be better.  Here are the before and afters.  Four pics of each

Some of the timber for the closures came from the following section of trail.  It was (yes, you guessed it) added to the outslope and had caused this section of trail to become a narrow, mushy area, suitable only to the cane toad I evicted

So how did yesterday's work cope with massive rain in a short time and our mates from the MTB community?  We arrived about 3 hours after the fat drops of rain stopped.  We left this site at 7.30PM yesterday.  That means these wheel ruts were made during, or imediately after the rain this morning.  Is our message missing the target audience???  The before pics start at the bottom and work up and then the after pics start at the top and work down.  All we had to do was tamp things gently back down, so it's not all bad

The section above the turn was very damp, but not bad considering, so we left it as is for now

Starting at the top and walking down after minor tamping

I guess when I said Brett's is complete, almost, this is what I meant.

Please now go back to the trail news from yesterday, February 23rd, as I have changed the pics showing our choice of a proposed new trail line.  We tagged it with ribbon tape and took photos in daylight, so now it should make more sense.

Cheers to all

Louis