Luge Trail Conditions

Six of us headed out to about the 5 mile point and fixed the worst landslide on the STT. The trail was buried under up to 6 feet of mud, rock and branches for a distance of 50 to 60 feet.

Kris, John, Joe, Eric, Sharon and I re-established a path through the chaos, started by chopping through the top layer of frozen mud with picks. Then we wrestled boulders and sawed and cut branches until we had a rideable line. By the time we got down to a reasonable level, the mud had gone from frozen to soupy. The work won't be completely finished until the ground dries out; until then it might be easier to ride when frozen.

We used the Luge as a shortcut to the work site and it seemed more slippery on the way out at 4:30 than it was going up at noon. I think the water is seeping out of the hillside and collecting on the trail. Otherwise, not much change since before the last storm.

The Luge and the STT still need a lot of work to be back in decent shape. Please come out on Sunday and help us get it done.

 

Thanks for your work today guys and gal! I'll see you on Sunday!

 

It was a great day, I was really impressed with how much we were able to get done.

http://www.socaltrailriders.org/forum/calendar.php?do=getinfo&e=3136

 

I had a great time, a nice long hike and some hard work. I'm amazed at all the damage to the Luge, the amount of earth that came down from the hills above is crazy! It was a great meeting Kris, John, Eric, Sharon and Jim, for a small group we got a lot done.

Joe

 

I took a tour of the Luge today, and wow you guys accomplished a lot. It's devastated in places, but the trail is cleared out and your efforts were very evident. I'll be there tomorrow to take orders and move some more dirt.

Nice Work ! !

 

Man I was sore this morning...not used to hiking hills and working with a shovel ;-) Enjoyed getting out there, meeting you guys, and getting something done. Hope to see you all on the trails soon.

Eric

 

Did I mention most of those latest photos were taken by Sharon? Thank you :clap:

I rode the STT most of the way to Old Camp today, and down the Luge. Took my spray can with me to mark the areas on the STT I thought needed work. Did that mostly because I figure I won't always be there to answer questions.

What I'm hoping for is pretty straightforward. A relatively flat surface about 2 to 3 feet wide, on a line that can be ridden in either direction. My hope is that if you liked the trails before the rain, you'll like them when we're done.

Weather report is all over the place, but there appears to be a chance of rain. I hope to get a quick start in the morning, spread out all over the place, and get done as early as possible. If it sprinkles a bit, we'll just keep working.

If it actually rains while we're out there, we'll probably head for the cars. If it's raining first thing in the morning, we'll postpone the event until Saturday, January 8th.

It'll be cold in the morning so dress in layers. Bring at least a rain coat and a good hat in case it gets wet.

Thanks and see you in the morning,

Jim

 

Did a bit of work today on the luge. The switchback after the bottom river is good to go know as well as a few pieces of patch work going up from there to the big slide. The dirt is itchin' to be fixed. Its starting to harden up now...Bring shovels and pick axes tomorrow if you have them!

If you are scared to get wet bring a raincoat.

 

I must say that I like the new trail enhancements from the entry gate at the Grade all the way to the Luge.....please don't change them. :clap:

 

I rode STT today in the early afternoon up to the clearing above Old Camp and back (didn't take the Luge). I gotta say most all of the sections that are on the shady side of the hills are a gooey, slimy, muddy mess. Felt like I was riding on Crisco in some spots. I think the trick in these conditions is to ride the trails *early* in the day when most of the mud is still frozen over (before the ice melts). I'll probably hold up from riding this trail for a while, at least until it's had a solid week or more to dry out between rains. In the meantime, I want to say a big THANK YOU to all who have volunteered to maintain STT/Luge under these kinds of conditions!!

 

I agree....you can see where people are riding through the grass and brush to avoid the mud in the shaded areas....really needs more time to dry out. Was way muddier out there yesterday than I thought it was going to be.

 

If you're talking about where the trail goes up and over the deposition areas, I agree. It's more challenging and fun. We'll do as little as necessary to establish a narrow singletrack. Unfortunately, the first part of the STT may get bulldozed again anyway.. another reason not to spend too much time on repairs.

As for the mud, experience tells me any damage caused by users will only be temporary. For the most part, its only in a few spots on north-facing slopes, and mostly just surface oozing. Good practice for riders on holding a line, keeping traction and staying upright in slippery conditions

Hope to see you out there today!

 

Really wish I could join you guys out there today.
I don't know what my mother was thinking when she scheduled her birthday on the same day as Luge trail work!
:lol:

 

Great working with Jim and everyone else that showed up today. I will be hurting tomorrow!!

 

Great meeting some good folks out there today. It's amazing how fast the work actually gets done with a few people working on the same spots.

HUGE thank you to Jim for organizing, our local trails really mean a lot to all of us who ride them.

 

Thank you, Kioti

Kioti (Jim) has been organizing all that trail work going down on the Luge and STT, getting it back in to shape and investing a lot of his own time and sweat.

He deserves a big THANK YOU.

So Thanks Jim for working hard and motivating many of us to do the same.

I look forward to riding and doing a bit more work out there. I know that the Luge is in better shape than ever after all the work that was done today.

 

Agreed!
There are lots of unsung heros out there, but I like that Jim seems to have take a personal interest in this particular trail.

Perhaps this shows why the County should start an "adopt-a-trail"... but alas, the lawyers would complain

 

A few shots from the the crew that worked the lower section of the Luge

Here you go

 

It's amazing what 38 or so trail workers can do in 5 to 6 hours. The Luge and the STT are once again rideable from end to end, and top to bottom.

Today's event started with this thread and a Calendar posting on STR, and drew STR riders, Trail Angels, Geoladders members, Maxwell and the Path riders, Frank's group, SHARE and others. 38 of us met in the lot at Cook's, got organized and then headed up to the base of the Luge and the top of Modjeska. At any given time, there were people working on various spots over 7 miles of trail.

Nearly all the HAB's are gone, and both trails are not only repaired-- they're improved. There are new banked turns, more singletrack and less fireroad, and even a couple new drops. Things will evolve through the rainy season and as we ride and tweak the repairs, but overall a remarkable one-day transformation!

I've heard people say that trail work isn't necessary and that the Luge, for example, can be ridden back into shape. That's simply not true and I'm sure the 42 people who have helped me over the last ten days, for a total of over 300 hours of hard work, will agree. After this current storm passes and things dry out a bit, go check it out for yourself and see if you don't, too.

Thanks to all who somehow found the time to make this happen-- for all of us :clap:

Here's a before and after of one of the biggest mudslide areas.. and the rest of the shots are self-explanatory.

 

Thanks again for putting this together, Jim. It was great to get out and work on the trails. The Luge looks incredible right now and I can't wait to ride it when things dry up, especially that drop/kicker you guys put in place about halfway down. Some parts of it are gonna ride like a completely different trail.

Side note, it was pretty amazing to see what kind of power these mudslides had. The worst one we came across on STT was easily 100ft long and fell all the way down to the valley floor. it was pretty unreal.