Rogers Road/Backbone Trailwork 10/30/10

Was up on the Backbone this morning. I would not call what they have done trail maintenance, but trail ruin. They turned a portion of the trail into a fireroad, and totally cleared/ruined the new section off of topanga fire road. I do not know how much farther they plan on plowing....oh well.

 

^^^ Um, that doesn't sound good at all... *_*

- shud

 

Wait, what? Corba spent several days on the backbone thissummer (I was only able to attend one of the work sessions) and we got the from the Hub to Will Rogers in pretty damn good shape as of a few weeks ago (aside from a few sections that are still overgrown with high grass). Dale went with us on at least one of those work days. Which section of trail are we talking about here? Give me a start point and an end point...

 

It starts at the topanga fire road entrance (the relatively new section of trail that was nice and flowy and needed no maintenance) and then goes to the top of the first climb, stopping before the beginning of the rock garden descent.
I was kind a horrified this morning, I just hope they do not do anymore.

 

After the awesome Corba work, the trail to me just needed a little more cutting back in spots, not bulldozing.

 

Well at least it sounds like that is a different section from the sections Corba worked on this summer. I haven't ridden that piece in a while (leaving from Trippet Ranch) but it sounds like they butchered it. Which is too bad.

 

I'm a little confused as to where you're referring to. When you say the Topanga fire road entrance, are you referring to the section that leads into the fast, tree canopied part - traveling toward Will Roger's park (at the end you drop into the little dip before hanging a right). I can't imagine any maintenance required. Why would they plow any part of the trail? Hikers rarely go past the overlook, where the large oak tree is. I hope they didn't smooth over that rutted section.

 

Do you mean Temescal Fire Road? The fireroad that climbs SW from the hub and then the BB peels off up a little hill on your left before dropping through the woods? If so I'm seriously depressed. And pissed off. That section of trail was in near perfect condition and I ride it a lot. Destroying that section would be a big F U to all mountain bikers but particularly to folks like me who sweated in the 100+ heat this summer with CORBA to make the lower sections passable.

I really hope it's not the case, but if it is I can't say I'm too shocked as my interactions with Dale left me with the distinct impression that he doesn't give a flying F about mt. bikers (he thinks they bother the horses).

 

So after reading MTBR it does look they butchered that beautiful singletrack. I don't really have the words.

 

sillverbike, can you point out the thread on Empty Bier?

 

here is the link

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=662689

 

Oh man, I am so bummed. That small section was literally the best singletrack in the area. It was in great shape. I'm trying to think how they could even make that section wider. Both sides are steep going either up or down and mostly lined with trees and bushes. Did they just destroy them?
I'm going to get a hold of that Dale guy and find out where the mindset is. I'd like to find out who makes the decisions as to what degree they "maintain" the trail. I'm sure the horse lobby being wealthy and likely donating large sums of money has a good amount of influence. But there should be equal representation with respect to how the trail is maintained since it is a "multi-use" trail.
Silverbike, what did Dale say to you to give you the impression he doesn't care about mountain bikers?

 

Pardon my French, but...

HOLY ****ING CRAP!!!!!!!!

A nice group of hikers just did hand-tool maintenance on that section within the last 3 months. NO FURTHER MAINTENANCE WAS REQUIRED! It was in beautiful condition. Somebody should find out what asshole made that decision and go use the damn Sweco on his front yard!!!

 

It was just some comments he made about how mt bikers scare horses and that his favorite trail activity is horseback riding. Oh, and the fact that he was pretty standoffish when he was supervising the trail work day. He didn't do any significant work or interact with us much at all. Kinda wandered around and asked us to clip branches that were really high up and might interfere only with horses. Nothing egregious, it was just the impression I got.

 

Saw this on another board. I am going to call this morning. If you feel like you want to be heard, here are the details.


"Save Backbone - Contact the Superintendant in Charge! ASAP!
I contacted a ranger today at Will Rogers State Park. The plan is to bulldoze the entire backbone trail down to Will Rogers.

If you oppose this, please, tomorrow, call the Superintendant in charge of the project/area. Her name is Lynette Brody. She can be reached at 310.454.8121. Extension 105.

It's not too late to save the part of the trail that hasn't been bulldozed. BUT we need to be polite and constructive. We should express that it looks live overbuilding. And, offer to help with trail building / maintenance on a special day or days.

I assume the SWECO will be running again tomorrow. Please, if you're able, call tomorrow to help influence them to stop this destruction of the best local mountain bike trail.
-
DesertRiderAZ
mtbr member"

 

The phone # is actually 310 454 8212 please call....still extension 105

 

Thanks for the info. That's ****ing terrifying. Tried to call but the number is incorrect as it reaches a private party. The correct number is 310.454.8212. Please edit the post so we dont' bother the Wally's anymore.

 

Taken from MTBR:

"Yes, it will be a shame for a while. FOR A WHILE. Then, it will be back, back into singletrack that we all love.

I used to be strongly opposed to heavy machinery used for trail work, that is, until I tried to maintain the Rogers Backbone....by myself, with a few friends, and also with CORBA's large trail crews. The fact of the matter is, attempting to maintain the Rogers Backbone with hand tools(even motorized) is a losing proposition. PERIOD. We organized several trails days with CORBA this summer, where an average of 25 people showed up, and each time we were able to clear(barely) about a 1/2 mile of trail. At that rate, with one trail day per month, by the time we would theoretically finish the last of the 6 miles, it would be time to start all over again. It doesn't work. And let's not forget, it's called "Rogers Road" because it is a road bed, not a singletrack, always has been.

Yes, Dale and his crew are going to clear the whole trail top to bottom, and guess what ....IT NEEDS IT. I know the riding conditions won't be optimal for a couple months, but with a little rain, a little patience, a little effort, and a couple thousand tire tracks, this trail can be better than ever. What we need to do is get out there AFTER the sweco and shape the loose dirt to our liking. Don't complain from the sidelines, get your ass to the trail and do something about it. I know I will be.

And please do NOT complain to the head of state parks. The fact is, State Parks have ZERO dollars to fund projects like this. Dale is basically doing us a favor after he joined us for a trail day in July and watched us work our asses off in 90 degree heat to fight a losing battle with the brush. Were you there with us?

This is a blessing if we all stick together and choose to see the bright side. I'm sorry if your favorite ride has been altered for a couple months, but if the people complaining aren't putting in the hours to fix it, then shame on them.

The good news is, once this project is finished(with our help), NONE of us will need to do ANY trail work on the Rogers Backbone for about 5 years. That prospect couldn't make me any happier. This is a good thing people."

I guess this means people will have to get off their butts and help reshape backbone. I hate to be the "makes lemonade" guy but I actually see this as a boon for some of us, i mean we can build jumps, berms etc, now.

 

I thought Backbone was in pretty dang good shape (aside from some grassy sections) and was really looking forward to enjoying riding it after devoting a couple of saturdays toiling to get it to where it's at now. Taking a SWECO over it now is way overkill and you are delusional if you think it's gonna be a sweet singletrack in a few months.

That said, I sincerely hope folks make lemonade out of this. I really do. Until then see you on what singletrack we have left in the SaMo's.

 

taking a sweco to it was overkill, I too spent time working on the trail during the CORBA workdays, and also KNOW that the trail will be back in a couple months, different than before but still there. (this isn't the first time they've graded singletrack, jedi is better than it was before because we spent time on it.) The only difference will be if people help to restore it. So, you can wait for folks to make lemonade or you can squeeze some lemons, too, I know what I'll be doing. making some doubles, baby :wave: