Storm Damage/Wildcat Update

We finally got down to the park for a few rides so we could see the full extent of the damage that the storm left when it swept through a couple weeks ago. As I posted before there is a big mud slide with multiple trees down near the ranger station. Our recent rides have revealed the rest. All in all it's not too bad, there are a few new trees down, a small slide on the Wilderness, the waterfall section on the Wildcat is wiped out and almost every water crossing needs a little TLC to get them back in shape.

As for our work efforts lately we have decided to stop work on the Wildcat.......just one good day from finishing the "bail out" section that would complete this years leg. With all the storm repairs that are needed and not a lot of time before our race, we felt like we had no choice but to shift our efforts from trail building to trail maintenance. We went down this past Sunday and worked for 3 hours on the Rattlesnake and Woodpecker and got most of the areas on them cleared, just one more spot on the Woodpecker and that side of the park will be in good shape.

Cleared creek crossing

Logs that were in creek crossing before we started

Next we will be working to clear trees on the Lakeshore and Blackbear, hopefully that will happen this Sunday. After our race we hope to complete the "bail out" on the wilderness but for now that will have to wait.

In the mean time I did see a few interesting thing on my ride today, hope you enjoy:

Virginia Blue Bells in full bloom

Sneaky little fellow

 

Antique Archaeology (American Pickers) van hiding on the museum parking lot


As you can see the Antique Archaeology van was in Logan today and hiding in the park. As I finished my ride I saw the van drive up the park, after loading my bike I decided to go look for it. They pulled in behind a big U-Haul van and covered the decal on the door. I guess that's what showbiz will do. I did see Mike walk by but I didn't try for a picture. Thought I would respect their obvious desire for privacy. Pretty cool to actually see them and the van right here in Logan. I noticed a few other pictures of the van on Facebook from around the area, so be on the lookout and maybe you can sneak a peak too.

Storm Damage at Chief Logan

The recent storms in Logan have done a lot of damage to the area and Chief Logan has been no exception. Shortly after the storm the park was officially closed due to the road being blocked by water in several areas. This was quickly cleared and the park reopened but that doesn't mean all is good.

From a quick trip to the park we discovered this mess at the beginning of the Cliffside right by the ranger station.

The mudslide looks to be 3-4 feet deep and that tree at the top of the hill is huge. We will have a few riders in the park today to assess the rest of the trails. If they are anything like this one we are in for a mess. 

We will still be working Sunday as planned on the "bail out" trail at the end of the Wildcat. Hopefully we will complete this section of new trail and then focus our attention to any maintenance needed from the storm

Keep your fingers crossed and maybe the Cliffside will be the only trail affected in the park!!. 

Work Day 15

 

Date Worked	03/11/12
Weather	Sunny
Temperature	55
Workers Present	3
Time Worked	2.5 hours
Manhours Spent	7.5 hours
Distance Completed	65 yards
Total Trail Distance	1324 yards
Total Manhours Spent	167.5 hours

This work day didn't go quite as planned. On my way to the park my wife got called out to work and I had to return home to be with the kids. I did get to drop off the tools and the guys went ahead and worked without me. They managed to complete the next section that we had planned that included cutting a massive tree that was in our way.

Another big item on the agenda for the day was to decide how to proceed with the trail. This also has been decided........we are making a bailout trail right past the big tree that will bring us off the mountain exiting at the 2nd shelter on the right fork of the park.

We believe that this "bailout" section can be completed in one more workday IF we get a good turn out of workers for our LAST trail building day of the season. I would like to ask that everyone make an extra effort to show up this Sunday to help the last big push to complete this section of trail.......hope to see you there!!

Before



After

Before

After



Great Day for a Walk

I was out today for a walk with the family and it could not have been much better, clear sky, sunshine and evidence that spring is right around the corner.

 

Photo taken today, spring is almost here!!



Only 39 46 days till the Logan mountain bike race..........it will be here before you know it!!!

Work Day 14

Date Worked	03/04/12
Weather	Light Snow
Temperature	30
Workers Present	4
Time Worked	3 hours
Manhours Spent	12 hours
Distance Completed	100 yards
Total Trail Distance	1259 yards
Total Manhours Spent	165 hours


After 14 workdays completed it's time for a quick look at the averages. So far we are averaging about 12 total manhours worked every Sunday while completing about 90 yards per trip. This Sunday falls right in line with the averages as you can see above. As I mentioned last week, we are running out of time as race season approaches and our luck has not been that great as we  look for a place to make a connector trail to come out of the woods. Next Sunday we will be completing a difficult creak crossing and cutting the largest tree that we have cleared to date. After that it will be time to decide how to proceed; stop the trail as an out and back, bomb down the mountain at a less than perfect spot or push forward around the next point in search of an ideal location to come out of the woods. A big work crew would be great for next week, so if you can free up please come down and join the fun.

Before

After