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Well, our weather in the PNW has been far from typical this winter. We had a record month for rain (16") in November. The rains just kept on coming in December and then came the windstorms knocking trees down on houses, power lines, cars and, of course, the trails. Near Seattle, there are 6 or 7 trail networks that people generally ride this time of year and most of those had so much blowdown on them that they've been walks with your bike rather than rides lately. This past week we got 2-10" of snow, depending on where you live in the area and more high winds. It's been that kind of wacky winter.....as I'm sure the folks in Denver and the Northeast can attest.
Well, our group of buddies had been working on some building projects prior to the windstorms and recently have been focusing on clean up on the trails we ride most often, while other groups have been cleaning up other areas. A couple of the local networks are now fully rideable again, while others are only 25-50% cleared. The first few recon rides, we only had handsaws and cut out the smaller trees and moved the fallen limbs that were across the trails. In some sections, there were trees on top of trees and you couldn't even see where the trail went. We were able to limb the bigger trees with handsaws, but needed some power tools to get the job done right. :thumbsup:
Fast forward to the last couple of weeks and we've been getting out with some good sized groups with chainsaws and clearing the trails. On Saturday, we had 7 guys and 3 chainsaws working in the snow and 30 degree temps. We split up and worked from opposite sides of the area towards each other. While we didn't get all of the trails cleared, we got 4 trails open and cut 25-30 good sized trees. The good news is that we've now got endless supplies of wood for stringers and ramping......
Anyway, we've got other projects in the works, but it's been a good effort to get some of the trails rideable again.....a few pics of the recent outings.
1 - Group taking a lunch break.
2 - taking advantage of some downed trees for stringers. We'll secure the stringers and deck with cedar the next time out.
3 - FM building a berm out of a cut section of log.
4 - Wild Man Hess riding with a Heineken and his chainsaw....post work.
5 - Guys hiking out on Saturday after 4+ hours of sawing and clearing.
Cheers,
EBX
Well, our group of buddies had been working on some building projects prior to the windstorms and recently have been focusing on clean up on the trails we ride most often, while other groups have been cleaning up other areas. A couple of the local networks are now fully rideable again, while others are only 25-50% cleared. The first few recon rides, we only had handsaws and cut out the smaller trees and moved the fallen limbs that were across the trails. In some sections, there were trees on top of trees and you couldn't even see where the trail went. We were able to limb the bigger trees with handsaws, but needed some power tools to get the job done right. :thumbsup:
Fast forward to the last couple of weeks and we've been getting out with some good sized groups with chainsaws and clearing the trails. On Saturday, we had 7 guys and 3 chainsaws working in the snow and 30 degree temps. We split up and worked from opposite sides of the area towards each other. While we didn't get all of the trails cleared, we got 4 trails open and cut 25-30 good sized trees. The good news is that we've now got endless supplies of wood for stringers and ramping......
Anyway, we've got other projects in the works, but it's been a good effort to get some of the trails rideable again.....a few pics of the recent outings.
1 - Group taking a lunch break.
2 - taking advantage of some downed trees for stringers. We'll secure the stringers and deck with cedar the next time out.
3 - FM building a berm out of a cut section of log.
4 - Wild Man Hess riding with a Heineken and his chainsaw....post work.
5 - Guys hiking out on Saturday after 4+ hours of sawing and clearing.
Cheers,
EBX
