So why not share?

So last weekend I went for a ride. Given the wet weather we'd had earlier in the week and the showers that day, I chose a route that was primarily fire- and vehicle-tracks.

However, there was a very fun bit of cheeky singletrail in there too.

The trail runs parallel to a firetrack that bikes can use, yet less than 10 metres to one side, we supposedly cannot venture, even though the trail is visible for most of the way until it rejoins the track.

The trail is primarily rocky - in fact several large sections of the trail are actually across rock escarpments - so it is fair to say that the impact of ANY user upon the trail surface is minimal (unless you are dragging a jackhammer along behind you...).

Sight lines are reasonable, bar a few sections of tall growth grass and non-native vegetation which could be managed with no real impact upon the overall surroundings.

I was riding "uphill", yet overall the contour is fairly neutral, so speeds are not high, even in the "downhill" direction.

The rocky and twisty nature of the trail further adds to the lower speed nature of the trail.


Now, for the half an hour of riding to get to this particular bit of trail, I saw no one else - not on foot, bike, horse or in vehicle. Given the way the bush was encroaching on the trail, the spiderwebs across it in places and the amount of moisture deposited on me as I brushed past the vegetation, I doubt anyone else had been through in days, despite this being - theoretically - the ideal trail to use in the weather conditions; track access and a rocky tread. And this is not the first time I've used it, yet I have still to see anyone else in this area of the park.

So, whilst low-lying trails that are dirt under foot, tyre or hoof were being used in less than ideal conditions, this currently low use, naturally impact resistant trail can't even be shared.

Can someone please explain the logic in this to me?

It's the little things...

Despite the storms that recently hit parts of the country, summer is definitely on its way, making the bigger trailwork projects more difficult to achieve; temperatures are rising, snakes are out and about, dust and pollen is being blown around setting off allergies in those that suffer and the ground is either getting baked solid in the sun or flooded in monsoonal rains, depending on where in the country you are.

Combined with Christmas, New Year and all that the festive season entails, it’s a bit of an off-season for regular trailwork. It’s easy to put down the tools and just go out and ride – and why not? It is the reason we advocate for and maintain trails in the first place. However, it is also a great time to do all those little things that you don’t otherwise have a spare half hour to do at other times, but which will ultimately make trailwork easier in the long term.

Have a look at the advocacy work that has been done recently in your area; is there a Minister or Department that seems to have stalled on what was going to be done? Maybe a quick email or letter to them is in order. Keeping the communication open and on-going is imperative to make sure that they are fully aware that trails and access are still wanted by the MTB community. Just because a submission period is over or a draft plan has been amended and the final copy released, it doesn’t mean that some gentle (or sometimes firm!) cajoling isn’t in order to make sure that the implementation of the plans actually takes place in a timely manner. If we don’t keep up the pressure, other work can take over the Ministerial or Departmental attention and mean it gets sat on – not what we want by any means.

Do a bit of searching around the web; has any new research been undertaken and released that may be of benefit for your lobbying for access in future? Peer reviewed journals are best here, if available, as their credibility is far greater than a subjective comment by your mate Bob that walkers are actually to blame for the spread of plant diseases.

Have other trails been opened elsewhere in the country that incorporate features you would like to see on your local trails? If so, get in touch with the builders, find out what hurdles they had to overcome and learn from their experience, so that you can submit a well presented and researched pitch to your local Land Manager for something similar.

Speak to the day to day managers of your local trails too; falling off the face of the earth until you want something from them doesn’t build an overly strong relationship. You may be able to do something to help them out, which will earn you some favours in return in the future – a full days trail work may be impractical, but how about a few hours for litter removal? Or help with some weed pulling, even if in an area of the reserve that MTB has no access to? Can you paint over graffiti somewhere? They may not have anything for you to do, but the offer of help will be appreciated and noted.

How are you tools looking? Sharpen the bits that need to be sharpened, straighten what should be straight, replace what needs replacing; this stocktake gives you time to raise/access club funds if needed or just to search out the best deals, rather than scrambling to find replacements for broken tools when you could actually be using them on the trails. Even just take a few minutes to make sure they are labelled clearly so you know which are yours – tools often mysteriously grow legs and go walkies at times!

How about a trail audit? Ride the trails but take notes along the way of sections that may need work, vegetation that needs pruning, sections of trail creep and the like, so that they can be the priorities when everyone is re-invigorated and ready to get back into trailwork; tackling these type of things before they become big issues makes them far easier to deal with and ultimately, gives you more time to build new additions to existing trails, new trails where possible, or just have less work to do and thus more time to ride.

Pruning is easy enough to undertake at most times of the year and if done separately to trailwork is usually done more completely; remember to take branches from the non-trail side of trees as well to keep them balanced and encourage them to grow upwards rather than outwards, and keep the cuts as close to the trunk and as clean as possible to help minimise the chances of damaging the tree or allowing disease to attack it too easily.

These are just a few things to consider, none of which take great amounts of time or numbers of bodies at this busy time of year, when neither are always readily available. These different, less strenuous tasks also mean that you reduce the risk of getting burnt out on trailwork from lugging rocks or shovelling dirt all the time, but will ultimately help you when you do get back to that level of construction. There are others you can consider – cultivate seedlings for planting, perhaps? – which equally help the cause without the need to miss out on the seasonal fun this time of year brings.

Now then, mince pie anyone?