Rose Lake

[AllMountin']

Maybe my curse is to ride alone??

If I ride with enough of y'all, I may end up with my very own private trails.

BTW, I rode that Carlos Memorial ride today that we were planning on. Just brutal. I had more left at the end of the Trifecta. I think it was about 1000' of elevation gain over roughly 20 miles of riding. The lack of recovery time takes a toll. I was also on the 35 pound FS rig for the worst of it, after a hub bearing took the HT off the table.

[centralRH]

I rode 15 miles on consecutive days at Anderson and Rose. I was surprised to find only about a 100 foot difference in elevation gain between them over that span. I'd have guessed the disparity to be bigger than that, in favor of Rose.

The reason the elevation disparity feels greater is because of the trail construction techniques. Rose Lake's fall line trails are much steeper and more difficult, but they are also eroding. The Anderson Trails were built on the side-slope for sustainability and should be there for many, many years. Some of the old trails at Anderson "feel" much more difficult then the new trail, but they are fall line and do not use the terrain as well.

[AllMountin']

They'll prolly put me on suicide watch when they see my arms... Nah. The prickers aren't that bad, but there are a few. The 3 downed trees remain. One on the North part of the main loop on the downhill. Another on the central N/S trail that goes to the NE side of the lake. The third on the far East part of the ridge trail.

The trail itself was in good shape, with everything dry enough to ride. I had to take a break from typing for a tornado, flash flood, and hail warning- so those conditions are already obsolete.

The new death trap/drop on the main trail has been removed. Whether it was other trail users or 'the man' is yet unknown. Don't care about that part. The large log pile on the ridge trail has been dismantled again, and thoroughly. The parts were scattered about. The bypass remains, but is a tough climb from the East.

The remaining log crossing is *technically* passable as a single log crossing. I successfully crossed it cleanly once each way, among a few less fruitful attempts. If you try it- use the rounder, lower part of the tree on the downhill edge of the trail. It is pretty difficult, so proceed at your own risk.

Today's log:
http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/tDEpENks0lU
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/94040117

[reidabel]

Somebody seriously doesn't want that log pile on the ridge trail. Do you think I should just saw a clear path through that tree if I get out there with a chainsaw? I really liked that log pile, too ...

[AllMountin']

Up to you. Most users would likely prefer it gone if there is no pile. I have no preference.

[reidabel]

I ended up taking it out, though not completely down into the dirt because I didn't want to dull my chain - it is now easy to bike, walk, or "horse" over.

I got everything on the list, but regarding the one across the downhill that has all the sticks piled up on both sides of it, I only had enough daylight left to cut it up into manageable pieces. Somebody will have to toss the 20 or so pieces off of the trail to clear this, but no more chainsaw work will be required there. I would have done it myself, but I was on the verge of having to use my cell phone as a flashlight to find my way out. Riding a bike with a chainsaw in one hand, cell phone in the other, trying to see the trail in the dark didn't sound like a good idea

While I did see a few thorn branches out there, the trail is very rideable. Next time out I'll take the clippers and tidy things up. Hopefully this weekend ...

[AllMountin']

It's a shame it had to come to that, but thanks for putting in the time out there. It became tiresome having to rebuild that thing....

That one tree was wrecking one of the best downhills out there. If the pieces are still there when I'm out next, I'll clear 'em off the trail.

[reidabel]

Yeah, I guess we had our fun and now we can coexist with the others. At least you won't have to spend time rebuilding it any more.

Not only was that tree wrecking the downhill flow, it was so centrally located that it was awkward to ride out there without having to clamber/struggle over it more than once. Good riddance! Thanks in advance for clearing the remaining stuff out of there (if you end up doing so) ...

[reidabel]

Okay, I think I found out why nobody is posting anything about Rose Lake here lately. Good thing I took my clippers with me ...

I cleared out the trail from the Woodbury lot, take the right fork, around the corner, take the left fork down the long hill, first left up and over the hill, then out to the main trail, then left back to the parking lot. This loop is now clear of thorns and can be ridden cleanly. Not only that, it's a fun loop with climbs and downhills and lots of twisty character. Especially fun when it's almost dark! And the shadows look like bears

Anyway, I think that might just be an especially bushy and thorny section, the wide main trail had a lot fewer thorns on it, and I suspect the South section (take the left trail from the Woodbury lot) has nowhere near as many. Next time I'll go check out the South section and the ridge trail and take my clippers with me.

Please post up if you clean out any sections or just to let us all know where the worst thorns are - maybe we can make this trail rideable and fun all summer long. I've read about how people stop riding here at this time of year, but it would be nice to keep it clear enough to ride, it's a fun trail.

[AllMountin']

I'm aiming to ride there around 5pm or so tomorrow (Wednesday, I mean). Haven't been out since you did the saw work. Most of the trail has a wider corridor than that first section in the North, but there are a few other spots that come to mind. Just West of where you cut out the tree from the main loop is a shortish trail to the left that climbs a hill, crosses a log, and then curves right before taking you down to the N/S trail that connects the ridge to the main trail by the bridge. This section gets tight on the West part of it, and is always good for some slappers. Also, the small loop on the SW corner (off of the South trail) with a few log crossings that runs down by the swamp is horrid bad. I haven't even bothered to try it the last couple times. Some of the N/S connectors to the main trail I'm sure aren't clear either, but those are less critical.

I like to run that first loop on the North from Woodbury in reverse on occasion. Including the DJ section, there are three nice little climbs to add to the overall gain. Every little bit helps when it comes time for trips outside the area to less vertically challenged venues.

I'll be out there for a couple of hours at least. If anyone wants to learn the layout- feel free to post up and stop by. I can swing back by the TH at a later time. Woodbury Rd. parking lot- approx. 1/4 mile North of the I-69 interchange on the left (West) side of the road. You might love it or hate it, but if you don't know where you're going out there, fair chance it will be the latter.

[reidabel]

I won't be able to make it today, but thanks for the problem locations, I think I know where all of those are. This is my first year out there, and I was surprised how much thorny overgrowth there was yesterday, my first time out in a couple of weeks. Good idea on running the loop in reverse. I just hope I'm not doing it when you come down the hill at warp speed! It occurred to me yesterday as I was stopped, but still on the bike, and clipping thorns on the long hill that I might be in trouble if somebody came flying down it. Next time I will clip hills from the bottom up.

It will be interesting to see if anybody, since you haven't been out there to do so, removed the 20 or so pieces of wood left in the middle of the trail.

The section you mention that joins up with the N/S trail that goes to the ridge trail from the bridge - I clipped a lot of thorns out of the Western-most part of it, by the fork, probably a month ago. I will be interested in seeing if that section is still clear or if these things regrow. I suppose even if the ones I cut didn't regrow (yet), that others that were too small to cut at that time will now be growing over the trail.

[AllMountin']

Spent a few hours out there today. I trimmed some stuff starting at the main trail where that first section of North dumps back into it. There were some overhead branches hanging down there. I also ran through the next trail North that goes around the pond and connects to the central N/S trail. There wasn't a whole lot needed here. Went North past the log pile and back West on the normal loop trail. Some of this had much more than expected. I focused on the most obtrusive and/or sharp stuff. If you get brushed in the shoulder by a maple leaf, you're just gonna have to deal.

I trimmed stuff on this trail all the way through the pines and down to the fork to the West end of the ridge trail. This all was very time consuming, so I did NOT get to that trail that cuts to the left. I did ride it after, and it has grown back in substantially. I didn't do much to the ridge trail, except for cutting some overhead branches from a downed tree hanging over the trail. The wood had been cleared from where you cut the tree, so I only had to move some small chunks and rearrange a couple of logs to ensure they wouldn't roll back onto the trail. Somebody else did the heavy lifting.

There are some slappers in the first 1/4 mile or so of the South trail. Generally tolerable. The rest of it didn't seem too bad. The main trail has some overgrowth toward the bridge end, but most can be avoided courtesy of the generous trail width.

It's quite dry out there, and the sand is loose in spots. Pretty much anything can be ridden, but be prepared for some overgrowth in some sections. I got in 10 miles of riding, but managed to fall 3 times crossing moderate stuff. I am a skill-less hack... FML.

[reidabel]

Excellent! I will hopefully be able to get out there late today and I will work on the remaining areas, but I will leave the Southwest section for last, instead clearing the main N/S trail from the South (last right before the water crossing on the South section going clockwise) up to the main E/W trail, then West from there to the last right before the bridge (ridge trail entry), to allow completion of the loop. From what you said it sounds like this is all passable right now, hopefully I can tidy it up quickly and work on the overgrown South fork of the two that go to the West side of the ridge trail.

It's good to see that somebody other than us cleared that wood off of the trail.

[centralRH]

You guys may want to look into getting machetes. When I lived on that end of town, myself and some others would make quick work of those overgrown areas with a couple machetes. Just be sure to rake the thorns off the trail after cutting.

[reidabel]

I took leather work gloves today and was far more effective with those than my fingerless biking gloves. I could grab a mass of thorns and pull them toward me and cut all of the stems off without getting punctured. Sometimes I could even pull the entire plant out of the ground. I'll keep the machete in mind, but I don't have one lying around.

I cleared the South trail and the last trail North before the water crossing, up to the main E/W trail. The big bush I cut back a month or two ago was still mostly out of the way, though of course I don't know whether or not somebody else clipped it again in between. I did see lots of evidence of regrowth in areas I had clipped elsewhere. I guess it's like mowing the lawn, we have to do this every so often.

So a loop is available that can be ridden now with minimal thorn interaction: from the Woodbury lot take the rightmost trail, then the leftmost down the hill, then the first left up and over the hill and out to rejoin the main trail. Follow the main trail for a while, then take the first right around the pond to join the main N/S trail. Turn right, just after the log pile go left, staying straight past the left and then past the right, go down the downhill and take a right at the fork. Follow it uphill through the pines to the West side of the ridge trail. Ride the ridge trail clockwise until reaching the flat muddy areas and turn around and come back counter-clockwise on the ridge trail. Go all the way down to the main E/W trail near the bridge, then take a left onto the main E/W trail. Go East and stay straight until the main N/S trail (the first intersection where you could go BOTH left or right. Head right until reaching the South trail, then turn left and go East all the way back to the Woodbury lot. That's a fun ride ...

So Murphy's Law kicked in and there's a tree down East of the former log pile at the East end of the ridge trail. It's on the other side of the mudpit where you can go left in the mud or right in the mud. People have formed a bypass to the left of it, but it would be good to clear it with a chainsaw. Maybe even a handsaw, but it would be a lot of little branches to cut.

Still some more clipping to be done out there, so take your clippers with you when you ride ... and bug-spray. I had a fly that seemed to be able to keep circling around my head even when I was moving. Superfly ...