PMBA TM Day in Wissahickon on June 23rd at 9:00 AM

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Thu, 06/07/2007 - 10:01pm

Dmitri

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PMBA TM Day in Wissahickon on June 23rd at 9:00 AM

The date has been set - June 23rd
The time has been set - 9:00 AM
The site has been located - Trail by the stream crossing West from Wises Mill Rd.

We will meet on the Wises Mill Rd., near the top by the Gate in the low stone wall at 9:00 AM/

To access the work site, if you're coming later, start near the top of the Wises Mill road and go west (away from the Demo Trail) through the gate in the stone wall, follow the trail for about 1/4 mile until it runs into the stream crossing.

Please, RSVP to allow us identify the available manpower to correctly set the scope of the project.

To RSVP send and email to with your name, phone number, and email address. This information will be completely confidential and will only be used to contact you to confirm your attendance of the event as well as inform you of any changes, if necessary.

Thank you

You don't have to be good to succeed. You just gotta be the least shitty option.
ShitMyDadSays.com

Thu, 06/07/2007 - 11:47pm

dirtmerchant

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Re: PMBA TM Day in Wissahickon on June 23rd at 9:00 AM

Dimitri: Another good area to park and access this site is on Summit Ave. This is a side road in a development so there is plenty of parking on the street. It is about a 1/2 mile walk to get to the site but that might be better than parking down in Valley Green. Summit Ave. is right off of Henry Ave. You will go down a pretty big hill and park at the bottom. Look for trailhead on the right side of the road. I hope this helps!

Let the good times flow....

Fri, 06/08/2007 - 2:11pm

fishnchips

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Re: PMBA TM Day in Wissahickon on June 23rd at 9:00 AM

I hope the planning went well.. I saw some orange tape but was too busy riding to see what you guys had laid out. I'll be there, but I overdid it last time so this time I just plan to be the water boy...

did Tom get into the truck?

Fri, 06/08/2007 - 2:43pm

Dmitri

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Re: PMBA TM Day in Wissahickon on June 23rd at 9:00 AM

Yes we got a good plan going and will mark in more details as the TM day approaches.

Yep, we did get Tom's truck open.

You don't have to be good to succeed. You just gotta be the least shitty option.
ShitMyDadSays.com

Mon, 06/25/2007 - 9:52am

DiscoStew

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Re: PMBA TM Day in Wissahickon on June 23rd at 9:00 AM

Unfortunately I wasn't able to make the trail maintenacne day on Saturday. Sadly, I had to work. However, I rode on Sunday morning and the improvements ROCK! Good work guys, the switchbacks are great. I rode from in the direction from Summit Ave --> Wise's Mill Rd so I was taking the switchbacks on the downhill. Nice and tight, technical turns.

Mon, 06/25/2007 - 10:09am

Dmitri

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Re: PMBA TM Day in Wissahickon on June 23rd at 9:00 AM

That's what we want to hear, more people liking it and welcoming the change.

You should've turned around and rode it up. I personally think it's more fun going up hill!!!

On Saturday, after the work was done we went for a little ride and rode that section up and down several times, just because it was so much fun. As Tom put it "I want to turn around and ride it back up, just because it's cool!!!" ;D

You don't have to be good to succeed. You just gotta be the least shitty option.
ShitMyDadSays.com

Tue, 06/26/2007 - 2:16pm

Lust4singletrack

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Re: PMBA TM Day in Wissahickon on June 23rd at 9:00 AM

I am happy to report that Rich from the IMBA trail crew took a look at our work and said he was impessed. Rich really know his stuff and we're very lucky to have him in town giving his input on our trails and our handy work. I am really looking forward to the next demo project where we can learn from the best. Thanks again to everyone for their efforts.

I realized by the number of dedicated skilled volunteers that we have that we need to get more tools. Time to go shopping again.

"Trails help humans make sense of a world increasingly dominated by pavement. They allow us to come more closely in touch with our natural surroundings, to soothe our psyches, to challenge our bodies, and to practice ancient skills"

Tom Coyle

Wed, 06/27/2007 - 4:45pm

Lust4singletrack

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Re: PMBA TM Day in Wissahickon on June 23rd at 9:00 AM

Checked out the work site today. It's holding up well. A few skid marks, and some signs of shortcutting by hikers (that did not take long). Rechoked the shortcut and made some small adjustments with my folding shovel. Installed another choke rock next to the big tree at the beginning to protect the roots.

I also moved our watering bucket from the road where we left it, to the site and watered all the transplanted plants. Took about 6 trips to the water. I stashed the bucket behind the tree that's next to the borrow pit/drain pool. If any one passing by would like water the plants, feel free, just watch your stepping on the reclaimed section of trail and be sure to return the bucket.

Tom Coyle

Wed, 06/27/2007 - 9:22pm

Dmitri

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Re: PMBA TM Day in Wissahickon on June 23rd at 9:00 AM

Damn hikers!!!

I started from bellow VG so I didn't get to see the new section today, but I did stop and inspect the section from National Trails Day, and that section is holding up and wearing in fantastically.

What I did notice at the new section earlier this week is that the trail tread is a little wider than what i would like it to be, I was hoping for 18"-ish wide, but it looks more like 24"-ish... WE'll see how it settles, i wouldn't be surprised if it gets narrower as more used part gets compacted and the rest covered by vegetation.

You don't have to be good to succeed. You just gotta be the least shitty option.
ShitMyDadSays.com

Sat, 07/07/2007 - 5:16pm

#10

stern112

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Re: PMBA TM Day in Wissahickon on June 23rd at 9:00 AM

There was a guy in Wiss today with a shovel or 2 doing some work near the golf course area. Just wanted to say thanks again. I feel like a dope not stopping to help....but hopefully my Platinum membership to PMBA may have paid for the shovel at least. ;)

Sun, 07/08/2007 - 5:26pm

#11

dirtmerchant

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Re: PMBA TM Day in Wissahickon on June 23rd at 9:00 AM

Hey Stern, not sure who that guy is and if he's a PMBA member. Think he's a trail fairy ;D Still not a bad idea to stop and thank him though and ask him to join us at our official TMD's. He seems to be doing good work. I like riding down that hill and hitting the berms way up high. But I do think that trail is classified as unsustainable and will most likely be closed and re-routed. Not 100% sure though...

Let the good times flow....

Sun, 07/08/2007 - 9:01pm

#12

stern112

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Re: PMBA TM Day in Wissahickon on June 23rd at 9:00 AM

unsustainable? Why? I think that part is awesome. So much fun.

Mon, 07/09/2007 - 8:54am

#13

Dmitri

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Re: PMBA TM Day in Wissahickon on June 23rd at 9:00 AM

It is unstainable because it's a fall line trail. meaning that it runs straight down the side of the hill, which means that the water will collect in mass there and then gain the speed and power as it rushes down and wash away the soil.
Whatever damage and erosion bikers, hikers, and horse combined do in a year is a fraction of amount of eriosion that happens in one or two big storms.
Look at that gulley, it's about 6 feet deep, that's how much it got eroded thru the years.
The short story is that the sustainable trail doesn't trap water and allows it to flow gently down the hill just like it would if the trail wasn't there at all, thus not causing any accelerated erosion.

Come out to our TMDs and you will see all that in practice!

You don't have to be good to succeed. You just gotta be the least shitty option.
ShitMyDadSays.com

Mon, 07/09/2007 - 10:13pm

#14

Lust4singletrack

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Re: PMBA TM Day in Wissahickon on June 23rd at 9:00 AM

I will say those berms are holding up better than I thought they would. They won't hold up as long as a sustainable build, which can go years without any major maintenance. They are really fun to ride. Fun as hell to be exact, and I hope they last a while.

Since the trail is already eroded beyond recognition, playing around with the berms is not going to hurt it any worse. However, what has been created is fast blind turn into a bridge. Fast blind turns are not good in a place as crowded as Wiss. Most of us do have brakes that can stop on a dime, but other users don't realize that.

A really positive thing for the aspiring builder to do is close off the ridiculous go around that is basically creating another gulley on another fall line (the one that goes sharp left and up after you cross the bridge). That other trail needs to be permanently closed before it makes that hill any worse. Large amounts of debris and soil would have to put in place to close this off. A half ass attempt at this, and hikers (and some bikers) will just move the stuff and keep using it. It's what they do.

One good method to use in addition to moving lots of debris is to make check dams. This is done by putting big logs partially burried all the way across the trail. It stops users from traveling on it and helps to hold the soil in place and stop the erosion problem.

Next PMBA workday is the 28th at Gorgas lane. See you there.

Tom Coyle

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