Seminole Downhill Rock Garden and Reroute
Trail steward and author Richard Schick and volunteers Tim and Walt put in the last bit of the downhill rock garden on the new reroute that we've all been working on, which completes the last of the planned features for the whole section. Overall, the route could use a little signage, and there are a few spots that aren't quite right and will need some adjustments, but I think all of that falls into the category of ongoing improvements. So by my calculations, we can officially call this build complete!
I want to thank all of you for your contributions to making this section happen. It wouldn't have been possible without all your hard work, and it certainly wouldn't have turned out as well as it did without all of your feedback along the way.
I was reflecting on how this all came to be and thought it would be fun to share the timeline and all the things we learned and gained along the way, in addition to the rideable trail itself.
The genesis of the idea was that I had never liked the approach to the larger rock drop and just wanted to nudge the entrance angle a bit (more on this later). While exploring how to do this, I discovered that the drops were part of a much longer rock wall and became instantly obsessed with making it part of the trail. I cleared away the invasives to get a better look. This picture was taken in early November of last year after a rough first pass of clearing.
That soon escalated further. Tim and Walt joined me for some scouting to figure out how to get to the top, and we ended up mapping out quite a long line to get there. I wish I had a good photo of just how dense the honeysuckle was that we were pushing through. I remember not being able to see Walt when he was only an arm's length away, in late fall with hardly any leaves still on the bushes. Together we mapped out the rough outline of the full route.
I feel like my desire to get rid of honeysuckle borders on derangement, but then Glen enters the scene and suddenly I feel quite sane! Not only has Glen ensured that the invasives are pushed far back from our corridor, but he has single-handedly transformed that whole area by expanding the invasive removal, revealing the hillside again and giving the oaks and other native plants a chance to thrive. He also inspired me to get the necessary approvals to do brush burns, which has become another great tool in our toolbox for future clearing projects.
Unfortunately we can't do burns as part of CORP work anymore (insurance reasons) but they can still be done by regular qualified park volunteers. Glen and I have plans for this winter so stay tuned.
By spring we had enough cleared out to refine the line and finally get to trail building, which inched along throughout the spring and summer. Between Glen and my obsessive invasive clearing, Walt's impeccable engineering and rock work, Tim's eye for drainage and flow, and Taylor's unrestrainable energy and buttery smooth tread work, we've ended up with a really awesome new addition to Seminole.
A quick list of what we added:
Extended the climb in an elevation-challenged park
A downhill that starts with a fun hump/jump into a berm, with a ride-around option
A relatively long (for our region) rocky downhill that includes a challenging roll-in, a rock rollover, and three distinct little rock gardens
A buttery smooth flow option
A hidden jump line
A progressive drop section at the end (extremely popular with the kids!)
A maintenance/walking trail that has saved us a ton of commute time and is used by many walkers
I haven't measured it, but I think this adds about a quarter mile to the trail system
I hear compliments on this section all the time, and people are starting to take notice of our little neighborhood park that's coming to life through this project and all the other smaller improvements you all have been making.
So thanks again, guys. I really appreciate all the work you've put into this, and the feedback from riders has been overwhelmingly positive. I've learned a lot from this effort, both from the things that went well and from the mistakes I made, and I'll put those lessons to good use to make future projects go even more smoothly.
Oh, and the idea to fix the approach to the rock drops that started all of this... it didn't really work out the way I had hoped, and the approach to the drops still needs work. (Facepalm.)
