During the summer it is not uncommon for Laura and I to have very few weekends available. If we are not shooting a wedding then there is probably something else penciled in on the calendar. When I saw mention of the IMBA Trail Care School being offered I checked the calendar and to my amazement the weekend was free and clear.
On Friday we met at Quality Bicycle Parts for some classroom time. Kelly and Collins, the eastern regional IMBA Trail Care crew, were on hand to lead the course. The three hour session was meant to teach us the basics of how to properly design and layout a new mountain bike trail. Covering some of the basics in what needs to be done to build a trail that will be sustainable using tools such as an inclinometer to measure the angle of slope on the trail.
On Saturday we regrouped at Lebanon HIlls to put some of our new skills to work while flagging out what could possibly be a new beginner trail at the park. This new section of trail of about 1 mile in length will be built in 2010. The second half of the day was spent analyzing a newly built 1.25 mile section of intermediate trail that has been built to replace a deteriorating section of existing trail.
Scotty, I’m glad you got out there and took these classes. As you know I’m a big fan of trail building and maintenance so I applaud you.