settlers Trail

So i have been at this section since October, sparodically and there has been a large amount of chain saw work in it and a bit of stone masonry! but today i was out bench cutting and clearing, there is the usual half inch of dead oragnaic matter on the top layer some i cleared some i left, from the end of the DNR trail i know that all it needs is 30 or 40 rides and a winter to bed in, she will be fine come next spring. The bench cutting was tiring but it is very rewarding as you can make nice sweeping lines and link it all together. I only had the shovel and 2 hours today, but i got a lot done, and most importantly i got a good bit of the soil based stuff done before what is meant to be 3 days of rain, so it should help with the bedding in.

I rode the trail after or at least 80% of it and i had thought that i was nearly there but in reality i have plenty left to do, it does not flow in a lot of sections due to little humps and hollows that combine to suck your energy, this is just the norm for a brand new trail, all it needs is another 5 or 6 hours of filling and slight rearranging here and subtly there and then a bunch of riding, then some more touches, a bunch more riding and to top it off a growing season, (just starting) and this time next year it should be in good condition and usable with little or no repair for years.

It is the final section on the epic 3 year building process that i started in the summer of 2008 and when finished will give a 2.6 km loop of pure Irish XC, nothing on it is beyond the technical capabilities of a newbie but to link the whole trail together will be demanding phsyically, despite only a modest amount of climbing the moderate challenges the rider will face along the way are spaced so that you will have to be consistently 'on the ball' to flow around the loop. A fit, proficient rider will take between 13 and 15 minutes to do the lap.