9.15.2014

Trail Maintenance!

Since living in Telluride, I've discovered that resort/destination trails are high maintenance. Reason being that tourists are only here for a short time and will ride them in any condition. Unfortunately, the Parks and Rec Department is too busy maintaining the bike park and pouring new concrete on the Boulevard Trail, and the Forest Service is too understaffed with too much land to maintain to worry about trail maintenance here.

So, I took it upon myself to do a little trail work yesterday and fix some of the drainage issues on the Prospect Trail. At the moment, my only trail tool is a metal rake. I quickly learned that all of the big problems will require moving more dirt than I'm willing to move with a rake, but I did manage to fix some smaller issues. For the bigger drainage problems, I ordered a Rogue Hoe online two weeks ago, but they were back ordered. Hopefully, it'll be here next week. For those wondering, a Rogue Hoe is a somewhat short handled hoe with a thick, sharp, 5 pound blade. It is, in my opinion, the best all around trail tool. I've previously used one that belonged to a coworker at Mulberry Gap. It's great for moving dirt, breaking new ground, packing down loose dirt, and cutting roots. It'll also get used for vehicle recovery on camping trips should the need arise.

On another note, cycling here is absolutely amazing, but my muscles take longer to recover at this high altitude. So, I've been expanding my hobbies. Did some rock climbing and bouldering last week and I got my fishing license and a few flies today!

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