Trumbull, CT: Keep the water off the trails, keep the users on the trails

Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew works with NEMBA-CT

Paula Burton shows off the "tombstone rock" placement and reclamation skills of the NEMBA volunteers in closing rogue lines.
Trail Dog Shelby inspects the handiwork on the flagstone paved approach to a stream crossing.
The completed armored approach to a very durable natural rock stream crossing, saves riders from carrying mud into the stream and onto their bikes.
Volunteers take a much deserved rest after a full afternoon of trail work to pose for a quick photo.

June 2004: Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew leaders Chris Bernhardt and Jill Van Winkle visited Trumbull, CT for a weekend of trailbuilding and riding. With two trailbuilding schools, two club rides, and a presentation at the local bike shop, it was a fun and busy weekend.

The Crew taught an IMBA Trailbuilding School to a dozen land managers from around the state. Additionally, Jill and Chris taught an IMBA Trailbuilding School to members of the Connecticut New England Mountain Bicycle Association chapter. After a morning classroom session, the volunteers spent several hours at Pequonnock Valley State Forest in Trumbull. The park is close to several cities and is heavily used by local riders. Furthermore, it provides riding opportunities for a wide variety of bicyclists, from beginners to riders doing 20' drops. The popularity of the park has strained the trail system, with several fall-line trails becoming seriously eroded and widened.

To help improve the quality of one particularly eroded section of trail, the work crew armored the approach to a stream crossing to prevent soil from being dragged into the water. To help get the water off the trail above the crossing, several people removed logs parallel to the trail and knocked down berms to restore the tread outslope. A knick was also added for water removal. In the same area, the crew placed several "tombstone" rocks to choke in the trail and keep people from creating additional paths down to the stream. Future work parties will focus on further defining the trail tread through the use of choke stones to keep users on the established trail.

On Sunday, local club members took the Crew to Trout Brook Valley Park for some classic NE rock riding. A stunning array of rock features gave everyone present a chance to hone their technical riding skills during the three-hour outing. The cool weather held through the day, and the scenery inside the woods was beautiful.