Workday this Saturday, May 1st.

It's been a long time coming...a work day at Swope in 2010.


We'll be working on the section we laid out for the IMBA Trail Care Crew Workday. We will mainly be doing benchcut and rock work.

Details:
May 1st, 9a-11a
Meet at the Dining Hall at Camp Lake of the Woods. (Map is on the right side of the page.)
Bring your own tools if you have them. We'll have extras if you don't have your own.

Hope to see you there!

NOTICE: Rocky Point Glade Trail Off Limits to Bikes

Be advised that the Rocky Point Glade Trail at Camp Lake of the Woods is off limits to bikes.  We have now placed signs at the entrance points to this trail.  Our ability to have mtb trail in this general vicinity hinges on our respect for this trail...please don't be the person that screws it up for everyone else.

Also, we are hard at work on phase 3 but mother nature put the hurt on us this winter, so we're way behind schedule.  We'll have some trail building days in the near future and hopefully get a good chunk knocked out soon.  With that said, phase 3 is not open to riding.  

honey-SUCK-le work

Scott, Travis, and I were chompin' at the bit to do some work, so we rounded up a couple others and headed down to see what damage we could do. 

Travis and Joe Silver had done a lot prep work a couple weeks ago cutting the tops out honeysuckle and getting it off to the side, so we could start destaubing.  This was one of the thickest nastiest sections of honeysuckle we've seen in Swope so far.  It was so thick that when we marked it we were crawling on our hands and knees.

SATURDAY BEFORE:

SATURDAY AFTER:

With about 20 man hrs we were able to destaub 100 yards of this honeysuckle patch, so we can start dirt work once the soil thaws.  Thanks to Amber Chambers, Cam Chambers, and Travis Donn for pitching in and helping out (also for the above pics).

This was the 1st time since the middle of December that we able to get in and do any reasonable amount of work. Before the Winter sank in we were on track for a spring opening.  Hopefully, the weather will start to cooperate and we can post some trails work days soon...March 13th maybe.

Swope Trails Trailbuilding this Sunday, December 6th.

Phase 3 is coming along nicely, and we're right on target for a spring opening if nature continues to cooperate. This Sunday we're going to work on the middle/beginner (yellow flagging) line. We'll be focusing on bench cut and tread work. Beginner trailworkers all the way to advanced trailbuilders are encouraged to come out. We'll have plenty to do no matter your level of experience.

DETAILS:
Sunday, December 6th. 12:30p-3:30p (Come and go as your schedule allows.)

Meeting Place: Meet at the Dining Hall at the top of the hill. (From the main Swope trailhead, drive up Oakwood Drive, take a left at the "Y" and continue on about 1/2 mile.)

Tools: The usual trail tools...Rakes, Shovels, McLeods, Pulaskis, Rogue Hoes, Weedeaters, Blowers, Handsaws, Chainsaws, etc. If you don't have tools, come anyway...we should have plenty.

REMINDER: Trailbuilding Work Day Tomorrow

Just a reminder....tomorrow is the 1st workday for phase 3. We've done a crazy amount of scouting for phase 3 and think this section will turn out exactly as we had hoped. The plan is for a beginner friendly trail with lots of flow, minimal turns, and lots of smiles. Once finished, there will be a beginner loop approx. 2 miles long with a .75 mile alternate technical line along the rock face similar to the existing Wudchuk Run.

Check out the updated trail map on the right hand side of the page.

Saturday, November 7th. 8a -12p (Come and go as your schedule allows.)

Meeting Place: Meet at the main regular trailhead at the bottom of the hill. Once we have everyone, we'll drive to the work zone. Map of the trailhead is on the right hand side of the page.

Tools: The usual trail tools...Rakes, Shovels, McLeods, Pulaskis, Rogue Hoes, Weedeaters, Blowers, Handsaws, Chainsaws, etc. If you don't have tools, come anyway...we should have plenty.

Agenda: We've started some preliminary corridor clearing to get room to breath and have benchcut and rock work ready to start for the more experienced trail builders. However, the main thrust of the work day will be corridor clearing. There is a decent amount of honeysuckle that we'll be blazing through. This is very important work and great for volunteers who've never done trail work before. We need anyone and everyone for this work day! The ability to get this phase done quickly will be a direct result of the turnout for this workday. We're beggin' here. Please, Help!

Sponsored by 180 Energy Drink http://www.180.com/ Our good friends have supplied us with plenty of 180 goodness to keep us going for the entire weekend!

Benchcut Results

If you're looking for motivation to come to the workday this Saturday, maybe these photos will help...

High Stakes Bowling at Swope

We had a huge hole that needed to be filled. Travis spied THE perfect rock. He had one chance to get it right.

Let the next phase begin! Workday on Saturday, November 7

We've done a crazy amount of scouting for phase 3 and think this section will turn out exactly as we had hoped. The plan is for a beginner friendly trail with lots of flow, minimal turns, and lots of smiles. Once finished, there will be a beginner loop approx. 2 miles long with a .75 mile alternate technical line along the rock face similar to the existing Wudchuk Run. Check out the updated trail map on the right hand side of the page.

Get your dirt on!

Saturday, November 7th. 8a -1p (Come and go as your schedule allows.)

Meeting Place: Meet at the regular trailhead at the bottom of the hill. Once we have everyone, we'll drive to the work zone. Map of the trailhead is on the right hand side of the page.

Tools: The usual trail tools...Rakes, Shovels, McLeods, Pulaskis, Rogue Hoes, Weedeaters, Blowers, Handsaws, Chainsaws, etc.

If you don't have tools, come anyway...we should have plenty.

Agenda: We've started some preliminary corridor clearing to get room to breath and have benchcut and rock work ready to start for the more experienced trail builders. However, the main thrust of the work day will be corridor clearing. There is a decent amount of honeysuckle that we'll be blazing through.

This is very important work and great for volunteers who've never done trail work before. We need anyone and everyone for this work day! The ability to get this phase done quickly will be a direct result of the turnout for this workday. We're beggin' here. Please, Help!

Sponsored by 180 Energy Drink http://www.180.com/ Our good friends have supplied us with plenty of 180 goodness to keep us going for the entire weekend!

KC Cup notes

-The KC Cup weekend is coming up. Please, if you enjoy these trails, plan on coming out and supporting the event. The proceeds from this race will go directly into building more trail. Event website: www.heartlandrace.com

-The race course is 4.4 miles long with expert riders turning 22 minute laps.

-We spent 25 man hours over the weekend doing finish work that we had been meaning to do but hadn't got around to yet. We tweaked lines on 8 Pin and well as Wudchuk Run. We think they flow better without taking away from the spirit of these sections.

-We'll be out over the next couple weeks trimming/grooming the trails for your riding pleasure.

See you out there!

Swope Notes

A couple things in the works and general info.

1. We've scouted and had some corridor clearing help from Skills USA volunteers on phase 3. We will start knocking out new trail in November. The guess is that phase 3 will be around 2 miles. The trail will be similar to the orange rock face trail but will also have a more beginner friendly loop as well. Remember, we have at least 16 miles on tap for Swope as well as the connector to BRP to build in the next few years. Can you say 50 miles of mtb trail in the middle of KC?!?!

2. We've had several questions on how much trail we currently have. According to our measurements we get 3.4 miles (but I swear it feels like more). You results may vary.

3. Heads Up...there have been some break-ins at the main trailhead. Use your street smarts and keep valuables hidden, cars locked, think about checking on your vehicle after finishing laps, etc . If you see suspicious activity make sure to get a make/model and license plate number. There have been reports of a red Ford SUV with large chrome rims in the area around the time of the break-ins. KC Parks has been alerted to the situation and is working on solutions. They are very concerned about this and are doing things behind the scenes to make the area more secure.

4. Shoffner is leading a ride every Thursday night at Swope weather permitting. And on certain Thursdays, he's hosting the "Thursday Night Throwdown". More Info----> http://forums.earthriders.com/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=9461

5. We will be hosting a MTB, CX, and Trail Run on the Swope trails in September. This will be a fund raiser for equipment, fuel, and supplies for building trail at Swope. If you like riding, running, and/or hiking Swope, please try to make it out for this good cause. More Info---->
http://www.heartlandrace.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17&Itemid=34

6. Trail Names...orange is going to be "Wudchuk Run" after the KC Wudchuks who've been exploring the Blue/435 corridor for years. If you don't know the KC Wudchuks, you should. The super-rocky technical section on blue will be named "8Pins" after the 8 pins that now reside in someone's hand. Otherwise, we're open for suggestions. We're looking for original names, something with some meaning, etc. Email us, and we'll consider it. If you have a story to go along with the name, even better.