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SHNF workday

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woodsguy

woodsguy

Ride Red
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Rob
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Vaughan
Greetings everyone, workdays are now being approved to work on the Multi Use Trails. This past Sunday Myself and James Gunter did a Survey starting on North Balloon. Although we found a lot of damage , it's all repairable. The Westside is first trail system that we are looking to get opened .
Forest Service want about 40 miles of Trails repaired in order to open . This means just about everything on the Westside .
The good news is that there are no Bridge failures on the Westside. Everyone that knows about Lake Loop can relate.
We will start this Friday. It will be tree and debris removal starting at North Balloon. We will clear a path for the Trail Dozier , which will be right behind us.
We will need A and B Sawers , Swampers to help move debris, and a lookout for the Dozier. 4 wheelers to carry equipment, or your bike for transportation. No UVTs on this one, the trail is to rough. We had to use the winch on the 4wheeler This past Sunday just to keep it moving. No kids under 16 years on this one, also don't bring a small wheeled bike.
Folks the repairs are just getting started but we have to have your help getting the debris off the trails in order for the Dozier to operate efficiently. This is your chance to get involved, check the trails out and see what happens when Mother Nature cuts loose.
Have to have a Volunteer Service Agreement, VSA. Hard hat , long pants, long sleeve shirt, and gloves , bring your lunch and plenty of water. Keep in mind that the trails are closed and this is a Work detail only.

07-05-2024

remember the VSA
 
"Well a crew of brave souls attacked the west side trials today. chain saw crews started on the balloon trails and a dozer team worked on fixing erosion between hunt camp road up to the north trail head.
It’s a start, it is really dry and hot and dusty, worst erosion I’ve seen.
Thanks to all the brave folks that came out . Hopefully we won’t get too much rain next week. it could take a couple inches without any new damage."

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It was a tough hot day but worthwhile. We got lots cleared! Rudy had a little atv fun too 🤣
 

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Thank you all for the hard sweat - work and efforts.
 
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"Friday 7-5-24 Workday SHNF
First off have to say Thanks to everyone that came out. Had a good enough turn out that we ran two Sawers crews and one Dozier crew. We completed all of North and South Balloon for a total of 17 miles cleared. The Dozier crew , ran by Wild Bill got about 6.5 miles of Trails ready to ride. It was a hot day with Temps close to 100 deg. Which made the amount of work done even more impressive. That's rideable Trail from the Hunters Camp to the Northwest Trailhead, hats off to Billy. Again Thanks to everyone who came out and helped with the Sawer Crews. I guarantee that we could not have cleared 17 miles without you.
It was a great feeling at the end of the day to look back at everything that was accomplished. We will look and see what this latest storm brings us, but looking at another Workday This coming Saturday 7-13-24 , probably starting from the 208 Trailhead"

per John M.

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I'm showing my age, can't imagine doing all the work these guys did in that rain forest and near 100* beat.
 
woodsguy said:
I'm showing my age, can't imagine doing all the work these guys did in that rain forest and near 100* beat.
Click to expand...
I'm with you. I absolutely have total respect for those guys but I surrendered to the heat long ago, just can't do it. What disappoints me is that I see no younger guys out there, sorely needed.
 
These guys got the work started and now the hurricane is zeroed in on the forest. :(
 
Tentative Workday Saturday 7-13-24
This is a Tentative Workday that will depend on many factors outside of our control. However I need to give people a heads up and waiting till next weekend kills two weeks of work.
Soooo... this Saturday 7-13-24 we will have a Workday. Meeting at the 208 Trailhead at 9am with the goal of clearing String, Woodpecker , and Kelly's Pond Trails. A and B Sawers and any others that can help remove cut tree debris.
Hopefully the Forest Service can give us an approval as that's their biggest job right now, Removal of Storm Debris
Again I'm sending this out just to give everyone a heads up, has not been approved yet
 
Irishcoffee said:
Just a gazillion bazillion times more miles available that lead to awesome terrain we have to watch videos to see. Yep, very jealous!
Click to expand...

Yeah, nowhere is perfect, every state has it's ups and downs. When the weather clears I think I will try and make a weekend to go ride SHNF and 3 Palms.
 

MUT WESTSIDE WORKDAY - AFTER BERYL​



















  • When
    07/13/2024

  • 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
  • Location
    Meet at 208 Trailhead
  • Registered
    1 registrant

Registration​


  • RSVP















The work to remove trees from the trail from the May Derecho and July Hurricane Beryl continues. Swampers and FS-certified A&B Sawyers needed. This workday will address downed trees and debris from 208 Trailhead upstream; Woodpecker and Kellys Pond Trail as time allows. Getting trees off the trail is the first step towards reopening.
It's summertime in Texas so bring lots of fluids for hydration, light snacks, and a lunch. Stay for the day, or whatever you can do. Standard PPE includes long pants and shirts, boots, and gloves. Eye and ear protection will be provided.
All volunteers must have a 2024 approved Volunteer Service Agreement (VSA) in place. Keep a copy with you on the workday. Don't have a current VSA? Get the form here: USFS VSA Fill out the front and back, sign it, and email it to heather.spencer@usda.gov for approval. Allow 48 hours for turn around.
Workday Leader: John M
 
Hey folks, Here's an update on the Westside MUTs and a rough time-line for them to reopen. This past Saturday Ranger Jason Roesner And Trails coordinator Heather Spencer showed up to the start of our workday. Mainly they were there to say Thanks for volunteering our time to work on the trails, However they also answered a few questions. The main question asked was how can we get the Westside trails reopened.
The answer was as soon as we could get the Westside trails Safely in rideable condition. This means........
1) clearing the Westside trails of fallen trees and debris.
2) Running the Trail Dozier over the Westside trails repairing Trail and making it safe to ride.
Folks that's it. It's not waiting 2 years, this can happen in just a few weeks. I will host another Workday This coming Saturday 7-20-24 meeting at the Hunters Camp at 9am. We got to get young people involved. It's a good feeling knowing that every tree that is cleared is another step in getting 50 miles of Trails repaired and back in operation. The Westside bridges are good, they just need minor repairs. We get the trees and debris removed from the Trail, the Trail Dozier comes behind us making repairs. Billy Click ran the Dozier the other day and repaired 6 miles of Trails while we cleared trees off the trails, folks it's going to happen.
We will make more permanent repairs after the trails are open. Mostly Emptying sediment traps and building water diversions.
Try to make plans to join to help us , all help is welcome.
Have updated Volunteer Service Agreement VSA
your bike or 4wheeler , water, food and snacks.

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