Challenged

[TrailPatrol]

I rode Wirth for the first time tonight, from about 7:15 to 8:45, and I have to admit that to an old fat man like me, who's used to riding the River Bottoms or the open Boreal forests up in Deer River and Cable, it was a real challenge. I know I passed this one tree four times, and from a different angle three of them!

The trails are neat, very interesting and, as I said, challenging. The new Trek takes it all on like a tank. Unfortunately, the rider (me) isn't as stalwart. And then, every time you stop for a breather, you have to donate blood. The mosquitos are very bad in there! Not much you can do about that, but wear the right bug spray. I didn't. Natrapel Ultra is one of our (BTPA) sponsors, and normally it works really well, but not tonight. Rule #2, carry DEET!

My two serious complaints (I know that you can't do anything about the bugs or my lack of fitness.:embarass: ) are about the system. No way of knowing what goes where, what is offical and what isn't. No maps, no signage, no blazes. I am assuming the trails with pink or green flags on them were approved, but I didn't see any rhyme or reason to their layout. The course needs to be GPS-ed mapped and put on-line. Second, the new bike has a GPS on it, and it's a good thing! (That's rule #1!) Somebody mentioned a while ago about the problem with getting back out of all those trails, and they were right. I had to put my GPS on backtrack to get headed out the right way! I am sure all that is coming, but is was surely missed tonight.

Finally, I wore my NMBP jersey and carried my gear. Gave some information about MORC/MOCA and some directions, (I do know the area from x-c skiing!) saw 5 bikers, 6 hikers, 4 entimologists, 1 botanist and 2 large foxes.

I am sure I will ride there again. Just not tomorrow. :zzz:

Ride safe,
:banana:
Hans

[noise_is_life]

I'm glad you got out there Hans. I told you the bugs are bad. :)

We've only been working in there for a month, so there are many things that still need to be done. Bill O'Reilly is working on getting some temporary signs made so that we can mark a route. Not sure what flagged trails you would have been riding, those shouldn't be open (or rideable) until after trailwork tonight.

We will be working on getting a decent GPS track too, but things are going to be changing quite a bit all summer so it probably won't mean much until the fall.

Thanks for the input (and for patrolling the trail), stay tuned.

I'm suprised you didn't run into any "naturalists". :D

Also, if you ever want a semi-guided tour (even I still get confused sometimes) let me know, I would be happy to go riding with you. That goes for everyone.

[jitterjepp]

I think those flags are for a gas line or a paved trail that is going to run straight through the park to connect on the parkway trail. It's a bit confusing now. It's just going to take time to get all those spurs out.

[homebrewbiker]

And then, every time you stop for a breather, you have to donate blood. The mosquitos are very bad in there! Not much you can do about that, but wear the right bug spray. I didn't. Natrapel Ultra is one of our (BTPA) sponsors, and normally it works really well, but not tonight. Rule #2, carry DEET!
You may have somewhat better luck by avoiding the evening hours, hard to do during the week. That and don't stop in the woods if you can help it.

Somebody mentioned a while ago about the problem with getting back out of all those trails, and they were right. I had to put my GPS on backtrack to get headed out the right way! I am sure all that is coming, but is was surely missed tonight.
I think that may have been me. That is why it is nice to have plenty of time in there. Just keep riding and you'll find your way out. If nothing else you will find the big dirt road probably, or at least the prairie in the center.

[TrailPatrol]

If nothing else you will find the big dirt road probably, or at least the prairie in the center.
Yeah, When I hit that area, I remembered it from skiing, and it was all downhill from there! ;)

Ride safe,
Hans

[syntaxjunkie]

I've been riding Wirth for the last 5 years. And truth be told, last year was the first time I felt as if I knew all of the ins and outs. That said, there's porbably some snarky section of singletrack back there that my tires still have yet to cross.

And frankly, that's one of the things that I love about Wirth. You can pretty much throw the idea of a loop out the window. Because there are so many offshoots and interconnecting sections, you can piece together a decent 7-10 mile ride without going through the same spots the same way over and over again.

While it lacks some of the technical and terrain-induced riding challenges of more popular trails, it's still a great place for a spin. And it's only going to get better.