Last weekend myself, Ben, Russ, and Scott got out in the woods and worked on the reroute climb I had cleared a path for the week before. Yesterday Russ and I spent the morning finishing off all the bench-work so now the new line is 100% complete and open! Expect it to be horribly soft for a while but in the end it will be an easier, more sustainable climb while adding a little bit of extra trail distance. Be sure to take time to admire Russ and Scott’s rock bridge, it’s a work of art! There’s more rerouting to come over on this section of trail as we will continue to design a better climb and incorporate some downhill run at the end to reward the climb. We will also be moving the trail off the old double track road behind the neighborhood to farther back into the woods making a new singletrack line. Last week we also cut a new line that stays on the back side of the small pond which connects you to the trail behind the soccer field without having to come out to the powerline cut. We revisited that line yesterday as well and did a bunch of rock armoring on that section. It’s good to be back out there bettering and expanding Poston Trail!

The leaves are all down for the most part, the air is crisp, the shadows are long....can only mean one thing. That's right, time to get back to building trail! I didn't really plan a trail work day as I was supposed to go hiking however that fell through. After contemplating being lazy I finally guilted myself out the door and to Poston about 10AM. One thing I figured I could tackle a lot of solo was rerouting the climb that leads to the Mountain View neighborhood in Ranlo; this climb is overly steep, lacks good flow (yes climbs can have flow), and doesn't even feel like trail. By wrapping the trail around the intersecting ravine instead of going straight up the side the climb is mellowed out while adding a good bit of new distance to the trail (probably a tenth of a mile or so). The new route also feels more natural, meandering through trees and under mountain laurel canopy giving it that nice Poston singletrack feel. A lot of the day was spent just clearing/bushwhacking a path through the laurel, thick undergrowth and downed trees. I was also able to rake the whole new section and scrape down to the soil. Although at least one more work session is needed to do some benching, cut out a few downed trees, and whatnot the new climb can be ridden as is although right now I'm sure it'll be soft and a bit difficult to pedal. This is just the first part of the larger plan for altering the trail layout over in this corner of the property. We'll plan a day to get a group larger than one ot there to really soon to knock it out! It was slow going solo but a real nice day to be in the woods cutting trail regardless!

Great vid that explains it perfectly.....

That’s right…after positive discussion with Pee Wee’s widow, Linda Morrison, the Piedmont Area Singletrack Alliance has come to an agreement to maintain, build, and manage the trails at Pee Wee’s Mtn Bike Park as part of our continued volunteer trail effort! The trails at PW’s have been without formal management for a while now and are in real need of an organized group to tune up and keep them maintained moving forward. We have promised Linda we would do just that as the land and trails are just as important to her as they are to the legacy of Harold “Pee Wee” Morrison. As a club we will strive to not only honor Pee Wee and build trails that meet his philosophy of fun but to also keep the trails in tiptop condition! We look forward to making improvements and increasing the ridership of the trail. Pee Wee’s Mtn Bike Park is a special place for quite a few riders in the PASA club; it’s a place we cut our mountain biking teeth, it’s a place where some in the club learned to make trail many years ago, and a few of our members were even lucky enough to have known and spent time with Pee Wee. Thanks to our partnership with Linda Morrison our club now has trails or trail projects in the making in Cleveland, Gaston, Lincoln, and Mecklenburg County. The ragtag club continues to grow! Thanks to everyone who helps through your donation of time, talents, and funds.