Sunday, October 21, 2018

DHPT Trail Work Day: Sunday, October 28th

9 a.m. to work on the Carlson Property Trails!

1703 Pleasant Ave
Decorah, IA 52101
(Carlson Property is on the OPPOSITE side of the road)

At this address look for the cemetery on the left. Entry point / trail head will be roughly just before the cemetery begins. Please use caution parking and do not park or drive on private property or residential driveways.

Many hands make light work, and it's a great way to give back to the trails we love to ride, hike, and run on.

Next DHPT Meeting will be Tuesday, November 6th at 7 p.m.
Location TBD- the hope is to have a group ride/meeting starting at Pugsley Pit (IPT)
Join the DHPT mailing list to stay up to date!- josie@decorahbicycles.com

Monday, October 15, 2018

Trail Work Day, Sunday October 21st

DHPT plans to have a trail work day on Sunday, October 21st starting at 9 a.m. to work on the Carlson Property Trails!

1703 Pleasant Ave
Decorah, IA 52101
(Carlson Property is on the OPPOSITE side of the road)



At this address look for the cemetery on the left. Entry point / trail head will be roughly just before the cemetery begins. Please use caution parking and do not park or drive on private property or residential driveways.

Many hands make light work, and it's a great way to give back to the trails we love to ride, hike, and run on.

Thursday, October 11, 2018

DHPT Trail Work Day- Sunday, October 14th

DHPT plans to have a trail work day on Sunday, October 14th starting at 9 a.m. to work on the Carlson Property Trails!

1703 Pleasant Ave
Decorah, IA 52101
(Carlson Property is on the OPPOSITE side of the road)



At this address look for the cemetery on the left. Entry point / trail head will be roughly just before the cemetery begins. Please use caution parking and do not park or drive on private property or residential driveways.

Many hands make light work, and it's a great way to give back to the trails we love to ride, hike, and run on.

Sunday, September 23, 2018

DHPT Trail Work Day- Sunday, October 7th

Thanks to the great crew that showed up today for trail work! “Fred” trail got lots of love!

Next workday will be Sunday, October 7th starting at 9 a.m. to work on the Carlson Property Trails!

1703 Pleasant Ave
Decorah, IA 52101
(Carlson Property is on the opposite side of the road)

At this address look for the cemetery on the left. Entry point / trail head will be roughly just before the cemetery begins. Please use caution parking and do not park or drive on private property or residential driveways.

Many hands make light work, and it's a great way to give back to the trails we love to ride, hike, and run on.



We have created an event on Facebook for those who are on social media.

There should be tools available, but you are welcome to bring your own if you prefer along with gloves, water, good trail shoes/boots!

If you would like to receive emails on when DHPT has workdays, send an email to josie@decorahbicycles.com and she'll get you added to the list!


FAQs
1. What if I don't have tools?
We can provide you with something!

2. What if I don't know anyone?
This is a great time to meet new friends!

Monday, September 10, 2018

Trail Work Day

DHPT plans to have a trail workday on Sunday, September 23rd starting at 11 a.m. Meet at the Bruening Garage across from Luge trail.

We have created an event on Facebook for those who are on social media.

We have several trails that need some TLC: Luge, Fred, Dust Bowl, & IPT

Many hands make light work, and it's a great way to give back to the trails we love to ride, hike, and run on. If you can show up to lend a hand for any amount of time- it's greatly appreciated!

Where to meet is located in the picture indicated by the circle.


There should be tools available, but you are welcome to bring your own if you prefer.




Wednesday, May 2, 2018

Trail Workday 5/6/18

We have a workday scheduled for Sunday, May 6th at 12:00 p.m. (noon)
Meet by the Bruening's old shop across from Luge trail.

If you are not able to make the trail workday but you have time to invest in doing some work, leave a comment where you worked or send an email to the DHPT list so they know what work has already been done. Thank you!




Trails or Spots that need work:
Bottom of Dust Bowl crossing the big hill/crossing IPT
Some spots on the bottom/flat end of North 40 (counter clockwise)
Some shoring on Julia needing repair (couldn't hear exactly where)
Horsey (crossover to top)
Fred (Jeff)
Death Valley 
Old Randy
New Randy (Doug)
Cross Country
Backside of Upper Dunnings (Clay Corner area)
Van Peenen fire road

Thursday, April 26, 2018

Trail Update 4/26/18

Hello All,
A bunch of the trails on the south side are really good and ride able, so get out and enjoy. On another note, a bunch of the trails have sustained damage from the heavy rains a few weeks back, when the frost wasn't out of the ground.  This caused major rut damage, small rivers right down the middle.
I went out today and fixed all of Public TV, which was probably the worst trail.  I think we may have a work day soon, but if you have some free time get out and vote with your shovel and get something that really matters taken care of. If you don't work, you shouldn't speak.
I know Rocky Road is really bad, Little Big Horn on both sides of GT Park and coming out of the cedars into the ravines are all in need of work.

If you fix a spot, please email the DHPT email list so everyone is on the same page with what has been fixed.
If you don't know how to fix it, look at these pictures.  All you need is a rouge hoe and a garden rake.

1st, shave both side of the trail toward the middle, trying to keep the blade and cut as close to the 
 natural grade of the land as possible.

2nd, after you get both sides shaved to the middle, walk back and forth to pack in.

3rd, Take the tines of the rake and smooth it out, walking down the middle again

4th, take the back side of the rake and smooth it out.

It is not hard, but it is work. Thanks for reading!

Sunday, March 25, 2018

Spring Thaw Update #1

We went out to scope trails in Van Peenen this morning (Sunday, March 25th 2018) when temps were around 26 degrees. As you can see, things are still on the fritz when it comes to Spring Thaw conditions.

IPT has a lot of ice cover (to be expected) and it wouldn't be surprising if it were closer to the middle of April until things shape up (considering our current weather pattern.)


Temps are still going down into the freezing temps at night and warming up during the day- this means frost is still coming out of the ground in many areas.

Not too much damage from bike and foot traffic, but you can tell there have been users out in less than ideal conditions. A lot of pock-marks from deer hooves. You'll have a bumpy ride no matter what.

We have an album up on Facebook for Van Peenen (so far.)

We are not going to waste our time with daily checks at this point. With thick ice in spots, it's not going to change an awful lot in a single day.

One of our trail checkers reported that Dunnings was shaping up on a couple trails, but the majority still had some ice and/or were soft in above freezing temps.

Long story short- unless you ride our trails in the morning while temps are still below 34 degrees, please respect them and stay off until they have firmed up.









Thursday, March 8, 2018

Freeze/Thaw Cycle

Trail ruts caused by riding partially thawed trails.
The transition from winter to spring is here and local trails will be experiencing freeze-thaw cycles. This means trail conditions will be unsuitable for riding until the ground freezes solid and daytime temperatures stay well below freezing.

What's the big deal with freeze-thaw cycles?
Dirt trails are extremely vulnerable to rut damage during the transition to and from winter because colder temps prevent the soil from drying. When soil freezes the growth of ice crystals push soil particles apart leaving large gaps that can fill with water when the ice melts. In a thawed state this dirt is much like a sponge and will absorb large amounts of water. It is also hypersensitive to disturbance by foot/bike traffic and flowing water and will form ruts with little effort. Direct sunlight and above freezing daytime temperatures can thaw the top layer of frozen dirt and create an easily rutted, greasy, muddy mess on the surface. Overnight, lower temperatures refreeze the top surface of the trails, ruts included, and the process repeats when conditions allow (hence the name freeze-thaw cycle).






Why are ruts bad for trails?
When ruts develop along a trail they channel water, causing erosion of the trail surface, and slow the drying process. Rain is highly erosive to trails when the ground is frozen and ruts greatly increase the chances of erosion by flowing water. When the soil is frozen, water can't soak in like normal and flows along the top in large quantities. Ruts on a trail can intercept these flows and divert them along the length of a trail. As the water flows down the trail and picks up speed it also picks up soil particles and washes them away from the trail. This can leave behind deep ruts tens or hundreds of feet long in extreme circumstances. Come springtime, ruts can also hold pools of water on the trail surface and prevent it from drying as quickly. If these puddles are disturbed by bike tires they can quickly turn into large mud pits. Fixing these areas eats up trail volunteer time that could be better spent on other projects. Wet areas like this also prolong trail closures.

Tips for riding during the winter/spring months where temps fluctuate between freezing/above-
Pay attention to the trail status
Don't ride frozen trails when the temperature is above freezing.
Ride frozen trails early in the morning before they have a chance to warm.
Don't ride if the temps are hovering around freezing and it is sunny. Wait until temps are below 25F and even then there may be thawed areas.
If after following all the above guidelines and the trails are still too soft, turn around and come back another time. A single rider can damage many thousands of feet of trail under these conditions.

Please respect the trails during the transition months in the winter/spring so everyone can maximize their enjoyment come springtime!

Wednesday, February 7, 2018

DHPT Updates

Greetings folks who browse the internet. We have come into a new year with some awesome stuff planned for the 2018 season and beyond. We might not update this site regularly, but you can find us on Facebook. Heck, we might even get on that Instagram thing. Go give these a like and stay in the loop.


Pages of interest (drumroll.....)

On the leadership front, we have a new set of officers for the next couple years. 
President: Lars Hovden
Vice President/Secretary: Josie Smith
Treasurer: Jeff O'Gara

Upcoming Events of Interest.
Fearless Women of Dirt Membership (Opens April 1st) -$20 donation to DHPT
Fearless Women of Dirt Women's Night (April 24th) - Any woman interested in riding off-road or involving their son/daughter in off-road rides.
Decorah Bicycles DHPT Raffle Fundraiser (May 1st-May 31st) - $5.00 raffle tickets = prizes!