Poto: Hewen's Creek

[ADDam]

This is what I was talking about:

From Bemis:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3416/350 ... fbb8_o.jpg

From Hitchingham:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3322/350 ... 622e_o.jpg

There was also a dozer clearing all the bushes/shrubs from the house on the corner.

[kpastor87]

I really want to help work on this trail, i live in ypsi and its only like a fifteen, maybe twenty minutes ride from my house. There is no e-mail or contact info for the trail coordinator or any volunteers. Somebody, please let me know how, and when i can help.

[bhollen666]

Placed a couple of temporary boards across the muddy sections in the last wooded area and then hiked through and pulled up the wild mustard weeds along this section. Raked up some of the trail before calling it a day.

@ADDam: I saw that work you posted today on the way to the trail. As far as I new this area part of the land of that house. Now it looks like they have cleared near that fenced in area, so I wonder if that house was sold and bought by the people who own the fenced in area. I don't believe that this part of the land belongs to the township park.

@kpastor87: Thanks for the offer to help. We already need to start to mow I believe, but we could really use some help to hike through the trail and pull the mustard weed that's growing in the wooded sections. This is the stuff that you have to ride through in the first wooded section which has the big rock in it.

You can private message me here if you would like to help in the trail maintenance. But how about we try these two options. First there is now a Twitter account called "BikeHewensCreek" where we can post up to date status for the trail and you can send DirectMessages with your concerns. Have a look at the following URL where you can follow if you'd like: http://twitter.com/BikeHewensCreek.

Also there is now also a dedicated email address where we can maintain a list of everyone who'd like to help out with the maintenance: BikeHewensCreek@gmail.com.

@kpastor87: I'll add you to the list of riders who are interested in helping.

Tomorrow night we are having a trail construction day at Rolling Hills, so there's no planned work day tomorrow. However on Saturday morning I would like to have a half of a work day to clean out the rest of the wild mustard and start to mow or weed-whack the field sections. If you would be interested in helping either on the upcoming work days, or maybe just want to know how you could help for one or two hours during the week, send an email and I'll let you know what needs done next.

I look forward to seeing you on the trail.

[ADDam]

The new trail look like it might be pretty cool. Altho I didnt like how it shot me into the pricker bushes at the dead end! haha, Shouldnt have been blazing through it so fast haha

[kpastor87]

Hey, thanks for the info man, I appreciate it. I'll definitely be going out solo and pulling mustad weeds. I also read about a down tree, I have a chain saw if ever needed. I've work on Saturday so I won't be out there, but every evening this week I'll be the kid on the trail busting my butt to clean it up. And I was wondering if there were any plans or thoughts even, to construct some nothshore style ladder bridges to add some techinqal portions to the trail, just curious. I think it would be sick to have something like that around here... Anyways thanks again for the info and I'll be seeing y'all out there! Enjoy the ride!

[bill_m]

I really want to help work on this trail, i live in ypsi and its only like a fifteen, maybe twenty minutes ride from my house. There is no e-mail or contact info for the trail coordinator or any volunteers. Somebody, please let me know how, and when i can help.

Trail Guide has been updated with contact info: http://mmba.org/index.php?option=com_trailguide&task=trail&cid=75

You should also join the Poto Chapter e-mail list, the link is in my signature below.

[bhollen666]

Finished pulling weeds, pruning, lopping and raking all of the open wooded sections today. The only section that I did not do is the closed second wooded section that is really still muddy and blocked off. All of the other wooded sections are nicely groomed now and in some places even more open/wide, so they easier to crank up the speed a little bit. We now need to get mowers out there in the field sections to trim it before it gets overgrown again. Anybody have a mower and some time this week to get a head start on it?

bob
Email: BikeHewensCreek@gmail.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/BikeHewensCreek

[bhollen666]

Rode through some today just to check on the shape of the field loops. The fields didn't seem too bad, but they need to be mowed. There are a couple of decent face slappers that need to be pruned out. I'm hoping to get a riding mower over there this coming weekend, which should make short work of the mowing. If anybody wants to help out over the week, please let me know.

[Raleigh XXIX]

Fisrt time mountain biker, so I broke my cherry on this trail yesterday. I spent about an hour out there and had a great time. This is the perfect trail for an old beginner like myself who doesn't want to try the big jumps (yet!).

[bhollen666]

First sections of the trail mowed today, up to the middle of the eastern loop. Hope to mow the rest tomorrow.

Anybody interested in volunteering to bring a weed whacker to open up the wooded sections, where the mower can't reach?

Does anybody have any materials that we could make metal directional signs out of? Maybe that would be one way of keeping the signs longer so that everybody knows which way is the right way to go.

In the meantime be careful on the trail. I heard a couple of riders today going in the wrong way saying "Oh, they put a sign up!" but they went the wrong way anyhow. I would not want somebody to collide with someone going the wrong way coming down our little hill.

bhollen666 ( 8^D)>----
Email: BikeHewensCreek@gmail.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/BikeHewensCreek

[bhollen666]

Mowed the rest of the trail today. Everything is now finished except for some weed whacking and raking in the wooded sections.

I hope that it rides nicer now.

bhollen666 ( 8^D)>----
Email: BikeHewensCreek@gmail.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/BikeHewensCreek

[bhollen666]

Rode through it tonight and it was great after the weekend mowing. Still a few faceslappers around but for the most part it's clean. It's really nice to see the taller trees in the eastern loop providing us with some shade there. There's actually only a few sections of the eastern loop now that is not under a tree canopy.

bhollen666 ( 8^D)>----
Email: BikeHewensCreek@gmail.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/BikeHewensCreek

[cbur1650]

Thanks for the work. I had an awesome ride on Saturday. I'll try and keep it up with the mower when I get a chance. I will be able to help with the trail nights once my Tuesday night class is over.

[BHayes]

Thanks bhollen for the work.
I road Hewen's Creek for the 2nd time on Saturday (the first time after seeing the map and having a better idea or where to ride) and totally enjoyed it. The ride brought me back to being a kid! I am looking forward to breaking this trail in this summer. With the recent mowing, I am going to have to get back out there soon. It is mostly flat, as others have posted, but this is a fun trail that keeps you on your toes, keeping your vision short range to navigate the brush, trees and turns. It is a good workout and the contrast of the field trails/wooded trails is really nice. As long as you realize this is a bike trail/path and NOT a smooth wood-chipped walking trail, you won't be disappointed.

[michael48197]

I did a run throughout HC last night. The eastern loop and the fields have never been in better shape. Many thanks to Bob Hollen for his HOURS of mowing. It's getting hard to recognize the eastern loop these days as the cottonwoods have grown into such a canopy in places!! The sections along the pond and the last loop need a bit of trimming and weed wacking to put the trail in top shape. Maybe next Tuesday's work day?