Erosion control& trail sustainabilty

[wrob]

Our T.C.'s use many methods to reduce erosion & control washouts on the
sandy/ gravelly climbs & descents with varying degrees of success.it's an on-
going battle.i propose another tactic without knowing if it is permissable or
effective:calcium chloride.spread the flake with a fertilizer spreader , wet down
with a pump sprayer ( with water hauled in lidded 5 gal. buckets in a wheelbarrow)
or use brine.until it soaks in the soil it's nasty stuff if contacting skin or bike
parts for sure,i get that.i've been caught up to & passed by the O.C.road com-
mission tank truck while climbing Dutton Rd.anyways , thought i'd put that out
for comments.NOTE: i'm not trying to "dumb down" trails, simply to sustain them.

[c0nsumer]

It's a good idea, but it's terribly corrosive. It's a little more common (and easier) to use Quickrete. There's a bunch of spots at Stony and a few at RB (and lots and lots of other trails) that have been patched up this way. For the most part it's not noticeable.

[wrob]

I used quick setting concrete at R.B. Thursday on the #2 hillclimb, we'll see how long it lasts,
I did the same last year & we got one season out of that repair, any ideas for a longer lasting
solution would be great.maybe my method could be improved.i'm open to suggestions and
available for any future repairs needed.

[Roy]

WROB,
Nothing will stop Erosion once it starts.
After all, 99% of trail building is rerouting.

You can Armor, but it only will work if done right.
The armoring done at Stoney of the climb to the scenic lookout is probably the best example.
The broken cement was buried and spanned the full trail width. NO POSSIBLE GO AROUNDS.
Then premix cement was mixed into the soil.
The down hill Armor at Yankee Springs was also great. NO GO AROUNDS.
(I have not been there in years)
Do not Armor if you can not prevent go arounds.


Roy

[Loren]

Couple notes on soil-cement...

- It's relatively permanent, but will break down on steep slopes (like the crater at Lakeshore) that see a lot of brake drag and wear and will need maintenance after a couple years.
- It's so much easier to carry 100 lbs of portland cement out on the trail and mix in with existing soil than 700 lbs of quickcrete. Why carry sand and gravel aggregate out to the trail if you can use what's there?
- Best experience seems to be a 1:10 mix of portland and soil. So like 1/2 inch of portland on top and till 5 inches deep until very well mixed. Wet, tamp.
- A 90 lb bag of portland cement will armor about 8' of 16 inch wide singletrack.
- At 1:10, soil-cement is unnoticeable in color or texture to the casual observer. It looks like natural trail

I'd never use calcium chloride on singletrack - it's great for soil compaction, but in any effective quantity it would kill all the adjacent vegetation.

[wrob]

Loren : thx. for the tip, i just read the ingredients on the bag i used, you're right, i'll
use Portland Cement in the future.

[oldkhs]

I’ve heard from the Ice road guys in Alaska that calcium chloride is terrible on stuff. Also really slick when wet. Realizing most of us ride when it’s still dry, shouldn’t be issue for the most part.
But sometimes trail is damp or there are a few puddles. Could be bad.
I prefer not to splash stuff up on my ride and parts.