Aliso-Wood and Laguna Coast Wilderness Parks

littlewave said:
Can't attend this weekend, have a funeral. But this is a recurring theme where the registration gets closed because it's "full." Do you work for the foundation or OC Parks?

I'm registered for the Jan 25 trail work at Aliso though.
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If someone is truly interested in helping then what group is going to say no to someone like that? A lot of the spots are filled by kids that want/need volunteer hours for the college applications. (Apparently that's a thing now as kids try to out compete each other.) It's unfortunate because some of these kids are there for the signature and don't contribute. I don't know if that's what happened in this case, but it might be. So if one were to email the LCF and say they were truly interested then I'm pretty sure they would find a spot for that person.

No, not an employee of either. Just someone that rides and after a few years riding/living in OC discovered opportunities to contribute. I am growing tired of people complaining about the current state but not willing to actually do much other than talk & come up with excuses about why they're not helping out. (This is why I stay off the forums for the most part.) At this point in my life I'm lumping most mtbr's into the ebiker group because they're possibly as lazy and selfish when it comes to contributing. (The intent of that statement isn't to be rude, it's merely my observations from doing trail work at a few different OC locations. To clarify, I'm talking about the guys that ride day after day yet never pick up a shovel.)

Funny as I get older and time becomes more precious I've gone from rolling my eyes at the "no dig, no ride" mantra to appreciating/understanding it.
 
littlewave said:
Sold out:

https://lagunacanyon.org/event/trail-stewardship-4/
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kdiff said:
Email them, they'll let you in. If by chance they say no, which I doubt, PM me the name of who responded.

Edit: And it should be noted that a lot of the time the stewardship days are not full and typically less than 50% of the short-term volunteers are mtbrs.
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This is a problem....if you want volunteers, you gotta make the process much easier.

If volunteers have to sign up online....then don't put a Max User Qty. Had I tried to register to volunteer and they said it was closed/sold out, I would have just moved on.

Know what I mean.

EDIT: guess Brett beat me to it.
 
mtnbikej said:
This is a problem....if you want volunteers, you gotta make the process much easier.

If volunteers have to sign up online....then don't put a Max User Qty. Had I tried to register to volunteer and they said it was closed/sold out, I would have just moved on.

Know what I mean.

EDIT: guess Brett beat me to it.
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If you really want to volunteer are you going to let that stop you? It didn't stop me and I'm not generally a pushy person. And as I stated in a previous post, there are plenty of times where general volunteer spots are available.

I do "know what you mean" and kind of agree. Getting volunteers for the LCF is a bit more complex than some other groups, e.g. work on some other trails is not typically advertised to the general public. LCF has a challenge because they're trying to be inclusive and when you do that you never know what or who you're going to get so you have to keep quantities small in case you get a difficult to manage group. My belief is that all riders should contribute on a somewhat consistent basis and if this were done then one would have the relationship to be able to reach out and say "Hey X, I see that the group is closed, but you know me and I have proven that I know what I'm doing. Cool if I attend? I want to help." Also, if people were consistent reliable volunteers then LCF would have a better idea of who would be there and thereby be able to expand the group a little. However, I do know what you mean, and reality isn't going to be like that, people are typically going to go the path of least resistance. (Also, as far as the quotes in the beginning, no offense meant, just trying to be light hearted.)
 
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kdiff said:
There was a Wednesday or maybe Thursday volunteer day late last year for this trail (which was the start of this reroute work that people are commenting about). If you're open there are plenty of mid-week volunteer days with LCF and with other areas/parks/open spaces.

Also, there's work scheduled for Oaks this Saturday...
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Thanks for the info, I’ve always just seen weekend signups advertised.
 
FYI, the new re-route on Laguna Ridge is in effect. A few lower grade bermed turns instead of the steep rutted section. I don’t proclaim to know about trail building, but it appears much more sustainable as there appears to be drainage paths. More importantly the trail is bedded in pretty well and the dirt was good this evening.
 
TFPU @herzalot and @tbarnesarc

I had a niceT&A discovery run today.

It will take little getting used to and see how it holds up. I appreciate all the work.

There is one descending sharp right hander think it is the 2:50 some people are going to over cook that one but it's at the steepest fall line I think that was necessary.

I had a nice run on the rest of the trail... Including going high and right a the big drop... And just kinda slide down and sharp left ... and on my way... Just like I planned hehe.

To be clear I know little / nothing about trail building and only slightly more about trail riding. :)

When I have volunteered for trail work I am purely manual labor.

BTW didn't realize that area appeared to get a little rain at some point Lizard was a bit slickery.

Beauty Day Eh?
 
Oh forget to mention at the end that last decent huck where T said "huh someone put something there"... Those were poorly placed loose rocks at the base of the huck (not meant as criticism / just observation) they where already working themselves down trail so as I hucked with some speed I caught and egged shaped one pretty square with my rear wheel which resulted in a whacky landing which knocked the oval to rock up into my rear wheel/frame pretty hard... Was sure I damaged something... But alas nope... Bike and the We Are One wheels are tough. Lucky must have missed the derailleur
 
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Yesterday's trail work was focused on the upper section of T&A. We also walked down to new reroute section and talked with the LCF about it's design. The trail has a grade to it which should make it much more sustainable. (Of course it will require maintenance like all trails do.) I've not ridden it but think it looks like a lot of fun and an improvement. If you have positive feedback I encourage you to reach out to the LCF and say thanks, it would be appreciated. They, LCF, is really trying to work with cyclist while also managing the land in a sustainable way and also abide by all the other rules. During our walk through it they were asking us, the long-term volunteers that are mtbrs, for feedback and thoughts on the reroute, which I appreciated because they didn't have to ask us or purposely design the trail in a way to keep it fun.

Regarding trail work volunteering, I encourage everyone to make it a priority, especially this time of year. If not with the LCF then whatever area works for you. There's a handful of us mtbr's that consistently do trail days with LCF and I think it's reflecting well on the community as a whole. I think it would be even better if it were more than a handful of us. I'll get off my soapbox now. :thumbsup:
 
kdiff said:
I just said there are, but I'm now looking and not seeing any weekday trail days for the future. I know there were because they were regularly hitting me up and I could never attend. I will ask them this Sunday.
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At this moment there are no midweek trail stewardship opportunities for non long-term volunteers. I didn't ask why not, but my guess is limited resources and probably not good turnouts for when they've had them.
 
kdiff said:
Regarding trail work volunteering, I encourage everyone to make it a priority, especially this time of year. If not with the LCF then whatever area works for you. There's a handful of us mtbr's that consistently do trail days with LCF and I think it's reflecting well on the community as a whole. I think it would be even better if it were more than a handful of us. I'll get off my soapbox now. :thumbsup:
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I've had a chance to work a few LCF trail days and had great experiences. I would encourage anyone that is inclined to put some effort into finding organizations and places that support volunteer programs. Trail Karma...

https://lagunacanyon.org/

https://sharemtb.com/

http://www.ocparks.com/gov/occr/ocparks/about/volunteer/ocparksvolunteer.asp
 
@kdiff Appreciate the work, perspective and passion. I like your encouragement for trail work and attraction is great method to get more help. It is often a few that support the many, but we do because we love it.

I think if someone put a sign at the entrances you might get more folks I think perhaps sometimes we fall into thinking that alot of people hear about these things via social media.

Many of us volunteer in different ways / places ... We are spread pretty thin...Me I volunteer every month at Crystal Cove... I have seen the LCF Guy out there a number of times I thank him each time.

Jim and crew keep the Luge in order.

Warriors CNF...

Share...a little unclear (oooo good natured poke :) )

We need to just keep plugging away...

Love the trails your with...
 
rode BVD in LCWP this morning and saw that the grassy area at the bottom in emerald canyon is all dying and orange. anyone know what the deal with that is? Guessing some kind of herbicide was applied, possibly dealing with non native specie?
 
sir crashalot said:
rode BVD in LCWP this morning and saw that the grassy area at the bottom in emerald canyon is all dying and orange. anyone know what the deal with that is? Guessing some kind of herbicide was applied, possibly dealing with non native specie?
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I noticed that they have cleared some areas up on Moro Ridge for habitat restoration for some Toad.
 
Just saw a couple dickheads at the laguna bus station in the rain with their muddy bikes, riding wet trails while park is closed from rain. Sigh...
 
mtnbikej said:
I noticed that they have cleared some areas up on Moro Ridge for habitat restoration for some Toad.
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Spadefoot... Funny heard some toads there a couple weeks ago... Not in the restoration area

Here if you recognize it
IMG_20200216_141732.jpg
 
Rode LCWP...

Sat at the top of TnA for a bit as my herd confidence a bit low... I wasn't going to make it a speed run... but then a "Half Run" can be just as dangerous

It was a bit dusty / dry up top and I was cautious through the new section.

After that a I felt great and 2/3rds it through the rocks...felt good ... And took the right line on the roller.. made that hard left and rocked the rocks...felt good.

Someone brushed it too ...

Soo I told my wife that I had a little TnA fun for the 1st time in a while and that it had even been brushed...

Sometime the mistress calls.


Oh I went in the afternoon I'm glad I did they were still some cars parked beyond stop sign from the AM at Ridge Park... Can't imagine how crazy it was there at 8 a.m.
 
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