2023 Ice Storm Cleanup
I never considered that I would be getting emotional over fallen trees, but here we are. I got lucky earlier this month and only lost about 30% of the canopy of the oak tree in our backyard. I grew up with that tree and remember when it was so much smaller so it hurt to see it damaged and I hope it pulls through.
The trails looked terrible following the storm and it was not possible to ride anywhere without major obstructions every few hundred feet. Some trees were completely uprooted causing tread damage that needed to be repaired, and in some cases trails had to be re-routed entirely. There was an uprooted tree on “E Spank” that appeared to be a few hundred years old.
Austin Ridge Riders immediately scheduled trail work days at Brushy Creek, Walnut Creek, Maxwell Slaughter Creek, and for the first time ever, Mary Moore Searight park. Dusty Mills and I are stewards at Mary Moore, so this was a big moment to be able to have an official trail work day in South Austin and there are Moore workdays to come (see what I did there).
It’s actually a little funny to consider this article from KUT about the delays we should expect to face from city cleanup crews who are overwhelmed. Volunteers actually got 90% of the work done in a single weekend, and the article even mentions that the path at Dick Nichols Park appeared to be cleared already (that was more than likely NOT done by city crews).
Our self-activated volunteer army is something that I personally believe the city should recognize, appreciate, accept, and embrace. We are the best option and resource that they have for maintaining our greenspaces and single track. We are motivated volunteers, it is free labor, and all we need is the autonomy to do what is necessary to make our trail systems as beautiful and welcoming as they deserve to be. This of course means accepting these rogue trails as official, but is this really too much to ask?
The scene in Mary Moore. Photo courtesy of Tate Noster
In the past, South Austin has been largely left to our own devices when it comes to maintenance. We have 140 miles of trail connected together and weaving through numerous greenbelts and particularly along Slaughter Creek, and it’s mostly all bandit or unsanctioned trail with the exception of Mary Moore and Maxwell Slaughter Creek.
Saturday’s cleanup day at Mary Moore was attended by 11 folks, which I think is a very solid turnout for a last minute event in a park that has never seen an official ARR trail work day. Our work crew split into two groups so we could tackle more of the park, and set off with hand saws and loppers clearing all we could.
We finished up at noon but I went back out with Clint Newman and Greg Stevens to clean up E Spank, which is one of the unofficial trails elsewhere in South Austin that I help look after. Greg would end up spending the better part of two weeks coordinating the volunteers clearing South Austin Trail Network. It was a massive effort worthy of appreciation so next time you see Greg be sure to thank him for that work if you have not already. He submitted a list of volunteers and estimated hours worked which amounted to 180, but that was a fraction of the people who were putting in effort. The central Texas MTB community likely invested thousands of hours of volunteer labor into clearing trails which speaks to our motivation and enthusuasm for this sport.
It was remarkable how quickly we got things cleaned up. In some places, we had the trails running again before the power lines were fixed. Thanks to everyone who helped get it done!
To see a list of upcoming trail work events, click here.
