dcrofty
Eats Squid
Hey all,
Well this isn't really a MTB trail but I'm still going to post it here as there is a little bit of MTB trailbuilding relevance (mods feel free to shift to off topic thought)
I've just returned from a 7 week trip to PNG where I was part of a volunteer program to do maintance work on the Kokoda Track.
I was based in Owers corner, the start (or finish) of the trail and the idea was to teach some of the local people how to maintain the track so that they can possibly get future employment looking after the track. Given that there are now about 6000 trekkers a year (triple that if you include porters guides etc) on the trail and parts of it are getting a bit thrashed. So for 6 weeks we lived out in a big communal tent with locals and worked on sections of the track. Most of it was digging drains as its very steep and there is serious erosion problems, be we also did some small re-alignments, narrowed sections, cut steps on steep sections and removed rubbish.
Pics below
Home sweet home
Walking home after shopping
Few shots of some of the work crew and their handiwork
Things you find when digging
I sat pretty much on top of this without even knowing for a bit before one of the local kids spotted it and killed it
We were lucky enough to walk the last part of the track with Don, an 83 year old and watch him finish
Anyway, in case you were wondering, the IMBA bit relates to our induction when we got to PNG and they sat us down and started going through what they wanted us to do there. The operations manager of the Kokoda Track Authorty (who is a South Australian who has worked in their national parks) got up and first thing he said was "who knows about the IMBA trail building book?" He then proceeded to spend the next hour or so giving an intro to IMBA trail building - grade dips and reversals etc etc. I quizzed him about it later and he said that some of the field staff in SA Parks were mad mountain bikers and had put him onto the IMBA book so well done to you fellas. So as well as being good for MTB the IMBA standard is also being used by some American National Parks and also the Kokoda Track Authority for walking trails. Pretty cool I reckon.
crofty
Well this isn't really a MTB trail but I'm still going to post it here as there is a little bit of MTB trailbuilding relevance (mods feel free to shift to off topic thought)
I've just returned from a 7 week trip to PNG where I was part of a volunteer program to do maintance work on the Kokoda Track.
I was based in Owers corner, the start (or finish) of the trail and the idea was to teach some of the local people how to maintain the track so that they can possibly get future employment looking after the track. Given that there are now about 6000 trekkers a year (triple that if you include porters guides etc) on the trail and parts of it are getting a bit thrashed. So for 6 weeks we lived out in a big communal tent with locals and worked on sections of the track. Most of it was digging drains as its very steep and there is serious erosion problems, be we also did some small re-alignments, narrowed sections, cut steps on steep sections and removed rubbish.
Pics below
Home sweet home
Walking home after shopping
Few shots of some of the work crew and their handiwork
Things you find when digging
I sat pretty much on top of this without even knowing for a bit before one of the local kids spotted it and killed it
We were lucky enough to walk the last part of the track with Don, an 83 year old and watch him finish
Anyway, in case you were wondering, the IMBA bit relates to our induction when we got to PNG and they sat us down and started going through what they wanted us to do there. The operations manager of the Kokoda Track Authorty (who is a South Australian who has worked in their national parks) got up and first thing he said was "who knows about the IMBA trail building book?" He then proceeded to spend the next hour or so giving an intro to IMBA trail building - grade dips and reversals etc etc. I quizzed him about it later and he said that some of the field staff in SA Parks were mad mountain bikers and had put him onto the IMBA book so well done to you fellas. So as well as being good for MTB the IMBA standard is also being used by some American National Parks and also the Kokoda Track Authority for walking trails. Pretty cool I reckon.
crofty
