Welcome to FATMUG Newsletter!
5/20/2010
Trail Maintenance
On April 10th, we managed to gather a small but hearty crew of volunteers to whip the trails into shape after a brutal winter. The primary focus of our work was the repair of USGS trail.
Severe winter weather had covered USGS in snow for many weeks. Then, heavy rains of late winter caused some small creeks to jump their banks and change course, routing them onto the trail. As if that weren’t enough, the river then rose to submerge entire sections of the trail on at least two occasions. All in all, USGS was a disastrous muddy mess with water flowing along the trail in numerous spots.
Our volunteer crew drained, rock armored, re-routed, knicked, and tamped the trail until it was once again rideable. Meanwhile a second group of volunteers working on Ridge trail rock armored a stream crossing, installed a bridge over another creek and routed around a permanent mud-hole. This work was all done just in time for the arrival of the spring riding and racing season. Three huge cheers to all our volunteers!!!
Now the biggest challenge in trail maintenance is vegetative intrusion from the sides of the trail corridor. Every year around this time the honeysuckle, poison ivy and various other vines leap out of the underbrush and run to the end of every branch. The branches that they follow are also racing to reach sunlight. It only seems to take a day or two for an open trail to suddenly have face-smacking greenery dangling in the trail every few feet. Check our calendar for upcoming trail work days when we’ll try to prune back the growth and keep the trails passable.
Watershed Property Management Plan
The Friends of the Rappahannock have handed off the final draft of the Plan to the City Planning Department. Now it must be presented to the City Council for adoption. The text proposed by FATMUG has been incorporated into the Plan and the Planning Department is hopeful that it will be approved by the City no later than the end of this summer. This will be a major step forward in the recognition of Mountain Biking as an acceptable use of City lands. Many, many thanks to all of you who wrote, called or showed up in person to support our proposal. Your efforts will bear fruit for all future mountain bikers in Fredericksburg. I cannot say thank you enough!
But… our work can’t stop there. We must continue to maintain the existing trails, use them responsibly and follow sustainable construction techniques on any new trails. No problem, right?
Skills Clinic #1
On May 15th FATMUG joined forces with Parks and Recreation, Pathways Partners, and Fredericksburg Cyclists Club to present the inaugural Biking in the Burg Bike Rally. Our primary contribution to the event was a mountain bike skills clinic aimed at novice to intermediate riders. With approximately 60 people attending, we were able to provide four sessions of our lecture followed by 40 minutes of practice time for the participants. The attendees were allowed to ride a circuit course as many times as they wanted to, navigating a variety of technical challenges while FATMUG members around the course offered coaching and advice. We followed the event with a group ride to the Quarry trails. Feedback has been great and we’re stoked to do it again.
Hunting Season
Now that spring turkey season is over, there are no restrictions due to hunting for any of the trails. We try our best to keep landowners and land users aware of each other’s activity so check back here often for updates, especially when the fall season roll back around.
See you on the trails,
Steve
2/18/2010 – When’s the last time you saw the trails?
The “S” word
With the snow we’ve had since mid-December, it seems that most folks are hiding inside just hoping for spring. And even if you have managed to fight your way through the snow and cold to get back to the Quarry trails, chances are you haven’t seen much of the actual trails, since they’ve been buried under snow for almost two months. Another result of the weather is that we don’t have much to report in the way of progress on our list of trail-work projects. Our last three scheduled workdays have been knocked out by snow, rain, or some vile mixture of the two. We’ll keep trying though. It’s got to thaw-out some day, I think.
Watershed Property Management Plan
The committee responsible for drafting the Watershed Property Management Plan presented the first draft for public review on 2/17. This is the document that will establish rules for uses on the massive 4200+acre of upstream easement property. To review the draft plan, visit the Friends of the Rappahannock website at Riverfriends.org.
FATMUG was not satisfied with the mountain bike access component of the draft so we offered alternative text to Erik Nelson (Senior Planner and Committee member) via e-mail. While our proposal does not seek expanded access on the Watershed property at this moment, it does open the door for consideration of mixed-use (bike and hike) access to trails that are currently only open to hikers.
Our proposed text also establishes mountain biking as an allowable use on all of the City’s property that is adjacent to I-95 on the southern shore of the river. If accepted by the Fredericksburg City Council as proposed, this will be a major step forward for mountain bike access in Fredericksburg. To this point, mountain bike access on that land has been viewed as anywhere from unauthorized to illicit based on who you ask. We’re very hopeful that we can help change that to “accepted”, no matter who you ask.
The public comment period is open through March 3rd, 2010. If you haven’t already done so, please go to http://www.Riverfriends.org and submit an e-mail comment letting the committee know that you support the alternative text proposed by FATMUG.
Thanks and see you on the trails,
Steve
12/8/09 – Wet and Wintry
The dry fall season didn’t last very long before we plunged back into regular downpours. That’s great news for all the paddlers in the area but for the landlubbers in the off-road trail using community, the excess precipitation doesn’t provide much benefit.
With winter on the horizon and a repeated pattern of heavy rain followed by short breaks of pleasant weather, lots of folks are hitting the trail on the nice days trying to make the most of the outdoors while they still can. Add to that the holidays, when families are often together with free time for recreation, and you get lots of folks on wet trails. Nowhere is this more obvious than on the Scout trail.
Since almost everyone accesses the Quarry trail network by way of the Scout trail, the Scout trail sees far more traffic than any other section. Unfortunately it’s a flat, soft trail, composed of poorly draining soil, located at the bottom of a hill, in a flood plain tucked between wetlands. It’s hard to imagine a worse set of characteristics for any trail, especially one that sees a lot of traffic.
A quick look at the Scout trail shows exactly what happens when access is left uncontrolled during vulnerable, muddy conditions. Once narrow single-track becomes an 8-foot wide mud patch. Previously firm sections collapse and become permanent puddles. Trails meander. Plants get crushed. Runoff changes from clear to loaded with sediment. It’s all bad stuff. So now we’ve got a project on our hands. We’re hoping to coordinate with F.O.R. to use some of the old crib dam wood (salvaged as part of the Embry Dam removal project) to eliminate this perennial mess. Keep your fingers crossed, or better yet, volunteer to help us fix it.
Various City of Fredericksburg staff are reviewing our M.O.U., and the reports we’re hearing so far are all positive. We hope to have the memorandum signed by all three parties (FATMUG, F.O.R., The City) soon so that roles and goals are clearly understood by all.
Hunting season continues so please wear bright colors and be extra cautious. We pass along whatever information we get from the land managers about their hunting plans but they have no obligation to inform us of their activity. If you see signs posted about trail closures on specific days for hunting, please take them seriously. During the most recent (November 14th) hunt on the Silver Company land, we received no complaints about trail users ignoring the posted signs. Neighboring land managers have also reported much better cooperation from the trail using community. So thanks a lot for your cooperation and keep it up!
See you on the trails,
Steve
9/21/09 – Fading Summer
Another summer of great trail riding has come to an end. While we had a miserably soggy start to the summer this year, once the rain stopped it never really came back. The result was a hot, dry hard-packed trail for most of the last couple of months. It’s nice to get a break from staring at the radar every day worrying about erosive water damage.
Fall is upon us now, the weather is cooling off and so far the trails are staying dry and fast. That all adds up to a perfect time to get out and enjoy the trails!
It won’t be long before we need to blow leaves off the trails so that folks won’t get lost and also to keep nature from reclaiming the less ridden sections. We’ve posted some trail work days on the calendar for the coming months. Check it out and try to lend a hand if you can. As usual we’ll also have last-minute-announced trail work session between the scheduled days. We post those on the forum so check there if you get a chance.
This summer saw two fairly significant re-routes take shape. One is on lower Roller Coaster and the other is the bypass of Peanut Butter Falls. Both projects still need some work before we’ll call them done but they won’t change much from their current design. Please let us know what you think.
In response to some recent feedback from a member (yes I’m talking about you, Dave!) we’re posting a list of prospective trail projects on our site. They will be slightly prioritized but their scheduling will remain flexible based on unexpected projects like downed trees and also the availability of volunteer forces. If you have a comment or a question about any of these then please shoot us an e-mail or start a discussion on the forum.
Friends of the Rappahannock have endorsed our draft Memorandum of Understanding between FATMUG, FOR and the City of Fredericksburg! We’re now just waiting to hear back from the City. Approval of the MOU by all parties will be a MAJOR step forward for the trail loving community in Fredericksburg.
Hunting season is getting started so wear bright colors, preferably blaze orange, and be extra alert to your surroundings.
See you on the trails,
Steve
7/1/09 – I thought the Sun gave up and moved out of town…
Try as it might, the daily rain over the last several weeks was not able to completely wash away the Quarry trails! The damage is obvious but the trails are still there. I hope we’re into more of an average weather pattern at this point because I was about to lose my mind not being able to ride the trails for so long.
Epiphany looks to be the hardest hit area. In many spots a “puddle” of sediment is visible where water followed the trail, removing the trail surface as it went and then depositing all of the soil where the grade levels out. Anywhere that you notice a deposit of soft, silty soil, just look uphill and you’ll likely see a groove down the center of the trail. That’s no good and we need to do something about it. As if we were about to run out of trailwork projects…
Elsewhere the biggest problem had been the massive amount of rain-fueled overgrowth. We booked about a dozen volunteer hours a few weeks ago trying to beat back the intruding vegetation and I think we bought ourselves some time. No doubt we’ll need to do it again, but for now most of the trails are passable without a briery branch trying to rip the shirt off your back when you pass.
Last weekend FATMUG organized a trail work day and managed to get a group of 5 hard working souls on the trail for 6 hours which adds up to 30 volunteer hours! Two projects were accomplished during that day, completion of Guth trail patching and re-routing of the rollercoaster exit. The Guth trail patchwork involved lots of rock hauling to elevate the trail surface along with lots of digging to give run-off water somewhere to go other than the middle of the trail. The roller coaster re-route included the installation of two new berms and some bench cutting. (Note: We ran out of time during this project so what you see right now is NOT the finished product) The purpose of the re-route was to eliminate a very poorly designed, steep, off-camber decent that was a continuous erosion problem and to also create a more continuous feel to that section of the East Side trails. The rollercoaster is now part of a much longer loop instead of just a feature on the side of a hill. Thanks to the volunteers for the hard work and the sacrifice (It would have been an excellent day for playing on the trails but they chose to swing hand tools all day instead. Three cheers!).
News items on the horizon include a formal agreement to “Adopt” the trails on city owned land and an attempt to begin fundraising. More on those topics later.
See you on the trails!
Steve
5/28/09 - Anybody else got an “itch to scratch”?
The spring rains have delivered much need moisture to the area and given a major boost to the growth of trailside vegetation. You may have noticed that parts of the trail are feeling rather claustrophobic as the vines, saplings, grasses, etc. encroach on your personal space. And if you’re bothered by poison ivy then you may have also noticed that you can’t sleep and you’re losing your mind from all of the itching the dreadful leaves-of-three deliver. (I’m slathering on the cortisone cream right now.) Watch out while you’re on the trail. There’s PLENTY of the poison out there. Take a look at www.poison-ivy.org if you’d like to learn more.
A few of us have recently been chipping away at the overgrowth in an attempt to fight back the plants that are headstrong on reclaiming the trail. We’re not gonna let ‘em take over! If you want to help in this fight, then send us an e-mail or post on the forum and we’ll coordinate our efforts to get the job done.
I’ve also been itchin’ to get out and ride more lately now that it’s warming up and the daylight lasts longer in the evenings. Our weekly 6pm Wednesday group rides are helping to scratch that itch. The weather has thrown a wrench into our plans more times than not but that should be less of a problem as we move into summer weather patterns. We’ve still managed to have a couple of great rides so far. These Wednesday group rides are not really organized in any way and are open to anyone of any skill level. The idea is to simply set a time to ride so that anyone who wants to ride with other folks will know a good time to show up. So come on.
See you on the trails!
Steve
4/5/09
Hurrah! March is behind us!
Those are my least favorite 31 days of the year. The freeze-thaw cycle makes the trail surface an un-rideable mess, winds knock down deadfall into the trail, temperature swings confuse on what to wear, and don’t even get me started on college basketball… So now it’s April and spring is upon us. Dry trails and consistently warm weather can’t be far behind. Ahhhhh.
For those of you who missed it, we had a great day of trail work back on Saturday 3/28. We did some general clean-up work but most of the efforts were directed towards correcting drainage problems and man, were there ever some drainage problems. We also put some serious effort into restoring the soul of the trail to sections of the ridge and beach trail where some unknown individuals had removed logs.
Warning: Soap-box rant coming -
With very few exceptions, the trails at the quarry are meant to be challenging. Some of the challenges are the result of the topography and some of the challenges are the Technical Trail Features (TTF’s) such as roots, rocks and logs. It’s the combination of these challenges that makes the Quarry such a rewarding place to ride and keeps us coming back for more. The TTF that throws you to the ground and angers you the first 5, 7, 16 times you ride it is the same TTF that you grow to love when you successfully ride over it. (Especially when you’re the only one of your riding buddies that can pull it off and you can watch them struggle!) When these TTF’s are removed the trail feels hollow. Recently someone either decided that some of the TTF’s were too difficult or perhaps they were confused and thought that they were helping to clean up the trails by removing them. Either way, a great disservice was done to both the trails and everyone who loves to ride them with their removal. So we put some back. Please do not “dumb down” or “sterilize” the trails by removing TTF’s. Instead, join us on a trail work day and put your energy into constructive efforts.
This concludes my rant.
For more information on the 3/28 trail work day you can check out Andy’s post on the FATMUG forum. Which brings me to the next cool news topic.
FATMUG now has a discussion forum! Well, it’s actually on the cyclingcentralva.org site but it’s a FATMUG forum and we have a link to it on our home page. Use it to set up your own group rides, runs or hikes, post trail conditions, or just talk about whatever’s on your mind.
We’re teaming up with Friends of the Rappahannock this month to do some trash collection around the property near the 95 bridge. See the F.O.R. site (riverfriends.org) for more information. F.O.R. requests that everyone pre-register and complete an event waiver available through their site. When you contact them to register, make sure you mention that you want to be part of the FATMUG group so they know where you’ll be working. F.O.R. is a great organization and we’re glad to have the chance to help them out.
This month also sees the start of the Fredevents race season, which is sure to bring more and heavier use to the trails. That means our efforts are more in demand than ever. Races, and their related publicity, draw out of town folks to the Quarry even on non-race days. These folks may not be familiar with FATMUG or our mission so be friendly with others on the trail and spread the FATMUG love. We will have a table set up at the first duathlon on 4/11/09. If you aren’t going to race then plan on stopping by to hang out for a while, watch the race, sneak off with a sandwich…
See you on the trails!
Steve
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2-7-09 - Mud, Posted Signs,
Super Bowl, and Trail Profiles
Hello again. January proved to be a pain in the butt so far
as getting out to ride and to perform some trailwork, but a
little of both were accomplished. Our planned trail
maintenance day got postponed twice due to the weather. In
fact, we never really ended up having an official day.
However, on a couple of random occasions Steve, Dustin,
myself, and a couple volunteers managed to get on out and
work a bit. Some chainsaw work was performed in the form of
big deadfall removal. Dustin and I edged out a 15ft.
section on the east side near the large stream (Fall Quarry
Run). We actually bermed this spot up just a bit b/c there
was a tendency to slide out when barrelling down the trail
towards the dirt road (Wicklow Rd.). We used a large dead
tree and the dirt pulled out from the rootball crater left
there. I took some buckets of sand and gravel from the
stream bed and mixed it in with the silty clay to give it
some better drainage, too. (Hopefully it works!)
Boy Scouts came through and built a wooden bench near
one of the old locks along the USGS trail. They also took
out all the trees that had toppled over along the way to
get their vehicle back there. (Just when I was getting used
to them, too...) Seems more and more people keep finding
out about this little heaven we all have here in the 'burg.
One may have noticed that a bunch of "No Trespassing" signs
went up around the billboard area a couple weeks ago. For
awhile now, police have been driving up top and patrolling,
looking for people who are illegally parked on Silver
Company's land (which includes the billboard area). In
December, Steve and I met with Silver Company reps. and
amongst other things, acquired passes for our vehicles to be
up top. At the meeting, we spoke of occasions where we had
been made aware of police telling bikers and hikers that
they could not be up there no matter how they got there.
Well, in trying to improve our relationship with them, we
made things a bit easier for them. Only vehicles with their
official passes can be on their land now. (The FATMUG board
members have acquired these for trail work purposes only).
Therefore, expect to get a ticket if you decide to
venture off-road on their property. As
for non-motorized vehicles, this seems to still be a grey
area if you traverse off the wooded trails and into
the exposed fields, most notably in front of the billboard
area. For now, we strongly recommend that if you are
hiking or biking and need to skirt across this area to get
to a trail, do not stop to smell the flowers! FATMUG
assumes no responsibility for your actions on this
property. You are on there at your own risk. Having
said this, we personally believe that as long as you do not
commit an unlawful activity and/or do something totally
stupid, you should be okay. We are hopeful that in
the near future the local police will collectively be made
aware what the current situation is. But for now, don't be
surprised if one stops you to ask what's up.
Speaking of Silver Company and
Central Park, we're thinking that the the tree lines
are going to stay the way they are now, as it seems the bulk
of earth moving has ceased. But then again, what do we
know; we are just mountain bikers.
Temperature changes have been playing mind tricks with us.
If it gets too cold, nobody wants to venture out. If it
gets warm, everyone is down there. Just another word to the
wise: When it gets real cold, the trails are
great-- even if it had rained or snowed. Chances are, the
ground is frozen and one can hit the trails with the peace
of mind that there will be minimal to no trail damage. But
then we're faced with the scenario of getting a break in the
cold weather for some warm sunny day after a cold streak.
Control yourself! Nature tries to lure us out to the trails
to frolic around in our t-shirts and shorts again, but
the trails will be most vulnerable to damage then.
We have a tendency to forget that even though it may not
have rained for a week or so, the ground may have been
saturated well before and was just waiting for a warm day to
thaw and drain. Be smart and find a "safer" activity for
those warm days. Figure waiting at
least 3 warm days after a thaw before attempting to
hit the trails at
The Quarry.
(Don't roll your eyes!)
February Trail Maintenance Day- There will be a date posted
soon on the calendar. Most likely it will be the end of the
month. Last time we had some peeps from the Free-Lance Star
come join us! It's a great chance to meet people and take
part in helping your community!
Super Bowl Ride- Well, I decided to join Steve and Eric,
both good riders who probably weigh a buck fifty, wet (with
their bikes), to climb up and down a mountain west of
Harrisonburg before the Super Bowl. I got in a
little over my head being 200 lbs and riding a 36lb.
all-mountain/freeride bike. Nonetheless, it was a great
time! It was hard to say how many riders there were that
showed up. This is mostly because I was last, actually I
was alone and last heading up the mountain, but it
had to be around 50-60 bikers. After Eric and Steve gave me
a few sympathy breaks, I was on my own in full granny,
cruising up the paved road at 4.3 mph ave. and watching
squirrels run past me heckling. It was beautiful that day,
60-65 degrees. I spent a lot of time enjoying the scenery
and guessing how long it would take me to get past the next
tree. Alas, a quarter mile from the top I was stopped by a
truck with a couple riders in it that said everyone had
already started to ride down the trail back to the bottom.
Oh well. Pulling out my elbow/forearm pads from my backpack
and turning on my helmet cam, I lowered my seat, jacked up
my fork to 6 inches of travel and took a 40mph descent all
the way back down. It was totally worth the pain and
loneliness! Steve and Eric seemed to have a blast, too.
They told me the singletrack path on the way down had snow
and ice in parts and how at least one guy cut a sizable hole
in his knee.
I think FATMUG is going to make this an annual ride. You
all need to come next year! (...and pull me with a rope).
Trail Profiles and Trail Names- Ever get annoyed that you
don't know where to go, how to describe where to go to
someone else, and what the mileage is on the trails? So do
we! In an effort to remedy this, we will be posting
something totally cool on our site that will help everyone
out. Trail Profiles will be available on our website soon
which will break down each trail by name, elevation,
terrain, features, and more! Additionally, we hope to be
able to upload altimeter charts from GPS which will show
exact distance, elevation, and total elevation gain. These
will be done in a manner in which you can clearly see and
then decide which trails to ride and connect to based on
your workout goals and mood for the day. Hooray! What
about maps, you ask? Soon...
Lastly, after shelving our goal of seeking non-profit
status, we have decided to get back on track and make this
happen. Once this happens, we will be setting up a checking
account so we can take monetary donations and actually run
like a legit business.
That's it for now. Feel free to write to us if you have any
questions or suggestions for our group our website.
See you on the trails,
Andy
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1/4/2009 - Happy New Year to all!
A few of us said “good-bye” to 2008 by enjoying the afternoon of New Year’s Eve on the Quarry trails. The group was small (and split in two) but 6 of us braved the 40mph winds, snow showers and cold temperatures to turn the cranks for a couple of hours. We hope to make this an annual tradition, so mark your calendars now to be sure you don’t forget.
The 40mph winds of late December brought more than just cold fingers and chapped lips, they also brought down a couple of trees, plenty of deadfall and mounds of leaves. We will be working on removing fallen obstacles and blowing off the trails where necessary over the coming month. Keep an eye on the calendar for dates and times and please try to join us, even if you can only spare an hour or so.
Deer hunting season is over until the fall, which means that blaze orange is no longer as important as it was and the (voluntary) restrictions on the Owl Loop are lifted for now. However, squirrel and rabbit season are still open until the end of January so be careful. Thanks for your cooperation in our efforts to work with the local hunters and neighbors.
We’ve made a few improvements to the trails over the last month that you can read about on the Trail Work page and there are a few other improvements not mentioned there. Get out and enjoy the trails and you’ll probably find what’s new.
See you on the trails!
Steve
12/5/08 - Leaves, Bullets, Ice and Mud.
That’s what the late fall/early winter time brings to the Quarry Trails! But it also brings refreshingly cool air, great views of the topography and migratory wildlife. If you haven’t spent much time on the trails lately, now is a great time to get out there. Just make sure that you:
Ø Wear appropriate clothing. Your body’s need for insulation vs. ventilation can change drastically between a climb to the ridge and the descent back to the river. Layers and a shell are usually the best bet for allowing you to respond and adjust as well as protect yourself from precipitation.
Ø Pay extra attention to your footing/traction. Leaves on the trail may appear dry on top but are usually damp and slick beneath. Roots, sticks and rocks below the leaves make for an even slicker surface and a tripping hazard.
Ø Wear bright colors, preferably blaze orange. Hunting may be going on nearby without your knowledge. Always assume that someone is currently hunting and dress accordingly to let them know you are not Bambi.
Ø Carry plenty of water. Even though it’s cold, aerobic exercise will make you sweat and dehydration can speed up the onset of hypothermia.
Ø Stay off of wet trails, PLEASE. A wet trail surface is prone to damage that will either require hours of manual labor to repair or months of non-use for nature to try to repair. A general rule of thumb is to give the trail a day of rest for each inch of rain but with less sun and colder temperatures they often takes twice as long to dry during the winter. That’s why temperatures below 32 are so great; a frozen solid trail can’t be hurt!
Daylight hours for trail work are vanishing quickly this time of year but we’ve still managed to chip away at some new developments on the trails. Andy tries to keep everyone updated on these topics with his e-mails. If you aren’t getting his mail but you want to, then send us your contact information and ask to be added to his mailing list.
Check the calendar for trail maintenance days and group rides in the coming months. Even though the weather is trying to get frightful, we’re not going to let it scare us away.
See you on the trails,
Steve
10/14/2008
Big things have been happening in the world of FATMUG recently. We’ve received our certificate of incorporation from the VA State Corporation Commission, we’ve made some much needed repairs to the Ridge/Alpha trailhead area and (here’s the big one)… we had our first ever group ride/run/hike!
First, I’ll address the business stuff. After a bit of back-and-forth with the government of the Commonwealth, our articles of incorporation were accepted and FATMUG was officially certified as a corporation. Big deal, right? Well, yeah. Now we can move ahead with opening a checking account to begin building funds for important stuff like liability insurance and trail working tools. We’ll most likely ask our members for some small donations (not required, just requested) to get us off the ground and running after we have all of our account information established. This is also a big step in achieving tax exempt status as a non-profit organization. Non-profit status will help us make sure we aren’t wasting money on taxes and fees but rather putting all of FATMUG’s dollars right into the trails. But enough about business, let’s talk about the fun stuff.
On Saturday 10/11, several members of FATMUG gathered at the area near the back of the billboards where a big chunk of the woods had recently been removed. We focused our efforts on the area that has been in such a state of flux lately that nobody even knew what trail, if any, they were on. We took what had become a tangled mess of blended and bisected trails and divided them back out. Now each trail is once again unique and identifiable. There are some spots where the trails come close to each other and we’ve made an effort to create at least a visible border between them. Please do your best not to cross over these barriers and cause the trails to merge into one another. One of our long term goals is to maintain trails that may be ridden from end to end while retaining a consistent feel, appearance and skill level for their entire length. If the trails become crossed at too many locations then the flow is disrupted. You wouldn’t want to hurt the flow now would you?
Even though we made great progress on that small area, tons of work remains to be done. In fact, before heading out to hit the trails, please check our announcements page for up to date information on trail status. We may ask you to avoid certain areas while construction is under way.
Now the news that we’re the most excited about. On Sunday the 12th of October, FATMUG’s first ever group ride/run/hike drew an amazing crowd of 37 trail loving folks!!! WOO HOOO!!! We were blown away with the participation for our first attempt at gathering the trail using community. That shows us what an amazing, deeply dedicated following that Quarry trails have. At the same time it shows us that we’ve got a lot of work to do to keep everyone happy. If you came out on Sunday, then THANK YOU VERY MUCH! If you couldn’t make it or didn’t find out about it in time, then keep an eye on our site so you’ll know when it’s happening again. We learned a lot about who you are and what we can do to make future group events even better. And if you have any feedback, then please send it our way so that your opinions are heard. After all, you are FATMUG.
Thanks again to all those who came out on the 12th and an even bigger thanks to all those who signed up to join FATMUG. We’ll do our best to make sure you’ll want to be a FATMUG for life!
See you on the trails,
Steve
September 2008
Howdy, welcome and thanks for stopping by our site! We hope you’ll stop
by often to keep tabs on all the off-road trail related happenings in
the Fredericksburg area. As you’ll see when you read our mission
statement and goals, our initial focus is on the Quarry trails but we
will offer news about other local trail systems from time to time. If
you have a question about the local trails that our site doesn’t answer
or you’ve got some news for us, then please send us an e-mail, we’d love
to hear from you. Our e-mail addresses are on the Contact page.
FATMUG has been quite busy lately repairing the lost trail section that resulted from grading and clear cutting work near the billboard, trying to promote our event on October 12th and also keeping things moving to strengthen our organizational core.
Trail loss:
The loss of the trail section near the billboard was a sad day (several sad days, actually) but it was part of a plan set in motion by the property owner several years ago to make space for Celebrate Virginia South. Most of the trails currently in the Quarry network are in an area protected by a conservation easement but the section that was recently lost was not. Based on the map that is part of the easement agreement, all of the land intended for development in that area has now been graded, so trail loss near there should be a thing of the past. A re-route has been constructed and the loop is once again continuous. As with any new trail there will likely be some minor tweaks that will need to occur to optimize the fun. Check our calendar for scheduled trail work days to find out when you can help us make it perfect.
October 12th Event:
We’ve gotten some good verbal response so far and are hoping that we’ll have a great turn-out for this event to show exactly who makes up the trail using community in Fredericksburg. If you can find some free time that day, then please come out to show your love for the trails. If you know you’ll be coming and would like to volunteer to help lead or follow any of the group rides, runs, or hikes then please send an e-mail to grouprides@fatmug.org.
Organizational:
We’re in the waiting game period of establishing ourselves as a corporation. Hopefully we’ll hear back from the State Corporation Commission soon with a tax ID number so we can open a bank account and begin building our funds to support trail maintenance and construction. It is our intention to seek non-profit status as soon as we can so that any donations made by you or our corporate sponsors will be fully tax deductible.
Thanks again for stopping by our site and come back often.
See you on the trails!
Steve
PS-- We're open to suggestions! Please let us know how this site could be better. Our goal is to make this the community's site, not just us five!
Sponsors of FATMUG
Olde Town Bicycles
