Post by Philip on Nov 7, 2010 20:01:16 GMT -9
Today Adelia and I rode the 3 Pillar Point trail at the end of Anton Larsen Bay Rd to Sheratin Bay. It has been a few years since I was out that way, but Island Trails Network has been doing a lot of work trying to do some remediation vis a vis the damage done by ATVs on the trail, so we decided to check it out. I was pretty familiar with the trail in general as we have ridden it for years, and it is featured in my mountain bike guide.
I have to admit that I have mixed feelings about the changes to the trail. Both Adelia and I agreed that the trail is less fun now. About the first 1/3 is totally paved with Geoblock in a wide plastic swath that basically resembles a Lego Autobahn. The steep portions have been re-routed in easy-gradient switchbacks, and everything is leveled and easily doable. Bridges are wide and have railings, presumably to meet the code of the funding agencies. The route is less of a trail than a handicap access ramp now. The good news is that the damage to the environment is greatly diminished, and the wet areas are 1000% more pleasant to deal with. Lots of bogs used to be hub-deep swamps as the ATV's fanned out looking for terra firma to cross, and the mess just spread. The bad news is that the those old parts of the trail which were already pretty well drained, stable, and a lot of fun on a bike, are now totally sanitized, flat, and frankly boring. Long sections of trail used to weave through old mossy spruce forest and were already stabilized by compacted ash and extensive root systems. But EVERYTHING on the modified section has been rerouted and replaced with terraced trailbed and plastic. If I commuted on the trail daily, I would be ecstatic. If I recreated on the trail, I would be torn (as I am). Some sections definitely needed a lot of help and ITN has done an amazing job fixing those bits. Major Kudos, for sure. Some parts were in good shape, however, and still offered a sense of traveling through wild Alaska. I would prefer a hybrid of stabilizing the wet sections and leaving the existing durable sections alone, though I suspect getting the materials in to fix the bad parts necessitates improving the whole shebang.
Some pics:
Here is some of the old trail beyond what has been plasticized:
Arriving at Three Pillar Point:
Heart-break (-attack?) Hill:
Random shots of snow coverage on Pyramid. From Buskin:
The view of the South Bowl from the road:
I have to admit that I have mixed feelings about the changes to the trail. Both Adelia and I agreed that the trail is less fun now. About the first 1/3 is totally paved with Geoblock in a wide plastic swath that basically resembles a Lego Autobahn. The steep portions have been re-routed in easy-gradient switchbacks, and everything is leveled and easily doable. Bridges are wide and have railings, presumably to meet the code of the funding agencies. The route is less of a trail than a handicap access ramp now. The good news is that the damage to the environment is greatly diminished, and the wet areas are 1000% more pleasant to deal with. Lots of bogs used to be hub-deep swamps as the ATV's fanned out looking for terra firma to cross, and the mess just spread. The bad news is that the those old parts of the trail which were already pretty well drained, stable, and a lot of fun on a bike, are now totally sanitized, flat, and frankly boring. Long sections of trail used to weave through old mossy spruce forest and were already stabilized by compacted ash and extensive root systems. But EVERYTHING on the modified section has been rerouted and replaced with terraced trailbed and plastic. If I commuted on the trail daily, I would be ecstatic. If I recreated on the trail, I would be torn (as I am). Some sections definitely needed a lot of help and ITN has done an amazing job fixing those bits. Major Kudos, for sure. Some parts were in good shape, however, and still offered a sense of traveling through wild Alaska. I would prefer a hybrid of stabilizing the wet sections and leaving the existing durable sections alone, though I suspect getting the materials in to fix the bad parts necessitates improving the whole shebang.
Some pics:
Here is some of the old trail beyond what has been plasticized:
Arriving at Three Pillar Point:
Heart-break (-attack?) Hill:
Random shots of snow coverage on Pyramid. From Buskin:
The view of the South Bowl from the road:
