Dan Hudson attending to small details effecting trail flow
It amazed me that a flag moved 5 ft in any direction could really change the outcome 100 ft downstream. Dan discussed various rules that we would try to follow and this helped me understand why the 5 ft change could have such a drastic effect.
A fall line trail follows the straightest path down the hill(big no no). Drop a ball and watch it roll that's the fall line. Now by measuring your fall line you then have a second rule to follow. The 1/2 rule. The half rule states that for a given slope your cross slope trail should not exceed 1/2 of the fall line measurement. These rules help protect the trail from runoff, and cuts down on maintenance.
You ever seen surveyors on the side of the road? One usually has a stick and walks around for the surveyor. Well today I was the stick. Dan would measure the slope with his inclinometer using me as a known reference in order to ensure we have a solid foundation to start with.
So why do I explain all this? It is so that if you are ever on the trails in Big Gem(or anywhere for that matter) you may understand why trails may not go in what seem the logical direction, when in fact if you keep the above rules in mind it is very logical.
I learned today that Trek helps support IMBA and this is why they are able to donate their time to the Gem.
We flag again in two weeks.
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