Really excited to hear they're willing to look at a separate system. LT has incredible potential. From the outside looking in and having some experience with RICO I think there are a few things we should consider-as we all know the goal is a great experience for hikers, bikers on this trail, and equestrians on their trails-
If possible, a separate trail head would be great, if they would be willing to consider it. Horses get spooked by bikes and we don't like the poo, so keeping us separate would reduce conflicts for the rangers.
With separate trails, we'd have to see if they want us to use the old trail system and the equestrians get new trails, or are we going to leave the old equestrian trials and start anew for bike/hike? Or will we get half and they get half? etc...
Forcmeister and a bunch of other old school hard cores would probably be up to speed with the existing trail layout, and would be able to make suggestions for what would be a good 1st loop when planning, depending what the land managers wanted us to use with the old system, if anything.
The dood that heads up trail grants for Bi-State regional commission (Doug something... DeLisle?) went out a bout 2-3 years ago and actually found the monuments for the Sac-Fox trail system, and asked us if we'd be willing to open the trails back up. (The monuments were so overgrown he had to bushwack to get to them, and separate trails wasn't being considered so we weren't really interested.)
The boy scouts have a badge that used to be available for scouts that hiked the entire sac-fox trail. Re-opening this trail layout would require crossing the road and dropping down the bluff and back up, but thats nothing we haven't overcome before with great success. The problem is a good portion of it is equestrian trail, and may not be suitable for us at any rate.
When the boy scouts built their clubhouse a few years back I spoke with several upper doods who expressed interest in working with FORC to help provide some labor, etc. Seems like one of them was already very involved, but I'm drawing a blank as to who it was... one of our members Dads, maybe?
Anytime FORC starts a new park, there is a new influx of local cats who find out we're building real trails, and they join the club and get involved helping out. LT is fairly close to Muscatine, so I would anticipate a few future hard cores would come out of this area.
Overall, I'm jealous. When we talked about doing this years ago, I told Forcmeister I'd sell my house and move out there if we had this opportunity- Now I work in Cedar Rapids and won't get to have the fun. Dang it.
Last edited by Vibrato; 11-11-2013 at 05:36 PM.
Believe in yourself? Well sure, of course. But be aware that "believing in myself" has been the root cause of most of my injuries.
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"I feel sorry for people who don't do this." -Badfish41- after bombing the Hermosa's at Levis Trow.
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Originally Posted by Vibrato
