Ridecamp: Re: [RC] [RC] Trail Marking

<<<We hit one short section that had been sabotaged, but if you looked
carefully, you could still see the knots of ribbon tied to the branches.>>>

Stephanie wrote:
>I've seen references to this type of problem, but have never experienced
>this in the CT region (doesn't mean it hasn't happened).  I'm at a loss.
>Who sabotages the trail, and why?

-------------------------------------

Last fall, for once I got to see who the saboteur was. He and his sons had
taken down our trail markings not once, not twice, but three times! He had
come out to "chat" with the ride's checkpoint people and was PO'd that he
had to unmark the trail only to have the markers go right back up again.

Are you with me? Are you as amazed as I am? He and his sons unmarked 4 1/2
miles of bridle trail -- BRIDLE trail, not hiking trail -- in the name of
"picking up trash that messes up the woods". The last time the trail had
been marked was Friday. The ride was Saturday a.m. This guy worked hard to
mess us up! 

Anyway, the reason I got to see the guy is that he was walking back to his
house after speaking to the checkpoint people. I'm a local and know the
trails well. Me and another woman had been sent out 10 minutes ahead of the
riders (thank goodness it was CTR and not endurance!) to make the trail as
safe as possible. We marked what we could, basically just marking past
possible turnoffs and around dangerous areas or trees that had fallen during
the night. Worried that we would run out of surveyors tape and worried about
staying ahead, we started rationing. The trail is basically one way and most
of the riders had ridden the ride many, many years. Thank goodness they all
made it and were pretty good-natured about it.

Yeah, this crazy woman carrying a riding crop on a wound up horse wanted to
give this man a piece of her mind, you betcha. It's been almost a year, and
it still gets my pressure up.

Anyway, the checkpoint people convinced me that the best thing to do was
ride on. This year's ride secretary called him up that afternoon and made
nice with him. She is a bigger person than I.

What are we going to do this year to try and prevent the vandalism? Since
people near the BRIDLE trails seem offended by all the "litter" (oh yeah,
nevermind the junk that was dumped by the farmers who used to own the state
park land, take down the surveyors tape and don't wonder or ask why it
suddenly appeared), we're going around to the houses near the trail before
the ride and explain to them all about the event. We also plan to put up
laminated signs giving the ride date and when the markers will be down. We
also plan to put the ride date and take-down date on some of the markers.
and we're going to try and put them waaaaay up high. I'm gonna try and get
someone to ride or hike the trail late Saturday (ride is on Sunday this
year).

And if he takes the ribbons down again, nobody will drag me, my riding crop
and my wound up mare away this time!

Deanna (keepin' Carolyn L. warm with all my swearin' -- wear an extra layer
this year girl 'cause I'll be in camp!)


=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
 Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net.
 Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp
 Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=