Cam-Rock - Current Trail Conditions

[themayor1]

Dangerous tree is a goner! All is clear to let 'er rip

Spent a couple of hours on the mower. Mowed the Mayors Meander because it was full of the nasty wild parsnip Stay away from that stuff! I think all that was on the trail is gone now. I also mowed the Cannonball Connector to the Sumac Slalom on both the in and out trails because that is where the  biggest of the big prairie plants are at. Kind of like riding in a tunnel that is closing in. I had some effect, but we really need to think again at getting that Lazer bush trimmer to get that tall stuff. It is hard to cut back plants that are 8' tall with a ground mower

The black raspberry bushes are coming on real strong also this time of year. With this weather they are sending some long shoots out. I broke a lot back by hand (leather gloves), but again a brush trimmer type of machine would be awesome!

The trail should be in great shape for now Very soon we will need to get after the raspberry bushes though....

[N.T.C]

Trail in very good shape this afternoon, around 4pm. We rode everything except the old expert area. Outback is still soft, but no standing water. I cut a 4in tree limb that had fallen across the trail right before the "scout bridge."

All's Clear.

[jm]

Did you ride the new log crossing after the bridge in the expert wood? I finished it yesterday.

[N.T.C]

Indeed! Well done.

[ArisaemaDracontium]

Sooo.... when people talk about "magic dirt" at Cam-Rock, that dries up real quick... is it 5-hour magic dirt?  Thinking of going there for a ride this evening... looks like the rain is all behind us now.

[CollinHagen]

After a rain like that we usually wait 12 hours 

[imwjl]

Sooo.... when people talk about "magic dirt" at Cam-Rock, that dries up real quick... is it 5-hour magic dirt?  Thinking of going there for a ride this evening... looks like the rain is all behind us now.

I'm not near to say for sure but we've had enough rain that places that are usually good to go soon can remain a soft and greasy. I have had that happen at Cam Rock and Blackhawk both.

After catching it a bit greasy I just have been going to the pump track as the safe bet. I still need to get there to see if a recent modification is holding water.

Where I am (Middleton & west side) it's not looking promising for much more than pumping or urban but some sun is trying to poke through and some leaves are moving.

[themayor1]

Weather channel has the next set of rain moving in about 5p, with 100% rain in forecast by 6p. I have been working at home all day and don't think it would be worth putting gear on to try it. With flood watches through tomorrow I think riding is out 'til at least Saturday

[scotthue]

I'm new to the Cam-Rock trail and tried it for the first time today. The trail was awesome and I had a great go on some for the techy sections. I got the trail map from the forums here this morning and saw this thread about conditions so I though I would post how it was out there.

The trail was still pretty wet from last few days storms, but most of the dirt was tacky enough to ride on without sliding, however, there were a few puddles and sections that I slid out on. The techy downhill section with all of the rocks was really scary when it was that wet. Also, the storm took down a pretty big tree across the expert loop closer to the parking lot. It'll take a chainsaw at the least to clean up the damage. Also, there was a LOT of brush down across the trail from the storm, but it wouldn't take more then some plant clippers and some time to fix that up. I hope this was useful and I also hope to help out sometime out at the trail. It was awesome to ride there. Thanks, CORP.

- Scott Wilton,
Mountain Unicycle Fanatic.

[themayor1]

We had torrential rains again all night last night Before it gets a chance to dry we have more rain coming this afternoon. We are well beyond the beyond the saturation point here. The Koshkonong Creek is well over the bank. The pits area for the PBST is under water as well as parts of the main gravel trail. Trail is closed until further notice.

On the positive side. Weather forecast improves starting tomorrow I hope by Monday the our trails should start firming back up. We are lucky in that our trails are on the hills and, save the start of Outback, drain really well. 

[themayor1]

It is going to be awesome drying weather today. I am hoping the trail (except for Outback, which will still be closed) is rideable without damage by late this afternoon. The later you can wait the better. If you get out there, I hope you have a good ride, and heed the warnings from the earlier post about a tree down and brush on the trail. I won't be able to get out there 'til maybe Thursday

[tomd]

Watch out -- dead gopher in the middle of the trail at the bottom of Heather's Hill.  And a tree down at the bottom of the hill I think right before the start of Stonefly.

Otherwise pretty well dried out and fun.

[themayor1]

One tree to be aware of. At the bottom of Initiation, or the bottom of the first down hill in the Cliff Edge Loop, there is a tree across the trail. Need to stop and walk over it. Don't hit the hill hard or you will hit the tree.

Other than that the trails are in great shape right now. Good grip, not wet and not too dry. Some of the never-stop-growing prairie plants are starting to get a little big again, but amazingly there are none of the nasty black raspberry bushes to worry about. In other words, a few plants might be in the way, but nothing is going to cut you up Have fun out there!

[ArisaemaDracontium]

Those, "prairie plants" are not prairie plants at all, but the non-native but unfortunately ubiquitous Queen Anne's Lace.  There's never been a Queen of America!

Anyway, yeah when I got there on Tuesday a lady who was leaving was complaining about them asking what they were.  I would have to agree they are pretty annoying.  So if someone was able to get out there with a mower, that would be a great help, also, it would help prevent them from developing seeds.

Also, her husband had a HUGE wild parsnip burn on his calf.  He said he may have gotten off-trail a bit, but still.  Can some of the wild parsnip warning posters be put up in a prominent location?

Also, there are some nettles and multiflora rose getting all over the trail near that area that was re-routed when the large oak tree fell.  The nettles can be pretty painful for a while, and the multiflora rose will leave some red pinstripes on your shoulders... or face.

[Dan Denson]

Anyone been out here since the rain Friday?  Wondering if there mud pits everywhere, or if it may be rideable tomorrow morning.

[tomd]

Tree down across one of the wooden bridges in Area 51.  Otherwise really fun today.

[Dan Denson]

Yeah, sorry I couldn't post sooner.  Trails were much drier than I had anticipated (thankfully  ).  There were only a few "mudpuddles" around.  Otherwise, excellent conditions!!  Oh, except for the stupid wasp that got my calf on Mayors Playground!!

-edit--  never went into outback as it is wet even after a week of dry!!

[themayor1]

Everything is in great shape right now. No wetness to be found except for a couple of softer former puddles on Outback. Trail is fast and even a little dry in areas.

Only issue is we need to get the final mowing of the year done on the Cannonball Connector from the Sumac Slalom to the Expert Woods and back to Rip 'N Ride. Some of this area has been done, but we need to make sure it is all done before the race. Some raspberry bushes got me good before Rip 'N Ride Could have slowed down, but then The Ripper would not have been as much fun. Sometimes you gotta bleed a little to have a little fun

[DaveHill]

The night ride was really fun.  Thanks for all the hard work guys, the new routes are really cool.  Ended up being me, Richard, Scot, Tim (Skankbiker) and Frank (ArisaemaDracontium).  Fast conditions, Frank had the inside scoop on the race route, solid.  Always a good time getting the lights out and riding in a CORP group. 

[themayor1]

Thanks to everyone's hard work, the trail is in perfect shape. Josh was out buffing the trail to a nice sheen last night. Josh will not rest 'til every last bush or plant that could get near a rider has succumbed The trail should be very fast for PBST! Once this rain goes through, give it about 12 hours and it should be good to roll. The nice thing is the rain is bringing cooler weather and lower humidity as well.

I had two good laps last night on the PaBST course. With the humidity, overheating snuck up on me by the time I got home. Not that hot, but hard to cool down when you are soaking wet. I had to wring the biking clothes out.

[DaveHill]

no kidding, I was a sweaty pig after that!  Ran into Josh as well, great guy, great work! 

[ArisaemaDracontium]

I know its kind of late to ask, but a couple of us were thinking of heading out to Cam-Rock tonight for a couple laps.  Did it rain out there today?  I did here in Madison, but I know the rain was spotty, really didn't rain that much here either.

[ArisaemaDracontium]

nm

[Gumby99integ]

I hope to ride out there tomorrow (Friday) i hope i will not need to get mud tires, ect... and spend more money.  But i hope the sun comes out and it is windy windy to dry out the trails.

[Stonefly]

I cringe when you talk about getting mud tires to ride Last night the prairie sections were tacky and they are the first to dry so the rest of the trail was likely too wet. It looked like it was about to rain when I left at about 6:20. If you think you need mud tires then you shouldn't be riding unless I'm misunderstanding your definition of 'mud tire'.

[themayor1]

Well we got some more rain last night, but thankfully that is over. The wind forecast is 20-30mph steady today, with gusts even higher. That ought to do some drying

I am an optimist, but with the forecast I think we should be in good shape for Sat. I will get out today to give it test run. With two full days to dry I can't imagine there being issues on the trail. The only section in question may be the start of Outback. This section will be converted next year to elevated status, so any puddles formed there now can easily be filed in. That and the fact that the area is completely flat means any ruts caused now will not lead to further erosion in the future. So I am not too concerned about it.

[Gumby99integ]

Ben and I rode it today around 130pm.  The wind was very strong in 80% of the trials, but i would say a lot of it was pretty fun and fast, not dry but still you could ride it.  Outback was muddy and had some standing water in areas (in the normal spots), other than that after the long climb then splitting off to the left, some of the turns were muddy and had some standing water on it which made for almost whipping out, but held on.  Temps were also in low 60's to upper 50's so that should be the same temp as we start tomorrow night. 

Lets hope for some sun tomorrow and also bring some bug spay

[themayor1]

Got off the trails at 7:30 tonight. We rally had a gully washer out here. We actually had some erosion in areas I have not seen in a long time. The trails are really drying up quickly. They should be in great shape for tomorrow night. Tacky and fast with the wide-open trails should make for some quick times. There was actually one golden rod on the trail I managed to brush across, but I am not tellin' Josh where it is! He may go after it with a 50 pound bomb

Anyway, only a few small puddles remaining in Outback and a couple on Corkscrew. A couple turns a little soft as well. All areas we know need attention or we need to re-do the drainage on a corner. I cut out or drug off all of the small trees and branches that were down, though with the wind tonight we could have more by tomorrow. The 14" tree down before the scout bridge will need a chainsaw tomorrow.

[DaveHill]

thats funny, I don't recall this rain being forcast tonight?!