What Can We do?

[alex]

I posted a version of this on HMBA. Basically stating that if no one knows what needs to be done or how, how does anyone expect the locals to help finish trails HMBA started?

I was always under the assumption Harmonie hired HMBA to complete the trails, and the more I read, the more the case seems to actually be they expect most of the work to come from volunteers.

I have no issues helping out and attempting to rally others to do so, but I have issues not knowing anything about this initiative.

The Harmonie Kiosk has been in place for well over a year and no info has been posted at all. I ride with about 7-10 people at Harmonie whenever possible, and there has never been a shortage of others on the trail along with us. I believe if all of these people knew that all we had to do was order a few rhinos and go bust dirt, the Walnut trail would be alot further along than it is today.

I know Kyle spearheaded some things, I might have been glazing over alot because I have no interest in Bike parks, skills sections, pump tracks, etc. So maybe I missed the part about finishing Harmonie's trails. But he hasn't posted on a local forum in months, so I wonder who is here now to lead the efforts to make this trail system a reality?

I'm willing to do whatever I can to help, whether it is volunteering, putting flyers on every pole I come across in town, or simple street beat door hanging. I don't have a huge amount of time, but I certainly have a few hours a week to commit to learning about trail building and other functions to help this area be great.

I want this trail system to succeed, I want to have plenty of options within a reasonable distance to EVV to go take part in the sport I love. The problem at this point, is I never knew I had to do more than just pay the entrance fee and ride the trail if I wanted this to happen. Now I see that it must be done, but without guidance, I'm just a willing soul in limbo.


Thanks,

Rian Alex

[Tim]

I've wondered about that trail. seems that it was left in the dust by later trails such as French Lick and Obannon.

Kyle Kirkman was the one who put up the kiosk. He was very eager to get the ball rolling on trail work. He provided a wealth of info, had great contacts and seemed like an all around good project leader.

Then he just vanished into thin air. Have not heard from him in many months.

He posted this in November....

Hello All-

Harmonie Expansion Assessment/Work Day

Saturday 11.14.9 at 9 am till whenever
Meet at the main trail head....
On the Ticket, depending on numbers of people.....

Scouting Advanced Section
Find cool features in the advanced territory
(Will have a crummy copy of a topo, although you might have GPS overlay abilities.....)

Assess campground connectors.
Find problem areas on existing trail.
Clearing potential issues on existing trail.
Paint the Kiosk.
Eat a Goat.

Ok that's the news.
Get Jazzed.
Feel Free to call 812. 204. 0551 .... I plan on being at Harmonie at 8 ish... cell reception is dodgy but I will be at the Main trail head/ Kiosk at 9am.

Cheers and Thanks-
Kyle Kirkman
[/color]


I'm not a leader by any means when it comes to trail work. I don't have the time or the ability to dedicate to it. I'm a worker more than anything.

I can't believe the trees are still down. Kyle mentioned that you had to be certified by the park to use a saw on their property.

I suppose we could contact the park or Paul from HMBA, he usually has knowledgeable answers.

He is indytrailbuilder on the forum.

I would like to see it move forward and would love to see some of the hiking trails / fire roads used. Some of them are much like Ferdinand the way they DO NOT follow contours. They just drop !

[alex]

I was hoping he would reply to my post on HMBA, but no one but supporters from here have posted.

I see there is a IMBA workshop going on over Memorial Day weekend for trail builders. I might end up attending this if nothing else but to network with HMBA and IMBA guys that might attend to try to figure out how if anyone is still controlling the Harmonie project or if they are waiting for someone to volunteer.

My feelings about area interest were backed up by the huge crowd and full parking lot at Harmonie this morning. There were 20 people riding, everyone was incredibly friendly, both old and new faces.

Basically I just like trails, I like being outside, I'm getting old and boring, me and the soon to be wife got no plans for kids and I got lots of free time. If no one else is going to do it, I'll happily start it and then pester friends to get out and help. ;D

[kylekirkman]

Hola- The 250K$$$ for harmonie was a state grant to the HMBA whiched helped fund Harmonie, Adds to Brown, Versailles and a few others I believe...Spectrum LLC/ Alex Stewart was the company that was 'contracted' by HMBA with the state $$$ to build the trails. Alex uses a hybrid trail crew of very experienced pd folk and local volly's. All HMBA trails are cared for after the initial building, by volunteers. Sometimes the state park employees pitch in but that is not thier responsibility nor was that the intention of HMBA when putting in the trails.

Ron Pendley was the go to volly for Harmonie that helped get the project rolling. I just showed up one day last February to help out. I worked on the trail maybe 8 or 10 times total and learned some stuff. Tried to get some friends and other folk involved in expansion and other elements of MTBing. Flop. Talk about pump tracks and jumps were to excite different elements into the mix to create a community, or if anyone is muslim an umma of cycling. Bike Park hopes were/are for summer time building... Trail building is for wintertime... Overall Flop. At least on my end. Thank god that Tim has been able to get the 60 or so folk signed up on SIMTB and at least talk about MTB, and is now spurring a ray of volunteerism at Harmonie... and has given new life to Scales. Rock.

all i really needed was one other person to give me a call, touch base, and show up when they said they were going to. trying to blaze a trail by yourself is a stupid idea. It's even stupider when it's 30 miles away.

There are rhino's at harmonie to use. About 5 of them. Anyone is welcome to do trail work.... you will need to sign the waiver at the Park gate. no chainsaw usage till one is chainsaw certified, and no one is. Harmonie will put on a class if there are people interested.... Ron had the yard barn built for trail building supplies... HMBA will send more rhino's if there is a good volly base...

New to trail building? I can help. I'm not an expert but I worked alongside some one who was.

I have Alex and Paul's numbers. It would be good for them to know if there are people wanting to add to Harmonie as there are certain elements regarding IMBA's trail standards that need to be met.

Chastity is the Asst Park Manager at Harmonie, Jim is the Park Manager. They are cool.

The kiosk needs painted, and info put up. Miles need added, but scouting needs to happen and would be best then the leaves are down and the wildabeasts are sleeping.

My number is the same 204.0551, again.. call anytime. I work Fire/EMS and have a stupid schedule but I am dependable like the mailman. Just one other person is all I need to slug it out in the forrest. Just one.

Kyle

[alex]

Awesome Kyle. I'll be giving you a call in the next day or so to introduce myself and chat about specifics for getting stuff rolling, I'm happy to help out whenever I can, and I know Nathan and a few others would help out as well. Might be good if we can get an initial meet and greet with just a few of us over a few beers or something.

I work the normal M-F 8-5 shifts, and I know most of the people I ride with do as well, so a weekend Chainsaw class might be helpful.

I enjoy the trails, they need a bit of maint done before we could even worry about building out, so the main focus now is to get the Sycamore and Walnut parts clear of debris and get drainage recut. Then we can go from there on extending walnut and beyond. But like I said, I'm a true novice besides simple weedeating and thorn cutting at Angel Mounds, so I'd prefer to have as much knowledge as possible before I even pick up a rhino and start going to town.

Thanks for responding, at least now I feel like someone at least has an idea of what is going on.

[Ben Kaetzel]

Since NHSP is so close to home for me, I am more than happy to help in whatever way. However, I am ignorant as to what to do. I've only helped out there a couple of times. I'm new to riding, and even newer to building, but count me in. 760-3616

[kylekirkman]

alex-& Grizzly yep no problem. just glad there is an interest for the workhorse/design side of things. At any rate- if you want to watch the trailbuilding DVD from IMBA I can let you borrow it, we could watch it together, or you can order one from the links on the left side of the page 'FREE trailbuilding DVD' .

Also- I have a list of emails from about 40 or so people regarding Harmonie updates.... if you want on the list send me your email ... mail evvemabike at gmail dot com ...

also to everyone reading- anyone can schedule a "work day", or a build day. Just hijack the email list and go to it.

peace- Kyle

[kylekirkman]

Also- does anyone want to be part of the National Mountain Bike Patrol?

I got my instructor in October and am willing to put on a class. If you don't know much about the program google search National Mountain Bike Patrol....

[Tim]

you can view the DVD online also.
there are nine you-tube videos for a total of 40 mins.

bottom of page...

southernindianatrails.freehostia.com/mtb/dvd.htm

[daniel240]

I've been more than willing to help with building the new trail for a while now but like you, I have not heard much talk about it. I work till 5 during the week and weekends are hit and miss for me but if my schedule is clear I am more than willing to drive out there and help when I can. I dont ride at harmonie that often because it is just hard for me to drive 40 minutes to ride a 5 mile beginner loop and short out and back. Dont get me wrong, the trails are awesome, I just think that if there were a few more miles of trail with some more difficulty, they would attract a lot more riders. I ride scales 3-4 times a week just because its a little closer than harmonie and I enjoy the difficulty of the trails. I would ride harmonie a lot more if this new advanced section were complete.

[kylekirkman]

hello. didn't know if anyone knows about this... there is 1.5 miles flagged to begin the trek westward from the terminator of walnut... I had to work the weekend of the trail blitz so i don't know how far things got... i would imagine that there is plenty of bench cutting to do to finish the 1.5 miles....

www.hmba.org/smf/index.php?topic=6325.0

[nathan]

Doesn't that trail jink to the left just as Walnut comes out to the road? I thought I saw evidence of work going in that direction.

[kylekirkman]

i have no idea. I scouted from the exit of Walnut directly west 2 weeks prior to the "Bild Blitz" last december

[ricdix]

Awesome! It sounds like there is some fresh and/or renewed interest in the Harmonie trails.

I attended a trail design and layout day last winter with Alex Stewart and Paul Arlinghaus. During that time they identified the future Walnut corridor, shot grades/elevations and placed some pin flags. The following day several local volunteers began cutting trail. There should still be plenty of identifyed cooridor ready to be flagged and cut in.

Its my understanding that HMBA and Spectrum's responsibility was to get it started and the local volunteer base would take it to the next level.
Sounds like you have several locals ready to help. It only take a few excited, dedicated volunteers to get things going and hopefully it will snowball just like BC.

Is there a current Harmonie Trail Leader? Kyle, are you the man? If not, you guys may want to consider identifying a Trial Leader to coordinate trail days and work as the Liaison with the Land Manager. And don't be afraid to ask Alex and/or Paul questions. They are Professionals with a wealth of knowledge and experience who want the same thing you do....... for Harmonie to grow and succeed.

You may already know about the upcoming IMBA Trail Crew's at O'Bannon. If not, see below. This is an excellent opportunity to learn first hand how to build and maintain sustainable contour trails. Saturday the 29th is the main day.


www.imba.com/civicrm/event/info?id=12&reset=1

"Thanks to on-going sponsorship from Subaru of America, the Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew program is crankin' again in 2010. Two teams of trail experts will travel year-round throughout North America and beyond, leading trail work sessions, meeting with land managers, and working with IMBA-affiliated clubs and members to improve mountain biking opportunities.

The International Mountain Bicycling Association is coming to Indiana. Steve and Morgan Lommele of the Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew will be in Conway for a Trailbuilding School. The Crews teach “sustainable” trail building, which means building trails that last a long time and require minimal maintenance. This helps reduce trail damage, protects the environment, and enhances visitor enjoyment.

When May 27th, 2010 9:00 AM through May 30th, 2010 12:00 PM
Location O'Bannon Woods State Park
7234 Old Forest Road SW
Corydon, IN 47112
United States


Please register for Saturday's Trailbuilding School online. For more information, please contact Paul Arlinghaus.
Schedule

Thursday
Evening ride and social in Lousiville, KY

Friday
Evening ride at O'Bannon Woods State Park

Saturday
9:00 - Noon: Trailbuilding School Classroom session at O'Bannon Woods
1:00 - 4:00 PM: Trailbuilding School field session
Camp at O'Bannon Woods

Sunday
Group ride!"

[alex]

Hey ricdix thanks for posting, Alex just actually replied to me on HMBA speaking about the last big trail day they had. He suggested I get in touch with someone who was there to help extend walnut because they would have a good idea of the concepts, sounds like I might need some of your expertise.

I will be attending the IMBA course on 5/29 at O'Bannon, really looking forward to it.

I still need to contact Kyle and then hopefully the next step will be a chainsaw course, then we can setup a workday for volunteers. I've gotten quite the support from people I know and plenty of people just willing to get involved.

Feel free to PM me or email me at [e-mail] to anyone who wants to lend a hand. Obviously people with experience would be a great help.