TORC volunteers help keep the gates of Brumley open

BIKE BEAT

By Michael Schwalbe
Columnist

The interruptions came with a measure of gratitude. Riders passing through called out thank-yous to the volunteers who paused their work and stepped aside. “It’s good that people see us out here,” one volunteer said, “it reminds them that these trails don’t maintain themselves.”

The trail being lovingly tended on that bright Sunday morning in late October is called Atamasco Alley, a .9-mile multi-use trail in the Brumley Family Nature Preserve northwest of Chapel Hill on land owned by Triangle Land Conservancy. Altogether, the Brumley South section of the preserve includes 11 miles of trails shared by mountain bikers and hikers. Triangle Off-Road Cyclists, or TORC, partners with Triangle Land Conservancy (TLC) to maintain the trails.

Trail coordinator James Allen (right) explains trail maintenance techniques to TORC volunteer Brandt Solovij. Photo by Michael Schwalbe.

“Water is the enemy,” TORC trail coordinator James Allen said to his crew of five volunteers as he demonstrated the use of a Rogue Hoe to de-berm a patch of trail. The unwanted berm is a lip of soil that forms at the edge of a trail and traps water, causing the trail to erode. De-berming lets water flow quickly off the trail.

When the work is done well, it’s largely invisible. Most riders never notice it.

Once a month, from October through March, TORC volunteers, led by Allen, put in several hours of work to groom the Brumley trails. Big deadfalls are handled by Triangle Land Conservancy. But routine maintenance—sloping trail beds to improve water flow, cutting back vegetation, and de-berming—is done by TORC. With a crew of five, Allen can do about a mile of trail per hour.

The partnership between TORC and TLC began in 2016, a year before Brumley opened to the public. “Before Brumley, all of our preserves accommodated only hikers and runners, no bikes,” Nick Adams, land stewardship manager for TLC (West), said. “With Brumley, we wanted to draw more visitors and be more open to different kinds of activities.” Building multi-use trails and working with TORC to maintain them has helped to meet this goal.

Making trails attractive to mountain bikers is of course important to TORC. But preserving the land comes first. One reason the partnership between TORC and TLC works so well, Adams said, is that TORC fully supports TLC’s primary mission of conservation.

The volunteers who show up on workdays are typically avid mountain bikers themselves. Bill Wagner, an Orange County resident and retired UNC nurse, is 15 minutes from Brumley by bike, and he rides the trails there 20 to 30 times a year. “You look at the TORC website and see all these trails,” Wagner said, “and they’re all free. If I use them, I feel a responsibility to help maintain them.” Wagner participates in TORC workdays once a month.

TORC volunteer Isabelle Leduc uses a Rogue Hoe to de-berm a section of trail. Photo by Michael Schwalbe.

Isabelle Leduc, another volunteer, rides the Brumley trails once or twice a week. “I feel like since I ride a lot,” Leduc said, “I should participate in upkeeping the trails, helping to make sure they dry well and open up as fast as possible after it rains.” Part of the satisfaction of doing trail work, Leduc told me, is a feeling of giving back to the mountain biking community. Another part, Leduc added, is riding a trail with an awareness of the effort that went into building and maintaining it.

Decisions about closing the trails after a rain are made jointly by TORC and TLC. The trouble with rain is that wet trails erode faster and encourage braiding—riders destructively widening a trail by skirting muddy spots. Trail maintenance to improve runoff, prevent pooling, and accelerate drying allows trails to reopen sooner.

TORC volunteer Bill Wagner pauses to let a trail user pass through a work area. Photo by Michael Schwalbe.

I asked Allen, the TORC trail coordinator, why it is that mountain bikers in the UK can ride trails that are sopping wet, while even a light rain can shut down Brumley. “It’s the soil,” Allen explained. “In the UK it’s loam and rock, and water drains through. The soil here [at Brumley] has more clay and tends to hold water.” Mystery solved.

Trail work happens at Brumley on Sunday mornings. Days and times may be different for work on other TORC-maintained trails. Those interested in donating time and sweat to keeping their favorite trails in good shape can find details on TORC’s meetup page.

I rode the Atamasco Alley trail a week after I observed Allen and his crew of volunteers. Though I knew where work had been done, I couldn’t see it, at least not at bike speed. The work was well done and invisible, and deserving of every rider’s gratitude.

Michael Schwalbe is a retired professor of sociology and an unretired cyclist. He has lived in Chapel Hill since 1990.  

This reporter can be reached at Info@TheLocalReporter.press