Seymour riding in the wet

Looking for some Seymour guidance,

Usually ride Fromme but not a dbl black guy (although I can manage large parts of these trails where consequences are reasonable).

What trails on Seymour are great wet? Pingu, Pangor, Severed?

Does old Buck suck more, less, about the same as the climb to 7th?

How is the wildlife situation right now? Bears moved on or still hanging around? (I ride alone typically so good to know)

Thanks in advance.

tw

No Bears.

Pretty much all the trails on Seymour are good in the wet. Considering the amount of maintenance going on there, any issues are taken care of pretty quick.

CBC is the only trail that is sensitive to really wet conditions but this isn't an issue until Winter.

John Deer was getting pretty soupy during wet periods in the spring. I'd give that one a pass, unless quite a bit more work has been done.

John Deer was getting pretty soupy during wet periods in the spring. I'd give that one a pass, unless quite a bit more work has been done.

I have a feeling that people are going to be riding John Deer at all times of the year so hopefully they can get it to a point where it can be an "all-weather trail". I'm not saying people should be riding it in the wet - more just that due to its (easier) difficulty and its (convenient) positioning on the mountain it will be a heavily ridden trail as it appeals to most riders. Closing it in the winter would kind of be like telling people to stop riding Expresso…

I personally will try to avoid it but I can't imagine your avg joe rider will give it a pass… unless it just turns into a muddy mess.

There are still large sections of John Deer that have not been upgraded (from loamer). These sections turn very quickly to mud if used in or after rain. This mud then gets carried onto the upgraded sections where it holds the moisture and blocks the drains, thereby reversing all the hard work. Please, please, do not ride John Deer in or after rain. We'll be continuing to upgrade the trail so this time next year it may be less sensitive.

Mr Sheldon wrote an excellent piece on the subject: http://www.torca.ca/riding-in-the-wet-a-message-from-torca-trail-director/

Does old Buck suck more, less, about the same as the climb to 7th?
Shorter but steeper. Better to ride up Pennylane/GSM. Quicker way to do laps.

How is the wildlife situation right now? Bears moved on or still hanging around? (I ride alone typically so good to know)

Growing up on the North Shore I have never heard of any bear attacks on riders or anyone for that matter. They should be getting active with fall coming. Came across one on Lynn Loop running last week, but he/she ran away before it could attack me. If it's a real concern ride with a bear bell, drive your fellow riders insane. ;)

Old Buck lot to top of Severed is much shorter/faster than Fromme parking lots to 7th. I want to say I take about 30 min to Severed and 50min to 7th (yeah, I'm slow). I always do Old Buck first then use Penny Lane/GSM for subsequent laps. If I'm parking at Hyannis then just PL/GSM. I don't think it makes sense to pedal into GSM from Old Buck lot for first lap but then again I'm all about minimizing time to first descent :)

No Bears.

Pretty much all the trails on Seymour are good in the wet. Considering the amount of maintenance going on there, any issues are taken care of pretty quick.

CBC is the only trail that is sensitive to really wet conditions but this isn't an issue until Winter.

Thanks Sharon.

Does old Buck suck more, less, about the same as the climb to 7th?
Shorter but steeper. Better to ride up Pennylane/GSM. Quicker way to do laps.

How is the wildlife situation right now? Bears moved on or still hanging around? (I ride alone typically so good to know)

Growing up on the North Shore I have never heard of any bear attacks on riders or anyone for that matter. They should be getting active with fall coming. Came across one on Lynn Loop running last week, but he/she ran away before it could attack me. If it's a real concern ride with a bear bell, drive your fellow riders insane. ;)

The only bear encounter I fear is the one with cubs. no Cubs and no kill, no problem.

Old Buck lot to top of Severed is much shorter/faster than Fromme parking lots to 7th. I want to say I take about 30 min to Severed and 50min to 7th (yeah, I'm slow). I always do Old Buck first then use Penny Lane/GSM for subsequent laps. If I'm parking at Hyannis then just PL/GSM. I don't think it makes sense to pedal into GSM from Old Buck lot for first lap but then again I'm all about minimizing time to first descent :)

Dude I'm slow too. Think it takes me about 50 to 7th when I use the lot….

Wow, if 50 minutes to 7th is slow now, I should just give up

Wow, if 50 minutes to 7th is slow now, I should just give up

just trade that canfield jedi for an e-bike.

There are still large sections of John Deer that have not been upgraded (from loamer). These sections turn very quickly to mud if used in or after rain. This mud then gets carried onto the upgraded sections where it holds the moisture and blocks the drains, thereby reversing all the hard work. Please, please, do not ride John Deer in or after rain. We'll be continuing to upgrade the trail so this time next year it may be less sensitive.

Mr Sheldon wrote an excellent piece on the subject: http://www.torca.ca/riding-in-the-wet-a-message-from-torca-trail-director/

Sorry Skip, totally gapped on John Deer. This trail was showing its wet weather sensitivity last week, we hiked up the upper section today and ya, it would be challenging in the wet.

We put together a list of wet weather trails here:
http://mtbtrails.ca/wet-weather-approved-trails/789

Hopefully people will respect the wet weather closures to preserve the sensitive trails or allow people working on the trail a chance for their maintenance to set up.

On the other hand, if you just let it go to shit during the winter, maybe people will understand, through experience, why some trails are shut in the wet.

Sorry Skip, totally gapped on John Deer. This trail was showing its wet weather sensitivity last week, we hiked up the upper section today and ya, it would be challenging in the wet.

We put together a list of wet weather trails here:
http://mtbtrails.ca/wet-weather-approved-trails/789

Hopefully people will respect the wet weather closures to preserve the sensitive trails or allow people working on the trail a chance for their maintenance to set up.

On the other hand, if you just let it go to shit during the winter, maybe people will understand, through experience, why some trails are shut in the wet.

Would it be possible to have some sort of big sign/piece of wood blocking the entrance to John Deer? I feel like people might ignore a little 8x11 sign on a tree. Would be a shame to see the trail ruined over the winter with all the hard work that has gone into getting it to its current shape.