Trail building

Trail building is one of my favorite things to do when I am not riding. Spending time out in the woods moving fresh earth is unlike most activities. I have been a creative person all my life, and being able to shape dirt into pretty much any trail you want is pretty special. It's nice to get out there and be one with nature among the trees and wildlife. It's kind of an escape from everyday life that is nice during a stressful week at school.
Many trails start out as an idea, drawing imaginary lines in your head where the trail would be, then after raking out the general area, its time to grab the shovel. Then using the shovel and more burly rakes, dirt is moved to the desired position. Shaping is next, to build the most fun trails, berms, jumps, and drops. Creating these takes time and practice, and in some cases, something bigger then a shovel. Bobcats are used for trail building often, to get work done faster and more efficiently.

I like to get the dirt really packed down and smooth. The smoother the trail the more fun it can be. It's hard to get the right dirt though, and you can only build during certain times of the year. For instance, building in the middle of the summer when the dirt is mostly dry and powdery is a bad idea. It's hard to shape powder, but its also hard to shape dirt that is so wet it will stick to your shovel, so spring is the best time to build.

Encorporating natural things such as roots, logs, and rocks can make your trail more creative and more fun as well. Using logs can save you time and add stability at the same time. Building your trails and then riding something you have created yourself is a very rewarding feeling. Its very similar to living in a house you built yourself in a way. Building with friends is not only a good thing when it comes to having another helping hand, but its a good to have other peoples opinions on how the trail is going. Having "fresh eyes" is never a bad thing, and a lot of times changes the trail for the better. Another thing that can get complicated is angles, whether or not a corner is too sharp, a jump to steep, a landing too far way or too close. Calculating all of these can be very tricky and a lot of times one has to ride it first before knowing if its the right angle.