I figure it’s about time I do another blog post… I really don’t know where this is going, but either way you can see some shots of the trails I’ve been building along side a real good crew of guys who like throw dirt around. My reason for this is the question how does trails become an addiction and what happens when something attempts to get in the way of it?
Right off the bat I am going to say it. If you are strictly a park or street rider, you won’t understand. You will understand if you have spent hours digging in the heat and rain just because you want this perfect jump to ride.
I’ll admit that it might not be an actual “addiction” but what else do you call something you go to endless links to get, but only gives you moments of a high. I mean obviously trails and cocaine are two entirely different things… but there has to be something that would cause somebody to go on this endless digging mission that constantly grows and grows into endless lines.
I’m sure I have said this a hundred times by now, but I got my start at trails. I’d spend every day of my summer there, and there were probably only two or three jumps I would actually hit. I’m still a sissy when it comes to the big jumps… I don’t even know why. I’m sure if I was never introduced to trails, I probably wouldn’t have ever been all that into bikes either. This site wouldn’t be here, I wouldn’t spend hours on end looking over news and other BMX related stuff, and I’d probably have more time for and desire to have a girlfriend (money pit! No thanks). I blame it on the trails. The “507 Trails” to be more precise.
Sure as time went on, I spent more and more time at the skateparks, and streets. I mean there was even a good year and a half where nobody wanted to dig trails after the city had to take down a good portion of our jumps we have now to put in a sewage line that moves on through to the sewage plant. It was like we were preventing ourselves from putting in a ton of work, because we were afraid they would get plowed again.
Fast foward a year or so and its winter. We got all the dudes crammed into this little indoor skatepark and all we are talking about is getting some trails up and running again this summer. I figured it would be a reality because one of the more influential diggers at the trails I mentioned above was done with college and back in town. Sure as shit, spring hits and the shovels come out. Things happened real quick, and I found myself digging for 2 hours a day after work. That work paid off, and from the photos you can see what I mean. These photos are about the two month mark of our trails.
Then, a week or so ago we hit a speed bump. Similar to a drug addiction, eventually people will take notice. People walk along the river and stumble upon our trails on a daily basis, never once had I heard a negative thing because we kept them clean and dialed in. One morning a cop rolls through as one of the guys digging is there. She isn’t stoked, and essentially lets us know “The city will be notified” and that if the kid digging is seen there a again, he will be given a trespassing ticket. The funny thing is, the cop was looking for the homeless guy who lives down by our trails. We have a stick hut similar to his and she saw ours before his. Within a day everyone knew what was going on and we got anything incriminating out (a picnic table we borrowed, shovels, beer cans, etc.) and hid it or took it out. So here we sit.. with the reason things didn’t happen in the first place… wondering what will happen. It has been a little over a week, and the city guys we talked to when we first started didn’t seem to care when they came through. That was about 10 jumps and a stick hut ago though. I should also mention the trails are on a flood plain next to a river. The city can’t even build on the land.
I think anyone who has ever had legitimate trails biggest fear is that they will be destroyed. The people outside of BMX taking them down don’t understand the time, and thought process it took to put what you built into perspective. They are just doing what somebody above them told them to do because they think we are just there to get hurt and take them to court. I’m in the process of taking a bold step and going beyond the city council, the city, and anyone else that thinks they have say… and go to the mayor. I’m putting together a video, photos, words, and documents saying we aren’t going to take them to court if we get hurt. Along with an invitation to a session to see what it’s all about first hand.
That is the lengths somebody will go to, to make sure their hard work isn’t taken away because of a few minor details…. That’s why I felt like blogging… because I know there is somebody that will read this, that will understand. Infact, I know it will be many people who can relate to it. Anyone who has ever picked up a shovel to make something for them to huck theirself off on their bike will be able to relate.
End.
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