Last Nights Walk With the Dogs and Tom...
Last night once home from work I went into the living room to greet my family; lisa, dean, grant, and roscoe and brutus. Everyone was happy to see me. Especially the dogs as it was nearly 7PM and they needed to "GO!" So, I got my gear ready and called Tom to see if he wanted to join me in the woods with his greyhound mix, Hutch. We met in the alley behind the house and discussed various things with a concentration on two topics: the state of the trails and bikes.
Tom and I walk in the rain and watched the different paths that the water was taking as it drained down the various alleyways into the stretch of woods behind Ingleside Terrace. This eroision process has been going on for years, stripping this patch of woods of nearly all of its fertile topsoil. Of all the local paths this one is perhaps the most urban and the most heavily weathered. It is a dog run mecca, STARBUCKS would do well to have a coffee stand at its widest point. Each morning various dog owners gather to stand around while their dogs romp, play, and occassionaly fight. The damage to these areas by the leashless dogs is obvious as well. I know.....I know these trails from before I was a dog owner. I have seen the trails decline steadily as the dog owner and the dog owner trail use has increased exponentially. Every year there is a new freshman class, dogs enter the dog culture faster than they exit. Everyone taking.....so few giving back.
Tom is a stand up chap. Tom and I have worked together on some minor impromtu anti-erosion barriers created by deadwood that was in the immediate area. As well as frequent trash removal. I remember a year ago when Tom and his former housemate Brendan gathered up a car load full of bottles and cans.
Tom enjoys sharing my dreams and visions of what these trails could be. We walk through sections and debate about a more logical switchback for the path or the battle between various trail groups. There are other rogue trail maintenance workers other than Tom and myself, but there are those that misunderstand some of the terraced stairs and steps as well as the various anti-erosion barriers.
got to work
may remove this rant
as it is about a cold wet hike and nothing more
Last night once home from work I went into the living room to greet my family; lisa, dean, grant, and roscoe and brutus. Everyone was happy to see me. Especially the dogs as it was nearly 7PM and they needed to "GO!" So, I got my gear ready and called Tom to see if he wanted to join me in the woods with his greyhound mix, Hutch. We met in the alley behind the house and discussed various things with a concentration on two topics: the state of the trails and bikes.
Tom and I walk in the rain and watched the different paths that the water was taking as it drained down the various alleyways into the stretch of woods behind Ingleside Terrace. This eroision process has been going on for years, stripping this patch of woods of nearly all of its fertile topsoil. Of all the local paths this one is perhaps the most urban and the most heavily weathered. It is a dog run mecca, STARBUCKS would do well to have a coffee stand at its widest point. Each morning various dog owners gather to stand around while their dogs romp, play, and occassionaly fight. The damage to these areas by the leashless dogs is obvious as well. I know.....I know these trails from before I was a dog owner. I have seen the trails decline steadily as the dog owner and the dog owner trail use has increased exponentially. Every year there is a new freshman class, dogs enter the dog culture faster than they exit. Everyone taking.....so few giving back.
Tom is a stand up chap. Tom and I have worked together on some minor impromtu anti-erosion barriers created by deadwood that was in the immediate area. As well as frequent trash removal. I remember a year ago when Tom and his former housemate Brendan gathered up a car load full of bottles and cans.
Tom enjoys sharing my dreams and visions of what these trails could be. We walk through sections and debate about a more logical switchback for the path or the battle between various trail groups. There are other rogue trail maintenance workers other than Tom and myself, but there are those that misunderstand some of the terraced stairs and steps as well as the various anti-erosion barriers.
got to work
may remove this rant
as it is about a cold wet hike and nothing more