One of the things we need to address tomorrow night is the annual obliteration of Supertree which was just done yet again in the past week.  Somebody who isn't very skilled on a front end loader has churned up the fire road part of the trail- which also messes up coming out of Whitetail.  Also half-way done non-draining waterbars that are not going to successfully do their job have been attempted.  This is done nearly every year in the spring and I'm pretty sure whoever is doing this will continue on around on Supertree all the way to the upper part where Supertree once again intersects with Woodrun Road.  So when this is done we basically have only 8 or so miles of trail at Uwharrie for yet again a few months which is pathetic.

Hopefully the front end loader won't continue on around to go do the same thing on the Keyawee fire road part of the trial.  When the logging took place just a couple of years ago the logger "restored" the fire road part of Keyawee by literally plowing it up and down the hill and then planting grass.  Of course grass planted in the shady woods on super acidic soil will grow up for a month and then immediately die.  So what we got back then was first class ruts running up and down the hill such that erosion increased rather than decreased.  Imagine our German ancestors in this region observing somebody plowing the ground following the fall line!  They would have belly laughed till they collapsed with stomach cramps.

Uwharre is still often mistreated.  At some point somebody needs to help teach the people how to treat the trails and roads.  We can keep the roads open with a few hours of clipper work rather than having the roads ripped to shreds nearly every year by someone with very inadequate grading skills.

Can Em, or anyone else who attended give an update. I planned to be there but got stuck at work.    Like to be involved in next steps.

Advocat wrote on 02/11/15 at 8:43pm:



For this meeting there werent any specific next steps.  The study and presentation was really the end of the consulting group's scope of work and they delivered the product.

The logical next step would be build on it and to use it some how to influence the local politicians that this is a worthy economic agenda.  There in lies the challenge for Uwharrie.  With no local bike shop and no local riding presense, what Uwharrie needs is a champion to the cause.

It may make sense to see at what level the THTB want to get involved above and beyond what individuals are doing already.


With that being said without one the USFS still has plans to continue to work on and improve the existing trails and I believe there is a good possibility that MTBers will get access to some of the other more remote trails if cards are played correctly.

Thanks for the good summary Rob. Pretty much sums it up.



TrillWill wrote on 02/12/15 at 4:36pm:


Yes that's correct. We have formally "adopted" the trail system there so our requirement is a minimum of 4 formal works days during the year.

That's an excellent video that we've used to try, without success, to get trails/greenways in our area.  The issue is the screamers; the locals who chant that it will lead to crime and local leaders slink away from the inevitable conflicts.  They implement "studies and plans"--- long term of course.

I'm headed down to Uwharrie again today to blow the leaves off Keyawee.  I blew for 4 hours the other day on the (riding clockwise) long downhill on Keyawee.  Why?  Because the heavy leaf layer, often from strong winter north winds, keeps riders wanting to go straight because turning in knee deep slick-as-ice leaves while going downhill at 15-20 mph is scary to impossible.  So what's happened to the trail is that it is getting straighter with riders not following the original trail build; we are riding the sloped lip cutting the turns.   

One of the things that those associated with mountain biking Uwharrie need to deal with is the nearly annual destruction of Supertree fire road, and maybe yet again the Keyawee fire road section at some point.  Remember each time a rider deals with this it is a very negative experience.  It is like going to your favorite restaurant and getting food with human hair in it.

I stopped at the Troy Ranger office to discuss this and the two people I met were very reserved and I quickly realized this wasn't the place or people I needed to discuss the trail issue.