Ah, I suppose I'll skip this one.

 

Matt are you saying they put a bunch of rock down on Ram Ridge on the section with the muddy hillclimb and the boulder in the middle?????? I hope to heck not!!! Sounds like they paved it just like Ron's Run. That trail actually used to be VERY challenging when they first built it....before they friggin paved it with river rock. Now, other than the couple of rock gardens and the log jam, it's a joke!

 

Yep, that's exactly what they did! Looks very similar to I-5 now, with a path around the big rock in the middle.

 

Well here is the "Trail Repair" that was done to one of our VERY FEW "Hardcore" trails left in Walker Valley ORV area. The first 2 pics show what it looked like last time I went wheeling when it was still at it's muddy and slimey best...with the big boulder right in the middle that made this section of trail pretty close to impassable, except for the guys with their big boy pants on.....and I might add fun as H**L!!!!! The 3rd and 4th pics are of our same beloved Rams Ridge trail that Zack took when he was up there today. Freaking Paved with river rock. If any of you can remember back to when Ron's Run was a brand new trail. It was probably a 5+ on a 5 point trail rating system for difficulty...and it too was fun as H**L, Then a few months after the trail was built, it was PAVED with river rock and now the only tough parts left on it are the Log Jam and the 2 little rock gardens which both have by-passes now. I don't know if it will do any good but, I am writing Tristan (Walker Valley DNR Rep.) a WTF e-mail. I totally understand and agree with the bypass trail that had to be built to save Walker Creek from errosion when Upper Mainline washed out. HOWEVER, there are no creeks anywhere near Ron's Run or Ram's Ridge trails, WTF gives????? Maybe we can get the DNR to adopt a trail rating system and mark all trails with their proper difficulty level rather than turning every doggone one of trails in to a newbie beginner trail. If the trail maintainers keep paving trails in the interest of saving us wheelers from ourselves rather depending on us to have some freaking common sense and scout trails to see if our rigs can make it through them, then we are going to have another Tahuya on our hands. Sorry about the sermon guys. I know I am preaching to the chior here but, I am so damn mad right now I can't even see straight. I will let you all know I hear back from Tristan.

 

Looks like a damn forest service road going up through there, now!

 

Agreed! I'm pretty mad too! That trail was beast! Now It's a service road. Wtf

 

Well, I just fired off my "Rant" LOL...e-mail to Tristan Currin and Jim Cahill, our DNR Northwest Region managers of the Walker Valley ORV area, expressing my concerns of ALL Walker Valley Trails being made to a beginner's level. I also recommended perhaps Walker Valley adopting a Trail Difficulty System. And having it posted on a huge sign with a map of all the trails in The Pit for all to see as they enter the ORV area. We should be able to have trails of all difficulty levels in Walker. We shouldn't have a system where everytime a trail gets a little muddy, difficult...and I might add FUN!!!.....it gets paved over with river rock. Anyway...LOL...as you can see I'm still VERY ANGRY. When Tristan or Jim e-mails me back I will pass their words of wisdom on to you all. Maybe a few active and concerned wheelers can get the trail paving stopped.

 

I'd be behind you! I want walker to have challenging trails! It's no fun when u can get a 2wd truck throw them!

 

I just received an Out of Office message back from Jim Cahill stating to refer any Walker Valley concerns to a Kevin Killian. Aparently we have another new DNR Rep. of Walker Valley that I wasn't aware of. I just forwarded my message on to him.

 

I really like the trail rating idea buck!

 

Do you have anything to winch off of? Without mud terrains its going to be hard also.

 

Okay guys here is the e-mail message I got back from Jim Cahill our DNR Rep. for Walker Valley as promised.

Hi Brian,

Thanks for the email. I'm actually on some time-off this week but was checking my work emails and saw yours. The short answer to the Ridge Ram trail is that we are working with the 4x4 folks to upgrade the trail so that it stops eroding away. The trail work is not yet completed and what your friend saw was just the first base of rock to stabilize the soil loss. When the trail work is completed it will have all sorts of large rocks and features that the 4x4 folks like to have. And to make sure that happens we are working closely with the 4x4 folks - in fact they are doing a lot of the labor on the project and donating time and equipment. You might want to talk to Jim Paget who is with the Ridge Rams (they have a website) and talk to him directly to get his thoughts on it. I don't have his permission to give out his contact information. If you or anyone is interested, DNR meets every second Tuesday of every month with the 4x4/ORV community to review trail management activities and work with the users on how the trail system meets the interests of the users. We meet at the DNR main office in Sedro-Woolley starting at 6:30 PM. I will be back next week (Wednesday) if you want to give me a call and we can talk about Walker Valley as much as you would like. 360-854-2874. Hope this helps to answers some of your questions and comments. Talk to you soon! Jim


Okay guys, there you have it. That section of trail went from being called "Upper Mainline Trail" to "Ridge Rams" because that section of trail has evidently been adopted by the Ridge Rams 4x4 club. Kind of like the Humps and Bumps trail and that whole section of trails is managed by the Timber Taimers 4x4 club. That adoption basically means through an agreement with DNR the section of trails each 4x4 club adopts is managed, maintained and built by that 4x4 club. The short version is this, That Ridge Rams Trail is already starting to be modified by the Ridge rams 4x4 club, but as you read, from what Jim Cahill says it is going to have boulders, logs and other cool obstacles brough in and put on top of the rock that is now there....soooooooo, stay tuned boys, that trail just might be even more fun than it was before when they are ALL done with it. Any one of you guys who wants to feel free to contact Jim Paget of the Ridge Rams and ask him what his plan for the trail is and if you want to offer yourself up for some labor to maybe have some say in the final outcome of the trail, give it a try. Also feel free to contact Jim Cahill with any questions you have for him or just attend the one of the monthly meetings at the main DNR office in Sedro Woolley. The happen the 2nd Tuesday of every month @ 6:30pm.

 

LOL....I just had a funny thought. Maybe we (The PNW chapter of CF) should go to one of the DNR meetings out there at the Sedro office on a 2nd Tuesday of the month at 6:30pm, and we, ((as a group)), should petition to adopt the Expressway Trail. That is by far my favorite trail in Walker Valley and I'd like to get the management rights to it before some 4x4 club from the Seattle area gets their mitts on it. I'd like to see it stay exactly the way it is or maybe even do a little fine tweaking on it in a few spots to make it a Friggin Beast Trail!!!!!! What do you guys think?

 

That would be awesome. I would like to see the creation of a good challenging hard trail at walker being formed. We need more hard trails up there. They all seem to be getting easier or are being made to be easier.

 

Ok so we are 10 days out, but trying to see who's all in. Ill post. Ready up page early next week, but trying to see who's thinking and who's in.