The Horse Farm – 2017

April and May, 2017 – The Horse Farm

Here’s a few photographs from a private property we share access to with one other club.  The land owner was having a problem with trespassers littering, parking and blocking the trail head and entering here to hunt without permission. Mohawk 4×4 Adventures worked with the owners and provided gates . Our club member/property owner, stepped up to help us install them. Our club has a few members that allow trail building and maintenance for our members, and we express our gratitude with active Land Stewardship and problem solving for them.

   

Here’s how we handled it to exceed the expectation of the land owner –

  • The club scheduled two new dates on our club calendar and the Land Stewardship plan is shared with members.
  • A site visit is done on our first visit to determine the best solution to the problem.  The volunteers also identified a challenging trail loop to add on to the trails network already in place.  This is a win/win for the land owner and the clubs that share the limited access.
  • A materials list is completed and materials are delivered for pre-assembly off site, at a member’s house.  
  • The club donated all the materials for the project.
  • The second date is postponed one week due to weather to minimize environmental impact.  “…Because adventure isn’t easy.”
  • Members arrive with the tools needed, the materials needed and any safety gear needed.  The work day is broken in to two parts:  The gate installation and the trail cut.
  • Using the owner’s tractor and post digging rig, the old rotted gate remnants are removed and our new gates are installed.
  • The new gate is fully installed in under two hours, with new signs and a combination lock.
  • Mohawk 4×4 Adventures then built the previously scouted trail loop.
One member suggested we drill holes and push lengths of rebar through, to stabilize the poles in 5 gallon pales.
This worked very well to keep the buckets mostly stabilized to pour concrete mix into. The ground was still frozen when we assessed the work plan, so our intent was to build posts we could deliver and adapt to our needs based on soil composition.
The gate posts are over 8 ft tall.
The bucket is buried about two and a half feet deep. It is buried in rock that will allow water to drain around the post so it last longer. The soil removed was primarily used packed in around the outside of the plastic buckets.

 

The finished product. It isn’t the best picture, the gates are level and the road has a steep grade.

 
Working closely with land owners and managers creates lasting relationships with mutual benefits.  After this gate was completed, our members added the additional trail we had scouted.  The new loop we completed utilizes rock ledge, tight turns and small hills to provide a fun, challenging trail. The loop also connects to another small difficult loop trail, and created a larger figure 8 loop feature to the property.  The whole figure 8 shape is accessible to most 4WD rigs, with bypasses and optional obstacles. Our club strives to provide multiple loop trail systems when working on private properties.  This allows a variety of trail difficulties while also allowing wheeling in a confined space to be an all day adventure. The Horse Farm is a true value added benefit of membership, it is a really fun place, with trail difficulty varieties for everyone.

Here’s some additional pictures of the trail work and USING the new trail the same day it was completed.

John joined Mohawk 4×4 Adventures in 2014, as soon as the club began accepting applications. He’s been active on trail work days, trail rides and is often helping members with their projects.
Our trail work often requires tree removal. We carefully select which trees to remove, if any, to minimize impact on area we recreate. In this case, dead trees were removed to open a desirable uphill feature up. The path chosen minimizes erosion and gets rid of tree dangers along the trail.
Craig’s antique Jeep CJ5 is powered by a modern, fuel injected Jeep 4.0L H.O. engine. He’s shown here attempting part of the ledge we incorporated into our new and difficult trail.
Amanda’s Jeep TJ, dubbed Black Ice, is taking a less difficult trail up the ledge. At this obstacle, we elected to create an easier path near the very difficult section. Planning for this ahead of time reduces or eliminates trail braiding. Both paths on the trail are fun, but one is extremely difficult and one is more moderate.

 

 

 

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