Austin Ridge Riders Razor Tooth Rides
Cullen McMorrow and Dereck Padden trim up an unruly Ash Juniper.
Austin Ridge Riders had a busy month in March including a ribbon cutting ceremony, the group ride at Dana Peak (I swear one day I will make that event), and the launch of the Razor Tooth Ride idea.
The City of Austin has been working to build the Northern Walnut Creek Trail, a new 19 mile paved mixed use pathway from the Govalle neigborhood all the way to the Balcones District Park. On March 4th, a new 1.3 mile long section was officially opened, bringing the current length to just over 4 miles. ARR was present alongside a few other local non-profits to represent the clubs interest as a core user group, and stewardship of Walnut Creek Metro Park.
Austin District 7 council member Leslie Pool cuts the ribbon.
Prior to the ribbon cutting, the ARR Trail Crew did a short “Razor Tooth Ride” (clever name thanks to Trail Coordinator Cullen McMorrow) to clear face slappers, punji sticks, and open up sight lines on Inner Log Loops trail. The idea is to pack only what fits in a backpack or hip pack, pretty much just a razor tooth folding saw or mini loppers. The mileage is not long since the priority is trail work and with frequent stops it almost makes more sense to hike; however, the other purpose of the ride is to demonstrate to the community that the cycling community takes a front and center role in the maintenance of single track.
With ARR’s recent approval to maintain trails in Mary Moore Searight park in south Austin, I’ve been given the opportunity to join Dusty Mills as a trail steward there, and we’ve planned two Razor Tooth Rides, the second which will take place on April 29th. We’ve identified a four mile loop to focus efforts on, and two particular trails that will require machine grading and drainage work to be carried out by a trail contracting company and funded by a grant from the Athletic Brewing Company “Two For The Trails” program.
You can find trailbuilding and maintenance events including those organized by Austin Ridge Riders on the Trail Work page.
