Eat yer heart out, tractor man.....

[AnalogKid]

I reckon there's a place for those heavily groomed and sanitised trails. Especially close to the city or on the first couple of easy kilometres of any trail on a tourist route. As Rick says, you have to manage the erosion on heavily used tracks. When (we had in the past and are likely to have again next summer) you have coach loads of tourists wanting to get snaps of the view point from as far along the trail as the coach stop allows, you have to protect the track from the foot traffic.

But the other aspect is accessibility. We have a lot of bush tracks within the city and suburbs, and I think it's reasonable that a proportion of them, where the natural gradient allows, should be improved to allow access for disabled, elderly or infirm citizens.

Where I think it has gone wrong though, is on the long descent at the end of the Tongariro Crossing, or the similarly 'improved' section at the end of the Pouakai Crossing in Taranaki. The endless boardwalks are a huge scar on the landscape, are horrible to walk on and degrade quickly, needing frequent maintenance, which often involves helicoptering in supplies. These are supposed to be great walks in the mountains, surely there's a better way to harden the surface against erosion without sanitising the experience and ruining the view.

[Priscilla]

One of the little favourites too, the Fantails peep away and fly close when you're walking. We like to think how friendly they are, they like the miniature bugs disturbed in the air as we walk, its win win.

Talking of Piwakawaka JB found these two hiding amidst the post move clutter so they are now off to the Palmer room to enjoy the warmth.
The fantails are abundant here on the ranch too and they are very welcome company for the builder that has now become the constantly constant gardener.
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IMG_1821.jpg

[John B]

One of the little favourites too, the Fantails peep away and fly close when you're walking. We like to think how friendly they are, they like the miniature bugs disturbed in the air as we walk, its win win.

Talking of Piwakawaka JB found these two hiding amidst the post move clutter so they are now off to the Palmer room to enjoy the warmth.
The fantails are abundant here on the ranch too and they are very welcome company for the builder that has now become the constantly constant gardener.
IMG_1859.jpg
IMG_1821.jpg

Wow, and very comfy looking on this cold rainy day...

[John B]

Always disappointing but a necessary evil in popular areas. Tracks get deeper and then erosion turns them into whole new waterways. Trails become networks of trails and then networks of erosion ditches. We had massive erosion developing in the bush over from us and tried to restrict access with rocks, logs, you name it. So we eventually stuck a white post in front of the worst access point, completely unofficial, and it worked. Now, 30 years later, the area's starting to recover. It gets a lot more use lately though and is starting to get to the point where the sheer number of new tracks will cause serious issues again. I hate the idea of a marked track or walkway through there being built but I think it will probably be the only way to stop the shore from collapsing in the next 10 years.

Traps, what about the traps....

[John B]

The PO of our place had the driveway festooned with signs, I left one 10 k sign as a mind my gravel guide and screwed the rest to the wall.
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There were arrows and another speed sign or two... all for 300 metres. The hell with that.

[John B]

A mile from where I used to live is The Long Trail. Goes the length of Vermont following the summits of the Green Mountains. https://www.greenmountainclub.org/the-long-trail/

It is heavily used, but volunteers do a lot of work on it & it's closed during the spring until it dries out. Bridges (hand cut log) & placing stones make a big difference.

I'll look at that a bit later. We have some pretty good short walks around here but there's an issue with Kauri dieback through infection, you have to clean shoes at cleaning waystations to mitigate that . Not difficult although over the top signage is the norm there, that clashes and is unecessary. We can read 2 inch high letters OK.

[Canoeyawl]

My pet hate, or one of them. Eco vandalism.

Paint on rocks does not last very long in the scheme of things. A mere million years and there will be not a trace of paint

[Garret]

Paint on rocks does not last very long in the scheme of things. A mere million years and there will be not a trace of paint

But I won't get to see it gone...

[RFNK]

Traps, what about the traps....

Yep, traps are good but only feasible to install on a main track. So if people can be directed onto a main track, then you can maintain that track and prevent erosion. But if you have a cobweb of tracks, they're not feasible or effective.

Our bush has almost no topsoil so it takes very little pedestrian traffic to form a new and very obvious track. Once it rains, the new track becomes virtually permanent very quickly.

[RFNK]

I hate signs, painted rocks etc., too but I've become a big fan of formed pathways through popular areas.

[John B]

And now fer something completely different...
I had a short and sweet visit from a touring WBeffer and lovely partner last night. Here they are leaving a short while ago.
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what a nice evening and am.
A bit of conversation with words like Rick, Gary, Peter, Greg, Duncan and Phil in it too.
Bonus weeds.

[RFNK]

Someone we know? Someone "we" have offended? Kiwi, Aus, Hamerican, Canardigan, Pom?

[John B]

waa'l pardner , I don't know if I should say ,except he's a blend of two of em and works very hard.
edit clue.
It starts with T and ends with M and has 3 letters.

[John B]

This has nothing to do with tractors or gardens but it has a dawg so..
20220703_112515.jpg
Yes, I was wormed out of my little Northland burrow and attracted by the lure of a roast meal and grog in the smoke, Auckland... midwinter sailing buddies get together. We call it Matariki. There was rum because sailing sailors do.

Not a bad old spot really I suppose.
20220703_112719.jpg
We sailed that stretch thousands of times.. countless.
First photo taken from a bunker built to house 4 inch naval guns for the Russian scare of 1885.
I should have put it in the ScOTT thread dammit.

[RFNK]

waa'l pardner , I don't know if I should say ,except he's a blend of two of em and works very hard.
edit clue.
It starts with T and ends with M and has 3 letters.

That fulla does more travel than anyone else I know!