Work continues on Sulphur Springs Trail reroute

By Mike Foley
Staff Writer Greenville News

One of Paris Mountain State Park’s most popular trails is getting a facelift. Actually, it’s more like an extreme makeover.

Sulphur Springs Trail starts near the summit of Paris Mountain and trickles down the mountain side toward Lake Placid. Over the years, the roots, ruts and rocks that give the trail character have become more cumbersome. That was never more evident than the third annual Paris Mountain Downhill Race on Nov. 13.

While bike racers don’t mind rough terrain — they actually embrace it — Sulphur Springs was showing its age. Jerret Peek, the race director and a member of Upstate SORBA, said a re-route of the trail used by hikers, bikers, runners and everyone else in the park has been planned for years.

With a $10,000 grant from sporting goods store REI, and $3,000 in proceeds from the Downhill Race, momentum began to build to start the re-route. And that momentum got a big push when SORBA, GE employees and others rallied for a pair of volunteer trail days in November and January.

“In November, we had 80 or 90 people out there working on the upper section,” Peek said. “Then we had 75 people registered for the second work day, and probably another 15 who showed up beyond that.

“I was really shocked. I thought it would be more grass-roots, just local riders. But we had people from North Carolina and Atlanta come to work.”

That amount of help can cut costs dramatically for the professional trail-building crew, which will smooth the edges, add drainage and do all the heavy lifting that makes a trail permanent and more likely to weather years and foot traffic.

“When you have five or six people, you can do about 50 or 100 feet of trail,” Peek said. “But with the crowd we had, we got a lot of the trail rough cut. It’s a very good start.”

The re-routed trail will roughly parallel the current Sulphur Springs Trail. And when work is completed, one plan being floated is to extensively repair the current trail and reserve it as a one-way, downhill trail exclusively for mountain bikers, Peek said.

“Mixed-use trails are hard to manage,” Peek said. “There are safety concerns when you mix hikers and bikers.”

Chip Batson, the president of Upstate SORBA, said the nonprofit off-road bicyclists group plans to continue to raise money for new trails and help more in the community. The $3,000 donation toward the trail was half of the proceeds from the Downhill Race.

SORBA hopes to raise $10,000 from the 2012 Paris Mountain Downhill Race and again put that money to work benefiting the Upstate.

 Last Saturday 75+ people attended the REI Greenville Service Project with Upstate SORBA and Paris Mt. Friends.  What a great day of dirt, rocks, roots, sunshine, laughs and meeting new people......oh and sore bodies.   The trail Project is the New Sulphur Springs Trail re-route.  In four hours nearly 200 yards of new singletrack trail was hand cut from the road at the new upper parking lot nearly to the top of the pinacle of where the Downhill Course starts.  The remainder of the reroute will be in work mid-November early December.  We will be sponsoring several more volunteer work days after the Paris Mt. Downhill Race on Nov 13th.

REI is helping to build a lasting legacy of trails, rivers, and wild lands for generations to come, supporting programs to help people of all ages and experiences participate. REI's involvement and impact in local communities reached new heights in 2009. Investing $2 million in outdoor recreation programs and stewardship projects, REI helped care for areas of recreation, introduce people to the outdoors and leverage additional dollars for great programs. Sally Jewell, REI's president and CEO stated, "REI recognizes that today's youth will be tomorrow's stewards of the environment. REI is committed to providing opportunities for young people to experience the joys of outdoor recreation and learn how to care for open spaces and our shared public lands."

Grants: Annually, REI dedicates a portion of its operating profits to help protect and restore the environment, increase access to outdoor activities, and encourage involvement in responsible outdoor recreation. REI employees nominate organizations, projects, and programs in which they are personally involved to receive funding or gear donations. During 2011, REI granted $2 million to more than 250 of our community partners.

Service Projects: We care for recreational places by participating in and coordinating hands-on service projects. Each store organizes local volunteer stewardship projects dedicated to restoring and improving areas in which we enjoy outdoor recreation. 

Local Volunteer Opportunities: REI partners with VolunteerMatch to make it easy to do right by your neighbors and community. Get involved and make a difference! Learn more about volunteer opportunities near you.

Join us in our efforts to protect and restore our recreation areas and enhance access to outdoor recreation activities. To find out about volunteer opportunities in your community, go to your local REI store and check out the Outdoor Resource Center for local volunteer opportunities.

Join us November 4-6 for The REI Greenville Grand Opening celebration! Here are just a few of the many events happening all weekend long:

• Free Continental Breakfast

Get fueled up before the activities begin! A light breakfast will be available each day, starting one hour before the store opens.

• Shop Early, Get a Gift!

The first 200 people (age 12 and older) through the door on Friday, Saturday and Sunday will receive a limited-edition CamelBak water bottle with a $5, $10, $25, $50 or $100 REI gift card inside. (Doors open at 10am Friday and Saturday, 11am Sunday.)

• Enter to Win Great Prizes!

Enter our gear package sweepstakes November 4-6, 2011, at the Greenville store only.

• Free Limited-Edition Member T-Shirt

Get a free limited-edition REI OXT® Tech T-Shirt when you purchase an REI membership on Friday, Saturday or Sunday. Offer good while supplies last. Not yet a member? Join today for a one-time $20 fee, and share the benefits such as the yearly member refund, member-only sales and more!

For more Photos Read More

Riders can hone bike-handling skills at fun venue

By Mike Foley | Staff Writer Greenville News

Matt Griffin of Greenville, S.C.., takes a spin around the new pump track in Travelers Rest. In the background are track designers Andrew Mueller, left, and Michael Thomas. / Woody Keen

You’ve heard of a water park, a dog park, even a regular old park park.

But if you haven’t heard of a flow park, you’re probably not alone. Greenville now has one, though, so you can add the words to your vocabulary.

Among bicycling aficionados, especially among those who tend to ride mountain bikes, a flow park — also known as a pump track — is a small, looping trail that can be ridden without pedaling, said Jonathon LaRoy, the director of advocacy for Upstate SORBA (Southern Off-Road Bicycle Association).

The idea is to work on bike handling skills as you ride the obstacles on the track.

“There are dirt rollers all the way around, and if you use your momentum,” LaRoy said, “you can make it all the way around without pedaling.”

Located at Gateway Park in Travelers Rest, the flow park is conveniently nestled alongside the Greenville Hospital System’s Swamp Rabbit Trail. LaRoy said he and others spent three years trying to make the track a reality, and his efforts were rewarded in mid-July when the track was built at a cost of about $2,000 for the professional trail builders, $1,000. for the truckloads of dirt, and two days worth of volunteer labor.

LaRoy said the design of the figure-8-shaped flow track makes it a little larger than many comparable tracks elsewhere. Using gravity, momentum on turns and downward thrusts — or pumps — riders can learn to cover the entire route without pedaling.

“It probably covers a quarter-acre,” he said. “And for us, it’s only a start. This is just Phase I.”

Professional cyclists first developed pump or flow tracks to improve their skills. But Ty Houck, director of Greenways, Natural and Historic Resources for the Greenville County Recreation Department, said the park is suitable for riders of all ages.

“People of all ages can learn and improve their bike handling skills in a very fun, free and easily accessible environment,” he said.

And so far, that’s proven true, LaRoy said.

“A lot of people are using it,” he said. “A lot of kids in TR are using it.”

But that doesn’t mean everyone is clear on the concept.

“Most people wouldn’t know what it is just by looking at it,” he said. As part of an education effort to teach people about the park, LaRoy said signs will be erected to show people how to use it.

A Travelers Rest resident himself, LaRoy said the flow park is part of the “pocket park” concept that will further expand offerings along the Swamp Rabbit Trail as it seeks to provide a variety of activities and features along its current 13.5-mile route.

“Gateway Park was here before the Swamp Rabbit,” LaRoy said, “but this goes to show some of the types of projects that can be developed. We’d like to do more of these along the Swamp Rabbit Trail.”

Phase II of the flow park project is development of a mountain bike trail encircling Gateway Park, LaRoy said. About $62,000 has been raised to help change the entire focus of the park.

“It’ll be at least a half-mile, probably closer to a mile,” he said about the trail. “Eventually the ballfields at Gateway Park will go away” as they are relocated to the old Travelers Rest High School and then the entire park will be an “all-inclusive mountain bike skills park.”

WANT TO GO?

The Flow Park is located within Gateway Park, along the back of the baseball field. Gateway is located at Center and North Main streets in Travelers Rest.
Visit our Area Trails Info Page for directions, guidlines and instructional videos for how to ride the flow park.  Please wear a Helmet!

The local cycling community lost a great person yesterday (Saturday July 30th). Jeff Papenfus (Greenville SC) was riding down Curtis Creek road near Old Fort, NC on a training day with Derek Zimmerman (from Greenville) and Elizabeth Morse (from Charlotte.) Derek was downhill of the incident. Somehow Jeff fell face forward into the embankment. Elizabeth was the first to respond. Despite being stung by over 50 yellow jackets, she provided CPR and called 911. But Jeff did not speak.

Derek said "I was there with Jeff and Elizabeth yesterday. We had gone up Curtis Creek to the Parkway over to Heartbreak and were descending through Star Gap to the car. We stopped for a picture shortly before the road really starts the descent. They started back before me, I kept messing with my phone and checking messages, nature break, etc. I finally got back on the bike and caught up to Elizabeth, told her we were almost out and would be having beers soon enough. Further on up I caught up to Jeff, he was going to wait for E to catch up. I was covered in poison ivy so was itchin, no pun, to get in the river and wash up. Just one more steep part and it's all smiles to the car he says.... So off I go, my last memory of him is with a smile on his face, our only concern was where to get those beers. From what EMS told me, he slid off on the descent into the trees, hitting a tree, possible neck injury, cause of death?, but there were hundreds of stings. No amount of CPR or epi pen use would have helped. Cause of death should be determined today. Please keep Lisa in your thoughts and prayers. Rebuilding her life is going to be a long hard road.  Thank you to everyone for your kind words. Jeff was an amazing person and touched a helluva lot of people. We had a great ride that day, we were done, on the way to the car. *** tragic is an understatement!
A big thanks goes to the McDowell County Search and Rescue, EMS and the Sheriff's Dept. Incredibly quick response and very supportive throughout. Can't imagine how tough it is to do their job.
Be careful out there! This sucks bad, but we all know the risk. We lost a wonderful human being yesterday!"."

Many of you have already commented on Jeff's facebook page. He is survived by his wife Lisa. One of his teammates, Jim Kelleher, was one of the first family friends to comfort Lisa. I encourage you to keep her in your prayers in the months ahead.  Personally, I am very sad and filled with fine memories of Jeff.

His commitment to the bicycling community in Greenville was unwavering, and was the kind of person that made things happen, he never waited for someone else to take charge.  He has been an integral part of our SORBA Chapter with the Greenville Short Track Series, Greenville Alley Cat Races, the upcoming Downhill Race at Paris Mt., He was working on bringing another Short Track Series together for 2012 as well as a Cyclocross Series for this Fall with the Spinners.

for those who didn't know Jeff was an adventure racer, was a member of Team GLR Adventure Racing ( Go Long Racing) he was co-founder of www.Go-GreenEvents.com an online registration company and Dam Four Events LLC a local race promotion company.

Stories about Jeff:

News 4 Story about the Accident: http://www.wyff4.com/r/28727766/detail.html

News 4 Story about Lisa talks about the loss of Jeff http://www.wyff4.com/r/28739633/detail.html

GreenvilleOnline   http://www.greenvilleonline.com/article/20110801/NEWS/308010104/Jeff-Papenfus-tech-leader-died-during-bike-ride?odyssey=tab%7Cmostpopular%7Ctext%7CNEWS

MSNBC http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43972930/ns/local_news-greenville_sc/

Trevelers Rest Tribune  http://www.trtribune.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2253:upstate-man-dies-in-nc-mountain-biking-accident&catid=42:rokstories&Itemid=219

 http://go-greenevents.com/event/id/396