"Hi Deon The felling of the pines in C16 [snake trails] presented us with a good opportunity to make minor realignments to the existing Mtb trails in that area taking into account our biodiversity objectives. As you are aware, the remaining section of the Snake trail (Rinkals) traverses through a restored fynbos area and will be subject to much stricter conditions (impact assessments are required if the affected area is more than 30 sq. m). For this reason we cannot allow any further realignments or additions to the existing trails until the path rationalisation process has been completed. In the mean time I suggest we concentrate on maintaining the existing trails in a good condition (including maintenance on wooden bridges and removal of old and broken structures lying around) and closing of illegal trails which continue to pop up all over the place. Obviously the path rationalisation process needs to be fast-tracked, which I will try to do from my side. Regards, Sandra Hollermann Manager: Tokai Section" I have over the last few months distanced myself from the illegal trails in Tokai, in fact the only reason why I ever made it my issue was to get the approval of the previous management of Tokai to agree on keeping the Downhill 3 trail in exchange for closing the "horse trails" (which is how they are formed) and getting the buy-in from the guys who were developing it. (Just as a quick background, we were in the process of realigning the upper Downhill trail and working our way down to DH3 to install suitable water management which had never been done before, when I took a call from TMNP saying that the level of damage during the recent winter showed that the DH3 trail was unsustainable and that it would be closed and rehabed back to Fynbos. Since DH3 track was pine cleared and set in Fynbos there was no option of realigning it for sustainability, (which would mean cutting a new line to allow the trail to switch instead of following the fall-line down the mountain which is not really a typical DH anyway..) long story short, I sat in various meetings and finally managed to convince TMNP that the trail would not only be repaired but correct water management would make the trail sustainable (which it has). In true give 'n gain style, the DH was repaired and passed the inspection but on proviso that the the illegal trails be closed. Cap Mayhem and myself closed 3 levels of illegal trail and all was well until the Snake trails were logged at the start of 2013.) Understandably, with the loss of a massive amount of singletrack in Jan 2013, riders went in search of more trails and the illegal trails were duly opened. This coincided with a misunderstood request from the horse riders' assoc. to log their trail circuit for a map of common trails, and a whole host of new trails were ridden in. The mountain bikers found these too and soon I was called in to rectify the situation. Again, I found myself defending the rider's actions, asking for leniency while the snake trails were being logged. Parks could not and would not condone the use of these trails but it would seem did not proactively discourage its use either, until it was found that riders were building new illegal trails. Parks then closed the trails and erected signs stating no mountain biking permitted, which was ignored. The email you read above is a less-than-subtle way of saying that we have tried enforcing the no ride areas and now that it has been ignored, we are making the closure of the trails your problem Deon. Give 'n gain seems to have been raised in a very similar fashion to the way it was 2 years ago on the DH trail and I will soon be sitting in yet more meetings to try justify the continued existence of Rinkhals. Before anyone jumps to quote the loss of revenue the park will sustain by not approving the Rinkhals trail restoration, please understand both sides - that while we have needs, so too does conservation. Not only is Tokai a recreation gold mine, but the seed bank that will soon sprout where the Pines once stood is a conservation gem. It is estimated that timber has been harvested in certain compartments for up to 120 years, which means that the natural growth has not been seen for that length of time. A good example of what this means to a conservationist is in the Silvertree, where ALL trees you see growing on the peninsula is a hybridized version and the last hope for restoring the true endemic species lies in the ground in Tokai. If it means nothing to you, that just means it is not your job to conserve or protect. There are several other species which is quite high up on the Red Data endangered list which will be lost without this move to restoration. How difficult or how long this process takes could be anyone's guess, so there is no reason to make it any harder than it needs to be by flaunting the rules. Of course this does not mean that cycling will be pushed out and the place will become a no-go zone to bikes, in fact quite the opposite. With the correct management and measures, Tokai can continue to be a recreational area where people get to enjoy the efforts of conservation while doing what they love most. But what will hurt this process is the sheer defiance shown by those who pull signs out the ground to re-open a trail that is clearly a sore point to the landowner. Now I need to be the face of TMNP closing the trails. (my sarcasm is a bit rusty so all tones aside, I will probably be the most unloved person in mountain biking). While I can only surmise why Parks want these trails closed, I think an overwhelmig reason is that it goes against the terms of us uing the park. There are safety reasons too I'm sure, but the most simple of reasons should be the starting point. If we are to ever hope to legally gain more trails in TMNP land, then we should do the most basic of requirements and start sticking to the agreement. Parks have shown commitment in the past, give 'n gain is their game and they play by the rules. The DH3 trail was for all purposes closed! I have decided that I will start with the trails that lead to and from all legal trails, starting on Boulders where a trail leads from a green graded trail down onto a black graded trail, something that should not be allowed whether legal or not. The closures will co-incide with new signage that has taken the best part of a year to get approval on. These are in for printing now and it is hoped that by the end of November will be in the ground, certainly on the Downhill trail. This is the part where I make a plea to the cyclists using Tokai to please respect these closures. If it is closed, please understand the reason for it and that it was cycling funds that paid for its closure. Yes, a waste of money I know, but if we are now the new users of these trails then I guess it is required. I will hold my thumbs in hope that it is not needed twice because that will just prove that as a group we cannot be trusted - which may have further reaching effects for all current and future trails on Table Mountain.. I apologise in advance.
