Ridiculous Mud

It's was rainy all last week, but this weekend started out perfect. Saturday was picture perfect, but I had household obligations and decided it was good to let the trails dry up some anyway.
So I saved my riding for this morning and went to Whiting and Webster Park.
I quickly discovered the trails are in the worse state I've ever seen them.
Places that tended to be greasy were now muddy. Places that tended to be muddy are now lakes.

It's clear that bad sections get worse if the rain keeps coming. But the problem is not the rain alone. The muddy areas have gotten so abused over the past month from people using the trails. Wet areas have become pits from boots and bikes. Those pits now hold water better than ever. They grow in size, becoming harder to avoid, get more traffic, and then get pitted even more. It's a vicious circle.

Temporary fixes may be possible to drain the standing water from these areas, but that still leaves a lot of water trapped in the mud. Unless these areas are left alone and are allowed to dry out, they will always be a problem. Once mostly dry, these areas can be graded to avoid the problems in the future. Though I noticed some previously "fixed" areas were having problems because the areas to the side of the trail could not hold enough water.

Many areas at Whiting and Webster Park have no grade, leaving them susceptible to water problems.

I rode my usual 6 mile loop.

Muni at Whiting and Webster Park - 2011-05-22