LTBMU: the left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing, or they are not telling the public

Posted: June 17, 2025 | Author: Rubicon Ronin | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: 15N38, gate, gates, LTBMU |Leave a comment

15N38 is open, but it’s a long story…

If you read my previous post, on Saturday I discovered that the FS had failed to open the 15N38 gate by the weekend. Sunday, I was on the Rubicon and made it all the way down to the bridge. See the photo of the month. Monday, I golfed because I do have a life. I did play well, thanks for asking.

This morning, I left early and was at the Lake Tahoe Basin management Unit building at 8:15am.

The lady at the FS front desk, who has been with the FS since the FS was established, told me a story about the FS opening the gate last week, then someone got stuck in a mud hole, did some resource damage trying to get out, through or around that mud hole, that was being fed by a large snow drift on the trail, and the FS had to go in a drag him out. So, the FS closed the gate again and were waiting for the snow to melt and the mud hole to dry up.

(Again, I was told the gate had been closed and was currently closed, waiting for the trail to dry!)

The lady in charge of the gates was not available. I got the Forest Supervisor’s assistant and worked on getting a meeting with him as soon as possible. I left with what I thought was an accurate update about the trail and why it was closed, opened and then reclosed.

I had my new to me used electric mountain bike with me, because I planned on riding up the trail to see where the snow was that I was told about back on the 9th. Now I really wanted to see the snow and the mud hole and the resource damage.

As previously stated, I got to the gate and found it open. Who didn’t tell the lady at the desk? Did the lady at the desk not know, or did she purposely give me bad information? Does anyone at the FS talk to each other?

Going back to her story, the FS does not go out on OHV trails and get people unstuck. Was that whole story bad information or did she lie to me about that?

Let me say that the FS has done quite a bit of tree clearing along the Middle Fork Trail (15N38). It would have taken me forever to get all that work done. It could be cleared back a little more but the trail is easily travelable. I was in my 2012 Colorado. There were many examples along the trail of tree clearing.

I was not able to check the Upper and Lower Hobbit trails, but I was told on Sunday, someone had come through those on a quad. Second hand information, at best

The ONLY snow I found on, or even near the trail, is pictured below. No mud puddle nearby.

There were a few puddles on the trail. And I must point out that those water puddles were at rolling dips that needed their drainages cleared out and then there would be no puddles! Tracks in wet dirt is not a mud hole and not resource damage.

On a lighter note, it is a beautiful trail, if you take the time to look around.

This might have been the first time I put my Colorado in low range. I was a little worried about my sidewalls in one section of the trail but the truck did well.

I will meet with the Forest Supervisor and work out a plan to prevent this from happening in the future.

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Rubicon Ronin

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