Briars Gone Wild
If you live in the South, no doubt you have come across briars before. In
the deep woods they grow wild and quickly engulf anything they come in contact
with. They are also very hard to get rid of, they attack even when dead. They
are worse in summer, but grow year round. Vines and briars are close cousins and
they sleep together committing some of the worst inbreeding known to man. This
ridiculous form of life wraps and tangles itself from tree to tree and along the
ground as it forms its' family of incest. Briars and vines will grow most
anywhere that their is other vegetation, so trails in the woods are fair game.If you are unfortunate enough to be riding through the woods
alone when a briar vine crosses your path, you could be in trouble. Briars can
cut through skin and slice arteries, leaving you stranded to bleed to death.
Until you've had one rip your skin though, it's hard to understand and
appreciate their viciousness and disregard for life. Briars attack their prey
with vengeance and slice flesh and rubber like a razor. If you've had a flat
while simply riding through the woods, chances are it was from a briar or thorn.
With 6 to 12 thorns per foot, a briar can cut you multiple
times quickly. Once they bite into your flesh, they often bury themselves deep
within so to almost implant themselves. They can slice into your tire or break
off in the rubber damaging the tire and making themselves hard to remove. Your
best bet is removing them carefully with tweezers or needle nose pliers being
careful not to break them off.
One of the best ways to protect yourself when riding from
briars is to scout your trails before riding. If your trail is maintained you
won't have much problem, but if you are building trails you probably will
encounter them at some time. Vines can be very hard to get down as they wrap and
tangle themselves amongst trees and other forms of matter. Vines will grow a
hundred feet or more in a tall tree. Like kudzo, they can engulf a large area in
a short period of time. Even if cut down, briars can still attack you with their
dry, pointy thorns. Thorns can hide in leaves and grass to attack tires as you
cross their path. Wear thick gloves and remove them from your path ahead
of time using sturdy pruning shears or cutters. Pile them carefully avoiding
contact if possible and burn them with other brush. You will avoid danger and
protect a tree. ed
|
 |
| Briars come in all sizes. The small, green ones
at the top are thin, pointy and grow wild through grass and trees.
The larger, older, brown ones toward the bottom seem to never die.
They live among vines and dead brush waiting patiently for prey. |
 |
| Briars mate with vines to attack healthy trees,
eventually choking and starving them of life. |
|
