Summer Solstice!
Wow we’re already there. I go to bed really early and have barely noticed the sun still being way up thanks to the dreary evenings. The valley trails and trees are loving the rain but it’s been cold enough for fresh snow in the Garbo zone! The remaining snowpack has barely receded and it’s looking like we’re in for a late start to alpine riding this season. We went up Lord of the Squirrels to assess the trail and clear some huge trees. There was a hard snow line at 1500 metres. Everything was covered. Mystic to LESS Has some challenging snow traverses through to the first bridge crossing. It should be passable by Canada Day.
On the North Shore
Meanwhile in the valley, it felt anything but summer-like working near Green lake: The afternoon wind and rain was brisk! Ok, it may have felt extra chilly due to the fact that we weren’t exerting ourselves as much as usual: we were still wrestling joysticks on Rainbow Creamsicle. Mike and I redesigned the trail with different machine building exercises in mind so the (now 2-way) trail features some rollers, bermed turns and switchbacks. We practiced benching singletrack as well as wider footprint sections in anticipation of future Adaptive-MTB projects. The mini-excavator is not replacing our Pulaskis and rakes just yet, but I know it certainly has a place in our tool box. While we made way more progress on the trail than I was expecting, this project was primarily a classroom. The crew will be returning to tidy up (and build a few bridges) in the coming weeks and we’ve also saved some sections for volunteer trail building after the Flashback ribbon cutting in Cheakamus… Stay tuned!
Father’s day brunch!
Despite the fire rating staying low, it was a good idea to mix things up with Sunday morning digs (instead of nights). Some new folks got to join us to experience the fun and effort that goes into each metre of trail. The family of Dark-Eyed Juncos had moved out (of the nest) so it was “game on” to continue where we had left off 10 days ago. This week’s section was extra spicy: volunteers needed to build a “mini trail” to maintain their footing, before building a slightly bigger “mini trail” on which to pile rocks, and finally benching the eventual trail. “I love stacking the rocks!” claimed one of our first time volunteers. Fanatykco supported the sausage, hashbrown, beans and eggs. Join us next week for more flashback digging while it lasts… We’ve got a few more metres to bench and holes to fill before the summer break!
See you on the trails!
Dan Raymond
WORCA Lead Trail Builder
