Trails Update: October 28, 2022

Well, that sure escalated quickly!

It took hosting our end of year crew party for the skies to open up. I’d like to take this opportunity to give the whole crew a shoutout! It’s been a challenging yet rewarding season. We’ve repaired some “loved to death” trails and rebuilt wooden relics of mountain biking’s past. Scott’s keen eye for new lines and Ben’s chainsaw craft led the charge. Liam, Andreas and Camie stepped up their skills and this season’s new staff (Tall Michal, Short Michal, Josh, Spencer and Adam) were fast learners that shined through the worst weather. 

Speaking of weather, that (staff party) night’s evening rain turned to snow. Benoit and I (the last remaining diggers at this point) headed back to the Dessert Platter. Our commute was filled with “first tracks” fun. There were grippy corners but also fishtailing. This first snowfall had made it through the canopy, but some precise raking exposed the pink flagging tape where work remained. I figured it was now safe to dig around that wasp’s nest from a few weeks ago, connecting the ribbon of dirt. When we tried to bench the previously de-duffed sections of trail, it was shocking to still find pure dust under 5cm of snow!  We figured it would be best to let the snow melt before attempting to shape the tread. We hit the hammers on some unfinished bridges and then froze as the canopy clumps of snow began to rain down on us. 

As the week progressed, the soil became more and more cooperative. We capped and shaped our way through most of the upper segment. Our 2-man bucket train got extra help when Jono joined us. He battled the cold and wet to get the honour of dropping the “last bucket” on upper Salted Caramel. You can currently test our work by first conquering Working Class or High Society in cold and wet conditions… or you can wait until next spring for this segment’s ultimate connection to A La Mode.

See you on the trails!

Dan Raymond

WORCA Lead Trail Builder