Trails Update: September 2, 2022
Caramel and Wasps
Believe it or not, Rob Mullen came back for another week with the trail crew! He first got his fix of alpine flowers and views riding Lord of the Squirrels and was then lured in by the prospect of sweet Salted Caramel… The crew spent our mornings digging in the Dessert Platter’s missing link. We’ve saved the hardest digging for last since BC Hydro turned the Lower Sproatt Trail back into a road. It was great to have Rob’s resolve and ingenuity around for this difficult section.
Hot afternoons once again featured pole sawing branches and making decking for future bridges. It was “short” Michal’s turn to find a Wasp nest while cutting branches on Green Jello. His ankles look worse than mine did a few weeks ago!
WORCA Campers x Rocky Mountain - Morning Dig Day
The early bird gets the worm and also beats the heat! The last batch of WORCA bike campers rolled by Flashback to continue what they started in July. It sure was a dusty session but the trail took enough shape to test it with tires. Emptying the water cans barely helped once the dust had settled. The riders rode off with bottles and hats provided by Rocky Mountain.
Hopefully September brings us some rain so that we can welcome evening volunteers back (current wildfire rating prevents any digging after 1PM).
Double Marathon!
My legs are dead.
You know I have a penchant for nostalgia… 20 years ago, I got to earn the second of seven Samurai of Singletrack bandanas. I was reminded of the huge course and immediately started planning another big ride. Once again, following the loose guideline of “What would Tony Horn do?” I modified the route, adding some newer trails to spice up the experience: Garbage, Rubbish, Dirty Beasts, Industrial Waste, Between the Creeks and Business Time.
It’s been a few years since I last spent 10 hours on my bike! I was surprised at how my 20 years older body fared, but again, I’ll give credit to modern bike design and improved network climbing trails. The 27 Switchbacks still qualify as a “Tony Horn Death March” though.
That experience served as the perfect warmup for a full day of hiking with Andrew, the Squamish Nation’s archeologist. Scott and Nicole joined us as we surveyed the landscape (literally bushwhacking) along the proposed trail alignments for the Mystic-Function and D’arcy Burke trails. Andrew’s role is to make sure that the trails won’t impact any first nations culturally significant sites. The hike was very informative for us with regards to future trail planning. My excitement is growing as we get more familiar with these zones!
Also… Hiking downhill is still worse than any Tony Horn Death March…
I mentioned Wasps before and we also found several nests on our big hike. The Hornets are also out, but luckily, they’re hunting the pesky Horse and Deer flies. Watch your step! and please report nasty critter encounters (nests) on trailforks.
See you on the trails!
Dan Raymond
WORCA Lead Trail Builder
