Trails Update: July 30, 2020
Same office, higher cubicle.
As the wildfire rating goes up, the opportunity to use the power tools goes down. This week, in the early hours, Benoit and I built a long bridge and cleared more of the trail corridor to “stay ahead” of the new recruits’ bench cutting. Keeping things interesting, they’ve been revealing plenty of odd, off-camber bedrock… and leftover forestry cables (!?!)
As you probably read about in the last newsletter, Renee is recovering from an accident and we already miss her precision rockwork and wit (the mosquitoes miss her too...). In true “Renee-form”, she has been requesting daily photos of our freshest work! Don’t worry Renee, we’ll save some puzzling rock projects for you!
Pat returned to the crew for a therapeutic day of digging… and to show the new recruits why it took 4 of them to replace him (just kidding!).
After 3 weeks of devoted work, we’re about at the halfway point and getting well acquainted with the local wildlife.
Oh, by the way, Lord of the Squirrels is open!
Emotions:
D’arcy Burke was a pioneer in the young Whistler mtb scene. At a time when riding on logging roads was considered “mountain biking”, he longed to ride in the forest, creating trails that helped define “whistler gnar”.
D’arcy was an explorer, always curious for what fun lay over the next ridge or where an unknown ribbon of dirt would take him. Aficionado of BIG adventures, he loved to take friends to places that pushed mind and body. Passionate about pedalling the (almost) unpedallable, his grit on a bike was contagious. An invite to a ride with D’arcy always made my latest “best day ever”.
Although we had ridden together since the Samurai of Singletrack era, it was years later that I learned of his trail building history. D’arcy was modest and seldom boasted about his creations. His trails had a serendipitous influence over my professional life and passion.
Experiencing Hand of Doom, South of heaven and Crazy Train lit a fire in me: they made me want to create and share such intricate, intense rides with the world. “Name redacted” and “Name redacted” are special treats of his that shall remain “shown, not told”. “Dairy of a Milkman” was ahead of its time: the burly “Red Bull Rampage” level line was mostly reclaimed by the forest lest for an enticing 2x4 skinny that drew me in, revealing its fantastic terrain.
D’arcy’s excitement at sharing a “new to you” trail resonates with me every time I walk through the forest.
Thank you D’arcy for seeding, and nurturing, what mountain biking culture represents for so many.
See you on the trails!
Dan Raymond
WORCA Lead Trail Builder
