Trails Update: June 4, 2021
A cut above, living up to its name?
I think so. Whether climbing or descending, I recommend you stop and have a look around… The trail snakes up through a strip of old growth forest that was somehow spared from logging in the 70’s or 80’s (probably due to the cliffy terrain). Views of the valley and habitat trees abound, surrounded by thick moss and stunning boulder fields. Woodpeckers, Chickadees, Stellar jays and Whisky jacks took turns checking out our work... also: they were eating the spoils of our rock harvesting: ants! The birds would follow our moves and swoop in for an insect buffet when we got startled by the itty-bitty-bitey critters.
We spent a few more days re-working the upper part of the trail, armouring holes and widening precarious moves that have no business on a blue descent. Using it as a climb will still be rated black due to its overall steepness.
Rest assured, it still has plenty of texture and jank. It’s turning into what I feel is a solid test piece before attempting LESS to Lord of the Squirrels (Those are still under deep snow by the way).
Squirrel encounter.
You’re probably thinking: “Dan is obsessed with those cute little acrobats…” This video by Mark Rober will also turn you into a fan: Backyard Squirrel Maze 2.0
Although I’m constantly noticing the little guys, -Oh! There’s one now!-
What were we talking about?...
This was a new experience for me: I nearly flattened a couple of them while riding Three Birds. Emphasis on “couple”
I managed to stop and the startled pair surprised me: their reproductive instinct shortly out-ranked “fight or flight”! They eventually scattered and one bounded off my leg in its escape!
What a fun surprise!
In other rodent news: The Chipmunk Rebellion is open! Work on Beaver pass is done. The Whistler Adventure School trail building class will be “studying” around Rock Rabbit. And, It’ll be a while before Lord of the Squirrels is rideable (my guess is July 9).
See you on the trails!
Dan Raymond
WORCA Lead Trail Builder
