Trails Update: Oct 1, 2021
Rob is back!
We have a few honorary trail crew members and this week, we welcomed back a true heavy hitter: Rob Mullen. COVID border restrictions have prevented his annual volunteer sojourn with the WORCA crew, until now. He picked a difficult (wet!) week to join us but his “navy seal” meal bags kept him going. We’ve missed his bold rock maneuvers and ingenuity: check out his rock bridge over a gushing spring on the Chipmunk Rebellion!
The Rebellion re-dressed
We’re glad to finally see some moisture in the forest and not just for the accompanying fungus. Okay, I’ll admit we weren’t that happy working in it: “Cats and dogs” with occasional tree tops thrown in for good measure (true story!) made for a veritable oomska. After dealing with the sticky black muck, we could finally cap and sculpt our work with tacky mineral soil. The fresh orange dirt really pops right now! We’ve benched out some narrower sections, scraped others down to smooth bedrock, and built a ride-around for the lowest slab. Did I mention the fresh dirt? Alas, the rains that pushed so many mushrooms up are also pushing tires down (into the fresh mud). We ask that you (please!) stay off the Chipmunk Rebellion and Industrial Waste until Sunday, October 3rd. As always, please check Trailforks for trail status before your rides and remember to also post about issues you find afterwards. We’ll try to get to them swiftly.
Samurai Badge update
As mentioned a few weeks ago, I have created a Trailforks badge commemorating the 2001 marathon XC race (the “1st Samurai” badge). Feeling I should put my money where my mouth is, I rode it last weekend with Pat. We took our time (I took plenty of pictures) and added a few little “what would Tony Horn do?” segments. It was a big ride, but not as hard as I remembered. Perhaps thanks to modern bike design or, maybe it was the countless upgrades that we’ve put into the network over the last 20 years: The grueling steep FSRs and paved/street segments have almost all been replaced with purpose-built recreational trails. The only hike-a-bike section left in the course was by choice (and historical significance): going up Baby Snakes to access the original Industrial Disease exit… because that’s what Tony Horn would do!
YAMATO DAMASHII!
See you on the trails!
Dan Raymond
WORCA Lead Trail Builder
