Trails Update: Sep 10, 2021
Pesky Wasps.
It is their season of despair (and ours). In late summer, wasps are released from their regal support duties and tend to express their new found freedom aggressively… especially if you’re holding a teriyaki glazed chicken wing. Their nests are at capacity and with so many wasps free from seeking food for the queen, there are more of them ready to stun any nearby intruders.
I uncovered a nest last week on Anal Intruder, and this week, it was Liam’s turn. While assembling a rock wall on Delineator he tried to pull a big obstructive rock from the trail bed... Unlike last week, the weather was hot and the flying darts were spry, but Liam was faster! Unfortunately, our problem had now escalated to having a large rock and sharp tools scattered across the trail. We Let the bugs chill out for a bit and bravery/stupidity ensued: Boulder and tools removed, we could now see the nest and its unhappy residents. Again, we were fast! Alas, our intervention ended with a Trailforks report and leaving some buckets on the trail. I also warned our special event director Quinn: This is his problem now. Haha! Quinn will (try to) deal with the nest at night, hopefully before The Back Forty race...
Sharper Education.
Everyone should go back to school. Seriously, whether to broaden your horizons, learn new skills, or reaffirm your competency, some time with expert educators is refreshing!
I must admit that I’m a bit of a powertool “hog” and get to spend the most time wearing chaps at work.
“What are chaps?” you might be wondering… Google results may vary.
I understand the expression ”use it or lose it” as it applies to skills such as using specialized equipment, and... I should share the cutting work since everyone loves using chainsaws!
In perfect timing, Andrew at Silverback Treeworks set-up a training course for the WORCA and SORCA trail crews! A great opportunity to talk trails with our neighbours down valley while getting up to speed with the latest and greatest chainsaw handling techniques.
I now have more incentive for letting the crew run the saws, which should buy me more time to write up the weekly trail crew blog…
Meanwhile,
Back on the west side…while the crew studied in Squamish, I welcomed a new cohort of dirt curious students from the Whistler Adventure School for another installment of the Sustainable Trail Building course. This week, we were practicing benching and rockwork in the lower Sproatt zone: it’s literally a sweet project!
See you on the trails!
Dan Raymond
WORCA Lead Trail Builder
