Words by Rhonna Gurevich Photos by Jordan Silver
On Sunday April 26, NSMBA hosted the second trail day of the season. Originally scheduled for Pink Starfish, lingering snow meant the trail day needed to be moved to one of the lower Fromme trails.
And what better choice than Griffin! As an intermediate trail located below the first switch-back, many new riders have honed their skills on Griffin. It is also the main exit trail for riders coming off of Crinkum Crankum, as well as a popular walking trail used by residents and hikers. Fifty-nine volunteers came out and significanly improved this popular North Shore Trail.
It was clear that Spring has finally sprung, and we were treated to a warm sunny day, perfect for spending time in the forest!
Volunteers met at Upper Lynn Elementary school to be shuttled to the trail head by Dan in the On Top Bikes van. Fresh Coffee from Bean Around The World at Lonsdale Quay got everyone perked up and ready to work!
Sign-in Susan was back again to collect signatures and waivers from participants.
A lot of behind-the-scenes hard work was put in by the NSMBA trail crew ahead of the actual trail day. They did a pre-hike of Griffin on Wednesday April 21 to assess the trail conditions and identify areas that needed maintenance. Thanks to their extra efforts, volunteers knew exactly what needed to be done come Sunday morning. Did someone say drainage?
Water seeping from the ground left a big rut near the top of the trail. Cribbing was installed containing rock and “gold” mineral soil, connecting perfectly to an existing boulder roll.
While Susan tried to initiate the “who can move the biggest rock” competition…
…it appeared that Chris was the only sucker, er, taker.
Today, the rest of the vollies were playing “who can move the biggest log”.
Well, except for those playing their own game of “who can carry the most buckets.”
The cedar stringers were put to good use in the construction of a new bridge as well as for cribbing in rocks.
Trail days offer a great opportunity for the younger rippers to learn from the masters. Once again Ian Collings was on hand to share his trail-building expertise with a new generation of trail builders.
There were many groms out giving back to the sport they love so much.
A big thank you to all the parents that brought out their younguns.
Finally rumour spread that it was time for lunch. And who does BBQ lunch better than Dan Sedlacek from On Top Bike Shop? Today he was helped by Eamonn Duignan from Green Coast Rubbish serving up burgers and fresh salmon! Vollies were even further rewarded for their hard work with sunglasses from Ryders Eyewear and NSMBA Jerseys! Lunch was even sweeter thanks to the legendary Digger sharing his birthday (and birthday cake!) with our trailday.
After lunch volunteers headed back on the trail to put the finishing touches on their projects. The result is a revamped, buffed trail for all users to enjoy.
We’d once again like to thank the volunteers that came out! This day would not have been successful without our generous sponsors On Top Bike Shop and Green Coast Rubbish, and swag from Ryders Eyewear!
Mark your calendars for May 10! We hope to see you again when we’re back on Fromme working on Crinkum Crankum.