Photos by Andy Rogers and Jaclyn Delacroix

There are certain elements that, when appropriately combined in the right quantities, make a day spent building trails extraordinary. Waking up early Sunday morning and making my way over to the North Shore, I had a feeling today might be one of those days. The clear skies overnight had left a chill in the air as I parked at the staging area, waiting for the first volunteers to arrive.

The tools of the trade

Cool and dry weather are one of those elements that make for a great day of building. While the volunteers warmed up with coffee from Bean Around the World at Lonsdale Quay, Eamonn from Green Coast Rubbish and Johnny from On Top Bike Shop rolled up and started shuttling people up to the trail head. As people were signing in, I recognized the faces of seasoned and experienced trail day volunteers, but also the enthusiastic and energetic faces of those for whom today was their first trail day experience. I was impressed, as the second critical element for a superb day was being fulfilled: A mix of skilled volunteers who know exactly what needs to be done, and excited but naive newbies who have no idea how much work they are about to do.