TRAIL REPORT #1
MARCH 2023 SORCA TRAIL REPORT
March 15th’s dig day on Entrails marked the first of a ton of chances for you to come and get your hands dirty on the trails in 2023. Our members spoke, and we listened: you want more opportunities to build and maintain our incredible trail network. With that in mind we packed 2023 full of general dig days – spread across different times and days – so that everyone has a chance to help.
“So, I’m just supposed to dig a big hole?”
We get it: grabbing a tool from the garden shed and showing up to add a little more of that special sauce to our trails can be, well, intimidating. Add in a little bit of – ahem, attention – that trailwork receives on social media from time to time it’s no wonder that some people want to just pony up for a membership and call it a day. (psst, you’ve renewed this year, right?)
Truth is, trail building consists of a lot of relatively simple things that add up to make something really awesome. The sum is greater than the parts and all that. What are those simple things, and how can I put them to use on the trail network? Glad you asked. In addition to the general dig days, we’ve carved out some space for beginners, women, youth, and a non-building educational format so that no matter who you are or how you’d like to reach us we can get you up to speed and comfortable working on the trails.
BEGINNER’S DIG DAYS
If you’re not quite sure which side of the pulaski goes where, these days are for you. Squamish has a ton of lowkey great beginner trails that we’re going to put some love into. Beginner days will focus on doing a little bit of work and a lot of talking about what we’re doing and why.
Fear not. Groups and projects will be small, leaving plenty of time to for Q&A about aspects of trail maintenance or building you have always wanted to know. You will come away with a good ‘I can do it’ spirit and a better picture of what goes into this network. Also, there will be snacks.
WOMEN’S DIG DAYS
Let’s face it, trail building has been pretty heavily male-dominated up to now. However, we know that this isn’t the way it should be. 41% of SORCA’s membership clicked the ‘ol ‘F’ checkbox when filling out their membership. Maybe that’s due to the strong female leadership on the SORCA board? Way more than half, awesome.
Nonetheless, structural problems require structural solutions, so with the women’s dig days we’re carving out some space for:
Awesome trailwork to happen and,
an important home for this conversation.
YOUTH DIG DAYS
Chances are, that 11 year old that lives down the street – literally born riding these trails – is faster than you. There is no room for hubris in a town like ours; the number of high performance athletes who have moved here and started families means it won’t be long until we’re starting to see run bikes on In and Out Burger (yes we are kidding).
Kids will be kids though, and that’s where we come in. Somewhere between “just kids playing in the woods” and “serious adults building serious trails” is a period of growth and learning (and gray area). We’re big believers in learning by doing, but not everyone needs to learn why pallets are a bad choice for jumps.
So, humans of Squamish without a fully developed prefrontal cortex, these days are for you (and your family!). Ideally you’re between 8 and 14 years old and want to see why, how, and where to build. Bring your bikes and helmets too, as we’ll test and talk about what we build.
WALK AND TALKS
A lot goes into building and maintaining trails, but what exactly? A small number of days will answer that question. We’ll hike a short loop and discuss what’s happening on the trails and what we can do about it. We’ll discuss trail users, terrain, difficulty, land ownership, and building techniques. If you join us for one of these days, you’ll come away knowing two key things:
Riding bikes is much more fun than hiking, and
What goes into trail work and how that makes things better.
WHERE THIS TAKES US
No doubt, the work accomplished on these dig days will make a meaningful difference to the trail network. More importantly, you – our members – have asked for more opportunities, so this is your opportunity to step up. Lastly, it serves to build on and broaden the sense of identity – of community – that will continue to make Squamish an awesome place to call home.
Thanks to everyone who has reached out with their enthusiasm and support for this year’s dig days.
Cheers,
AJ – SORCA Lead Builder & Trail Crew Manager
