Trails Update: September 25, 2026
done!
I don’t like to let unfinished business go dormant, so this week, the trail crew headed back to the Myrtle Philip Feeder to complete the project that was started by the Arc'teryx convention volunteers. Getting the trail above the high water mark was a bigger task than anticipated. The layers of roots reaching towards the wet spot were endless, so he opted to build the tread up and over with rocks. Lots of rocks! Lucky for us, nearby geological activity and/or Rob Mullen(?) had prepared a generous supply. I’m really stoked with the crew’s craftsmanship on this project! It looked like a proper Scottish-highlands’ flagstone path before capping the tread with dirt. Speaking of unfinished business, we’re stoked to welcome WORCA members to our final volunteer digging event of the season: October 4th on the Marmot Mayhem trail where… we’re about to reach the 1k point! Sign up here! Peak Vending and Coast Mountain Brewing are sponsoring the event.
Acquired taste
Following the Witsend/Hillman enduros, the trail crew headed to the “Flashbacks” working down from the Cheakamus lake trailhead. We’ve enhanced drains, smoothed swoops and dug out some gross muck from culverts. More gross still, we worked through a section polluted by an absolutely repulsive smell! Jacob noticed it first: “It smells really bad up ahead, like something dead for sure…” We continued working, tighter as a group through the nauseating zone. Every time I moved up to rake another section, I scanned the woods, because, curiosity! I hoped suffering through the stench would be rewarded with some interesting photos for this trail report, alas, we didn’t find anything. I later spoke to a conservation officer who confirmed our suspicion. He assured me that the carcass was nowhere near the trail and the smell should be gone within a week. I can’t imagine being so hungry, but after this summer’s terrible berry crop, “A Bear’s gotta eat!”
“Old Boss” is in town
It feels serendipitous that shortly after re-blueifying the Lord of the Squirrels exit, Tim Andrews strolled back into town. Now working as the Red Mountain bike park manager, he tells me he’s visiting to check out the UCI World Cup, but I think he’s really here to inspect our trail work. Tim was the WORCA trails director in 2014 when he and (then) president Jerome David selected me to lead the design and construction of the yet unnamed Sproatt descent. In my (job) interview, Tim had asked:” Can you guarantee us that you will build a blue trail?” He’s braving the cold as I type this text to check it out…
See you on the Trails!
Dan Raymond
WORCA Lead Trail Builder
