Newsletter, August 1999
By John Boeschen
Two miles of shared singletrack. That's the distance we covered in one-and-a-half days. Building, not riding. Telegraph Trail The aptly named Telegraph Trail (an old telegraph line runs along its course) is the first to be restored as part of the Oregon Creek Trail Project. Located near Forest City in the low Sierras not too far from Downieville, the area is crisscrossed with miles and miles of old logging, mining, and forestry trails. Most have fallen into disuse. The U.S. Forest Service did an extensive study on the Oregon Creek Watershed, which has been 5 years in the making. The resulting two-inch thick government document focuses mainly on issues such as water, grazing and logging, but buried in the middle, is a section on existing trails. Thanks to the persistence of Zachi Anderson, a visionary mountain biking enthusiast, who spent years exploring and digging through old maps and plots of the area, a list of 20 some odd historic trails has been approved to be reintroduced into the federal trail system. The USFS will receive federal funding for the Oregon Creek Trails project next year, but in the mean time, has given the green light for volunteers to begin work on a trail of their choice. The Oregon Creek Trails Council was formed to help coordinate this effort. Volunteers Volunteer trail crewmembers started arriving in Forest City on a warm Friday evening (June 18) for this first of several weekend trail-building sessions. Campsites were staked out, tents pitched, bikes unloaded, food and drink shared. A few of the more daring and adventurous took off for late night rides. Fortunately for the following day’s work, they returned with only minor scrapes and bruises. By 10 o’clock the following Saturday morning, a total of 34 energetic volunteers showed up at the start of Telegraph Trail. Groups were formed and tools divvied out. The trek through the wooded hillsides was a mixture of easy-going (along the existing cut of the old trail) and close to arduous (free forming across the hillsides to avoid swamps and landfalls). Trailside Delivery Each group subdivided itself into smaller units: several people forged ahead brushing, others cleared the downed brush, and the tail-end unit fine-tuned. When the last of the brush was removed, the entire group worked to make the trail rideable. In theory, each group would work until it connected to the section of trail started by the group immediately in front of them. In fact, it worked just that way. Most of us carried food and water, though you can never carry enough. But on this trail building day, you could’ve gotten away with very little; since catered food was delivered to each out-of-the-way worksite. With a Bob trailer attached to his bike, BTC-member Marty made numerous trips along the trail-in-progress to deliver the goodies. Neither nasty boulders nor deep chasms kept him from his appointed rounds — in fact, when the far-flung reports of his comings and goings were later pieced together, the image that emerged was legendary in stature. Suffice it to say that Marty delivers. Day’s End By four that afternoon, an exhausted crew happily threw down their pulaskis in unison and headed back to the distant trailhead (14 of the original 34 returned the next morning for touchup work). For those of us who had been working on the outer fringes, the return trek was an eye-opener. Where earlier in the day we had been trudging up and down scraggly hillsides, ducking under low-hanging branches and scrambling through thick undergrowth, now we were following a mellow singletrack that was as sweet as any dirt trail you've ever laid your eyes on. Back in Forest City, we slipped into the spring-fed waters of the local swimming hole to cool off. When our trail dust finally settled to the bottom of the pond, we did what you'd expect a hard-working trail crew to do next: we set out in search of food and beer — both of which were close by and in bountiful abundance. Future Trail Days If you’re looking for a constructive weekend away from home, additional trail-building weekends in Forest City are scheduled for Aug. 7th, 8th, 9th Contact Lisa Luzzi at 415/663-8534 or lisa@svn.net if you're interested.By Lisa Luzzi
The second trail weekend up in Forest City (July 17th, 18th), was a bit smaller that the first, but still lots of fun. BONC (Bicyclists of Nevada City) was the guest bike club, with many faithful BTC crewmembers returning. We had 20 volunteers hit the trail. Continuing on down the ditch (an historic water way that once supplied water to a nearby Roadhouse's graze lands), we made fast work of another 2.5 miles of trail. With Zachi leading the charge, chainsaw in hand, wild eyed and on a mission, he set out, 4 more chainsaws followed. Steve, the guy with the ‘big one’ (saw that is), tackled the huge trees as he hummed ‘I’m a lumberjack’ in his head. Give a man a really big power tool, and he’ll have a smile on his face all day long. Many sections of the ditch have been washed away over the hundred some odd years since construction, but these sections have created the trail diversity and design work that our trail crew thrives on. Our goal for the summer is to connect the ditch with the existing Oregon Creek Dirt Road that parallels the creek back up to Forest City. This will create an 11 mile loop out of Forest, and I must say, it is really pretty sweet. Be there to drive in the “golden spoke.” Our final work weekend of the summer will be August 7th, 8th, and 9th. Don't miss it!!
By John Boeschen
What do you do when your knee goes south for the spring and you can't mountain bike? Try ocean kayaking. The beauty of kayaking for bum knees is you don’t use your legs. It's mainly upper body work, which is a nice complement to the leg work involved in pedaling. When I first started paddling back in April, I instinctively worked the foot pedals that control my kayak’s rudder as though they were pedals on a bike. You get nowhere fast doing that in the water. Getting the Parts I picked up a used, sit-on-top kayak, paddle, and seat from a local touring company that was upgrading its fleet. Finding clothes wasn't a problem, either—my biking attire fit the bill perfectly. Shorts, tights, jersey, and windbreaker worked just as well on (sometimes in) the water as on the trail. Shoes, however, were a different matter. After leaving a pair of loose-fitting deck shoes deep in the mud close to Buck's Launch in China Camp, I borrowed my son’s strap-on Tevas, which have worked quite well. On colder days, I wear the same polyurethane socks as I do when riding in the rain. Exercise I mountain bike because I like the exercise. Though your legs don’t get much of a workout kayaking (if you don’t do something else to exercise them, they'll probably end up looking like Olive Oyle’'s), your upper body and arms can take on the proportions of Popeye. Aerobically, however, I find kayaking nowhere near as demanding as mountain biking. Travel I also mountain bike because I like to get to places not easily accessible any other way. The same goes for kayaking. The canals between McInnis Park and Santa Venetia, for example, are a marvel. Not to mention the coastline between Sausalito and the Golden Gate (the first time I did that one, we spotted a whale and a fleet of porpoises cruising together in the bay). And when was the last time you pedaled out to one of the duck blinds in San Pablo Bay for a picnic lunch? (Do it before the November hunting season starts.) Adrenaline Of course, I mountain bike because I like an occasional rush of adrenaline. Adrenaline release is most definitely an occasional byproduct of kayaking. Toss in a few good-sized swells and a hefty wind and if the chemical doesn’t scream into your system, your adrenal glands may need priming. A combination of incoming swells and headwind also mimics a stationary cycle pretty well: the wind beating on your face and the water rushing by give the sensation of forward motion, but you can actually be at a standstill (sometimes moving backward). Shared Access One nice thing about kayaking that I’d like to see more of on dry land: most waters are shared. Sailboats, power boats, ferries, freighters, rowboats, big, and small -- they all have pretty much equal access. Nice concept. Now that my knee is on the mend, though, I've got a real problem: how to work both kayaking and mountain biking into my exercise routine. Real tough. The BTC will throw another end of Summer Party on Sunday, October 3rd at Miwok Meadows in China Camp. The day will begin at 10:00 a.m. with various organized bike rides (beginner, intermediate and advanced), to be followed by a Potluck Barbecue. The BTC will provide the main course, dessert and beverages, please bring a side dish to share. We will be raffling off the Gary Fisher Mt. Bike that has been traveling the county since the Marin Mountain Bike Festival in early June. Last chance to buy tickets will be at the picnic. We will be co-hosting the party with our sister organization Trips for Kids. This is a great way to meet your fellow mountain bikers and the BTC’s way of saying thanks to all our volunteers. Spread the word, and look forward to meeting you all at the Picnic.By Lisa Luzzi
Volunteer work…though the pay isn’t good, the rewards can be great! I sometimes wonder, as I do more and more volunteer work, what is it that is driving me. I wish I had this kind of motivation for my real job, (but remember, I’m an actuary, no further explanation needed). It is passion of course, passion for the sport, love of the outdoors and a strong belief that we should be able to co-exist and share the beautiful open spaces in Marin. But more than that, it is the people you meet. I often encourage my single friends to find a cause that they believe in and volunteer. It is a great way to meet people who share your passion. Volunteers are people who want to give back to their community, contribute, make a difference. They will make time for you. They are unselfish and are just plain, good people. I have met so many wonderful people through my association with the BTC and now the OCTC, I can’t begin to tell you how it has changed my life. Volunteer work can be arduous and thankless at times (particularly when you’re at the office late, trying to put a newsletter together, ‘cuz its been who knows how many months since you’ve published one), but its well worth the self -sacrifice. Get out and volunteer, no matter what the cause, it will change your life. Mill Valley Parks and Rec. has requested that bicyclists using the Mill Valley Bike Path use caution and bells when passing other users.©1999 Bicycle Trails Council of Marin
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