Hiking up to Bunchgrass Ridge from the End of the World. Photo by Daniel Sharp
Trail work season has finally arrived! Event registration is live now on the website.
We currently have four trail stewardship opportunities - three in the Fremont National Forest and one in the Old Cascade Crest. If you haven’t been to either location, an OTT trail work party is a fantastic way to get acquainted.
When the OTT was getting started we knew the biggest challenge would be maintaining the trail year after year. We’ve come to love trail work as much or more than simply riding a trail. It’s a great way to spend time on the OTT, to get to know the trail intimately, to get to know fellow volunteers. There is a genuine camaraderie that develops at trail work parties. You do as much work as you can - nobody will ask you do more than that. That level of work is very personal and varies day by day. We take breaks, eat snacks and lunch. At night, we make food and spend time chatting by the fire. Aside from donating, it’s the best way to give back to the trail. So, don’t delay, sign up today and make your mark on the Oregon Timber Trail. We can’t wait to see you out on trail. Everyone is welcome at Oregon Timber Trail stewardship events!
We asked a few of our repeat volunteers, sponsors, board members why they do trail work on the OTT, and this is what they had to say…
Thom Batty is the owner of Tall Town Bike and Camp in Lakeview, OR Photo by Conan Thai
Thom Batty - Tall Town Bike and Camp
“Why do I do trail work? Trails are both my recreation and my gym. Since I don’t pay monetarily to use the trails giving my time to help maintain trails is my equivalent to paying a gym membership or admission fees to any other recreation facility. Plus, if you are doing it right trail work is almost as much fun as anything else I do on the trails.”
Bill Hasenjaeger - Trail Boss Tools
“At Trail Boss we do what we can to support trails, specifically the creation, maintenance and use of natural surface single track trails for all kinds of trail users, in back-country, front-country, up-country, down-country, cross-country, and yes, even side-country locales. Our favorite projects are the ones that clearly give a nod to the historic nature of the place where the trails are, especially ones that recover old routes and open and reopen new vistas. "Passion" is an overused and often misused term, I prefer words like: perseverance, effort, skill, and dedication. Without perseverance and a willingness to put in dedicated and skilled effort on a trail project, all the passion in the world doesn't do squat. Ultimately the answer to the WHY? is that indescribable feeling of finally using a trail and seeing others enjoy using a trail that you personally had a part, however small, in making come about.”
Paul LaCava - OTT rider and trail steward
“Trailwork is not like the crazy world of unknown returns and cost we live in. The connection to traveling through cool spaces is vivid. You get out what you put in. You leave at the end of the day seeing what you’ve helped to create. It’s very satisfying!”
Melissa Byrd - OTT Board Member and trail steward
“I do trail work to give back to the trails. I love to ride a section I worked on and it lets you see just how far trails can come along in a short period of time. Community building. I also enjoy learning about the different aspects of trail building & maintenance, from drains to rock armoring!”
Jude Gerace - OTT Board Member and trail steward
“The type of folks that come to build trails varies and I was surprised to find that over a long weekend, our reasons for showing up were similar—that there's a sense of duty to do our part and have a little fun doing it. We started out a rag-tag group of trail nerds and left bonded over a section of trail and a shared experience—the campfire and whisky helped a little too. To spend time in moody Oregon weather learning about the health of a trail or cutting a new line (and then testing it!) with like-minded folks is incredibly rewarding. It fills my M-F with a distinct sense of purpose and connection.”
Harry Dalgaard - OTT Board Member and trail steward
“I do trail work to help bring the vision of the OTT into reality. There are very few endeavors where you can make such tangible difference to a landscape and improving a long distance trail experience in your volunteer work. Plus you immediately get to enjoy the fruits of your labor - fresh tracks”
See you at a trail stewardship party soon!