Simply Spectacular

What an incredible day for the Cutthroat Classic Trail Run! Thank you everyone for coming out and thanks again to our sponsors Backcountry Coffee, Blue Sky Realty, Chewuch Inn,Central Reservations, Sunflower Wash Works and Winthrop Mountain Sports. Enjoy the photos.

Trailhead Friends

These two chipmunks were hanging out eating service berries admiring the great work folks have been doing clearing weeds from the trails. Most of our weeds enter our trail system from parking lots or recently disturbed soil. From there they can travel on shoes, tires, and hoofs. This spring and fall we have made an effort to hammer down the weeds at these places and the first 200 meters beyond trailheads. If you feel inspired to help the cause feel free to pull a few as you are waiting for your kids or significant other to get there back pack on or shoes tied.

Thanks for the help and as always enjoy the trails!

HUGE Shout out to Washington Trails Association

Last year we asked people to consider giving to the Washington Trails Association(WTA) in their quest to obtain a matching grant up to $10,000 earmarked for Methow Valley Trails. (see the Oct. 17, 2009 post) WTA made that goal and just sent an update on the Methow Valley trail work they have completed this summer with those donations. Check out these incredible accomplishments:
4,252 hours of volunteer service on Methow Valley Trails!
60 hours of work per volunteer!
Replaced a single stringer foot-log bridge on the Lone Fir Trail
Worked on a dozen Methow Valley trails including the popular Maple Pass loop
Cleared fallen logs on the west end of the Pasayten Wilderness
Cleared blowdowns from the Twisp Pass, Scatter Creek and Copper Pass trails
Installed a new foot-log bridge across Wolf Creek
WTA crews are currently working on a new bridge across Robinson Creek
From one non-profit trail association to another we salute you WTA! Thanks for helping to keep outdoor recreation accessible and incredible!

Another week another bridge!

Our 5th bridge project of the summer was just completed last week thanks to the hard work of trail crew members Dick Evans, William Worrell, Pete DeLong, and Alison DeLong. This bridge is located along the community trail in Mazama just west of Wesola Polana and Browns Farm. You get a good view here of the old and new bridge beams or "stringers." The new beams were actually recycled stringers from the old lower Goat Creek bridge that still had some life in them. Roger Rowatt milled up the old rounds into beams that will work for shorter bridges like this and in the future for some short bridges up at Sun Mtn. Enjoy the new platform and the trails. If your lucky this bridge may actually make you levitate as you cross it as Alison is demonstrating above.