Trail work moves over to Elwell

Posted August 22, 2008 11:52 PM

Did you know that if you turn off all the lights and type by the light of your laptop that your screen will attract flies, beetles, and all forms of insects? It's true... and is happening right now... and since it's the mountains, the bugs are seriously gigantic.

Trail Update: The Smith Lake trail is done and our crew has moved on to the next project which is the creation of multiple switch backs coming off the back side of Elwell. The old(current) trail there is steep, unsustainable, and turns into a river when wet, so these switch backs will be a nice improvement once completed.

We've finished brushing on the new section and 3 of the switch backs have been constructed. Our crew will continue work on this section until the snow falls and we'll be working here the Sunday of the Epic weekend with as many volunteers as we can muster.

On the team note, Carroll has temporarily left us to go off to school for the fall(we miss you Carroll!). However, Cosmo, the SBTS Spiritual Leader has stepped up to take a larger role to fill Carroll's place. In addition to giving sage guidance, Cosmo practices his spirituality by levitating boulders into place.

I joined Cosmo, Little Brad, and Max this week for 4 days of trail work and a proper camp out. Reality check: trail work is a lot harder when you do it more than one day. I would like to give a personal salute to our guys for doing such a great job day in and day out, because it isn't easy. You guys are strong and awesome.

I would also like to give a shout out to the Gray Eagle lodge for their continued support throughout the summer. The lodge is at the bottom of the Smith Lake trail, so the crew frequents the establishment on the regular. Bret, the owner of the Gray Eagle lodge has taken care of our crew all summer and been a huge SBTS supporter all around. Thanks for all the soup, margaritas, and beers after a long day.... they sure do make it all worth while.

Come to the Epic to get see all the excitement going on at Smith Lake and take part in the creation of this new and improved trail system.

nicalorber's blog

Leave Elwell alone

Submitted by AH (not verified) on Tue, 09/02/2008 - 11:25am.

The NE run off Elwell is one of the *very few* rugged-but-rideable trails left in the North Tahoe / Downieville / Gold Lakes region. Don't turn Elwell into just another uninspired, watered-down trail ... there are far too many of those already, and Elwell's perfect the way it is.

Don't ride it when wet ... there's plenty of other trails to ride before Elwell dries out. For those who think it's too steep or rugged, ride the hundreds of miles of trails already in place in the Downieville vicinity (Pauley, Butcher, the Divides, etc.).

Why must every challenging descent in the Sierra be smoothed, flattened and widened to serve tourists and the least common denominator of the mountain biking community? Leave the Gold Lakes basin alone.

AH, rest assured that the

Submitted by SBTS Staff (not verified) on Thu, 09/04/2008 - 7:08pm.

AH, rest assured that the SBTS agrees with you that Lakes Basin Trails should never be sanitized beyond recognition. The area being reworked is not technical at all, but the grade is not sustainable due to its steepness and damage is occurring from water running down the trail, not from use. The end result will be a long fun swoopy singletrack, and the new Smith connector trail provides another mile of fun riding. The rocky upper reaches of the Elwell trail are left unchanged.

Keep in mind these trails are for all non motorized users not just bikes, and this need not be a downhill only trail. There are many interesting destinations one can reach by an uphill ride or hike on the north side. This trail, along with numerous other Lakes Basin Trails would be impassable if the SBTS wasn’t out there with their chainsaws clearing downed trees and brush. Long Lake Trail took several days to clear this year due to the extent of downed trees, and Elwell was nearly as bad.

AH, feel free to come join us on the trail for a volunteer day so you can learn more and take part in the process of determining restoration projects within Plumas and Tahoe National Forest.