January 8th, 2012 Winter Trails Day at the Discovery Center
Rachael working it during the Winter Trails Day at the Big Bear Discovery Center. January 7, 2012.
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Archive for the ‘Events’ Category
November 14th, 2011 Through The Rain, Through The Mud… We Kept On Riding
So I had this amazing idea (or so I thought) that myself, Peter, Colin and Driz should form a team and go race at the 12 hours of Temecula mountain bike race at Vail Lake Resort in Southern California. Everyone agreed and was as crazy as I so we made plans to race, and to wear our trails foundation jerseys in the process! Well Colin dropped out because he was in a wedding, a valid excuse, so in stepped Dawn, Driz’s awesome wife, and we had our team.
For those that dont know what kind of race a 12 hour bike race is like, you can do it solo, in a duo team or a four person team. Team members take laps, one at a time, and pass the baton onto the next person. We were a four person team – 2 men, 2 women!
Fast forward to a week before the race… we were all registered… then we see the weather forecast… rain, and alot of it…. Well we were still in. I showed up at the race venue the night before, set up camp and rain started at 4:00am the day of the race. It rained until 15 minutes before the race started, and as you would guess it, I was volunteered by my teammates to take the first lap. I took off in a pack of people up thick muddy trails. Everyone was able to take their first lap on course with no rain. I take off on my second lap and a mile into the 10.2 mile lap it starts to rain. 60 degree weather and dropping, its raining… well I start riding harder, and the mud starts flying. Soon my glasses are so covered in mud I put them in my back pocket, and keep on riding. On a few down hill sections the mud is thick and slimy so going down the trail is like being on Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride.
I came back in splattered in mud, smiling my muddy smile, and passed the baton to Driz who took off in the rain, and came back even more muddy and wet than I. Peter was next up, and also rode in the rain, and came back drenched, cold and mud everywhere. Well Miss Dawn didnt have to take a 2nd lap, because the race coordinator decided to call the race early due to unsafe conditions, and by unsafe I mean where Driz was having to walk his bike up a steep hill, and it was so muddy, he slipped and fell on his rear.
We packed up, grabbed a bite to eat and headed home, but the day was great overall, we passed out a few brochures and some people were really interested in helping with trail maintenance. We already have plans for the next one, and if you want to join us, let us know!
November 3rd, 2011 Volunteering at Endure the Bear
Volunteers and volunteering make the Big Bear Valley Trails Foundation an organization with a big heart. In September, members of the Big Bear Valley Trails Foundation volunteered to run “Advance Base Camp,” an aid station for the Endure the Bear trail run. From about 6:00 in the morning until nearly 6:00 at night, volunteers tracked, supplied nourishment to, and cheered on runners tackling 15k, 30k, and 50k across the north facing slope of the San Bernardino Mountains above Big Bear Lake. A heartfelt and enthusiastic thank you goes out to Paul Senft, Susan Piestrup, Lynn and Carla Segrest, Cassie and Rich Benson, Norm Cox, Dottie Saville, Driz, Dawn, and Aaron, Cook for their much appreciated work. A special thanks goes to Miss Maddie Cook who filled all with smiles that, by sharing birthday high-fives and pine tree pom pom cheers with everyone who passed.
- Siri
August 14th, 2011 7 Oaks Trail Status and Updates
As part of the official San Bernardino National Forest trail system, the Seven Oaks trail is located in the Santa Ana River drainage South of Big Bear and travels approximately 2.5 miles from Forest Service Road 2N10, near Grand View Point, downhill to 2N06, near Camp Radford. While the trail is at least 30 years old and documented on many versions of USGS topo maps, it is currently overgrown and impassable in most areas. The Big Bear Valley Trails Foundation is working with the US Forest Service to rehabilitate this multi-use trail that enjoys spectacular views of San Gorgonio Peak, the highest point in Southern California. Once repaired, the Seven Oaks trail can provide a unique pathway for hikers, horseback riders, and mountain bikers to travel between the Big Bear and Santa Ana River Valleys. We hope you will help us with this unique opportunity to bring a special trail back to life.