April 28th, 2008 by 
Francois
April 27 -2008 - Mtbr.com teamed up with Trailworkers.com to work on Soquel Demonstration Forest in Santa Cruz, CA. Where normal volunteer crews have 8-10 people, Mtbr was able to help recruit a group of 30 people to work and enjoy the day together. It is rumored that food, beer, and swag were used to aid the recruitment effort
The crew was so big that elaborate planning had to take place to get the workers and all the equipment deep in the forest. With the main access road closed, head Foresters Thomas Sutfin and Edgar Orre had to get creative and use private roads to drive everyone in. Let’s just say the drive alone was a four-wheeling adventure.
The trail workers were broken up into several groups to take advantage of the team size. The crew worked on a two-mile stretch of Ridge trail to Sawpit Trail. Some of the work done were:
- cutting water drainage
- pruning branches and shrubs
- removing sharp and dangerous obstacles
- creating access routes for the Forester’s ATV utility vehicle
- improving flow and rideability of the trail
- and of course creating berms and fun obstacles and features
The day was not only rewarding but extremely fun as well. The crew worked hard and enjoyed each other’s company. Lots of smiles were had and lots of photos were taken. After the trail work, the group had a huge picnic and enjoyed the rest of the afternoon eating and product testing the new Mtbr Pint glass by Soquel Creek.
With our busy lives, there’s a million reasons not to do trail work. Mtbr wants to make it rewarding and fun. It should be an easy decision. It should be a commitment that we look forward to. Trail systems like the Soquel Demo Forest are worth every ounce of effort we put into them.
Check the report and dozens of photos here:
