Originally posted at WriteTek Northwest
Written by Jim LeMonds
It was a classic Growlers Gulch build with 136 volunteers coming out to work on several big projects. The total eclipsed the previous record of 130.
Here’s what got done –
- Carnage – The line is completely buffed out. It will be muddy and soft for a while, but, as one of my grandsons said, “This trail is going to be here for a long time.”
- Piece and Pound – This was bonus work. Once I saw that we had plenty of people to deal with Carnage, I assigned Jerry DeRuyter to head up a crew working on the line Dave flagged that approximates the old Piece and Pound route. Jerry started with four people and ended with about 44. Guessing we got about a third of the line cut out. This will be a major focus of next year’s build.
- Lemony Snicket – They killed it. Crew chiefs report that some buffing is needed but that all features are complete. This is big-pants stuff. Let me know when you clean it without putting a foot down. There is a very high likelihood that we will be having a trials competition up there this spring.
- Outer Spike – I feel so bad for the crew and crew chiefs assigned to the Outer Spike. They did a great job with planning, road uphill in the rain for an hour, and then things got nasty. Blizzard conditions and bitter cold. They had to call it. My hat is off to these volunteers.
Thanks to everyone who was there. A special shout to our fantastic crew chiefs: Juntu Oberg, Dave LeMonds, Suzie Griffin, Bob Horness, Andrew Holder, Joel Rogauskas, Kim McCormack, Ben McCormack, and Preston Antisdel.
Note: Everyone who attended this build is eligible for 2020 Growlers events, including the Four Hours of Pain, the Enchilada, the Tour de Gulch, the Climbing Championship, and – if it transpires – the Trials Riding Championship.
