Last patrol and signs!

Jason V. and myself had a good day of patrolling last Saturday the 1st. We put a lot of signs up that Jason and his wife made in an effort to keep folks going where they want to. Let us know how you feel about the signs.

Cheers!
-Nick


How often do you get to carry power tools on a ride? My back was a little sore afterward!



Jason getting style points over the log!


A little air time for myself.


More air time!


Try not to get lost heh? :)


Hopefully the signs survive the winter and serve a good purpose!

End of the road

Wrapping things up this weekend and I wanted to thank every one of you who got out and patrolled at West Magnolia this season. You exceeded all my expectations and have made a great impression on the BMA and FS that will hopefully lead us to MORE trails in the future. I would like to get a patrol log from each of you by the end of Sept (you can download blanks from the BMA website) so I can tally our hours, etc for Ed P at the FS. Email or mail them to me at 5256 HWY 72 Golden, CO 80403. Take advantage of our sweet sponsors if you are in need of fresh bike parts, a fresh bike or a sweet lamp and please let me know of any suggestions that can make the patrol even better in 08! -Matt

Mushrooms everywhere

I think the harvest has arrived.

If you like seeing them, hit the school bus trail. Lots of them, and all kinds.

A sample

I got your rain right here

Saturday's patrol at Wet (I mean West) Mag was a tad bit rainy. Nicole and I took the 10am bus from Boulder to Ned along with the BMA crowd that was riding over Rollins Pass to Winter Park, which seemed like a late start for them given than rain was forecast for the afternoon. Hope they made it. But sure enough, within a half-hour of hitting the trails Nicole and I got a nice steady rain which transformed the buffed-out singletrack into trickling streams. A brief dose of sunshine was quickly followed by more steady rain, and rather than belabor the point by putting more tracks through the middle of muddy puddles, we got outta there round 2:30pm. But GREAT to get the moisture! Saw less than 10 mtb'ers, 4 motos, and 4+ serious bubbas on ATVs, sloooow day. Saw the FS law enforcement and County sheriff at the Peak2Peak trailhead, sounded like they were looking for someone sketchy near the 927 trail (Root Canal) but we hadn't seen anything that they deemed useful info.

Gangway!

Fine ride up to Lone Star on Tues night, trails look great, woods are deep and green and quiet (we only saw 2 other riders), and the 32 x 16 gearing on my single led to some nice mellow hikes up the steepest bits. What do you suppose the yellow soil near Champion Mine is made of?

The typical scene at West Mag

...in Monocolor.

The Lookout Trail aspen are exciting and intricate--probably my favorite spot in the area.

This is Renee approaching.


People stop for a break and a hello, propping their bikes properly???

Now you see it...

Thanks to all who stopped by for beers and brats on Sunday and all the patrollers who have gotten out on the West Magnolia trail system this year. We are still running at over 100% coverage per our commitment with the FS, in fact I think only Aug 11 remains completely open for patrol dates thru the end of the season. The world is run by those who show up, and we are showing up in a big way! For those who missed out this weekend we will also have an end of season party sometime in September so stay tuned for details later on. All your names have been submitted to our generous sponsors and you are all invited to submit pictures and ride reports to this blog so send your stories on in!

No tree, no cheater trail. I left the other big trunk in place as cheater was minimal and some of us like the challenge...

Cross training & Casualties

Patrollers Dave Ryan and Matt A getting in some quality cross training on Radio Beacon peak near Rollins Pass

Be careful out there folks! Sounds like two patrollers got clipped over the weekend...Herschel dinged his elbow down to the bone while patrolling at West Magnolia and Hillary S ended up in a helicopter evac after a concussion on a group ride. Sounds like both will be fine but send your best karma for a speedy recovery!

Also if anyone is interested in posting to this blog and needs to be invited by the admin (me) just drop a line. All are welcome to post their pics and stories! I'll be in CB thru the weekend so please remember to check in with me on my cell (720-289-7960) after your patrols and have a great holiday!

Party July 15th!

Party location: Das Chalet

Your hosts: Rose and Matt.

Join us Sunday July 15th for a patroller bbq in the (hopefully) cool high country. We'll have hot coals, cold beers, weiners, marshmellows and condiments for ya. Bring your fancy meats and/or drinks if desired, leave your inhibitions and possibly dignity at home. We will also have a bb gun for target shooting, various skinnies and jumps to break your collarbone on and a lick-prone dog so come prepared. Das Chalet is located at 5256 Hwy 72. From West Magnolia head S on Peak to Peak about a mile to Coal Creek/Hwy 72. head East about 2.5 miles, enter Gilpin County and look for us on the right. 5pm carpool or ride if possible as parking is somewhat limited and please RSVP (significant, or not so significant others welcome) so I know how many weiners to get... see you there, er, here!

Lingering snow up high

If you look for it you can still do some quality drift-wallowing in the high country around Nederland. This photo taken Saturday starting the drop from Caribou to Eldora. Busy weekend at West Magnolia, lotsa Harleys on Peak to Peak and a craft fair in Ned...must be summer! The bookstore is serving ice cream so make sure you stop by for a cone!

Summer arrives with big heat

The yellow clouds of pollen are starting to recede and the recent dry weather has left the forest a bit dusty and parched. Trails are still in great shape but do be on the lookout for braking bumps developing on the steeper/faster bits. With the long days I would consider hitting Eldora (town of) for a climb up to Caribou after your patrol, or mayhaps a tour down to the Dots followed by beers on the deck at Wild Mtn or 1st St... mmmm mmmm!

calling Mitch S.!!

Where you at, my fellow patroller? We need to arrange where and when to get together on Sunday for our patrol! I haven't ridden in West Mag at all this season and I am beyond excited. :) Weeeeee!!!! [you can reach me at fuzzysb at yahoo dot com, but I'm not gonna post my phone number, lord knows what a cretin like Matt Alford would do with that information...]

And they're off!

Boulder Wednesday Night race series kicked off yesterday with at least a couple patrollers in the stands, and a couple more out on the race course!

Matt got his ass handed to him on a platter in the Singlespeed category while Hillary S seemed to be holding her own in Women's Bs. If 25 minutes of sprinting lung-burning twisty, dusty pain sound like your cup 'o tea check out http://www.boulderracing.com/shorttrack.asp for the race schedule. Or just come on down and heckle the racers like Rose A and John P!

Need Help Installing New Kiosk Panels!

I picked up the new panels for West Mag today with all the hardware necessary to install them. I have a screwgun and bits to do the job, but my Subaru really suffered the last time I went to the southern kiosk near site 22.

I'd like to recruit one or two people, one of those people with a high clearance vehicle, to install these panels next week after work.

They are well done pieces of work, although there's no mention of BMA or the Bike Patrol. I've gotten permission to put a BMA sticker on the panels. Maybe we should spring for some bike patrol stickers..... Contact me directly... mtnbikemike@gmail.com

Hobbit 3 logs

Log 1 with cheater bridge

Log 2 with spastic patroller and Richard M in the on deck circle. (Great photos Rich!)

An undefended breath sails on the wind

The above line (if I remembered it correctly) is from a poem I heard recited at the Ned PnR after patrolling last Monday (I visited the new brewpub rather than ride home). With the aspen in leaf, blue skies, moderate temperatures, just enough climbing and such great flow on the trail, indeed my breath did sail away with ease and carry with it all concerns.

To patrol specifics: without confirmations on my patrol dates, I don't know if I was actually supposed to patrol, but I did anyways. It was a quiet day despite the 20+ group ride that came up on the bus with me (few cars in the lots). I gave out a map and discussed the trails with another person who already had a map. I managed to maintain my happy demeanor when presented with a snide tone from the equestrian sweep (twice) and tried to assure a hiker that mountain bikers are not "wild and untamed". Lost a wrench but found a spoon. The trails are in great shape except for some running water on Clear Cut (342). Fort Kiva has collapsed. Finally, patrollers should consider starting the day at Happy Trails, the coffee/bike shop in town. I talked to
two people about the patrol there while replacing a skewer (luckily someone was actually working in the shop).

1st Patrol in the bag

Richard M chases down our favorite Daily Camera shutterbug/author on the first bike patrol of the 2007 season. Trails look great, crowds weren't too crazy for the holiday weekend and the thunder storms stayed at bay. Thanks also to Mike B and Chuck G for getting out on patrols #2 and #3. Great work everyone!

Snow today, gone tomorrow!

8200' at 7am this morning in Coal Creek Canyon. Returning patrollers who did not attend one of our training sessions will still need to sign the volunteer agreement with the FS before patrolling. Elaine will have the sign up forms at the front desk of the FS HQ at 2140 Yarmouth Ave. so please stop by and get signed up. She also has some more maps of West Magnolia for handing out. The West Magnolia map is also available to print off from the BMA website. Keep those dates coming! Thanks to Richard M., Mike B and Chuck G for patrolling this first weekend of the season!

Dont forget the DEET!

I got eaten up when I climbed the School Bus Trail last week. Good thing West Nile hasn't happened above 7000'..... yet.

Be sure to bring repellent!

mtbmike

Aspen Alley

West Magnolia is looking great and we are ready to start patrolling this weekend! If anyone is available for Sunday 5/27 or Monday 5/28 patrols please let me know ASAP and if you have not yet submitted your desired patrol dates please do so soon. I will get a community calendar of some sort up and running so you guys can see what dates are still available. Thanks to all who came out for training with the FS last week, returning patrollers, and all who have volunteered there time and energy to representing mountain bikers in Boulder County. We're looking forward to a great season in the high country!

Blurb in the Daily Camera

http://dailycamera.com/news/2007/may/11/boulder-mountain-bike-patrol-looking-for-new/

BMBP training May 15th OR 17th

West Magnolia trails are quickly clearing though a few drifts linger in the shadiest areas. Well worth riding now though. Big thanks to all who have signed up so far for the training sessions this week. For May 15th I have Rose A., Hillary S., Richard M., Chip & Nancy L., Mike B., Herschel, Dave & Steph R., Justin C., and Matt A. in attendance along with Ed and Elaine from the Forest Service. If anyone else would like to attend please let me know ASAP otherwise I will see the above at the FS HQ in Boulder at 5:30pm 5/15.

Driving Directions to Boulder Ranger District
From Interstate 25
From I-25, exit west at Highway 119. Follow 119 to Boulder and exit Highway 119 west at Jay Road. Follow Jay Road west to Highway 36 and turn north on Highway 36. Go about one mile and watch for the Boulder Ranger District office on the east side of the highway. There is a Smokey Bear fire danger rating sign along Highway 36 in front of our building. Boulder Ranger District 2140 Yarmouth Avenue Boulder, CO 80301

1st patrol completed!

M.A and R.A. got out to the West Magnolia system over the weekend to clean up a few of the many fallen trees blocking the trails, some of which are already creating alternate paths around the obstructions. Bow saw and one quarter horsepower patroller later...

Good to go! The BMBP does provide some basic trail maintenance for the FS on the West Magnolia system though from personal experience I don't recommend carrying a saw around on your back (I cut out about 6 spokes in my front wheel in a wreck later on...). Remember that whatever work we do needs to be compatible with the horses that use this area as well as bikers and hikers and when in doubt contact the Patrol Director or the FS before any major work.

Chainsaw faeries

Submit desired patrol dates ASAP!

Any weekend or Holiday date between 5/26 and 9/3 we have committed to providing a pair of BMBP patrollers at West Magnolia from 10am-5pm. We patrol in pairs (no cow needed) so request dates in pairs if you have a patrol partner in mind and let's book up the early part of the season first if possible. Only dates snapped up so far are 6/9, 6/23 and 7/7 (thanks Chip & Nancy). -Matt

Time to ride!

All NEW prospective patrollers need to attend one of the training sessions at the Forest Service HQ in Boulder on May 15th or 17th. The training will run from 5:30 to about 8pm and will be a great chance to meet some fellow patrollers, eat some pizza and learn about our patrol mission for 2007. Please contact me ASAP and let me know which date you will attend.

All returning patrollers do not need to attend but will have to sign a new Volunteer Agreement with the FS before patrolling for 07. Easiest thing would be for you to stop by one of the training sessions, pick up the 2007 info and sign the agreement then but we can make different arrangements as needed. Do let me know if you would like to attend one of the training sessions so I can get enough pizza and please submit your desired patrol dates for the season. www.moalford@hotmail.com or cell# 720-289-7960

West Magnolia 4/22

Greetings patrollers! I walked the E. Magnolia trails a bit over the weekend and it will be a couple more weeks (at least) before they are clear enough to ride so yet another hot lap at Betasso will have to substitute for the time being. ;) Soon though we'll get out on a couple orientation rides before the patrol season begins. I highly recommend patronizing the local businesses when you do come up to Nederland (after riding the bus of course). Happy Trails makes a great spot to meet your patrol partner and grab a morning coffee, while Wild Mtn sports a sweet deck overlooking the creek and Barker for post-ride beers and wings. In other sweet deal news fellow patroller Nicholas is offering a nice 20% discount on his custom bike art lamps for BMBP members. See http://treeline-designs.com for more info. Don't forget to tell me which patrol date you will attend. Danka, Matthew

BMBP Training sessions May 15th, May 17th

We've gotten our training sessions confirmed at the Forest Service HQ in Boulder (Office Address Boulder Ranger District 2140 Yarmouth Avenue Boulder, CO 80301) for 5:30pm on May 15th & May 17th. You will only need to attend one session, and we will provide pizza and drinks. Please RSVP with me so I can get the proper amount of pizza ordered (crucial!). If you are a returning patroller who attended training in 2006 it is highly recommended to attend one of these sessions as a refresher but not required. You will need to sign a new volunteer agreement with the FS however.

Big thanks to all who came up to meet and drink and bs at the Wild Mountain Smokehouse on Tues! Nice to meet some new patrollers and get psyched up for riding some high country trails soon! -Matthew