30 people showed up to assist Ed and his two rangers knock out the Lilac trail tread. Some went easy while other sections took some real engineering skills. Nothing is wider than 24 inches and is all a work of art. Everyone who showed up pulled their weight. Even had a few first timers. Some more bushing along the upslope is needed in a few places but we finished the entire section. Here is a photo journal of what we did.

So first what we had to work with.







Everybody showed up at 8 am, signed their lives away, grabbed the tools, and hiked the quarter mile to the trail sight. The tread had to be exposed and benched. Some areas were easy, while others required a lot of digging to get down to a reasonable line.

Rough cut


Get it Rod!!


Strike team doing what they do best






Now it is starting to look like it is supposed to.





The most challenging part was at the end of the current cut. It was a rock outcropping that would take a lot of effort and will be a signature piece once the trail is complete.

The location . No, she is not taking a dump....


Gathering BIG rocks


Installing said rocks


Laying the tread


Close up of the Romanesque artistry


If you like this and you want to help, there is still a lot to do and we need all the help you are willing to supply. PM me your email and I will add you to our mailing list. This will only be used for work on Black Mountain. There will most likely be a standing Saturday morning trail build for a while but there is always need for strike teams and special ops. Let me know and I will include you.

Thank you to everyone who showed up on short notice. It was great to see such an effort and I cannot wait until we get to opening day. Once we get closer, I will post that date.

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The world does not revolve around you but your actions impact us all!

Those pictures don't do justice to all the work that got done today -- half a mile of sweet single track out of what once was a nearly unwalkable side slope trail, with two sections of pretty major rock work. If you want to see it, I guess you'll have to volunteer for the next trail work day.

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A bicycle is a splendid thing.
~Ernest Hemingway

For reference the new trails plan is available as a PDF in this thread:

http://sdmba.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=142


http://sdmba.com/forum/download/file.php?id=1223&mode=view

We knocked out the 1000 yard section shown in red. The yellow section still needs siting, and brushing by ranger staff before we can do more work.

However the blue linking trail is all sited and sitting waiting for us to work it. If we can get a midweek party together, we can make some real progress on that link too. Furthermore it's legal to drink adult malt beverages in the nearby community park (no glass though) and we can toast the day's achievements when we get done

Really nice to have people coming from all over the county. We had us some peeps from Jamul (the good side), North county (Old Dog town) and all parts beyond. There were DT'ers, MTBR's, Meetups, and SDMBA was in the house! I think there was a guy from Norcal too! Way to step up everyone

If the rangers can brush the section from the glider port towards the new section on Monday/Tuesday
(before the rain) this weekend we could start there and work towards the new trail. There will have to be some creative thinking when it comes to that other ridge and the bridge needed

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You never know what tomorrow will bring so go ride your EBike today or walk your pooch
Fear the Yeti
"Go ride your bike today, don't let the old man in.."

Mike