Alex Ray with Payette Environmental makes the initial rough cut for the Heinrich Demo Trail.
Alex Ray with Payette Environmental in McCall created the new Heinrich Demonstration Trail over the last two weeks, and then we capped it off with a successful volunteer work day on Saturday, Nov. 7 in partnership with the Central Idaho Mountain Biking Association.
We’d like to thank all of our 25+ volunteers for coming out for the productive work day~! We were blessed with cool and foggy weather in the morning and early afternoon for the work day, and then it started to rain and snow in the afternoon, leaving about 3 inches on the ground Sunday morning. The timing couldn’t have been better!
CIMBA president Wayne Ruemmelle, left, and VCP Donnelly board member Brett Shepherd bring rock to the turnpike with wheelbarrows to raise the level of the trail over a bog.
We’re going to let the trail compact under the snow this winter and put the finishing touches on it next spring, likely in May or after the valley melts out.
Alex did a super job on cutting in the trail with a mini-excavator, creating a smooth and firm trail surface that’s about three feet wide at the moment. Our volunteers raked the upslope and the downslope of the trail, so water and runoff will drain into the ditch below. Some seeding will be needed to prevent weeds from moving in next year.
Volunteers put finishing touches on the turnpike structure.
Alex also led a group of about 10 volunteers to build a “turnpike” on the trail, a raised trail surface with base rock, beefy 12-inch diameter timbers, fill dirt and fabric to provide a place for the trail to cross over a boggy spot. That was a big job for that team of volunteers!
Many thanks to our friends with CIMBA for coming out to help with the work day and provide trail tools for our volunteers. Wyatt Albright with In-Motion Performance Bike Service brought out the CIMBA trailer and a pop-up shelter for the day. He provided a much-needed safety and orientation talk for everyone before we got started, including being safe about covid. People wore masks if there were in close proximity.
Volunteers do upslope and downslope finishing work on the trail
Steve Stuebner with VCP talked about our long-range plan to build 70 miles of singletrack sidewalks valley-wide to connect our communities, enhance health and fitness, provide pedestrian commuting corridors, and improve our economy.
Speaking of which, we want to thank our board member Andrew Mentzer and the West Central Mountains Economic Development Council for funding a portion of the trail-construction cost for the Heinrich Demo Trail.
We are quite excited about seeing the first of many singletrack sidewalk projects come to fruition with the Heinrich Demo Trail. It’s nearly a mile long, running from the south end of the North Valley Rail Trail to Norwood on the north side of Heinrich Lane. It will provide a safe place for people to walk, run, bike or ride horseback in a country setting.
Please stay tuned for our grand opening next spring! We may be auctioning off the chance to be the first person to ride the trail!
If you’d like to donate to VCP, go here.
Thank you!
Lunch break! Thanks to the Albertson’s store in McCall for making sack lunches for our volunteers and providing a $50 discount!
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