Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship

We had another successful trail daze this last weekend, regardless of the cold spell that descended upon the Sierra. More than 30 volunteers helped brush and create rolling dips on the Long Lake trail. The fall colors were in full effect. Here are some pics from the trail day. Big thanks to all those who made the trek out! See All Pics Here Add your pics to the SBTS Group Flickr Pool

by Mark McAuliffe

I was introduced to Downieville by my two teenage sons, who had gone there to ride and participate with the trail stewardship program youth program. They brought back some fun photos, talked for days about the great time they had meeting new people, learning about downhill mountain biking and discovering what it takes to maintain world class trails up in the mountains. But what I noticed most was the looks in their faces the day they came home,something big had happened up there , they both seemed an inch taller, their awareness of nature had expanded, their exitement lasted weeks, this was drawing me in.  Read More »

Who is Palatar? Unless you were one of the chosen few to hear the memorable and remarkable campfire story by Max, you'll have to wait until the next Epic... or go camp out with the Quincy boys at the Smith Lake base camp. Epic Recap: Trails were ridden, bikes were carried, paths were hiked, meat was grilled, new friends were made, laughs exploded, and rumor has it that somebody threw up... although I didn't see it nor was there any photo documentation, so we can only speculate at this point. To view pictures of the event, click here(if you have any pics from the event, upload them on Flickr and send them to the SBTS Group Pool por favor). The Trail Daze event on Sunday was a huge success, producing about 2,000 feet of completed trail, making that re-rout about 75% finished. This is great news since we're approaching the fall where snow fall will halt production in the high country in the next couple months. We had a total of 52 volunteers who contributed over 400 hours to this trail. Thank you to all who came out.  Read More »

I discovered Downieville three years ago on a class trip, and although we had to leave early because of a forest fire near our campground, two things had made a very strong impression on me. First of course, were the trails around that area, which were so fun to ride, and the second was the people at Yuba Expeditions. When we arrived, Wayne was there waiting there, and we all just walked into the shop and instantly felt relaxed and happy. I saw tons of sweet bikes and parts hanging around and knew this was my kind of place. After that, Wayne brought us to a campground that we were going to stay at and helped us set up. This kind of courtesy, from somewhat of a stranger to most of us, is something you don't see everyday anymore. In the following days, Yuba brought up their shuttle van and picked us up, brought us to the top of the mountain and introduced us all to the art of trail building. I had honestly never really thought about who makes and maintains the trails I ride everyday. The guys at Yuba showed us some tools and techniques that day, that have paved the way to me doing work on trails at home, just because it feels good to do. After that little bit of trail work though, I was hooked. What a great way to spend a weekend! As soon as our trip was over, I wanted to head back up there, and I did, for one of Yuba's Trail Daze. That too was and awesome experience, and what I realized when I got home was; when people go to Downieville, they are always in a good mood. No one can feel crummy there, and that's what makes it so fun to go there and help out.  Read More »

Did you know that if you turn off all the lights and type by the light of your laptop that your screen will attract flies, beetles, and all forms of insects? It's true... and is happening right now... and since it's the mountains, the bugs are seriously gigantic. Trail Update: The Smith Lake trail is done and our crew has moved on to the next project which is the creation of multiple switch backs coming off the back side of Elwell. The old(current) trail there is steep, unsustainable, and turns into a river when wet, so these switch backs will be a nice improvement once completed. We've finished brushing on the new section and 3 of the switch backs have been constructed. Our crew will continue work on this section until the snow falls and we'll be working here the Sunday of the Epic weekend with as many volunteers as we can muster. On the team note, Carroll has temporarily left us to go off to school for the fall(we miss you Carroll!). However, Cosmo, the SBTS Spiritual Leader has stepped up to take a larger role to fill Carroll's place. In addition to giving sage guidance, Cosmo practices his spirituality by levitating boulders into place. I joined Cosmo, Little Brad, and Max this week for 4 days of trail work and a proper camp out. Reality check: trail work is a lot harder when you do it more than one day. I would like to give a personal salute to our guys for doing such a great job day in and day out, because it isn't easy. You guys are strong and awesome. I would also like to give a shout out to the Gray Eagle lodge for their continued support throughout the summer.  Read More »

Email received from Willie this morning: The new trail, Smith / Jamison Connector, aka Cheez It, will be opened today. We will do the last of the blasting and open the entrance up to the Smith Lake Trail. It is incredible and is receiving rave reviews by visitors and the Forest Service.