Oregon Trails Get Some IMBA Love

Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew visits U.S. Army Corps of Engineers trails in Lowell, Oregon.

Members of the Northwest Youth Corps and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers work together to assemble cribs for a retaining wall.
IMBA Trailbuilding School participants work hard to create a full bench constructed trail.
Lora works with two volunteers to armor a low spot in the trail and protect the tree's exposed roots.
Last minute alterations are made to a crib using a cross-cut saw.
The finished crib wall will support the trail tread on a steep and loose slope.
The local mountain bike club, Disciples of Dirt, renames itself the Dunces of Dirt after cleaning up the safety pylons on the side of the road.
To top off an already excellent weekend, all IMBA Trailbuilding School participants were invited to ride the fantastic trails around Oakridge.

The Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew hit the Northwest to team with local cyclists, land managers and one of the nation's top youth corps to build singletrack in Lowell, Oregon. Part of IMBA's memorandum of understanding with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Trail Care Crew connected with the Corps , the Northwest Youth Corps, and local cyclists to lead an IMBA Trailbuilding School and demonstrate trail maintenance techniques.

A slideshow at Paul's Bicycle Way of Life in Eugene kicked off the weekend. Crew leaders Mark Schmidt and Lora Woolner shared stories and photos of some of their favorite trails around the world, while those attending munched on snacks and beverages provided by Paul's.

The IMBA Trailbuilding School took place Saturday at the Lowell Ranger Station. The school started indoors and focused on concepts behind sustainable trail design, construction and maintenance, the group then moved outside for hands-on instruction.

In the field, participants worked on a re-route of the North Fork Trail around the new Ivan Oaks campground. In the half-day session, volunteers learned how to layout trail, construct full bench, armor trail with rock and install supportive crib walls.

Thanks to all who attended and to those who helped make this visit a success. To read more about the Trail Care Crew's time in Lowell, see the article in the Eugene Register Guard.