Chattanooga, TN: Well Bless Your Heart!

Well-marked signage led volunteers to the trailwork site on Raccoon Mountain.
The Crew laid out a new section of trail near a rock bluff overlooking the Tennessee River on Raccoon Mountain.
SORBA's Walt Bready puts in some quality time with the action hoe.
Nearly 50 volunteers showed up on an unseasonably cold Saturday to finish trail on Raccoon Mountain.

Trail Care Crew members Ryan and Kristin received warm southern hospitality at the Chattanooga Singletrack Summit, April 12-15. They also got some support from IMBA headquarters: Flying in from the Boulder were IMBA Policy Analyst Drew Vankat and Field Programs coordinator Spencer Powlison. The Summit was a great opportunity to reconnect with the road-based Crew and share additional IMBA knowledge with local land managers and mountain bikers.

SORBA Chattanooga has been hard at work lately progressing towards their goal of 100 miles of singletrack within 10 miles of downtown by 2010. A lofty goal by anyone's standards, but they're building quality trails on Raccoon Mountain and in Booker T. Washington State Park. The IMBA crew scoped some advanced cross country and freeride lines and got a good feel for the outstanding forest and natural rock features that highlight the area.

After swinging by Porker's for some down-home southern barbeque, Ryan and Kristin grabbed the spotlight Thursday night with a TCC presentation on freeriding and another on organizational development. SORBA Chattanooga has been racking up some very impressive hours building trail, and Ryan and Kristin reminded them not to let social events fall by the wayside.

Friday included another stop at Porker's (the pulled pork is a must) and a land manager roundtable with presentations by IMBA's Vankat and SORBA Chattanooga's Greg Laudeman. It was great to see a large and diverse representation of different city, county, state and federal lands, plus a few non-profit representatives. This kind of communication is essential to maintaining enthusiasm as 2010 nears. After a heaping slice of cake at the Mud Pie deli, Drew, Spencer, Kristin and Ryan met a good crowd of locals for a group ride.

With a dedicated group of core members and a healthy dose of cooperative land managers, SORBA Chattanooga is really making things happen. Between the projects currently underway and those planned for the near future, we're seeing the emergence of a new destination spot for sweet riding.