The Trailhead

[00:00:03] Speaker A: So do you guys know Sapa and El Camino? [00:00:07] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:00:08] Speaker A: Do you have a favorite one? Which one is it? I've been on both. Do you have a favorite one? [00:00:14] Speaker B: No. [00:00:14] Speaker A: They all pretty good. [00:00:16] Speaker B: And so it begins. [00:00:19] Speaker A: Southpaw is the blue. [00:00:20] Speaker B: The names of our local trails are becoming familiar and meaningful to a group of young mountain bike riders. Tonight it's Southpaw and El Camino. Tomorrow, or next month or next year, it will be Mother T. Starbucks Revenge. Rock Lobster. One day, some of these kids will know all the trails, and they'll probably speak of them the same way that we do, as if they're intimate friends. [00:00:49] Speaker A: Couple of pretty sweet berms up top. [00:00:52] Speaker B: So it's got a little bit of everything. But will they ever wonder or ask who built these trails and why do you. [00:01:10] Speaker A: Shall we get going? [00:01:25] Speaker B: As the kids pedal away, four guys are just finishing their own ride. [00:01:30] Speaker A: What trail did you guys just ride? Easy Money. [00:01:33] Speaker B: Easy Money in the Payback. Do you know anything about that trail? Do you know who built it? [00:01:39] Speaker A: I know a guy named Colby, did a lot of work on it, like in the last couple years, but none. [00:01:44] Speaker B: Of them knows who actually created the trail. Is that a history you'd be all interested in if it was available to you? [00:01:50] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:01:52] Speaker B: They seem genuinely curious when they turn my question around, do I know who built it? As a matter of fact, I know the builders pretty well. Thanks. And even so, the story of Easy Money is rather vague to me. We're lucky to have so many great trails in the Yukon. A great trail can sweep you off your feet. It can knock you on your ass, it can work your problems out, whatever they may be. And yet, how little some of us know about these trails that are so central to our lives. Every Trail Tells a Story is a new podcast that records and shares the histories of our Yukon trails, one trail and one story at a time. In this series, we'll get to know the dreamers, the bushwhackers, the builders, the planners, the artists, and, yes, the rogues who brought our favorite trails to life. They'll explain their motivation. [00:03:06] Speaker A: One of the goals was to give myself something that I couldn't ride. So mission accomplished so far. [00:03:11] Speaker B: They'll discuss the process. [00:03:13] Speaker C: Naming is part of the culture of trail building, right? You do it, you're building a trail, you're thinking all these goofy names. It's kind of like, oh, that'd be a good band name, right? It's either a good band name or it's a good trail name. [00:03:25] Speaker B: They'll share their favorite memories. [00:03:27] Speaker D: In Carcross, at the end of the pedestrian bridge, there was a fellow that would spend his whole summer camped out in his Unimog camper and every morning he would cheerfully wave at us in his Speedo in a lawn chair. I don't think I've ever seen crew in Kirk Ross more horrified than at that moment. [00:03:46] Speaker B: And in the end they'll add whole new dimensions to the rides. You know so well. [00:03:54] Speaker E: I think every trail has a story and every builder has a story about why they put that trail there and how come they picked it, why they put that feature or what they were thinking. And all those stories add to the richness of the trail. You know, just hearing right now about a trail that I love, not knowing that part of the story. I can't wait to. I can't wait to learn more about it. [00:04:16] Speaker B: Subscribe to Every Trail Tells a Story. Wherever you get your podcasts, stay tuned for the first episode, the Story of Southpaw. Coming soon.