Three months ago I went out with Martin Newman and Penny Deck and
we placed 20 large weatherproofed photographs along
Penny Lane and
Good Sir Martin on the North Shore of Vancouver, BC, Canada. The photos were culled from 21,262 that I took over 9 months documenting the process of building those trails. They show everything from hiking around in the bush deciding where the line should go to celebrating at the end with champagne. We said that they would be up until September, and last night we took them down.
Before the project went up I was scared. Scared that the Internet would become overrun with haters, or that the photos would be vandalized, or that — worst of all — no one would care. But instead, it’s been fantastic. I’ve never talked to so many people on the trails before. There’s been everything from a quick hello to exchanging contact information to a half-hour sit-down where we got lapped multiple times by the same rider. Then going home afterward and reading more kind and heartfelt comments online have made it even better.
This seems like a good opportunity to reflect on the impact that Penny Lane and Good Sir Martin have had on Seymour in the past year. Before they existed, if you wanted to ride up Seymour you had to either take
Old Buck or the road. Both start on the eastern side of the mountain and neither is an especially pleasant ride. Now there’s an option starting further west that is very pleasant.
In these heat maps, taken from Trailforks data, brighter red means more rides. Aside from the overall increase in the number of people using the app we can see that Penny Lane and Good Sir Martin have quickly taken their place amongst the most popular trails on Seymour. The whole area with
Severed D,
John Deer (both of which were adopted by Martin and Penny), and
Asian Adonis have become a very popular part of the mountain, with many people doing multiple laps of the new climb. There are also plenty of stalwarts still taking Old Buck, which has been great for spreading people across the mountain.
It’s pretty obvious to us that bikers get along well with hikers and runners 99.99999% of the time, but the larger world hears only about the most extreme cases of conflict. When I mention mountain biking and hiking to a friend who does neither, I find it’s pretty likely that they’ll reply with something like “
oh, did you hear about the person who was setting traps?” It’s a sad reality that in no way reflects the actual situation on the trails. I spent a lot of time thinking about what to say to the public if we were given the opportunity and, in addition to telling people about the unsung work of trail builders everywhere, I wanted to tell people there’s no conflict because it seemed like a simple thing to say but a rare opportunity to say it.
Pre-interview nerves: Penny and I just before appearing on BC1 News. We were in a small studio with the anchor in a different room. It was extremely intimidating. Photo by Martin Newman.
We were very fortunate to have this opportunity on
Global News,
BC1 News,
Our Vancouver on CBC, and in a number of online and written publications. I never got used to it, and before every interview, I was a sweaty, pacing, bundle of nerves.
During the build I bought a ladder, named Laddie, to try and get a different view of the action. It looked bigger in the store. Photo by Penny Deck.
It’s fitting that the photos come down now: mid-September marks exactly two years since I first approached Martin and Penny about the project. As I took a recent ride through the photos, I was struck by how intertwined my life has become with this project and these two trails. Whether it’s the photo I took shortly after the death of my friend or the spot where I cuddled with my girlfriend when we snuck up mid-week to take pictures of the project for its debut, these photos, these trails, Martin and Penny, and I have become linked forever.
When I first set off with Martin to hike around in the bush, I never guessed that we’d be back in the same spot almost two years later to hang a sheet of plastic on a tree. Or that we'd be back again to smile nervously for a TV camera. Or that I’d feel so sad to be back once more to take that sheet of plastic down.
Thank you to everyone who took the time to talk on the trail, who emailed me, or who posted about the project online. Your kindness has made this project a wonderful experience. Thank you.
Evidence of Trail Fairies was up along
Penny Lane and
Good Sir Martin on
Mount Seymour in
Vancouver, BC, Canada between June and September 2016.
You can
take a look at the entire project online.
MENTIONS:
@euan-forrester /
@trailforks / @englishman (Martin) /
@mtbmudhoney (Penny)
I'm from Saint Louis, Missouri (USA). I can't help but think this would be a great way to increase the level of involvement from the growing number of off-road trail users. I certainly am NOT in favor of ripping off such creative ideas off wholesale - but if I can't think of something better, would it be alright if it achieves a similar end-goal as held by the original artists (you yourself, Euan, plus Martin and Penny)?
:P
Of course when you scream STRAVAAaaaaa everyone clears the way (jk)
1970 called, it wants its misogyny back.
- Where are you?
- Tern left before the picture with those three dudes without girl and then turn right after the picture with all of them.
- Roger that!