Solo Explorations of the Chuckanuts - Video
There are fewer things greater than discovering a new riding area. It’s even greater if it just happens to be in your own backyard - a hidden gem that somehow slipped your eye. Toss in a beautiful landscape, lush forest and fresh trails, and you’ve really got it made. While I’ve heard whispers of the Chuckanut trails many times before, I had always put it on the back-burner. Just as any Bellinghamster (Bellingham resident, not a type of hamster, although the variations of hipster/hippy beards might indicate otherwise) will attest to, the extensive amount of trails will keep anyone busy for quite some time. Nevertheless, the appeal of something new and unridden can be enough to interrupt the rides of the tried and true.
I soon had the opportunity for an intro Chuckanut ride with some friends. Two laps later and I was hooked. A few days after that, and I set out for the same trails again, this time with a camera and alone. Why solo you ask? Because solo rides are some of the most epic, sensational, purest and adrenaline inducing rides ever, of course. That, or I had been graced with nearly no final exams, and everyone else was stuck inside studying. I’d like to think of it as a combination of the two...
“He who travels alone, travels fastest,” unless you’ve got a camera in your hands that is. The opposite is usually true if that’s the case. Waiting for good light and getting your desired composition are made even harder when you’re working on both sides of the lens. In these types of situations, it’s best to be alone.
The Chuckanuts not only offered me loamy, fresh dirt, but a spectacular landscape that is truly unique to the area. Taking the time to stop, stare and listen, adds much to the riding experience for me. Maybe its just a Northwesterner bias, but a trail’s surroundings - forests, mountains, rivers, wildlife, etc. is a big element of what makes them great, or not. It provides a kind of context and character, making it much more than a twisting line of dirt.
Exploring an area alone can be one of the most rewarding (or frustrating) experiences on a mountain bike. It keeps things fresh and new; an important aspect in our sport. While many of us stick with our favorite trails, there’s always much more out there. As the snow slowly melts away this Juneuary, more is opening up and ready to be discovered, alone or with your buddies. It’s easy to get stuck in a rut, but luckily it's not that hard go out and find a new one to ride either.
Cheers,
Ryan
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Now that this was posted, everybody's mother from Kansas is going to go up there looking for the hidden trails, lots of which are not supposed to be there. The park service is then going to have to crack down and close off a bunch of stuff because of high traffic. Worst case, they close it off completely to MTB, which they WILL do if volume gets as high as Galbraith.
Remember, this is not private property. If people start getting hurt, trails get wider, and the flora and fauna are affected, the parks will be much quicker to close it than a logging company.
The press is giving MTBs a bad name in this community. Have you read about lookout mountain issues? The last thing we need is a video of you tearing up the State Park, and advertising (very dramatically) to every mountain biker in the world.
Take this vid down, or at least edit out the location info.
www.pinkbike.com/video/257061
www.pinkbike.com/news/Dismantling-North-Fork-Whatcom-County-2012.html
I think that many locals in our area are still mourning the loss of the North Fork and rightfully so. With relatively recent headlines about access to Galbraith and Northfork; it is hard to praise publicity about any local trail.
I'd like to take some time to address a few of the comments/messages I've received:
In response to the criticism about the jeopardizing of the secrecy of the trails: I'm sorry. I never consciously meant to include the trails' signage. It just happened in the editing process - anyone who's done an edit knows how that goes. Nevertheless, this isn't the only publication of these trails with discreet and indiscreet indications of their locations. The parks service knows all too well about the trails, their current use and condition. It is after all a public, mapped, multi-use trail system. I only wished to portray a riding spot I truly enjoyed and appreciated in a positive light.
If the trail is in risk of being shut down, let's be proactive about it. Open up a dialogue with parks service; mountain bikers have a very active and effective voice here in Bellingham so why not use it? It's worked countless times before, and with great success too. The only times it hasn't been successful is when we've swept it under the rug, and waited until it was too late. Misuse/improper maintenance and poor communication jeopardize trails considerably more than merely one short video about it, posted on a mountain biking website. With a little work, a fully legal, sustainable and impressive trail network could be added to the many others that we already have.
Also: The Subie headlight is now fixed. She runs great, but I rarely shuttle. If you wish to peddle that road with ~30 lbs of camera gear for me, then by all means... The moving shots were done by zoom/pan editing in Final Cut. Simple stuff really, and keeps self-edits interesting. Shot on one 7D.
Mods: If you wish to take it down, then so be it. From a cinematographer's standpoint it's a slap in the face, but I'll do a re-edit if need be.
Thanks for all the comments, critiques and kudos so far. I truly appreciate it.
-Ryan
Although I truly believe your heart was in the right place, It's just best to remove the video. This is not an instance where it is best to expose a trail that is not built for increased exposure, and then to ask to work for "dialogue" and "communication" afterward.
The trail is the thing that will suffer the most, and is already suffering from erosion.
Just take a look below and see the comments of the people that already want to ride it, and multiply that many times over. Remember, there are many "spiders" out there that don't post that take a look at something and want to go ride it, and you've more or less given turn by turn directions to get them there.
I again ask that you take it down.
Best Regards,
Chad
This is an important discussion to have, because I think this is a common misconception by those who don't understand the MTB advocacy issues.
The demand argument is a very valid argument in many civic and private situations. For example, when communicating with the city that we need bike lanes, or even better, a separate bike commute infrastructure (critical mass). Or, when convincing private land owners (Galbraith) that cooperative organized trail building will actually reduce the number of trails, have a lower impact, and reduce the liability of the owners.
You are also absolutely right, that if there suddenly became a large demand, more trails would be built. However, they would be built by private land owners or by private communities FIRST, which would be great. Private land cooperation was the method in Bend. Although Bend is a bit different, it was built on tourism. It was on private land that first trails were built. After 35 YEARS of a completely tourist driven economy, in 2010, NTA finally got Oregon State to agree to a SMALL step in private MTB trail management in state parks. bikeportland.org/2010/03/25/mountain-bike-group-signs-historic-agreement-with-oregon-state-parks-31192. 35 YEARS (almost twice your age)!!! of very careful political wrangling was required.
(See continued)
An example to illustrate my point would be this: If the demand for fishing suddenly increased and became extremely popular in the area, do you think the Department of Fisheries would say, "Demand is up, let's lengthen the fishing season, and increase the number of fish taken per person." Of course not, they are managing a natural resource with limited supply. The same thing goes for the flora and fauna in State and National Parks. They are limited resources. Even if you don't think they are in limited supply, these organizations do, and you certainly won't gain any political ground by telling them that there is a huge demand for MTB.
I guarantee if there were 500 cars driving up there per day, parking there all day, they would freak out.
On another note, you are very talented at cinematography, editing, writing, and yes you're a pretty good biker. If you want to get involved in the political issues, your skills would be very useful. You should contact WHIMPS, and work with them to create a political documentary about why MTB is great for the Bellingham / Whatcom community, and how WHIMPS trail building practices are top notch in terms of environmental friendliness and safety.
I live in Renton and will be heading up to Bellingham at some point soon and talking to the local shops about some good rides. I agree with what you've said...be proactive about the trails. Down Seattle-way, we're fortunate to have a strong advocacy group in Evergreenmtb.org. I've been involved with them since they were BBTC, and they've come a long way in working with land managers for trail access. Haven't won all the fights, but they have opened up areas that would likely have been off limits.
Great vid - you've got a good eye for filming, and I really enjoyed it. And beats the hell out of being sequestered away to study for exams, eh?
Your home: goo.gl/maps/7DPQ
Our home: goo.gl/maps/02si
Enough said.
I am moving out next year. Sorry to make you sad but make room cuz I'm coming home to the west as soon as I'm done with school.
Also, I assume you are talking about population density with you map reference. We have tons of small farms and you can't go far without coming to another road. We are a lot more like Europe in that way and it hasn't made Europe any less rideable. It isn't like the West, but at least we have learned not abuse what we have. We quit clear cutting 70 years ago but for some reason it continues in the north west. When it comes to wilderness management WA could learn a little from NY.
But I'm not really talking about wilderness management in my comment above. I'm talking about how cyclists are seen. I know the two points are connected but what I am really saying is Bellingham could be like Bend and Hood River Oregon with a little bit of political action and a show of numbers. Those towns (and Oregon in general) seem much more supportive of the sport and as a result their trails aren't shut down and they have management plans that keep their forests safe and beautiful. If a million mtbr's all hit town at the same time I promise the town would notice and suddenly the protesters would get a little attention. Some politician would say "this is a big economic boost for us here in Bellingham" right before he said "so we are partnering with IMBA to build a new system of trails and work out a plan to maintain the ones we have so everyone can enjoy them."
However, that independence may go away since state funding for the parks is diminishing and revenue must now be generated by park passes, which creates a conflict of interest. That is, with park passes, now they rely on volume of visitors for funding, which I think is wrong.
More info on the distinction: www.mount-rainier-cabins.com/45-difference-between-national-parks-and-national-forests
These issues are much more complex than they appear on the surface.
I tend to ride there from Bellingham though - did you know the Interurban goes all the way out there Ryan?
It's refreshing to see some plain 'ol trail riding in a beautiful location. Thanks for the vid. :-)
I like that subarus are easy to fix. I pulled the engine and did my gaskets a month after I bought it and I had never pulled an engine before. Took me about a week with almost no help. It has it's problems but it is fun and cheap (if you buy an old one).
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