The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Peak Sports kicks down
John Chandler, manager of Peak Sports, will be heading into the woods for a week to work on the Carbon Creek trail, including trail work and some mapping with a GPS.
Chandler was nominated by Peak Sports to be an Epic Volunteer, which is part of the Vail Resorts Echo Stewardship Program. The program accepts proposals for volunteer work in conjunction with a non-profit and this year the Echo Stewardship Program received more than 100 applicants. In the end, Chandler’s proposal was one of 18 picked out of the bunch for funding. Furthermore, the stewardship program pays the individuals for their work.
Chandler picked the Crested Butte Mountain Bike Association (CBMBA) as his partner non-profit and put together a proposal on the Carbon Creek trail area.
“I’m kind of doing CBMBA’s work with the Forest Service as a paid volunteer,” says Chandler.
The Carbon Creek trail runs from Ohio Creek Pass behind Axtel and into the drainage between and Whetstone Mountain and Axtel. With a bit of knowledge, committed trail users can connect with trails such as para mi, para ti (a.k.a., the Don Cook trail) as well as the Green Lake trail.
Due to the trail’s location, Chandler will spend a full week in the woods to get the job done.
“It’s kind of like a no-man’s-land because it’s hard to get to,” explains Chandler. “I’ll be camping in there, doing some trail maintenance and GPS stuff.”
The hope was to start work this week but recent trips into the area discovered snow remains on large sections of the trail deep in the trees. As a result, Chandler postponed his plan to later in the summer.
“At this point, my goal is to wait until things slow down and do it toward the end of August,” says Chandler.
Chandler’s work this summer may eventually lead to bigger and better things in the Carbon Creek trail area, bringing more trail opportunities to trail users.
