NewsMTBco & FOSS Re Route Captain Nemo (Crawford)
November 11, 2009
I got the call sometime last week from Brad Wright of The Friends of The South Slope (FOSS) asking if I could take a look at the flagged line re-routing the very top of Captain Nemo in Myra-Bellevue Provincial Park (Crawford). The re-route is intended to provide all users with an easier climb up the final few hundred meters of Nemo onto the Kettle Valley Rail bed (KVR).
Anyone who has ever climbed to the KVR via Captain Nemo can attest to the fact that this last section is brutal. It’s a hike a bike pretty much. Seems the horse riders and hikers of FOSS don’t like it either. The email went out to a group of MTBco members who had helped out to do some re route work on Vapour last year and everyone was on board to go get some work done on Sunday, November 8th. Everyone met up top at 10am (except Scott who climbed up to come do some work!). Brad Wright of FOSS brought Mccleod tools and Pulaskis and within a few minutes of arriving work was started. Teams worked away at various sections of bench cut, most of which required a lot of engineering work with rocks and logs to support the trails as it cut off camber along the steep KVR slope. Massive rocks were moved and placed to help reduce the grade of the only major swithback within the new section.
After a few hours of hard work the crew managed to get the section of trail to about half done with the bulk of the more difficult areas complete. Althought its not yet ridable, one more day of work should seal the deal. Weather dependant the work may get done this fall but most likely it will be a spring job. Look forward to a much easier climb for this last section of Captain Nemo and a longer, more flowing decent along the new section of trail.
Big thanks to all who helped out!
(Dave Petrik, Kinga Gortel, Scott Lahrs, Lee MacKay, Jon Matlock (and friend, can’t recall his name?), Joe, Roy, Brad Wright)
Mike Kittmer
Director, MTBco
To all the MTBco volunteers that worked with FOSS Director Brad Wright on Nov. 8 – THANKS! The Captain Nemo Trail Realignment project is well underway. Between FOSS, Fortis, and MTBco volunteers, 102 hours have been spent planning, flagging, brushing, and now building this section of trail. Next spring, when weather permits, FOSS will complete the project and open the trail.
In August, FOSS hired a contractor who used a small dozer to repair eroded sections on lower Captain Nemo, and numerous sections of Lost Lake Trail and Fireweed. We really appreciate the ongoing support of MTBco – we all benefit from trail improvement projects.
FYI, FOSS has hired a forestry contractor who will be working on Lost Lake Trail in Myra-Bellevue over the next few weeks. Standing burned trees that may fall on the trail will be felled. The scope of the project is from the SRE Trailhead to just south of the junction of Lost Lake Trail and Lost Lake Loop (basically, the ‘burn’ area of Lost Lake Trail). When the fallers are on site, sections of the trail will be closed to the public. The contractor has authorization to use motorized vehicles in the park. Please obey all posted closures and find an alternate trail when work is in progress. FOSS purpose in funding this project is to provide the public with a ‘minimal risk corridor’ you can head for if the wind comes up when you are in the park. As Lost Lake Trail is the major double track in the park, it was chosen for this project.