Making Trails in Jamaica

A big thanks to everyone who came out for The  Trails Council’s annual membership meeting on Nov.17!  Attendance  on Nov. 17 was a little lower than we’d hope — perhaps due to the heavy rain — but those who made it had a good food and drink, great door prizes and heard an excellent  presentation, “Maximizing the  Community Value of Trails” by Randy Martin, professional trail designer and builder.

Swoopy Trails

Randy’s firm, Trailscape, has completed trail projects in the Sierra foothills, Susanville, CA, and most recently, Jamaica. Randy spoke on how well designed and built trails provide value to communities as they satisfy the growing demand  for outdoor recreation while providing an experience with nature that feeds the heart and soul. In Randy’s experience, trails with a relatively low overall grade (4-6%) and short, steeper grade reversals create undulating trails that are durable and more enjoyable for all users. Through slides and videos, he demonstrated how this design worked in a number of settings, with a focus on a single track trail recently completed near Susanville and his project in Jamaica.

Randy has more videos from these and other projects on YouTube.

Elections and Swag

After a brief presentation of the year’s accomplishments and events, accompanied by trail project photos courtesy of  Tim Mayer, the entire Board of Directors was reelected (thank you!).  And thanks to our sponsors, REI, Sonoma Bicycle Company and Fly Goat Coffee, almost all attendees came away with a door prize, including a Giro helmet and Sonoma Bicycle Company gift certificates, a sleeping bag, backpack, jackets, premium coffee and more. Finally, a big thanks to all the members of the Board for putting together a great evening!