Gateway Green Build Journal: Week Two

Updates | Nov 15, 2016

The original post of this article is on Bermstyle.com.

All words and photos by Jason Van Horn.

The entrance to the wooded section of single track at Gateway Green as of this Sunday.

The fellas have been hard at work at Gateway Green, charging through and cutting trail. Not only have they broken through the initial section in the trees, but this week the first call for volunteers went out.

Gateway Green, at the start of week two.

A few hardy volunteers stepped up, helping on site Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

At the end of week two.

Being that its Portland and rains half the time, much of the trail surface needs to be hardened in order to be ridable year around. This is most easily performed with the introduction of aggregate. The gravel and small stone particles mix with the wet soil to create a firmer, ridable surface that compacts better, holds less water and aids with drainage.

 Fresh muddy trail, before and after.

Sunday saw 18 or so volunteer trail builders come out to work on the first bike friendly single track in years.

A volunteer at work at the Gateway Green Dirt Lab in Portland, Oregon.

A straight section with undulating grade dips.

This section of trail should be fun in either direction, but we wouldn’t be surprised if it ends up being marked one way due to the amount of traffic its bound to receive.

Gravel and rock were loaded in the Carrycom, a motorized wheelbarrow and carted to its destination.

The gravel is then dispersed and mixed into the soft mud.

The tread with rock vs the tread without

This is Tom.

When stopping by to document trail work, you have to stop and give this man props. This Tom Archer, a seemingly tireless bike advocate. He’s put in at least a decade of fight towards getting trail in Portland, which is most often a thankless task. If you see him, buy the man a beer and give him a hug. Or three.

Sunday was also an ivy pulling day to remove an invasive species.

Did you want to take home a fern?

Trail work signage.

This is in Portland. (!!!)

My body (and bike) is ready

Next up: Additional soil is being delivered this week; this could mark the initial construction of the dirt jumps.