HRATS 2018 Season Summary

By White Lotus Media on December 17, 2018 • ( 0 )

Winter is here and I thought I would send one last HRATS update about our big year finishing two massive projects.

Eldorado
The new Upper Eldorado trail is built and will be open in the Spring after winter sets the trail up! We ran two excavators this fall to take advantage of our extended fall weather. This allowed us to get the trail done almost 1 full season ahead of schedule. The full Eldorado trail gives us 4 miles of 5% non-moto single track to Upper Post Canyon. Lower Eldorado opened last summer and is just under a mile long. The new Upper Eldorado trail takes you to the heart of Upper Post Canyon’s single track trails with easy single track access to the bottom of Dirt Surfer (170). Gone are the days when Upper 8 Track feels like the top of Post Canyon for Mt. Bikers. For those looking for more options in Post Canyon, Eldorado is a game changer.

We estimate the trail took 3000 man hours to finish. 800 hours of which were running mini excavators with paid operators. Craig Spaeth alone put in more than 1500 hours on Eldorado, all unpaid! This is a herculean selfless effort that all of us get to benefit from. When you see him, please thank him. This trail frankly would not exist without him.

Please see the Trailforks.com link and video link below to learn more about Eldorado.
Upper Eldorado on Trailforks.com
HRATS Eldorado Video……………….Thanks to Pierce Hodges (VideoKid Productions) for making this video Pro Bono!

Pump Track
The Pump Track at the Golden Eagle Park has been a huge success since it opened. HRATS is very proud to have worked with Hood River Parks and Rec. to bring this world class track to our area. For those that have not have not seen it, you should check it out the next nice day. It is packed daily with kids ranging from 2 to 60 all having a blast together.

Olivia Ullrich poured her soul into getting the pump track here. The pump track’s fundraising was completely separate from the trail fund we have. Olivia simply made it happen, please thank her again when you see her.

You can help too
If you like what HRATS has been doing, we need your help by attending work parties and through donations. Eldorado is a “build it and they will come trail” for HRATS. We will need to build the bank account back up before we can take on big projects again. Yes, we are asking for donations from you. You can donate via Paypal at the link below.

Donate to HRATS.ORG….There is an option to make an automatic monthly donation.

Strava users can also donate money based on mileage by signing up for Trail Care

All donations to HRATS are tax deductible. Our Tax Identification Number is: 454200585

Upcoming Project
Gary Paasch is planning a fun flow trail in the extended play area that will allow those of us that prefer to keep the rubber on the dirt to have fun there too.

HRATS Trail Survey
HRATS is very curious what you would like to see on local trails. We have created the survey below to get your input. Please spend a few minutes on the survey. The results will help us know where to put efforts in. Send it to your friends as well. We need input.

HRATS Trail Survey

I would like to thank all those that donated this summer for the “Trail Love” sticker program. We would not have finished Eldorado without that boost in funds.

We plan to do the “Trail Love” sticker program for 2019 and obviously any funds donated in December get you on the list. We had close to 150 people that either did at least 5 work parties or donated $50 or more in 2018. Our goal is to get 200 to 250 people for 2019, so please spread the word.

Have a great winter,

Tim Mixon
HRATS President