Highlights in Chilliwack – Vowing NOT to Peak

Mike Woods, Director, Chilliwack

To me, the highlights in Chilliwack continue to be the volunteers who maintain the trails, especially the ones who go out on their own when not part of a trail day and make the magic happen. I would list names but I know I will forget some, and I know for a fact I haven’t even met a good chunk of you. But the sense of community I feel when rolling down a trail and noticing trail work that just “pops up” is awesome; whether it’s fixing bomb holes, blown out corners or reworking a neglected trail, the work seems to get done all over the trail system – I owe you guys a beer so if you ever see me sitting in a local craft brewery your first drink is on me. Also, the rate at which fallen trees and branches get cleared from the trails after a windstorm is mind boggling and I have a sense it is only a couple of guys doing this work and for that I thank you on behalf of all the trail users – I owe you a beer too.

Other highlights would be the huge dent we made in getting the bridges rebuilt and for that we need to thank the Chilliwack Foundation for providing some of the resources to get this done. Also, getting the new trail next to femur built – although it still needs some tweaks to add the flow – was another milestone as it shows how quickly things can get done when we go through the proper legal process… While a few trail days helped get this done the heavy lifting was achieved by a few volunteers and once again I will not name people for fear of forgetting some. The volunteers who continue to put on a sick Vedder Classic also deserve recognition as that event continues to be a highlight of my calendar (even if you don’t participate, consider volunteering as the proceeds from this event go right back into the trail system we all use). Finally, we should all thank the Chilliwack Parks Society and their team of volunteers for the hard work they continue to put into the trail system in the Chilliwack Community Forest.

I would not be a good director if I didn’t finish with an “ask.” Whether it is my own life, or something I am involved in, I always fear about peaking and always ask “is this as good as it gets?” I work hard to avoid that, and my ask would be: that we all work hard to avoid “Peak FVMBA.” From my seat, 2019 was a pretty solid year, but if we all work hard and if we all do our part to give something back we can ensure that for our trails and our organization this is not as good as it gets and that every year we make sure it gets better – to me that would be more trails, more community, and more fun.

Mike Woods
Director, Chilliwack – FVMBA

A HUGE THANK YOU TO OUR 2019 CORPORATE SPONSORS & 2019 COMMUNITY PARTNERS