Western States 100 Runners Trail Work Day and Night Run
Reported by Ted Moore
64 people showed up in Foresthill, tools in hand, and quickly dispatched with trail repair along 1.5 miles of the intial "California Street" trail. It's amazing what a bunch of people, working in concert, can accomplish. In about 2 1/2 hrs we completed most of the work on this section of trail, so it was decided that some of us would do some "as needed" trail maintenance on the section of trail in Volcano Canyon, just below Bath Road. Diversion canals for water on the trail were dug to prevent further erosion. Rocks were "picked" and ruts were filled in quick order. What a pleasure it was to run the trail that night and see the work that was done, and to experience the improved footing. This was the first of hopefully many years of future maintenance events involving those who use and enjoy these trails. This is responsible recreation!

Reported by Stan Jensen
As Ted said, it was quite a sight to see so many diverse people (including desk jockeys, like me) all working on a common goal: to fix the trail damage and help prevent future erosion. At one point we had two "bucket brigades" of a dozen people each, passing rocks from a rock pile to fill in a deep gully in the road, all under the "direction" of Norm "Slavemaster" Klein. Dow Mattingly took his team as far down as the switchbacks, placing at least seven water dams across the trail, then he and his wife, Melinda, went to the Bath Road section and worked one 50' rocky stretch for hours!

We gathered for a light repast in Foresthill at 5, rested and changed clothes, and then 50+ runners then took off at 7pm in Mike Gottardi's wake for a swift, smooth run down the first section of the California Street trail. To those of us who'd labored there in the morning, it was a very special feeling to run across the wide, smooth sections of trail we'd fixed. Wish we'd taken "before and after" photos!

I was having a great time, slightly weary from the day's work, but really enjoying the thrill of night running in the company of friends, without the burden of it being a race, when we heard that unpleasant sound that signifies that a runner has fallen hard. Sure enough, we came around the corner and saw that Ray Piva had missed a step and fallen about 3' down from the trail. He was obviously in pain, but several runners made a sling for his arm (which was probably broken) and walked him the two miles to the Cal 2 aid station, where they'd sent some people back to help. He may be over 70, but he's not a senior citizen.

The rest of the run was uneventful and marked by the sight of the Hale-Bopp comet and the glow of the campfire at the finish. The trail section by Cal 4 is basically gone, leaving a strip of sand along a steep drop to the river!

Allan Kaplan, Audrey Veirs, Charlie Gabri, Kathy Welch, Lee & Wini Jebian, Martin Hillyer, Mary Kleinbach, Pat Wellington, Suzanne Williams, Ted Moore, and Tom Winter slaved, played or both! Thanks, too, to all the volunteers who fed us and swept the trail!

Follow-up report from Stan on Ray Piva:
I just spoke with Ray Piva*, who fell during the WS night training run on Saturday. He has a simple fracture of his wrist, but his doctor says he'll be fine in six weeks. His leg was badly cut and bruised, but will also heal quickly. Ray is still thinking of running a race in Canada on May 3rd and will be at the WS Memorial Day camp, without the cast.

He wanted me to thank all the runners who stopped on the trail, helped him get out of the canyon to an ambulance, and even shuttled his car from Foresthill down to the hospital.

* Ray set an age group (70+) 50-mile world record of 7:48:58 in November and he will be running WS again in June.

Brownie Troop Cleans Peachstone Trail
Susan Kessman's Brownie troop has joined the FTA with the goal of adopting a local trail as their community service project. They want to really make a difference by making some improvements to a trail and they began by picking up trash near the Peachstone Trail on March 22nd. There was quite a lot of trash dumped in the creek near the trail and one pickup load was removed. They also plan to check out the trail around Todd Valley Pond before the girls decide which trail to adopt and what improvements they can make.

Next Youth Outing - April 25th
We're going to hike the Codfish Falls trail at the bottom of Ponderosa Way. This trail follows the North Fork of the American River and then branches off to the falls after a half mile. It's a very beautiful walk this time of year with the wild flowers, the river and the falls all at their most spectacular. Meet at the Elementary School at 2 PM. If you'd like to join us, call Sherri at 367-3928.

No Hands Bridge Update
Attention all friends of the Western States Trail and "No Hands" Bridge. Congressman John T. Doolittle (R-Rocklin, CA) introduced H.R.936 "NO HANDS BRIDGE RESTORATION ACT OF 1997" on March 5, 1997. The bill proposes funding of $700,000 to repair and restore the damage done to No Hands Bridge. This, we believe, would permanently repair the bridge and preserve the historic finish of the Western States 100.

The bill has been referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and other Committees.

The Western States Endurance Run urges you to write the Chairman of the Subcomittee on Energy and Water Development, Committee on Appropriations and ask for support of H.R. 936. This bill is due to come up for review in this sub-committee within the next couple of weeks, so time is of the essence.

For your guidance, we have included herewith a SAMPLE of a letter that should be sent out immediately. Please be sure to modify the second paragraph to suit your personal feeling.

Thanks for your support. We will endeavor to keep you informed.

John Medinger, Secretary Western States Endurance Run medinger@chevron.com

RE: H.R.BILL #936

Dear Chairman McDade:

I am writing to ask that you include H.R. 936, "The No Hands Bridge Restoration Act of 1997", in the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations bill now before your committee.

For many years I have enjoyed the recreational, historical and environmental attributes of the American River Canyon. As an avid outdoor recreationist, I have crossed the historic Mountain Quarries Railroad Bridge, commonly known as "No Hands Bridge," every time I traveled on the Western States Trail over the American River between El Dorado and Placer counties.

Please support this bill for stabilization and repair of the bridge so that hikers, runners, equestrians, swimmers, fisher people, etc. may again enjoy the use of this magnificent historic structure.

Thank you for your consideration of this important matter.

Sincerely,

Name Address City, State, Zip

Rep. Harold Rogers, KY
Rep. Joe Knollenberg, MI
Rep. Rodney P. Frelinghuysen, NJ
Rep. Mike Parker, MS
Rep. Sonny Callahan, AL
Rep. Jay Dickey, AR
Rep. Vic Fazio, CA
Rep. Peter J. Visclosky, IN
Rep. Chet Edwards, TX
Rep. Ed Pastor, AZ

Foresthill Trails Alliance                      PO Box 468, Foresthill, CA 95631
http://foothill.net/fta/                        email: fta@foothill.net