That’s what Brooks Reynolds (below, second from the right) said about a volunteer work party sponsored by the Reynolds Group of Lake Placid.  As a family of avid mountain bikers and skiers, the Reynolds use BETA trails often and they’re sure to visit the Jackrabbit this season.

THANK YOU, VOLUNTEERS!
In addition to the baseline satisfaction of volunteer work days, this year we’ve had the special pleasure of welcoming a lot of new faces into the volunteer ranks.  We’ve seen a big increase in logged volunteer hours over previous years, too.  Thank you so much to each and every one of you for donating your time and energy to the trails; your hard work is much appreciated by us at BETA and surely by every rider, skier, hiker, or runner who enjoys the trails. 

​If you’ve supported BETA’s work by volunteering in any way this season, please log your hours here: bit.yl/LogHours4BETA.  Doing so helps us track volunteer efforts and apply for more grant funding for trails (DYK: volunteer labor is valued at $38+ per hour!)

THANK YOU, SPONSORS!
In addition to volunteers, we’d like to thank the businesses who sponsored work parties this season: Silver Birch Cycles, Bike ADK, The Reynolds Group, Placid Planet Bicycles, and Origin Coffee.  If you’re business is interested in sponsoring a work party next year, please contact [email protected]

THANK YOU, CHRIS!
Finally, we’d like to thank Chris Gosling for his service as our Volunteer Stewardship Coordinator over the summer.  Your efforts to connect volunteers with trail work opportunities and provide fun and rewarding experiences for everyone was greatly appreciated.  We’re sure to see you on the trail sometime soon!

Even the youngsters who hadn't brought their bikes were in luck: the Lake Placid Elementary School generously lent us a portion of their bike fleet.  Those bikes were in use from start to finish.  They were in such high demand that on occasion, someone walking a bike back to the rack would be intercepted by a hopeful rider.  It reminded me of asking someone who is putting on their coat if you could have their table when there are no other empty seats in the coffee shop.  High demand, indeed. 

Imagine: a little after 6:30pm, the sun low in the sky, the Oval grass busy with kids of all ages looping around one another to take their turn on the feature(s) of their choice.  Some do wheelies, some are just trying to stay upright.  Adults peruse the booths set up by BETA, Bike ADK, Placid Planet Bicycles, High Peaks Cyclery, and the Regional Official of Sustainable Tourism.  People stand in groups at whatever distance from the features feels comfortable, enjoying a pleasant evening, when suddenly...from the area under the row of flags at the northern crest of the Oval, a dramatic and thundering drumbeat.  Just one, and then two, and then many, many more.  

Fogo Azul had arrived.

This woman-led samba drumline descended the steps into the Oval and marched around the bike features.  They curled around, creating a face-to-face drum-off between two sections of the band.  People linked arm-in-arm danced down the aisle separating the two groups of drummers.  Kids took the opportunity to ride through as well, toothy grins galore.  We heard from the musicians that this was the first time they'd ever had people ride bikes through the drum-off and it was quite the experience for them, too.

After sufficient drumming, oohing and aahing, Fogo Azul retreated, still playing, to their starting point before bringing their music to an end.  While the action seemed to ebb, the lull didn't last long.

The announcer for KRUSHER BMX fired up their speakers and jumped on the mic, informing the crowd (which had grown significantly during Fogo Azul's playing, drawing in folks who had originally planned to just walk by the Oval) that the show was about to begin.  The stunt team had warmed up sufficiently and were ready to get to flipping.  With a soundtrack of fan favorite classic rock tunes and energizing ballads, the team executing trick after trick -- flips, 180s, tailwhips, and so many more (whose names elude me) -- now under the brilliant Oval floodlights since the sun had fully and truly set.  The crowd of at least 300 watched from either side of the series of ramps and quarter pipes, some standing along the galvanized barriers and some seated on the hill between the High School and the Oval, cheering and clapping with each expertly executed stunt.  "Really enjoyed the BMX show (my daughter loved it). Would come again," one person attested.

There is always something cooking at BETA.  Right now, some of the projects on our horizon include the following.

​ELIZABETHTOWN

• Blueberry Hill: The machine built section of the new climbing trail is complete.  Dusty and Scott are continuing with the handwork to finish the trail in the next couple of weeks. This volunteer- and pro-crew-built trail offers an easier alternative to Hemlock for climbing and returning to the trailhead off of Bronson Way. 
• Cobble Hill: We’ll have new signage installed here soon.  Great timing since we’ll be riding there on August 12th for our next Slow Your Roll Ride!

 
KEENE

• East Branch Community Trails, on top of the two new trails already opened this season, we have:
  • Peduzzi Trail Building has begun construction of a climbing trail and descent trail above the power lines.  That’s right, we’re starting on a whole new section of ground for these trails and adding more elevation!  If all goes according to plan, the new trail will be open before October, just in time for the UCI World Cup.
  • The Skills Loop is currently rideable and we are working with Peduzzi and local volunteers to plan and build technical trail features to help riders advance their skills in a controlled environment. 
• Jackrabbit Trail: The Rock and River trailhead to access the JRT is moving forward.  Construction is done on the parking lot and work on the trail and bridges will be happening over the next few months.  Stay tuned for volunteer work parties there this fall. 

 
LAKE PLACID

• Craig Wood/Scott’s Cobble: 
  • As we mentioned in our last update, Dusty, Scott, and an amazing brigade of volunteers finished the climbing reroutes on Back Nine.  It has really improved the riding experience in that section and simultaneously made the trail much more sustainable against heavy rains and erosion.
  • On August 17th, the Lake Placid Outing Club (LPOC) and BETA are teaming up to bring kids in LPOC and their families out for a volunteer trail work party at Craig Wood, Lake Placid.  Not only is it fun, volunteering is also a great way to cultivate a sense of stewardship, respect, and gratitude for the amazing trails we have at our fingertips.  This work party is only open to members of LPOC and their families.  Register here.
• Jackrabbit Trail: 
  • If time permits, we’ll replace the stringers on the bridge at the bottom of the JRT near River Road this fall.  We have temporarily patched the one at risk of failure to get us through the upcoming winter if we don’t get to the replacement this season.
  • ​A reroute of the JRT to that will take us off of part of Mountain Lane is approved and will be constructed in late fall during the chainsaw window.  This is a sizable undertaking and we hope to host a few volunteer trail work parties to tackle some aspects of this project.  Stay tuned for more details as summer draws to a close.

SARANAC LAKE

• Mt. Pisgah: 
  • We’re working with the folks at Cure Cottage Development LLC in order to create a new access trail route from Park Ave to Mt. Pisgah that accommodates their plans for development of Trudeau Village, a major project to renovate the former Adirondack Cottage Sanitarium and create affordable housing in Saranac Lake.
  • On Monday, July 28th, the Saranac Lake Village Board voted unanimously to approve and sponsor BETA’s Mt. Pisgah Summer Trails Enhancements and Master Plan.  We will keep you posted on what that means for Mt. Pisgah – look forward to more information in our next newsletter and as we try to secure funding for the work.
  • A volunteer trail work party with the Saranac Lake Innovative Cycles Kids (SLICK) will be held at Mt. Pisgah on Sunday, August 17th.  Kids and their families, regardless of their involvement with SLICK, are encouraged to join in on this fun and gratifying activity.  Register here.
• Dewey: We hosted a volunteer trail work party at Dewey on July 24th sponsored by Silver Birch Cycles and have another one on the calendar for August 25th sponsored by Bike Adirondacks.  These evening work parties focus on brushing, root removal, clearing drainages, and treadwork in a few sections.  Register for the next work day here.

WILMINGTON

• Three Sisters: A new route for the Town Connector has been flagged and approved from Outlook Lane to Three Sisters with construction planned for 2026.  This reroute will help preserve recreational access between the Wilmington Recreation Town Park and Hardy Road even as development proceeds on private property in the area. We are thankful to the landowner for his support of our effort to maintain access!
• Hardy Road: Right now Dusty and Scott are putting the finishing touches on a bit more work on All In for the season.  Meanwhile, we are finalizing the trail conditions assessment in order to produce a recommendation of Hardy Rd trail work for DEC review and approval for 2026.  That’s right, we’re already looking ahead to 2026 so we can hit the ground running next trail season.