1,300 Feet of Fun
My first week at the Nature Conservancy
Written by Lara Gricar, Central Cascades Community Coordinator
Photographed by Kyle Smith & Dave Rolph
My friends were quite envious when they learned that I had the opportunity to go mountain biking on the Roslyn Ridge my first week of work with The Nature Conservancy.
Roslyn Ridge is located in the Central Cascades bordering the towns of Roslyn and Ronald. Much of the ridge is part of the Conservancy’s recent acquisition of 48,000 acres of forestland between Snoqualmie Pass and Cle Elum on both sides of I-90. One benefit of protecting these hardworking forests is that it will help to ensure future generations of mountain bikers have just as much fun as we did playing along this ridge and soaking up the beauty of this land.
We were lucky enough to have Glenn Burkhart, the owner of Northwest Bicycle Improvement Co. based in Roslyn, be our tour guide. The ride covered around seven miles of ground and gained approximately 1,300 feet in elevation. Not only did he show us the way, but he also provided us with a wealth of information about how these trails are used today and how we could all work together moving forward.
This ride was a step in the right direction towards our goal of working with the community to develop a shared vision for conserving these lands for people and nature. Although I was hot and out of breath most of the way – both up and down – I was inspired by the prospect of building partnerships with the community to make this conservation effort a success for everyone!
