Greetings Michael,

The consistent Winter storm activity and atmospheric rivers have delivered much-needed rainfall to Northern California, and our trail network has been closed often during the past few months (When it Rains, Let it Drain!). With the return to warmer Spring weather, Tamarancho remains the best place in Marin to escape to the beautiful outdoor environment up along Fairfax Ridge with scenic views of the entire North Bay!

As a concerned member of the mountain-biking community, read through this e-newsletter to find out how you can be a better recreation steward or get involved as a volunteer to have more fun out on the trails! Special thanks to those riders who have reported trail hazards and other conditions needing attention recently; you can always find regular updates on the Marin Council's Tamarancho webpage or at the local Tamarancho Report!

Partners in Trail Stewardship and Riding Fun!

A Report from Access4Bikes

We are lucky to call the foothills of Mt. Tamalpais our home and through our association with Marin Council Scoutung and their Camp Tamarancho property, we have the privilege of maintaining some of the best, historic single-track mountain-bike trails around the SF Bay area!

Saturday, March 30 marks our second year bringing what we love most to Bay Area riders and beyond, a 5-6 stage enduro race that is the first of its kind in Marin County, "Marinduro." Over 300 racers will test their grit on the trails and revel in the beauty of the grassy hillsides and forested canyons. Thanks to the Marin Council and Camp Tamarancho, the race of our dreams is being made real for a second time!

This rainy season this year has brought another epic opportunity for critical trail maintenance throughout the Tamarancho loop. Beginning in January, we shored up many worn-out sections to reduce erosion and protect the natural environment from the impact of treads. After the race, the work will continue on Saturday, April 6 until the trails dry out for the Summer. Sign up here!

We know this has been a tough year for this private camp property after losing access via Iron Springs Road due to a massive landslide. We look forward to the extensive roadway repairs and the camp's return to full operational status! If you’re in Fairfax on March 30, drop by Splitrock Tap & Wheel to grab a spectator map and bike or hike to the MarinDuro course to cheer on the racers, or stay for all the afternoon fun at our bike party!

Memorial Rest Stop Benches to Danny & Dan

Two Tales of Mountain-Biking Enthusiasts

Danny Forer . . .

Danny Forer, architect of the Friends of Tamarancho Pass Program, passed away December 16, 2023. His love for the Tamarancho Trails began with the Forest Knolls Freewheelers, building those now famous single-track links under the guidance of Jim Jacobsen and Randy Libby. At some point, the idea arose for issuing paid passes to access the private Camp Tamarancho property. Danny started the process of building a database of interested passholders, mailing out annual passes, adding pass leashes, generating graphic design, updating the website, creating the Tamarancho Trails newsletter and recruiting volunteers. A software database was built so that Danny could advertise and integrate data from Day Pass purchasers in local bike shops. That database became a literal who’s who of Bay Area mountain bikers that included all the High School race teams. Danny even made weekly pickups of the cash receipts from those in-store sales, delivering the proceeds to benefit the Marin Council Scouting office in San Rafael.

When Danny rode the trails of Tamarancho he would ask riders to show their passes and if they didn’t have one he would offer them a free day pass card and ask them to purchase an annual pass. He was always polite, never belligerent, always informative. It is clear that without Danny’s volunteer efforts for nearly two decades, the trail system would never have been able to thrive, expand, complete expensive environmental studies, or grow the membership program into thousands of pass holders annually. If you love riding the Tamarancho Trails, it wouldn’t have occurred without Danny’s selfless volunteer dedication. We owe him a deep debt of gratitude for the community he helped build for the future enjoyment and stewardship of Tamarancho. You'll find his memorial bench at the Goldman/Serpentine intersection (J2 on the map) known as "Danny's View".

Dan Hennessey . . .

As you climb Broken Dam trail and reach the ridgeline you may have the urge to take a seat, relax and enjoy the view overlooking the redwood canyon and White Hill. There you will find a large bench and and table with a few seats cut out of logs. This is a special spot, not just for the view but in memory of a special person who it is dedicated to remember. Dan was the type of guy you just wanted to be around. He was funny, witty, and had amazing skills riding a mountain bike. People wanted to be around Dan so they tried mountain-biking too! This was the start of a group called the Tuesday Night LLC which is still pedaling around the hills of Marin every week. Word got out about the group and how much fun they were having and soon a Wednesday group was started because there was getting to be too many guys on Tuesdays, then later a Thursday night group. The common theme was Dan. By this time Dan had a family and a successful contracting business. He would work hard during the day and somehow summon the energy to climb the hills at night, sometimes Tuesdays, sometimes Wednesdays, sometimes Thursdays.

Dan passed away four years ago doing what he loved best, riding with his buddies on Mt. Tam. Soon thereafter many ideas came about on how to honor Dan's spirit, to show our thanks to a “Brother from a different Mother”, a guy who introduced so many to the thrills of mountain-biking. Dan’s likeness is on the Mtn Biking Hall of Fame wall and now here along a ridgeline by Broken Dam Trail at Camp Tamarancho. Several volunteers from the Tuesday night group helped raise the money for a donation to build a memorial bench area. They repurposed 185-year-old redwood logs from the Three Bears hut at Phoenix Lake. So next time you are on Broken Dam trail and come to the "Dano Spot", have a seat and consider a great guy; a guy who made so many other people’s lives in our community more meaningful in so many ways. And if you see some guys on the bench, ask them if they knew Dan and some stories; he was a character larger than life!

www.boyscouts-marin.org | Kiosk on Iron Springs Road, Fairfax, CA 94935