This week we talk about what it really looks like getting the property ready for Big Al’s and Snaketail. Trails buried in storm debris, dragging piles of limbs off the hills, a tractor deciding to break right when we needed it most, and Jon getting into a philosophical disagreement with an ACE Hardware employee about chainsaw chains.

In between the chainsaws and brush piles, we get into something we care a lot about — the kind of people we want showing up at races like Mid State. Résumés and race results are one thing, but character, community, and how you treat the people beside you on the trail matter a whole lot more.

Also covered: snakes in the yard, why big jobs only get done one bite at a time, and the kind of friends who show up with excavators when you really need them.