Trail EAffect

By Josh BlumSports Health & Fitness Wilderness

Trail EAffect episodes

June 24, 2025Martha Becton Takeover Show | International Trail Summit 2025 |194
For Episode 194 Martha Becton takes over again, this time at the 2025 International Trail Summit, which was held this past April in Madison, WI. Similar to when Martha took over last year at the PTBA Conference, Martha is back, and this time she’s got 6 other guests who dive back into the topic of Women in Trail Building.
Topics Include:
Intro by Martha Becton – Owner of Becton Trails
Desi Jarrell – Director of Outdoor Recreation Perry County Fiscal Court
Kathie Brennan – Vice President Ozark Trail Association
Valerie Niles – Open Space Technician Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District
Heidi Tillmanns – Director Trail & Infrastructure Trans Canada Trail
Stacey Dakin – Chief Program Officer Trans Canada Trail
Kathie Brennan – Working with AmeriCorps staff
Martha – Volunteering as a retirement job, and staying active when older in life
Kathie Brennan – What is now my purpose?
Erica Hirsch – Trails Program Manager Cleveland Metroparks
Working for multiple winters in Patagonia Argentina
Martha – What hooked you into trails – and how can you get into this career of trails
Trails as a second career (later in life)
Transferable Skills into trails – (Hint, everything is transferable)
Desi and Kathie – NICA and getting kids and families on bikes
Closing Comments
Trail EAffect Show Links:
International Trails Summit: https://www.trails-summit.org/

Episode Sponsor - Coulee Creative: www.dudejustsendit.com https://www.couleecreative.com/
Trail EAffect Podcast Website: www.traileaffectpodcast.com
KETL Mtn Apparel Affiliate Link: https://ketlmtn.com/josh
Trail One Components: https://trailone.bike/josh
Smith’s Bike Shop – 130 Years of Excellence: www.smithsbikes.com

Contact Josh at [email protected]
This Podcast has been edited and produced by Evolution Trail Services
1 hr 32 min
June 17, 2025Beyond the Ashes an Adaptive Trail Story | Uriah Nazario & Brock Wagner | 193
For Episode 193 we have Uriah Nazario and Brock Wagner who are two of the many personalities behind Beyond the Ashes – An Adaptive Trail Story. Uriah and Brock break down the backstory behind this film, who they brought into the film, along with how Universal Trail Design can be incorporated into trail systems without most people knowing, yet providing access to Adaptive Mountain Bikers. This film will be going live on June 19th at the Bentonville Film Festival. Some of the personalities in this film are previous guests on the Trail EAffect podcast as well such as Jeremy P McGhee (Episodes 65 & 66), and Annijke Wade (Episode 85).
Topics Include:
The backstory on how Beyond the Ashes came to be
Bring Brock Wagner along for filming movie, and how this evolved from a documentary with Jeremy P McGhee to a much larger and more inclusive project
Bringing Brian Carlson into the film – and the vital role Brian played
Having other riders evaluate trails to get feedback from different perspectives
Breaking down the differences between the various aMTB’s from Brock’s perspective
Learning how to build jumps for Adaptive Riders – and sending Jeremy into an Airbag off of and ATV ramp.
Jeremy P McGhee absolutely sending it
How Adaptive riders don’t want or need trails “dumbed down”
What Brock took away from making this film
How the film is broken up into segments
The release at the Bentonville Film Festival
The possibility of this film going to other film festivals
Closing Comments
Trail EAffect Show Links:
Beyond the Ashes: https://www.beyondtheashesfilm.com/
Bentonville Film Festival: https://bentonvillefilm.org/

Episode Sponsor - Coulee Creative: www.dudejustsendit.com https://www.couleecreative.com/
Trail EAffect Podcast Website: www.traileaffectpodcast.com
KETL Mtn Apparel Affiliate Link: https://ketlmtn.com/josh
Trail One Components: https://trailone.bike/josh
Smith’s Bike Shop – 130 Years of Excellence: www.smithsbikes.com

Contact Josh at [email protected]
This Podcast has been edited and produced by Evolution Trail Services
52 min
May 20, 2025Trust for Public Land Economic Impact of Mountain Biking with Jennifer Clinton and J.T. Horn | 192
For Episode 192 we have Jennifer Clinton and J.T. Horn both of the Trust for Public Land. Earlier this year the Trust for Public Land Partnered with IMBA to author a report on the Economic Impact of Mountain Biking. They also presented this report at the International Trail Summit that was held this past April in Madison, WI. We dug into the report itself along with some takeaways from the International Trail Summit during this conversation.
Topics Include:
About the Trust for Public Land
Jennifer Clinton’s Backstory and background in economics
Lab for Land and People
The partnerships that were created to make this report happen
IMBA and TPL
Creating the Economic Impact of Mountain Biking Report
Selecting data that was published in the past 10 years
Mountain Bike Specific Data (not all-inclusive cycling data)
Key Findings in the report
Planning Considerations – Outside of trails for the community to be successful
Chattanooga, TN – Example Community
Gorham, NH – Example Community
Events and what the event can bring to the community both during and outside of the event.
Highlights and Findings that may have been surprising to Jennifer and JT
Attending the International Trail Summit
Concurrent Session about the report (Co Presenting w/ IMBA)
Feedback during / from the presentation
Best Practices for using the report
Another takeaway from the International Trail Summit – Redhead Bike Park, Chisholm, MN
Closing Comments
Trail EAffect Show Links:
Trust for Public Land: https://www.tpl.org/
Economic Impact of Mountain Biking Report: https://www.tpl.org/resource/econmountainbiking

Episode Sponsor - Coulee Creative: www.dudejustsendit.com https://www.couleecreative.com/
Trail EAffect Podcast Website: www.traileaffectpodcast.com
KETL Mtn Apparel Affiliate Link: https://ketlmtn.com/josh
Trail One Components: https://trailone.bike/josh
Smith’s Bike Shop – 130 Years of Excellence: www.smithsbikes.com

Contact Josh at [email protected]
This Podcast has been edited and produced by Evolution Trail Services
1 hr
April 22, 2025Lars Romig | Trail Builder & Advocate for Mountain Biking | Sedona, AZ | 191
For Episode 191 we have Lars Romig of Sedona, AZ. Lars has been a long-time member of the Verde Valley Cyclists Coalition, along with being a Trail Builder and Mountain Bike Trail Access Advocate. Most Recently Lars led the charge on building the Hardline Trail. This conversation is one that I’ve wanted to have with a Sedona Local for a handful of years now as there is a ton of riding content that comes out of Sedona, but not a lot of content around how the Trails and Trail Access for mountain biking came to be in Sedona.
Topics Include:
How Lars got into Mountain Biking
What Lars does professionally for a career
How Sedona Trails came to be for Mountain Biking
The various trail zones in Sedona, and the order of when those riding zones opened up for mountain biking
Pigtail Trail (within the Hogs network)
Started out as an IMBA Trail Day
Constant improvements to Pigtail
Western Movies in Sedona / Broken Arrow Area
Building a relationship with the U.S. Forest Service
The growth of membership and engagement with the Verde Valley Cyclists Coalition
Singletrack Bypass Reroute
The Hardline Trail backstory
The timeframe of building the Hardline Trail
The Public Comment Period of the NEPA Process
Recommended Direction Trails
User Experience
The user reception of the Hardline trail since it opened up
Specialized and Soil Searching
The Letter: H
Trails that don’t start with the Letter H, that are still really great
Canyon of Fools and lessons learned from that trail
Monsoon Season and Riding Etiquette regarding wet trails
Forest Service Trail Crew
Sedona Red Rock Trail Fund
Funds Non-Motorized Trail Development and Maintenance
What Lars looks for in a Trail Community
Secrets to riding the Hardline Trail
The recommended route for a great ride that includes the classics and Hardline
Closing Comments
Trail EAffect Show Links:
Verde Valley Cyclists Coalition: https://www.vvcc.us/
Specialized Soil Searching Hardline Trail: https://youtu.be/tJ06FMsIoy8?si=sBwZURjM5n-yFM3v
Sedona Red Rock Trail Fund: https://redrocktrailfund.org/

Episode Sponsor - Coulee Creative: www.dudejustsendit.com https://www.couleecreative.com/
Trail EAffect Podcast Website: www.traileaffectpodcast.com
KETL Mtn Apparel Affiliate Link: https://ketlmtn.com/josh
Trail One Components: https://trailone.bike/josh
Smith’s Bike Shop – 130 Years of Excellence: www.smithsbikes.com

Contact Josh at [email protected]
This Podcast has been edited and produced by Evolution Trail Services
1 hr 18 min
April 11, 2025Chris Riley of Central Maine Chapter New England Mountain Bike Association | 190
For Episode 190 we have Chris Riley from Central Maine. Chris is the president of the Central Maine Chapter of the New England Mountain Bike Association, and a board member of the New England Mountain Bike Association. Chris and his organization have come up with some innovative ideas on how to handle both new trail construction as well as handling annual trail maintenance. Maine and the New England region has a ton of momentum with mountain biking and trails, and that is really showcased during this conversation.
Topics Include:
How Chris got into Mountain Biking
Chris’s early years in mountain biking
Including several trips to ride in the Austin Texas area
How Chris got involved with Mountain Biking and Advocacy in Maine
Volunteer Engagement and Community Engagement with CE ME NEMBA
Bringing on paid staff for trail building and maintenance
Trail Systems that fall under the CE ME organization
Buying an excavator to accelerate trail building in the region
Various ways for funding trails
Maine Trails Bond initiative
Road Tripping to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan
Marquette Trails
Houghton Trails
Copper Harbor Trails
Creating destination riding communities
Gravity Bike Parks in Maine
Partnering with a local land trust for a new trail system
Trail Systems proximity to communities for riding in the region
Hub and Spoke Trail Model
NEMBA and the 3 Year Strategic Plan
Maintenance Matters
What Chris looks for in a Trail Community
Closing Comments
Trail EAffect Show Links:
Central Maine NEMBA: https://cemenemba.org/
New England Mountain Bike Association: https://www.nemba.org/

Episode Sponsor - Coulee Creative: www.dudejustsendit.com https://www.couleecreative.com/
Trail EAffect Podcast Website: www.traileaffectpodcast.com
KETL Mtn Apparel Affiliate Link: https://ketlmtn.com/josh
Trail One Components: https://trailone.bike/josh
Smith’s Bike Shop – 130 Years of Excellence: www.smithsbikes.com

Contact Josh at [email protected]
This Podcast has been edited and produced by Evolution Trail Services
1 hr 18 min
March 18, 2025Birmingham Urban Mountain Pedalers AKA BUMP with Chase Draper | 189
For Episode 189 we have Chase Draper the President of Birmingham Urban Mountain Pedalers otherwise known as BUMP. BUMP is another powerhouse volunteer driven trail organization that falls under the SORBA mothership in the South East region of the United States. Chase provides some exceltent stories about what can be accomplished when you are willing to outwork everyone else, and he’s got a pretty sarcastic personality as well.
Topics Include:
How and why Chase got into Mountain Biking
How Chase got involved with BUMP
Becoming the President of BUMP
The backstory of BUMP
Gravity Project at Oak Mountain State Park
Funding through Inovate Alabama
What the new Gravity Trails will do for the Region and Oak Mountain State Park
Tannehill Ironworks trail expansion and building the largest adaptive accessible mountain bike trail system in the Southeast.
IMBA Ride Centers and how BUMP is pursuing the Silver Level Ride Center Status.
Oak Ass Endurance Race – NUE Series Championships for 2025
Bump-N-Grind Race
Challenges that Chase has come across with leading the organization and managing volunteers
What makes a great trail community in Chase’s opinion
Closing Comments
Trail EAffect Show Links:
Birmingham Urban Mountain Pedalers: https://www.bump.org/
Oak Ass Endurance Race: https://bumpngrindraces.com/oak-ass-100/

Episode Sponsor - Coulee Creative: www.dudejustsendit.com https://www.couleecreative.com/
Trail EAffect Podcast Website: www.traileaffectpodcast.com
KETL Mtn Apparel Affiliate Link: https://ketlmtn.com/josh
Trail One Components: https://trailone.bike/josh
Smith’s Bike Shop – 130 Years of Excellence: www.smithsbikes.com

Contact Josh at [email protected]
This Podcast has been edited and produced by Evolution Trail Services
1 hr 17 min
February 11, 2025Jarrod’s Place Bike Park | Trail Armor | With Jarrod & Josh | 188
For Episode 188 we have Jarrod Harris and Josh Cohan back on from Jarrod’s Place Bike Park. We cover a handful of topics including what Josh & Jarrod have learned since opening Jarrod’s Place Bike Park and we went deep on All things Trail Armor – The first line of defense for protecting your Flow Trails, Jump Lines and Berms. There’s a lot of great things that Jarrod and Josh have been learning through their development of Trail Armor, but the most important aspect of all of this is that they are taking a chance and pushing innovation, and as we all know innovation breeds innovation and this is definitely a radical innovation!
Topics Include:
Jarrod’s Place backstory on purchasing the land
Lessons learned running the bike park since we last talked (Episode 91)
The diversity of Trail Experiences at Jarrod’s Place
The efficiency of operating shuttle trucks
The Trail Armor Backstory
Working with a carpet manufacturer
Testing different materials
How Trail Armor is helping to reduce overall costs in maintenance and improving trail consistency.
Riding through adverse weather conditions
Where Trail Armor is used and not used
The Evolution of Trail Armor
How Trail Armor is reducing or eliminating erosion including dust erosion
Trail Armor is available in various colors
Customers using Trail Armor outside of Jarrod’s Place
Installation and Repair of Trail Armor
Cost of Trail Armor
How Trail Armor helps to inspire confidence among newer riders
Hauling Trail Armor into a job site
80’s Movies
Art Installations at Jarrod’s Place
Building a great community at and around Jarrod’s Place
Closing Comments
Trail EAffect Show Links:
Jarrod’s Place Bike Park: https://jarrodsplacebikepark.com/
For more information about Trail Armor email: [email protected]
Original Jarrod’s Place Episode (91): https://www.traileaffectpodcast.com/jarrods-place-bike-park-with-josh-cohan-and-jarrod-harris-91/

Episode Sponsor - Coulee Creative: www.dudejustsendit.com https://www.couleecreative.com/
Trail One Components 20% off Coupon Code: trailpod
Trail EAffect Podcast Website: www.traileaffectpodcast.com
KETL Mtn Apparel Affiliate Link: https://ketlmtn.com/josh
Trail One Components: https://trailone.bike/?ref=XavfBrRJfk4VOh
Smith’s Bike Shop – 130 Years of Excellence: www.smithsbikes.com

Contact Josh at [email protected]
This Podcast has been edited and produced by Evolution Trail Services
1 hr 23 min
January 28, 2025IMBA Education and Programing in 2025 with John Cox – Education Manager and Marty Caivino – Local Community Engagement Manager | 187
For Episode 187 we have Marty Caivano the Local Community Engagement Manager for IMBA and John Cox the Education Manager for IMBA. We discussed many topics including The IMBA Foundations (Formerly known as IMBA Trail Labs), along with a lot of the other community engagement and educational programs that IMBA is continuing to host in 2025… There is also the hint of the IMBA Epics Returning in 2025!
Topics Include:
How Marty got her start at IMBA
How John got his start at IMBA
IMBA Foundations Backstory – Formerly Trail Labs
Who IMBA Foundations is for
Taking IMBA Foundations to Winona and Duluth, MN
Bringing back the Trail Care School
Black Hills South Dakota
Trail Accelerator Workshop
Trail Management School
IMBA Ride Centers
What Marty looks for in Trail Communities
What John looks for in Trail Communities
The IMBA Epic’s is coming back…
Closing Comments
Trail EAffect Show Links:
International Mountain Bicycling Association: https://www.imba.com/
IMBA Foundations: https://www.imba.com/foundations
IMBA Trail Care School: https://www.imba.com/programs/trail-care-school
IMBA Trail Friendly Community Self-Assessment: https://https://www.imba.com/self-assessment/overviewwww.imba.com/assessment

Episode Sponsor - Coulee Creative: www.dudejustsendit.com https://www.couleecreative.com/
Trail One Components 20% off Coupon Code: trailpod
Trail EAffect Podcast Website: www.traileaffectpodcast.com
KETL Mtn Apparel Affiliate Link: https://ketlmtn.com/josh
Trail One Components: https://trailone.bike/?ref=XavfBrRJfk4VOh
Smith’s Bike Shop – 130 Years of Excellence: www.smithsbikes.com

Contact Josh at [email protected]
This Podcast has been edited and produced by Evolution Trail Services
53 min
January 14, 2025Jason Aric Jones | 30+ Years of Mountain Bike Trail Access and Advocacy in Michigan | 186
For Episode 186 we have Jason Aric Jones. Jason recently announced that he was stepping away from 30+ years of working extremely hard for mountain bike trail access and advocacy, and I know that it would be important to have Jason on the show to recount some of the experiences he has had along the way. Jason definitely took a creative approach to getting the job done, which eventually parlayed itself into the DTE Energy Foundation Trails, and multiple roles in statewide advocacy, that are even helping to influence regions around the entire state of Michigan, including the Upper Peninsula.

Topics Include:
How Jason got into mountain biking
The reasons behind Jason getting into Mountain Bike Advocacy
Some of the challenges associated with mountain bike access in the early days
Early days of mountain bike advocacy
Creative ways to get mountain bikers involved with advocacy in Michigan
Getting access to the Waterloo Recreation Area for mountain biking (and how that started)
The Hell Riders (Black Hat Advocacy / Civil Disobedience) – FTW!
Getting appointed to the Michigan Trails Advisory Council
The Michigan Mountain Bike Association – and the value of Statewide Mountain Bike Organizations.
How the DTE Energy Foundation Trail came to be, and the details behind all of it.
Black Trails…
Actual Data behind trail use numbers and how mountain bikers are a huge part of that
Equestrian use and Mountain Bike use
Keweenaw Heartlands Parcels and the explanation behind that initiative at the MI Trails Advisory Council.
The power of Resolutions at the State Committee / Council level.
The Keweenaw Peninsula and why that region is important to Jason
What Jason looks for in Trail Communities
Closing Comments
Trail EAffect Show Links:
Potawatomi Mountain Biking Association: https://potomba.org/
DTE Energy Trail: https://dtetrail.org/
DTE Trail - Pure Michigan: https://youtu.be/LctSL056YfY?si=6-wpG32OltelA4jU

Episode Sponsor - Coulee Creative: www.dudejustsendit.com https://www.couleecreative.com/

Trail One Components 20% off Coupon Code: trailpod
Trail EAffect Podcast Website: www.traileaffectpodcast.com
KETL Mtn Apparel Affiliate Link: https://ketlmtn.com/josh
Trail One Components: https://trailone.bike/?ref=XavfBrRJfk4VOh
Contact Josh at [email protected]
This Podcast has been edited and produced by Evolution Trail Services
1 hr 31 min
December 31, 2024Story Time with Steve Kasacek | Outdoor Sport Institute of Maine | Trail Planning and Design | 185
For Episode 185 we have Steve Kasacek back for his second appearance on Trail EAffect. Steve is the assistant Director of the Outdoor Sport Institute located in Maine. We covered a ton of various trail projects that Steve has been a part of in Maine, along with the value of building relationships.
Topics Include:
Updates with the Outdoor Sport Institute
The value of building relationships
Steve’s first PTBA Conference (Spring 2024)
Presentations that Steve was involved with at the Conference
Bike Optimized Trails and the value they provide to many user types
The Maine Land Conservation Conference
When is Conservation not Conservation
Seven Ponds Project in Monson, ME
Loon Echo Land Trust
Island Falls, ME
Ragged Mountain, Camden ME
Residents of Maine approving $30 million to help fund trails
Maine Trails Coalition
Closing Comments
Trail EAffect Show Links:
Outdoor Sport Institute: https://www.outdoorsi.org/
More Human Powered Trails in Monson, ME: https://youtu.be/OlLY2_Onxgk?si=Nc700oGGOTt21Uxo
Loon Echo Land Trust: https://www.lelt.org/

Episode Sponsor - Coulee Creative: www.dudejustsendit.com https://www.couleecreative.com/
Loam Pass Affiliate Link: https://www.loampass.com?utm_source=affiliate&utm_medium=track&utm_campaign=traileaffect
Loam Pass – Free Pass Protection Code: TAPOD
Trail One Components 20% off Coupon Code: trailpod
Trail EAffect Podcast Website: www.traileaffectpodcast.com
KETL Mtn Apparel Affiliate Link: https://ketlmtn.com/josh
Trail One Components: https://trailone.bike/?ref=XavfBrRJfk4VOh
Contact Josh at [email protected]
This Podcast has been edited and produced by Evolution Trail Services
1 hr 49 min

About Trail EAffect

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Trail EAffect is a show that dives into the stories behind trails, the communities that embrace trails, and the people who rely on trails as a way of life by interviewing the personalities involved…