Just Start Showing Up: Paula Burton, NEMBA's Trail Blazing Trail Builder

Guides Gone Wild

Back in July, I posted my episode with Nicole Freedman, the executive Director of NEMBA, and she was the one who introduced me to Paula Burton, a long-time mountain biker, NEMBA CT chapter founder, and instructor for NEMBA Trail School.
Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to meet Paula in person at the trail school I attended back in June, but we did connect over Zoom for an article I was writing for the NEMBA Single Tracks newsletter.
We hadn’t been talking for long before I realized that Paula was just the kind of guest I love, love, LOVE to have on this podcast - a real person doing really integral work that is constantly improving the outdoor experience for newbies and weekend warriors like me!
Paula’s been riding since before mountain biking was really a “thing”, and she’s got tons of stories to share that serve to highlight how far we’ve come in outdoor representation in the last 30+ years…. but also how not everything has changed quite so much.
Enjoy this special Friday Funday Feature!
NEMBA (New England Mountain Bike Association) - https://nemba.org/

IMBA (International Mountain Biking Association) - https://www.imba.com/

And a few more fun links:

• Thunder Mountain Bike Park (Charlemont, MA)
• Appalachian Mountain Club
• Connecticut Greenways Council
• George Waldo State Park (Southbury, CT)
• What is a pump track?
• Rockhouse Hill (Oxford, CT)
• What is a Class 1 Ebike?
• Bluff Point State Park (Groton, CT)
• Highland Mountain Bike Park (Northfield, NH)
• Pittsfield State Forest (Pittsfield, MA)

Building your Biking Bucket List? Paula’s recs:

• Baja California (Mexico)
• Bear Ears National Monument (UT)
• Grand Staircase - Escalante National Monument (UT)
• Moab (UT)
• Grand Junction (CO)
• Fruita (CO)

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Chapters

1. Just Start Showing Up: Paula Burton, NEMBA's Trail Blazing Trail Builder (00:00:00)

2. Inspiring Stories of Female Outdoor Adventurers (00:00:02)

3. Trail Building Techniques and Safety (00:10:47)

4. Challenges and Progress in Trail Building (00:18:28)

5. Evolving Trends in Trail Design (00:24:01)

6. Trail and Bike Enthusiasts Playlist (00:35:34)