International Trails Summit - Tuesday Recap
I didn’t get into Reno for the International Trails Summit until last night (Monday). That means today was my first full day which is perfect because it was the first full day of all the festivities starting at 7 am. Knowing there were too many great workshops and speakers to listen to, I spent my first day simply connecting and meeting people. Before I left Portland, Greg Mazu of Singletrack Trails asked me if I’d be interested in serving my Loam Coffee at his booth. I thought, why not? That was one of the best decisions I had ever made. Why?
All day, people were coming up, smelling fresh ground and brewed coffee from afar, and were stoked to find out I was making free pourovers for anyone and everyone. I think I made something like 75 pourovers today. It was a special time because it allowed me to connect with people I probably wouldn’t have randomly bumped into. As I made their pourovers, I got to share about Trail Builder Mag. Some had already heard of it; many hadn’t. As I brewed a cup of Tanzanian coffee or our Trail Builder Blend, I got to share over and over again about the magazine.
All day, starting at about 8 am, I had a constant stream of people coming by. I couldn’t have asked for a better day. Honestly, my thought or strategy was to make pourovers for a couple of hours, then float around hitting workshops and table talks and visit all the vendors throughout the exhibit hall. On a few occasions, I was able to sneak away to meet so many amazing people at their booths and snap photos. I couldn’t have asked for a better first day. I am grateful to the organizers, American Trails and the Professional TrailBuilders Association, for putting on this event and letting me come down to meet so many wonderful people from all over the world, take photos, and share this with you all. I know many of you wanted to come out this year, and many of you did … and we met in person for the first time.
I talked to many people today … and I mean a lot. Regardless of their industry, the stoke levels for trail building are at an all-time high. There’s so much excitement and optimism for where trail building is going. I am beyond humbled and grateful we get to help capture some of these moments and stories and share them with more people.
Enjoy these photos from today.
Words: Sean Benesh Photos: Sean Benesh
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sean Benesh
Sean is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Trail Builder Mag. He is also the Communications Director for the Northwest Trail Alliance in Portland, Oregon. While in grad school, he worked as a mountain biking guide in Southern Arizona. Sean also spends time in the classroom as a digital media instructor at Warner Pacific University.
