Some spectacularly remote corners of the earth remain essentially untouched – Fitsum Creek, Indian Ridge, Phoebe Meadows – just to name a few trails along the South Fork of the Salmon River near Yellow Pine, Idaho – population 32. It’s almost like going back in time with no cell service or electricity and far away from the comforts of everyday society. 

“The South Fork is a pretty magical place,” said Kevin “KT” Truax, one of a few dozen volunteers who spent Memorial Day weekend clearing trails inside the Payette National Forest with the Central Idaho Trail Riders Alliance (CITRA) - a McCall, Idaho-based, all volunteer nonprofit dedicated to preserving the time-honored tradition of trail motorcycle riding.

The seventh-annual event, this year sponsored by KLIM, is one of CITRA’s biggest of the year where motorized volunteers, complete with Idaho Parks and Recreation staff and Valley County Sheriffs, come together at the Camp Creek Trailhead to clear as many trails as possible – they stopped counting at 40 downed trees the first morning – all in support of KLIM’s mission to enhance the riding experience and celebrate on-the-ground organizations conserving trails for all users by taking matters into their own hands – with chainsaws. 

“The main focus is just getting trails opened up, especially after winter,” said CITRA’s Beau Frick, a McCall Firefighter/Paramedic who attended the event. “It's something that happens every year – there's a lot of trees down, a lot of tread work that gets erosion over winter and things that need to be cleared out.”

This year’s CITRA crew was outfitted in custom KLIM off-road motorcycle jerseys from Motorcycle Event Manager, Mark Kincart and wife, Rose, who showed up to cook five group meals in three days for 30 volunteers – a passion project that started a few years ago. 

“Food is a universal thing, and when people are out working, they don’t want to worry about food, so why not cook for them?” Kincart said. 

Of CITRA’s 100 active members, all nine board members are Wilderness First Aid, CPR and US Forest Service chainsaw certified, and CITRA Club President, Johanna Defoort invites riders of every ability to come together, celebrate motorized access and help preserve existing trail networks.

“That’s kind of the spirit of CITRA,” said Defoort, who grew up riding dirt bikes on her family farm. “You don't have to be a professional rider, and you don't have to know what you're doing 100%. We're going to take you out, and we're going to help teach you how to be a responsible trail user and to give back to the community by participating.”

What’s more, the event shines a bright light on the motorized community working to benefit all users – from hikers to horsemen. 

“If you want the trails to stay open, and you want people to respect the dirt biking community, events like this are super huge, and having KLIM here is a big deal,” Frick said in hopes of getting more users to appreciate motorized recreation. “Being an Idaho company is a big deal to all of us. We're just trying to keep trails open for all users. That's really what matters." 

Of course, volunteering with CITRA doesn’t require learning how to ride with a chainsaw. 

“It’s hard to saw and move,” Johanna said. “You’re just going to exhaust yourself. You can help move the branches or help roll the log out of the way once it’s clear. There’s something for everybody to do.” 

Johanna’s husband, Sam Defoort, who also grew up riding dirt bikes, said the seventh-annual event is important to show new users how to recreate responsibly and be good stewards of the land.

“There’s been a lot of dirt bikers who have been doing this for a long time,” he said. “We’re just trying to organize like-minded people to come out and keep all the trails clear that we ride, and show that dirt bikers ride, they stay clean, they stay nice, we don’t tear up any land around the trails and we stay on the trails.”

It's important for CITRA, Johanna added, to maintain a culture that welcomes everyone to tread lightly and educates motorcyclists of all ages on trail etiquette and responsible use. 

“We're not just here to go twist throttles and spin our tires and do crazy stuff,” she said. “This is our church. When we get up to the top of these peaks out here and it's so beautiful, and we are enjoying the forest and enjoying the land just like any other user would…we just do it a little bit further and a little bit faster.” 

Across the country, local clubs like CITRA depend on volunteers to educate new users how to act responsibly out on the trails. 

“It’s up to the guys that have been out here forever to coach some of these kids that are out tearing up the trail or cutting switchbacks or going straight up the side of the mountain,” Sam said. “Take them under their wings and show them, ‘Hey, this is how you ride in the woods. You don't need to be spinning your tire everywhere.’ Just show what you're supposed to do and how to do it. Lead by example.” 

For more information on CITRA, visit https://citra.rocks/.