By Lyndsie Ferrell
SOUTH FORK— South Fork was packed this weekend with several activities taking place. The Third Annual Shady Burro Enduro kicked off Friday, Aug. 10 with 300 riders from around the world gathering at the Rhythms on the Rio field just outside of town.
“We had to limit entries this year from 350 to 300 and were sold out long before the end of registration. We talked with several businesses in town and everyone stated how great it was to have this group of riders come to town. That is exactly what we want to hear and one of our main goals when we plan events like this,” said event coordinator Scott Bright.
Bright and his crew of volunteers have spent the last several weeks preparing trails around South Fork for the event. “A lot of people are against the use of motorized vehicles on Forest Service land, but little do they know that organizations like ours are the reason the trails are maintained throughout the year. We work very closely with the Forest Service, and we have received awesome feedback every year including this one from Forest Service officials,” said Bright.
In addition to the feedback from the Forest Service, Bright state that riders who participated in this year’s enduro were very happy with the event. “Riders really like coming to this area. The trails offer challenges, beauty and endless opportunities to our participants. The businesses and community of South Fork has been welcoming and supportive and we just really love hosting this event here. We have heard nothing but good things and that is why we do what we do,” said Bright. ‘
Now that the enduro has come to an end, Bright will spend the next few months going over the trails that were used for the event and making sure they go back to the way they were prior to the enduro. “We will make sure to check all of the boxes off the Forest Service to do list and continue maintenance on the trails so that they can remain multi-use. We want the forest and the trails to be used by everyone and in doing so, bring people to the area to help boost the economy.”
Bright also stated that the enduro plans on donating a portion of the registration fees to the Colorado Trails Preservation Alliance (CTPA) again this year. “We have to crunch some numbers, but we plan on donating funds again this year to CTPA during the Colorado 600 that takes place later this fall,” said Bright.
Bright explained that another, less-known event has happened up at the Wolf Creek Ski Resort for the past nine years that brings about 70 riders to the area to learn about trail advocacy. “This will be the ninth year for the Colorado 600 and we want people to know what is going on. We bring about 70 riders to the area and teach them about trail advocacy. We want to keep the forest as a multi-use area and in order to do that we have to educate people,” explained Bright.
The Colorado 600 is a five-day ride and trail symposium through the mountains of southwestern Colorado.  Each day the riders will learn about what is facing the trail riding enthusiast and the issues facing trails in Colorado, Utah and New Mexico. The event will take place Sept. 9-14 at the Wolf Creek Ski Resort.