MAIL RUN STAGES

Mail Run Stage One - Umiti Pit towards Ahbau Lake Return - TOTAL DISTANCE 20 miles (33 kilometres). Start/Staging area is on the Umiti Pit (1700) Road, north of the Cottonwood River off of Highway 97.

This section of the trail will avoid any active logging that may be taking place in the area (1700 Road). The route follows the well-established Umiti-Ahbau Lake trail to the approximate 8 mile (12 km) mark where teams will be directed onto a loop which will eventually direct them back on to the outgoing trail. All teams will then follow the outgoing trail in reverse, returning to the start area.

Each participant will be assigned a start time, if all teams leave promptly, there should be no head on passing and the Stage Race teams, which will be travelling on an extended version of this same trail, should not catch up with the Mail Run teams. If this does happen, the Stage Race teams should be given the right of way. All Mail Run participants will be given a start time and they must leave the staging area at that time…..this will be the start procedure for all three days of the Mail Run.

Mail Run Stage Two – Participants will leave from the staging area at Troll Resort. The trail begins with a steep climb up Pinegrove Mountain and the trail passes Hyde Lake and heads toward the 3500 Road. There will be a loop in the trail which will take teams down the 3500 Road before looping back towards Troll on the outgoing trail. The total distance will be 15 miles or 25 kilometres.

Mail Run Stage Three – Participants will leave from the staging area in the main parking lot at Barkerville. The trail runs over the airstrip and through the meadow towards Wells on a trail that runs parallel to the highway. It then loops around what is known as the Coronado Loop before re-entering the meadow and heading back towards Barkerville. All participants will loop through Barkerville and will finish in front of the Post Office.

The route will run close to the helipad in Wells where each Mail Run participant will be asked to briefly stop and they will be given a “Claim Staking” form with their time leaving the helipad written on it. This is the start of the Barkerville Dash and the race will be on. When participants deliver their mail to the Postmaster in front of the Barkerville Post Office, their arrival time will be written onto their Claim Staking form and their time for travelling the route from Wells to Barkerville will be calculated. These times will determine the order in which participants will draw for the prizes. For those Mail Run participants who want to participate in the Barkerville Dash only, they will be able to begin their Dash once the first participant has passed the helipad….but everyone must carry a Claim Staking form with their start time written on to it.