2011 Pancake Breakfast

MWBA’s pancake breakfast at Henninger Flats was a complete success despite the rain and the cold temperatures! The trail maintenance fundraiser attracted over 200 mountain bikers, hikers and joggers of all age groups ranging from 6 months up to old-timer. Most of the old timers and founding members of MWBA such as Tim Murphy and Alan Armstrong hopped on their bikes and put the pedal to the metal and joined the festivities as we celebrated our return to where it all began. Henninger Flats was the original location for the now nationally known pancake breakfast. Along with piping hot pancakes, sausage and a steaming cup o’ joe, a local Americana/bluegrass band, Wreck ‘n Sow serenaded the crowd as they devoured their well-earned pancakes. The pancakes were served by MWBA members who graciously volunteered their culinary talents to insure everyone was fed.

Some of the highlights of the event included a few brief words from Alan Armstrong reminiscing about the good old days, a welcome of MWBA to the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) chapter program by Steve Messer of CORBA, and a long overdue nod recognizing the hard work of Mark Gage, who has tirelessly and oft-times without acknowledgment or thanks, continued to work on the trails, particularly the Sam Merrill Trail between the Cobb Estate and Echo Mountain, one of the most heavily used trails in the Angeles National Forest. The silver cup that was presented to him emblazed with “Trail Builder of the Millennium” is a just small token of thanks for his contributions to our community. Playing in the Fire Station’s warm meeting room was a fascinating video of how the Ken Burton Trail was built by MWBA members back in the early 1990s.

The much anticipated and beloved raffle brought in over $3,000! Thanks to our local bike shops for providing us with awesome raffle items; Pasadena Cyclery, Jones II, Open Road, Velo, Temple City Bike Shop, Steve’s Altadena and Incycle. Additionally we received quality raffle items from various vendors such as Chris King, Power Bar, Yakima, Park Tool, Hadley Racing, Trek, Fox Racing, NiteRider, Thomson and many more! The grand prize winner was Pete Mauro who won a Trek Sawyer 29er retro bike, courtesy of Pasadena Cyclery. Additionally, the event would not have been possible without the support of the Los Angeles County Fire Department Forestry Division and the crews at Henninger and Altadena Search and Rescue.

MWBA was initially formed in 1985 to help educate and disseminate trail courtesy and safety. Shortly thereafter MWBA got involved with trail maintenance due to the limited resources available at the Forestry Service to maintain the hundreds of miles of trails in the Angeles National Forest. The MWBA pancake breakfast has been a regular staple of the San Gabriel Mountains scene since 1986. The money raised by MWBA goes directly to trail maintenance. Trail maintenance is an important and vital part of our active outdoor community as trail maintenance keeps trails safe and viable for all trail activities including hiking, jogging, biking and equestrian pursuits.