Work on the Schacher Shelter began a few years ago, and last year the shelter was officially opened at the 13km launch site on Mount 7, but it has taken continued support to build it into more than the structure that stood last year.
The shelter was built with deep roots in Golden’s cycling community, but has garnered support from many community groups and businesses, like the hang gliders and paragliders who regularly take off from the launch site nearby, and the community members who drive up for adventure and great views.
The shelter was named after Sean Schacher, who was a large part of the Golden community and cycling club, as well as an employee at Canadian Timberframes. Schacher passed away in 2014, doing what he loved. Jeremy Harris, a good friend of Schacher’s, began planning the memorial project to remember him by. After Harris’ sudden passing in 2017, members of the Golden Cycling Club and the community stepped up to ensure the shelter would continue to be constructed and landscaped.
“They were the visionaries behind the project,” explained Magi Scallion, who has been a part of building the shelter since its inception. “They were both involved with Mount 7 Psychosis, and they would bring tents up there. There was never a shelter up at the launch, and it’s often that people are hanging out up there.”
A number of businesses and community members got involved to donate supplies and their time to building the shelter. Volunteers have been working hard on beautifying the area and landscaping, and there are still plans to construct a half-wall barrier to block in the shelter more, and install benches.
“When Jeremy passed away just over a year ago… it lost it’s key person. There’s not one driver behind it, it’s kind of relying on the whole community support,” Scallion said. “Especially with this project, people have just been so good about donating. I think that Sean and Jeremy touched so many people.”
The construction of the Schacher Shelter was lead by the Golden Cycling Club as part of the 2016 Mount 7 Community Trail Development project, which also included improvements to the Rotary Trail, the development of the Schacher Trail, and rehabilitation and construction of many trails between the rodeo grounds and Keith King Memorial Park.
The shelter provides a hideaway from the heat, rain, or wind as people gather at the launch site. It is used by many different groups of people, from the paragliders waiting to launch, to cyclists who are enjoying the trails and stopping for a break, and for the general public to have somewhere to go out of the elements.
The Golden Cycling Club hosted a landscaping party at the Schacher Shelter on July 2, and many volunteers attended to help out with shovelling, raking, and more. There is still a bit of work to be done, but Scallion is confident the community will continue to band together to make the shelter all it can be.
