Paul’s Dirty Enduro is an annual endurance-style mountain bike event held in September in the Ganaraska Forest in Port Hope, Ontario. Paul’s Dirty Enduro is an event to raise awareness about suicide and suicide prevention. This event is dedicated to Paul Rush, an avid mountain biker that loved to ride the trails of Ganaraska Forest. There are four different routes throughout the day that take the cyclists around the forest (Dirty 100, Dirty 60, Dirty 30, and Dirty 15) and the ride can be challenging depending on the weather, trail conditions, and the previous experience of the riders.
The North Shore Amateur Radio Club have been assisting the organizers of Paul’s Dirty Enduro with their annual mountain bike race for several years now. When the NSARC first began assisting with the event, our club was the only way in which the organizers could have reliable communications with checkpoints throughout the routes due to the remote location of the Ganaraska Forest. NSARC members help volunteers man checkpoints and tour vehicles along the routes while providing instant communications with the control area should an emergency or a need arise. Our club members love helping with this event as we get to not only help the community with our ham radio skills, but the day usually leads to many jokes and fun stories between us all!
Unfortunately, the event was cancelled in 2016 following much consideration by the Rush family to take a break and discuss what the future might hold.
Below are some of the photos from various Paul’s Dirty Enduro events throughout the years.
