Chilkat Valley News - Serving Haines and Klukwan, Alaska since 1966

"Hunter, is this your first time or your second? Your third?" Aldus Hale said, with a little bit of surprise.

About 70 kids tried out the obstacle course Wednesday at Haines School. The annual event promotes health and bike safety, said Hale, P.E. teacher at the school.

This is his second year running the event, although it dates back at least 16 years, although nobody knows the exact year.

The bike store Sockeye Cycle came out to oil bike chains, inflate the tires and more. Helmets were given away, and there were two obstacle courses - a basic trip for youngsters, and a more involved excursion for the teens. The top three finishers got gift cards for Rusty Compass in town.

This year's bike event was an improvement over the previous year. For one thing, the weather was better; for another, he brought more cones in to mark the course. Also, he got smart and marked the ground with chalk arrows.

"Last year, I made a lot of these arrows to point," he said, showing off one of the signs on the trail. "And then, I was looking at the bicyclists not following the arrows, and I said, 'What is going on?' I realized, they're looking down," Hale said.

Connor Dryden, 7, lined up for the small obstacle course, but asked for permission to try the more challenging version. Hale asked the boy's parents.

"If he can do this one, he can do the other one," his father answered.

Sure enough, he went through a second time, on the bigger course. He was up for the challenge.

Heath Scott, chief of police, said the bike to school event is a school-wide, and a community-wide event.

"The teachers and the staff, and the P.D., all help support the kids, making sure they have air in their tires, making sure they're mechanically functioning, and making sure they have helmets. Some type of illumination device - kind of a general safety day."

Scott added that as the weather is warming up, there will be a lot of bicycles on the road. He urged drivers to use extra caution.

"Make sure to pay attention to those younger drivers on the roadway," he said.