Maybe you haven't heard because your head is in the sand, you've been living in a monastery, or you're smart enough to not be on FaceBook.
Either and/or any way, go read the article and get up to speed. Then donate to the Sustainable Trails Coalition when you're done. If you've got PayPal, it should take about twenty seconds. Trust me.
The "trail damage" issue?
Horses. Need I say more? I don't want to start a horses VS MTB'er thing, but if you've ever seen the damage that horses do to wet trails... yeah. We all cause damage. Some more, some less. Wanna keep it true "wilderness?" Ban humans... except naked humans carrying zero things. Cave men are a true part of wilderness I guess, so no need to keep them out of the woods.
Next problem?
Trail user conflicts?
For every hiker that has a horror story about an encounter with a mountain biker, I've got one about an indignant hiker yelling at me for riding on legal trails... or an unexpected face-to-face with a sketchy horse on multi-use trails... or stuff that's been purposely dragged into trails to ruin the experience for mountain bikers. There's always going to be a subset of dickheads in any slice of humanity. If five seconds of exposure to this subset ruins your day, you weren't having a terribly good day to begin with... or you're within that certain subset of your particular slice.
But...
I also have even more stories to share about positive interactions with hikers and horses and horse riders and tourists and other mountain bikers, so stuff all your negative banter. The internet has ruined arguing for everyone because the louder the virtual voice. The more one is perceived as relevant by those with supporting views, the more they seem more like a nut job to those who oppose them.
I was going to write about something else, but I don't want to take up any more of your valuable time that you could be using to send money to the Sustainable Trails Coalition or time that you could be making money to send to the Sustainable Trails Coalition.
I'll get back to whatever it was I was thinking tomorrow.
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6 comments:
Dicky. This post is exactly why I don't update my blog more than I prolly should. I'd just be posting similar banter w/ different verbiage. Me/you.... eye to eye on "trail user interaction" thing. The last time I encountered horses on the trail the conversation was quite pleasant w/ the offering of a hopped liquid they were calling "beer". Very positive and pleasant experience. An hour later I saw a guy hiking who answered my "hey, how's it going?" inquiry w/ a mumbled something or other that I'll assure you wasn't an invitation to try out his expensive looking hiking poles.
Darn tootin'. Sad to see IMBA doubling down on the wrong side of this. Also sad that our democracy is so broken that inaction is preferable to doing the right thing, and in the process, dividing wilderness advocates that should be allies. But that's whole other burrito...
AT one of our state parks we have had some of the best sections of trail taken out and some of the most fucked up re-routes imaginable put in their places all because of damage caused by horses. When trail work volunteers get together to clear downed trees and whatnot it is ALWAYS MTBers who step up and do the work. Yet the Park's commission won't hear nothing of stopping horse traffic on the trails.
@mike_vandeman is an asshat. If you don't know who I'm talking about, you haven't read the comments in the Outside article. I just donated to STC to combat asshats like @mike_vandeman.
While your being generous
http://irideforpaul.com/
we're at constant battle as well, as the population ages they get more grouchy... they want a walk on a flat surface without any issues. I see it all the time on some of the trails I ride...
Luckily though, winter mtbing has just been allowed on the snow shoe trails.
I think people that complain about mtbr have way way too much time on their hands, we should send them over to syria and such countries to live in their own misery.
The vast forest won't mind a tiny little trail with mtbrs. Nature will recapture the land in no time.
the most threatening thing to a forest - bugs being imported from other countries (ie Beatles are eating up the western forests at a huge rate), housing, forest fires (but that's nature's way of replenishing the forest), and climate change... (man made disaster).
it ain't mtbrs that's for sure...
the biggest threat to mtbrs - bears, meteorites, and old grumpy people that complain about nothing cause their depends are on too tight...
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