[pct-l] Now Biking

[Sean 'Miner' Nordeen]

Last year, I hiked the trail all the way to Cutthroat Pass (2 days from the border) before seeing my first mountain biker on the trail.  I almost made it unti they suddenly overtook us from behind.  It was a mixed sex group of 6 20-something bikers thought that biking through the minor snow storm that was going on would allow them to have the PCT to themselves and seemed to be biking from Rainy Pass to Hart's Pass.  Though I had seen bike tracks in various places on the trail, this was my first and only encounter with them.  They knew they shouldn't be there and didn't care.  As I was filming video of myself hiking in the snow, I caught them on video as they rode past my camcorder sitting on a rock.  If I had a license plate or a last name to go with it, I would have turned it over to the rangers.

This year was differen.t  I was only hiking a 90mile section and 1.5 miles before Cajon Pass, I had 2 mid 30's guys ride through my camp as I was cooking dinner (I couldn't convince my ride to pick me up a half day early when I arrived ahead of schedule).  They knew they were on the PCT even before I told them, and they didn't care.  I was more mad about them then the ones at Cutthroat Pass last year since these guys were much older.  I guess my expectations of younger people is lower then people who have been around awhile.  I guess I naively expect them to have settled down some and learned to be good citizens.  Lets not even talk about the motorcycle tracks I saw through that section.

-Miner

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Check my 2009 PCT Journal out at http://www.pct2009.lifesadventures.net/Journal.php