[pct-l] NO BIKES SIGNS

[Scott Williams]

I finally have some time to weigh in on this.  I'm not in the least against
bikes on trail, and recognize this as a totally legit use of the outdoors,
but that doesn't mean they should be allowed everywhere.  Just as some
trails are marked to keep ORV's out to protect them, some trails need to be
kept free of bikes as well.  The quiet of hiking alone in the wilderness is
very different from hiking a trail where you have to watch your back due to
speeding vehicles, motor driven or pedal powered.  So that this experience
can still be had in this country, it is worth keeping some places free of
everything but us and animals.  The PCT is one of those places and worth
preserving for just that.

I hiked the CDT this summer and much of the trail (what sections of it that
are real trail) is dual use.  In the wilderness areas the bikes were routed
outside and we had those sections for hikers alone.  It was clear to me
that where bikes were allowed, especially in CO which has a huge bike
presence in the wild, the trails were in poorer  condition due to the
damage of tire tread.  Poor trails did nothing to slow down their use by
bikers however, so it seems silly to degrade our trails just to protect
them.  I didn't have any negative encounters with bikers this summer and
even yogied water from a really nice couple in the Anaconda Pintlers when I
was running out, and I had some great conversations with others who wanted
to know about my little backpack, but I almost always stepped aside as I am
not one who is willing to be injured to prove the point that I have right
of way, kudos to you who are willing to do that. In spite of the rules of
the road, in practice bikers as a group just don't slow down for hikers and
"on your left!" was usually all I heard before someone powered on by.  The
worst times were weekends of course when lots of folks go trail biking.

The thought of hiking the PCT again and having to dodge bikes is awful and
will be worth all the fight we have when the time for hearings comes.
 Bikes have a place on trail, just not on every trail.  For me, the
experience of wilderness is lessoned immeasurably by the presence of
speeding vehicles.

Shroomer