[pct-l] Arguments for Bikes on the PCT

[Diarmaid Harmon]

I have been talking to my son about this and getting his take on it. 

First I am a hiker/backpacker and I log @500 miles a year.

My son is a semi professional down hill mountain bike racer.

His take is one of unbelief. He rides and competes on designated trails for mountain bike riding and expressed his fear of rounding a corner to find as he puts it "a flower smelling dirt walker" ( his name for me) in the path. He has had this experience while training on a designated bike only trail on Mt Hood he fortunately arrived late to the collision between a biker and a person on the trail. My son only suffered 2 broken bones in his wrist trying to avoid the pile up. This particular trail is singed for mountain bike only it is closed to all other use. The person who was with the person that was hit and hauled off in an ambulance stated they were unaware of this restriction. My son had to sit out the second half of this years season and is still in a cast. I feel this attempt to share the trail is not backed by the professional racing community but the recreational crowd. A multi use trail that a sanctioned event is held on once a year is heavily singed and patrolled on the practice and race weekend. Users are given plenty of notice prior to this event. So yes in certain areas multi use is possible with proper planning and precautions but opening up the PCT to mountain bikes will only lead to catastrophic injury to all concerned.

Diarmaid "Irish" Harmon
irishharmon at comcast.net

"Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, Guinness in one hand, steak in the other, yell 'Holy Sh**, What a Ride!"


On Oct 20, 2012, at 1:55 PM, Lindsey Sommer wrote:

> I know that in their official statement, the PCTA mentioned that an
> environmental impact study would have to happen before anything is decided.
> 
> Also, beyond erosion and spooking horses, there still seems to be a huge
> safety factor in the hiker/MTBer sharing a trail. I totally believe that
> there's MANY really courteous careful bikers (I know many!) who are super
> aware of people being around a turn, but there's also inevitably going to
> be some irresponsible ones who bomb down trails etc. Should the rest of the
> community be responsible for the actions of these individuals? That's a
> tough question, and while the answer should probably be "no", that doesn't
> make me feel any safer as a hiker :(
> 
> Brick brings up some good points about the TRT and even days for biking,
> and how these rules are pretty much not followed. I think it could be super
> informative actually to share that story on the "Sharing the PCT" page and
> see what kind of insight the people there have about that. I assume part of
> their answer would be along the lines of "But multi use trails work just
> fine, we don't need alternate days". It's in interesting topic for sure!
> 
> Lindsey
> 
> 
> On Sat, Oct 20, 2012 at 1:39 PM, Matthew Edwards <iceaxehikes at gmail.com>wrote:
> 
>> It sounds like the strongest arguments we have Against bicycles gaining
>> access to the PCT,
>> aside from the obvious aestetic losses, are: Erosion and Spooking Horses.
>> 
>> I also like SteelEye's summary of the actual percentage of trails open to
>> bikes compared to the PCT.
>> 
>> We need to compile data, such as the effect opening the TRT to bikes has
>> had on trail erosion,and hiker and equestrian experiences.
>> 
>> What about envronmental studies?
>> Shouldn't the whole matter of bikes on the PCT be shelved until proper
>> environmental
>> studies are done in regards to their impact?
>> That could take years or even decades ;)
>> Let's no just hope so but find a way to make it happen.
>> 
>> -iceaxe
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