[pct-l] Fw: Horse encounter with illegal MTBs

[Edward Anderson]

I have been away from the PCT-L posts for a few days. I have now read over all of the responses to the newspaper reporting the HORSE ENCOUNTER INCIDENT that happened in Marin County.  
 
As an equestrian, I am much more concerned relating to safety than most hikers are. A hiker can quickly jump out of the way when an illegal MB comes flying down the PCT.  A person on a horse might be at great risk of death or serious injury if that happens. I did experience a very close call on the PCT north of Bouquet Canyon in 2008. An illegal MB suddenly came around a blind curve, downhill, behind us - going very fast. Primo spooked forward - fortunately he had a clear trail ahead. The biker went off the trail on the down hill side into the brush and rocks. He was scratched and bruised. No broken bones.
It could have been a lot worse for my horse, myself, and the MB rider. We were all lucky. The lady and her horse described in the article were not so lucky. And that could have been much, much, worse.  There might have been a fatality. 
 
Illegal MBers on the PCT are illegal. They are willfully ignoring the law and putting others at risk. They are also disturbing the expected solitude of legal users of the PCT. 
 
Over a year ago, while doing volunteer trail (tree clearing) maintenance on the PCT south of Guffy Camp, Another volunteer and I encountered four MB's heading south. We were going north with out two horses and a loaded mule. We refused to yield the trail and, instead, informed them that they were on the PCT and that bikes were not allowed. Of course, they claimed innocence - that they did not know that they were on the PCT or that bikes were not allowed. I took several pictures of them as we spoke. They did turn back. We gave them no choice. In about 200' there was a dirt road crossing with a PCT post including the familiar insignia of a bicycle with the red slash through it. The post was only about three feet off the PCT. The four of them could not have avoided seeing it. 
 
In the future I will take a video, with sound, of that kind of incident. I want face identification. I will inform them, politely, that they are on the PCT and that it is illegal - and if they don't turn back immediately, and get off the PCT, I will report the incident, verified by the video. I will let them know that they will be fined.
 
MendoRider
 
 
 
 
 
----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Brick Robbins <brick at brickrobbins.com>
To: pct-l at backcountry.net 
Sent: Tuesday, June 25, 2013 11:34 AM
Subject: Re: [pct-l] Horse encounter with illegal MTBs
  

On Tue, Jun 25, 2013 at 10:41 AM, Dan Jacobs <youroldpaldan at gmail.com> wrote:
> Just so you know, you have no right to forcibly stop people to give them a
> lecture for riding a bicycle on a closed trail or to teach them proper
> etiquette. doing so may be a crime.

They have no right to run me over, or threaten to do so

To do so is assault, which IS a crime. To ride a bicycle on a closed
trail is also a crime. The difficulty is proving what happened, but
today that is not much of an issue. The GoPro or phone fixes that.

Those cyclists causing grave injury to the equestrians, and stock,
while riding on a closed trail is also a crime, and actionable in
civil court.

I have found that cyclists that ride illegally on closed trails
(poaching, as they call it) know what they are doing, and are already
carrying fear and anger. I'd like to be able to walk on a trail
without fear of being assaulted by a cyclist traveling at high speed.
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