[pct-l] C-A-M-P-F-I-R-E-S / And the Mountain Bike problem

[Stephen Clark]

This may be true however the cumulative effect, hundreds upon hundreds of
bikes vs. a handful of horses, doesn't even begin to compare, and a horse
won't run you down around a blind corner at 35 mph.


On Sun, May 12, 2013 at 3:27 PM, jason povey <golobos_55 at yahoo.com> wrote:

> Well then we need to lobby congress because bikes do far less damage to a
> trail than horses.
>
>
> ________________________________
>  From: Edward Anderson <mendoridered at yahoo.com>
> To: "gary_schenk at verizon.net" <gary_schenk at verizon.net>; "
> pct-l at backcountry.net" <pct-l at backcountry.net>
> Sent: Sunday, May 12, 2013 12:46 PM
> Subject: Re: [pct-l] C-A-M-P-F-I-R-E-S / And the Mountain Bike problem
>
>
> Hello Gary,
>
> I also break up and scatter illegal fire ring rocks.
>
> You also mentioned that you aren't concerned about illegal mountain bikes
> and dirt bikes on the PCT. Here are three reasons why they should not be on
> the PCT.
>
>      1)  They are illegal - it is against the law, designated by an act of
> congress in 1968. Wheels are not allowed anywhere on the PCT. It is for the
> use of hikers and equestrians only.
>      2)  Substantial tread/trail damage can result from the lineal groves
> left behind by wheels. The worst groves are those left by bikers who brake
> hard, locking the wheels, and dragging the tires down.
>  This is especially noticeable on slopes - when it rains, water will run
> down those groves,which become ruts - which become ditches. As a Back
> Country Horseman trail maintenance volunteer,
>  I have personally observed this. Of course, we repair the trail by
> filling in and putting in water bars. There are places on the PCT where
> illegal wheeled vehicles have caused very serious damage.
>      3)   Mountain bikers pose a very serious threat to equestrians.
> Riders and horses have been injured and killed when a mountain biker
> suddenly comes flying (for the thrill) down a winding and narrow
>  trail causing a horse to spook. If there are also steep drop-offs, there
> might be a disaster. I will briefly describe my own "close call" experience
> during my PCT ride. It happened about 50 miles north of
> Agua Dulce.  It was on a trail as I described above. I was riding down
> hill when a MB came up at high speed behind us. Primo, my horse, spooked
> forward. Fortunately, he had room ahead on the trail to
> go. The mountain biker, to avoid running into us, swerved and tumbled into
> the rocks and brush below the the trail. He was badly scratched and also
> bruised. I think his bike was also damaged.
> I watched as he took his time getting up and looked over the damage. He
> would live. He was lucky there wasn't a cliff there.
>
> I have been taking pictures of illegal bikers on the PCT.  About a year
> ago I was helping BCH Ray Drasher clear some down trees that were blocking
> the PCT south of Guffy Camp. On our way back,
> going north, we came upon illegal mountain bikers going south towards
> Cajon Pass. They expected us to yield to them. No way. We informed them
> that they were on the PCT - and that bikes are not
> allowed.  Of course, they claimed innocence - that they did not know that
> they were on the PCT, or that bikes weren't allowed. I started taking
> pictures as we spoke and told them that they must turn
> back. They did. It turned out that we were only a short distance (about
> 300') from where the PCT crosses a dirt road. The usual PCT post was there
> and the bike symbol with the red slash through it
> was obvious. There were four bikers. They certainly had to have seen it.
>
> MendoRider-Hiker
>
>
>
>
>
> ________________________________
> From: "gary_schenk at verizon.net" <gary_schenk at verizon.net>
> To: diane at santabarbarahikes.com; pct-l at backcountry.net
> Sent: Sunday, May 12, 2013 8:41 AM
> Subject: Re: [pct-l] C-A-M-P-F-I-R-E-S
>
>
> Diane,
> Right on.
>
> Notice that many of the folks speaking out about campfires are from
> Southern California. It gets depressing watching the burned out areas
> increase year after year. Most thrus are never going to come back, others
> use the PCT for getting to other places, not as an end in itself.
>
> I try to break up every illegal ring that I come across. It's hard to get
> all huffy about mountain bikes and dirt bikes on the trail when parts of
> the hiking community itself is a bigger problem.
>
> Gary
>
>
> On 05/12/13, Diane Soini of Santa Barbara Hikes wrote:
>
> I suppose nobody would gather at the 3rd gate were it not for the
> water cache. I suppose that they figure if the fire needs putting out
> there's enough water there to do it. However, if they aren't using
> the cache water to put the fire out then they aren't putting it out.
> I think that all these water caches should go. They make people too
> disconnected from their environment. You can hike from Rodriguez
> Spring (and there's a real spring further down the road, you don't
> need the tank) to Barrel Spring without a cache. It's only one night
> between the two. I've gone two nights many times in So Cal carrying
> all the water I need.
> _______________________________________________
> Pct-L mailing list
> Pct-L at backcountry.net
> To unsubscribe, or change options visit:
> http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l
>
> List Archives:
> http://mailman.backcountry.net/pipermail/pct-l/
> All content is copyrighted by the respective authors.
> Reproduction is prohibited without express permission.
> _______________________________________________
> Pct-L mailing list
> Pct-L at backcountry.net
> To unsubscribe, or change options visit:
> http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l
>
> List Archives:
> http://mailman.backcountry.net/pipermail/pct-l/
> All content is copyrighted by the respective authors.
> Reproduction is prohibited without express permission.
> _______________________________________________
> Pct-L mailing list
> Pct-L at backcountry.net
> To unsubscribe, or change options visit:
> http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l
>
> List Archives:
> http://mailman.backcountry.net/pipermail/pct-l/
> All content is copyrighted by the respective authors.
> Reproduction is prohibited without express permission.
> _______________________________________________
> Pct-L mailing list
> Pct-L at backcountry.net
> To unsubscribe, or change options visit:
> http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l
>
> List Archives:
> http://mailman.backcountry.net/pipermail/pct-l/
> All content is copyrighted by the respective authors.
> Reproduction is prohibited without express permission.
>