[pct-l] What do you say to mountain bikers on the PCT

[Dan Jacobs]

On Sun, Oct 27, 2013 at 12:10 PM, Barry Teschlog <tokencivilian at yahoo.com>wrote:

> Tim said:
> "Say what you will. They don't care. They're prepared to be challanged.
> The ones that do care aren't on the trail in the first place."
>
> Response:
> This hits the nail on the head.  MTBers that poach simply don't care -
> they show that they don't care by their actions.  They care not about
> rules, nor of the environment, nor of other users - they care about nothing
> other than themselves in their selfish pursuits of taking over others hard
> work for their own purposes (and ruining it for the current users in the
> process).


We're all guilty of some offense, whether legal, criminal, or any other
topic that could be brought up about human interaction in society. My words
here do not single out Barry or anyone else in particular. If you are upset
about what I write, look inside yourself, not at me.

It is interesting that this comes out on a list that is damn near full of
hikers, and so many of the hiking community have needed to be rescued due
to bad weather they plunged into in the most fool-hardy of fashions, some
brag about hiking closed trails, fishing in waters they know nothing about
and no mention of having a license, hitch-hiking where it is illegal and/or
dangerous (for others), leaving messes for others to clean up, ad nauseum.
How about that laundromat on the AT that excludes hikers? Think the owner
did that just because they don't like folks that wear backpacks? Yeah,
*HIKERS* did that. Hikers poaching closed trails during the shutdown?
Again, HIKERS. All of our halos are crooked in some form or another, and
some are bent, tarnished, broken, or maybe the only reason we still have
one is because it is hanging around our neck.

Your feelings can only be hurt by those that have your permission to do so.
Same with your hike, outdoor experience, your commute, etc. Get over it and
enjoy your time outdoors, don't let the rare folks you might see on
bicycles, or doing anything else you don't agree with. completely ruin your
trip, or your life. I wonder how many other people's trips I have ruined
because I being a two way radio with me on my hikes, and enjoy sharing my
time in the outdoors with my hobby of amateur radio? Oh dear, I might have
actually *harmed* someone because they don't think technology belongs in
the woods! How will I ever sleep again at night?!?!

Be a good witness and information gatherer. Take pictures or video, write
down or dictate into your smartphone details that might help the
administrator of the land where it occurred to take action, and remain
calm. That is the *best* thing people can do in a "closed to bicycles"
bicycle encounter.  Otherwise, write to those involved in the decision
making process and make your voice heard (honestly, it kinda sounds like
they aren't really listening right now). Do anything else at your own risk,
including getting out of bed or drinking water (those things can actually
kill you! GASP!) Life is chock-a-block full of risks, and a rare bicycle
encounter on a closed trail is pretty low on the list of Things That
Statistically Will Do You Harm Whether You Think About Them or Not.

All this hand-wringing is aging very quickly. I can also tell that winter
is creeping in. I'll just focus on keeping my own house clean, let others
worry abotu the other stuff. They are so willing to do that for me, so I'll
let them. Less problems for me in more ways than one.

Losing popularity by the keystroke,
Dan Jacobs
Washougal
-- 
"Loud motorcycle stereos save lives."
Motorcycle to hike, hike to motorcycle.
Make a friend of pain and you'll never be alone.