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

[Diane Soini]

I think there must be some kind of campaign on or something because  
we caught a poacher on a local trail just today. The only local trail  
closed to mountain bikes.

I usually don't say anything. Over time I've kinda stopped caring,  
mostly because they stay off that one trail and I know I can hike it  
and not have to worry about bomber downhill bikers. But for some  
reason it pissed me off today and I was tired of just being silent.  
It's like in this stupid culture the more ridiculously brazen and  
jerkwad-ish you can be the more chance you have of getting what you  
want, so what's stopping me from being as big a jerk as I can be to  
get what I want, too? I don't know if it's the right thing to do but  
I hope that I made it seem just a little less fun to poach a trail  
than he thought it might be, maybe made his day a little less  
pleasant. But these guys love unpleasantness so I'm sure it only made  
him want to do it again.

Oh well.

On Oct 27, 2013, at 10:00 AM, pct-l-request at backcountry.net wrote:

> From: Eric Martinot <eric at martinot.info>
> Subject: [pct-l] What do you say to mountain bikers on the PCT?
>
>
> But presuming they all knew they were not supposed to be there, what
> does one say?   Nothing? Or take a hard-line attitude: "Get the  
> f--- off
> the trail, you are not supposed to be here" (?)   Or:  "You're causing
> too much trail erosion and turning the trail into a difficult-to-hike
> ditch." (?)   (I wondered if that is true, bike tires vs. feet vs.  
> horse
> hooves.)  Or perhaps, "from your presence, I've lost the serenity  
> of the
> trail because I'm constantly having to be aware of what might be
> barreling down a narrow steep section of trail towards me so I can  
> jump
> out of the way to avoid a collision, and can't listen to music and  
> zone
> out as I usually do on the trail."