[pct-l] New PCT Rules in Southern California Forest Lands

Wed Sep 24 14:26:43 CDT 2014

This summer I loved the Colorado Trail. HATED the bikes. Of the hundreds of bikes on the TRT and the CT exactly 7 observed the yield protocol. I made a huge point of thanking everyone of them   Virtually  all of them expected to be yielded to. What happens when they see a horse. The trail is chewed to bits. It's like sending a chainsaw through the trail. The motorcycles were a nightmare(they were allowed in a few sections) Tearing up the trail on purpose.  Spinning their tires--cause it was fun. 
There was a noticeable lack of animals and birds in every section on both trails that allowed bikes. Marmot

Sent from my iPhone

> On Sep 24, 2014, at 11:27 AM, isabella at bendnet.com wrote:
> 
> I really never wanted to see mt. bikes on the PCT and then this summer I
> hiked the Colorado Trail.  It only took 1 day of having mt. bikes racing up
> behind me at 12,000 ft  that totally reinforced my opinion.  It's just
> wrong.
> Isabella
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net [mailto:pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net]
> On Behalf Of James F. Miller
> Sent: Wednesday, September 24, 2014 11:15 AM
> To: pct-l
> Subject: Re: [pct-l] New PCT Rules in Southern California Forest Lands
> 
> Great Letter I agree totally. No Bikes. 
> This summer north of I-80 I was almost run over by a biker who was flying
> down hill. 
> The discussion that followed was not pretty. I reported the incident.  
> A few law enforcement folks are needed to stop these guys
> 
> 
>> 
>> pct-l at backcountry.net
>> Date: Wed, 24 Sep 2014 12:23:51 -0400
>> Subject: Re: [pct-l] New PCT Rules in Southern California Forest Lands
>> 
>> Done.  Thanks for posting the site.
>> 
>> Dr Bob
>> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net 
>> [mailto:pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net] On Behalf Of Todd McMahon
>> Sent: Wednesday, September 24, 2014 11:46 AM
>> To: pct-l at backcountry.net
>> Subject: [pct-l] New PCT Rules in Southern California Forest Lands
>> 
>> Hikers, please go to this page
>> https://cara.ecosystem-management.org/Public//CommentInput?Project=337
>> 5 And voice your support of the Forest Service Protecting the Pacific 
>> Crest Trail. Again, Mountain Bikers are voicing their opinions that 
>> they should be allowed on the trail. The plan specifically calls for 
>> the trail to be protected for hikers and horseback riders. Information 
>> about the plan can be found by clicking on "go back to main project 
>> page."  Then click on "Detailed Proposed Action" and keep scrolling 
>> down to the part about the PCT
>> 
>> I have wrote my comments to the Forest Service. Please go and write 
>> your own comments on preserving the PCT. The DEADLINE is Sept 29. Here 
>> is my
>> letter:
>> 
>> I think it's great that this plan is taking steps to preserve one of our
> National Treasures, the Pacific Crest Trail. When the trail was established
> by Congress, an Advisory Committee for the trail was created to work out the
> details and report back to Congress. The Advisory Committee decided that
> Hiking and Horseback Riding are the intended activities for the trail.
>> One of the activities the PCT needs to be protected from is Mountain
> Biking. The PCT was authorized by Congress in 1968, so that was way before
> Mountain Biking even invented. The first commercially made Mountain Bike by
> a major manufacturer didn't happen until the late 1970s.
>> 
>> I think it is really good that this plan addresses the Mountain Biking
> issue. It is really important that hikers and horseback riders can use the
> trail without the fear of having a mountain bike come barreling down the
> trail at them. Mountain Bikes can travel at a very high rate of speed, and
> have been known to spook horses. If bicycles are allowed on the PCT,
> horseback riders would be more wary of using the trail in fear their horses
> might get spooked. So, mountain bikers could easily displace horseback
> riders, one of the intended users of the trail.
>> 
>> Plus, the PCT is not designed and built for Mountain Biking. Mountain
> Biking Trails are designed and built with banked curves and rounded corners.
> The PCT uses sharp corners in several places where there are switchbacks.
> Since Mountain Bikes can travel at a higher rate of speed their trails need
> to be cleared with greater visibility, which is not the case with hiking and
> horseback riding trails. Also, Mountain Bikes damage the trail differently
> than hiking or horseback riding.
>> 
>> According to the law, motorized vehicles are prohibited on the Pacific
> Crest Trail. Bicycles are mechanical devices that can have motors mounted on
> them. Therefore, they do fall into the category of being a motorized
> vehicle. And, increasingly, bicycles do have electric motors mounted on
> them. Electric, pedal assisted bicycles are popular in Europe and are
> becoming more available in the United States. As I stated earlier in this
> letter, the first commercial made mountain bike didn't happen until the late
> 1970s. Now mountain bikes are very popular. The same thing can happen with
> electric motor bicycles over the next 30 years. Eventually, bicycles with
> electric motors could become very common in the United States. I personally
> own two Mountain Bikes and would consider buying an electric motor pedal
> assisted mountain bike when the prices come down.
>> 
>> Furthermore, in a letter to a Mountain Biking Group, Forester Randy 
>> Moore wrote "Nation-wide the Forest Service provides the largest trail 
>> system in the nation with over 157,000 miles within the system. 
>> Outside of designated wilderness there are 125,962 miles of trail, of 
>> which 123,739 miles are open to mountain bicycling (98%) and 12,389 
>> miles of trail managed specifically for mountain bicycling." So, 
>> mountain bikers already have over
>> 123,000 miles of trail they can use, and that's just in our National
> Forests. That's not counting other Federal lands like National Parks and
> Bureau of Land Management Lands and it's also not counting State and Local
> Government lands. Singletraks.com currently reports that there are 655
> mountain biking trails in California, 175 in Oregon, and 145 in Washington
> State. So, there isn't a lack of places for mountain bikers to ride.
>> 
>> The Pacific Crest Trail is a rare trail. It's a long distance hiking trail
> that is devoted to non-mechanical forms of transportation. It is worth
> preserving as a hiking and horseback riding trail for future generations.
>> _______________________________________________
>> 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.