"SMS" wrote in message
...
On 7/6/2011 2:45 PM, James wrote:

Marvelous how habitat grows back. I see it regularly in bush camping
areas. "This area is closed for revegetation."

It goes beyond that as well. Every single study on impact to trails has
shown that hikers and mountain bikers have similar levels of impact--the
impacts are slightly different, but similar level. Hikers have a much
greater impact on wildlife because they move through an area more slowly
and hence are there for a much longer time. Both hikers and cyclists cause
trail erosion and damage in different ways. Horses of course have been
shown to do much greater damage to trails than any other user, besides
having the most impact on wildlife.

The reason why some hikers are opposed to mountain bikes has absolutely
nothing to do with impact on trails or habitat, that's a smokescren. The
real reason is that they just prefer to hike without the additional trail
users in what they believe to be space that they are entitled to. I don't
blame them. I find it unpleasant to be hiking on a trail and have bicycles
zoom by too, but I don't go around making up stories to try and justify
why bicycles should be banned.

The reason you see these incredible stories being fabricated (and MV is by
no means alone in doing this) is because the argument of "we were here
before there were any mountain bikes so we should have exclusive use" is
so weak.

I have the good fortune to live in an area that sees off road cycling as a
client base and contributor to the trail system, not a foe. We have our
trails that we build and maintain that are open to hikers and that are
closed when riding would be damaging, the hikers have foot traffic only
trails and there are trails that are open to horses. We alter the trails
when they start to become too permanent so that regrowth is a continual
process.

The trails that are open to cyclists are clearly marked as such and
everybody mostly gets along very nicely. None of them have formed factions.
Our enemies are common, wild pigs at the top with varying degrees of
rudeness being anathema to all. Yep, there are jerk mountain bikers, they
are rude to other riders as well. Nobody is rude to the horses, it doesn't
pay.