“Oh for cryin out loud!

Who's impersonating Ice Tea now? 84 words and

no

spelling mistakes?!!

This is getting crazy!”

“If you have to go "cruising down a hill" on a trail that you know is shared with hikers, it is definately your responsibility to be extra cautious of your actions. You are the most dangerous and unpredictable of the two parties and your alertness needs to match your speed and the terrain.

Other than that, I yield to the downhill hiker.”

“The "rules" are not arbitrary, they exist to protect all users of the trail and while I might choose to step aside and give right of way to a downhill traveler, I ALWAYS step to the side if I'm the downhill traveler approaching an uphill traveler, it's both the ethical and courteous move. One of my regular hiking locales is Mt. Tamalpais, birthplace of mountain biking and I've come across many a biker but have never had a bad experience. Those on bikes know the rules and generally avoid the trails closed to them and are courteous to other trail users when they meet. Have you ever seen signs saying yield to uphill traffic along hilly roads? To the bikers out there; do the complaints the hikers have sound anything like the complaints bikers have about motor vehicles?”

“When hiking, I have determined it is best to avoid trails that are used by bikers. It just works out better for everyone involved.”

“You are all grouping foot traffic into one category. A trail runner is equiped differently and travels at a different rate of speed than an overladen backpacker and so should not be put in the same group as backpackers.

If I was a backpacker going downhill and I encountered a backpacker going up hill then I would yield to the uphill backpacker. Just as I would yield to a uphill trail runner if I was a trail runnergoing downhill. But a trail runner can achieve speeds close to a mtn. biker on downhills and should be treated differently than an backpacker carrying a 3rd their body weight
on their back.

The multi-use trail rules were written by hikers. When mtn. bikes showed up on the scene 15 yrs. ago, the hikers told the mtn. bikers that if they wanted to use the hikers trails then they had to play by the hikers rules. Of course this happened because a few daredevil mtn. bikers had no regard for other people on the trail 15 yrs ago.

Yes without question or care of bodily harm would I stop for a naked woman :).”

“naked people get the right-of-way no matter what!”

“Mountain Gal, please put your clothing back on. Thank you.”

“This applies to backpackers...
It is much more difficult to stop if you're hiking downhill than if you are hiking uphill. Therefore, the uphill hiker should yield to the downhiller. I think it's mentioned somewhere in the Old Testament.

(hmmm... is there an echo in here?)
(o:”

“i agree, ken. it is getting quite old. and her boobs are reeeally sagging!”

“Flink... If there is any question about your ability to immediately slam on the breaks, you are going way too fast for a multi use trail.”

“Actually the rule exist to protect the mt. bikers. If those rules aren't followed the mountain bikes will lose more and more trail access. Then we will all be roadies.

I personally, whether hiking or riding, stop and let others pass. Usually it's a great opportunity to take a rest and say,"Hello". Many of the trails that have been closed to bikes were fun to ride when I was a kid. They didn't get closed until a bunch of A Holes discovered mt. bikes and rode like they owned the trail. The fact of the matter is mt. bikes are the new users of the trails, until they can show their out there for more then just tearing up the trail and blowing hikes off the trail, they won't be a welcome site. That is why I go out of my way to make a friendly impression.

This last weekend I went for a ride on a trail close to my home. As I was riding down the trail I noticed a couple of hikers heading up. At about 30 yard from them I stopped and waited for them to pass. When they came up to me, they asked why I stopped, so I explained the "Trail Ethics", they asked some questions about the trails and I help as much as I could. As they walked away they told me they have never met a mt. biker that was this helpful.

I'm betting that encounter was a lot better then having stuff thrown at me. Be an ambassador to your sport not an embarrassment.”

“PedXing, you may be right. I'm not the most skilled rider. I really do see the different points of view, but it surprises me because I was just going by what I thought was common sense. Interesting discussion, and it's given me something to think about next time I ride.

mtn gal, that's hilarious! I've never seen such arousing ascii art before! I'd stop for that body, I know that.”

“Gojo, bro, your echo is as incorrect as your original plea.

Yeah, what switchback said!!!!!!!!”

“Why bother? Let the ears and mind remain closed.
The 'rules' only apply to others.

I've spent plenty of time on a mountain bike and always rode like there could be a toddler around the next bend. If you're not in control, you could be criminally liable. Adrenaline is great but the safety of others should be a concern.”

“Whoops.

Here I go trying to extract my foot from my mouth again. I was writing my cranky message above and was unaware of Jim's 3:46:53 PM post.

Glad to see your mind is open. LaRock seems to have offered some great advice.”

“America! we are the most messed up country. Only in America do Pedestrians have the right of way. When I was in Kenya i got hit by a car and i learned real quick to stay out of the way. Dont worry just some bruises.

Anyway i agree withg larock You need to just submit to everyone avoid confrontation. Just yieeld to everyone else. that way your not bruised and you dont get yelled at.”

“Violin,
I felt to make my point respected, I would have to use my best spelling and grammar.

I also realized that in the past two weeks, I have been very careless of my spelling and grammar, so I decided its time to go back to my old ?write it, check it, post it? method.”

“Don't sweat it Violin. I'm always having to extract either foot from mouth or head from ass. In any case, I tend to say stuff without thinking.”

“Mtn. gal is our resident flasher. She's got some itches that have gone too long without proper scratchin (tho' she likes to claim otherwise).”

“Pedestrians should have the right of way. They're the least threatening thing on the road. Unfortunately, American culture has thrust the automobile to the top of the right of way chain (maybe not legally, but drivers in a lot of the country sure act like it). Go to NYC and see what happens if your car crosses the crosswalk. You get a dent in your hood.”

“Bikers ought to yield or get the heck out of the woods! I have yet to encounter a mtn biker who was polite and said excuse me before tearing past me and knocking me damn near over. Perhaps its a local thing,only occuring here. I doubt it!

On one hike there was a group of mtn bikers ,lost w/o map. So I help em. No thanks were given. While hiking up a good sized hill with a blind corner ahead I was nearly run down by 1,no 2, no 3, no 4, 7! 7 bikers not one slowed or swerved or anything. I was like a 185 pound obstacle to steer around to improve reaction time. If I hadnt heard the racket of their bikes I would have been hit.

The only difference between horses and bikers is that horses sh!t everywhere, the bikers sh!t on everyone!”

“T-

Any 15 year old who could swim these waters long has already earned my respect. I only joke about your spelling, I usually know what you mean.

The scouting thing doesn't hurt either. Did I tell you I was an Eagle Scout? How close are you now?”

“Flink I'm glad you are learning something from having asked your question.

I have a mountain bike and know the frustration of not having good places to really move on a good trail. I wish there were more Trails dedicated to mountain bikes. The primary places I get to air it out are on old railroad right of ways... which have the advantage of no blind curves, but they really aren't that challenging or variable (excpet when you have lots of erosion).”

“Jim, your post made some interesting points and raised more interesting questions.

First off, learn to emergency stop. If you can't stop your bike without skidding or being bucked then you aren't ready for a trail, especially one with multi-use classification. Try dirtcamp.com for some weekend courses on how to control your ride. It would make both you and others around you safer.

The hiker and equine user ALWAYS have the right of way. Granted, this may not be the most logical of positions especially when crusing some single track but it is and should be so. Go to the IMBA site and truly read the trail usage and low impact standards. Commit them to memory. Live by them. Why? Where I live many haven't learned trail etiquite (this includes hikers and equine users) nor knew these rules existed. Because of this, a great battle has begun to 1) keep trails open to bikes and horses 2) educate all users of trails on what to do and not to do 3) and how to use the land responsibly by keeping up on these issues, volunteering for trail work days and working with the politicians and developers to keep space open and create connections to the various reserves.

Let's be frank, we (trail users) all think we are right. This battle also happened in SF, CA some years ago. There the MTB community wasn't as skilled or lucky to maintain trail access in that case. And now, it seems that this discussion and potential battle is becoming more frequent in all areas of the country as trail users become more dense and trails become more scarce.”

“Uphill Backpackers always have the right of way. Horses have the right of way over everyone. They spook easily. They don't seem to like backpacks much. As for trail runners - whenever we have met on the trail I have always stepped aside. I figure that with the speed that they are traveling on foot - they can easily injure their ankles or knees. As for bikers - I have run into rude ones and courteous ones. If the courteous ones are coming downhill - I step aside. As for the others . . . . . .

They belong in the misbehaved trail dog thread.”