[pct-l] MTB Mindset and The Trail

[Melanie Clarke]

Dear PCT,

What you said is correct, however, I'm afraid this argument would be lost on
the general public and elected officials voting for policy.  Lengthy
arguments just kind of make people's eyes glaze over and they stop
listening.  Short sensationalistic sound bites work better to get people's
attention.  We need to make this short, sweet and something they can't argue
about; SAFETY!  I really liked Wes Rose's freeway analogy.  That is
something people can identify with.  Most people have absolutely no idea
about hiking in the back country.  We have to give them something they can
relate to.  After we have some one's attention, then we can elaborate with
the more aesthetic arguments.  Come on, SAFETY is our biggest issue anyway!
Most of us think nothing of hiking far away from humanity with minimal gear,
equipment, 30 degree sleeping bags, no tent, no one to rely on except the
strength of our bodies etc. and we don't feel like our lives are in danger.
Turning a blind corner on a narrow trail facing down a 20mph mountain bike
and we just see our lives flashing before us!

Let's decide as a group to unite behind a quick soundbite that can motivate
people who have no idea what we do!  Let me give an example.  No one cared
about what milk they drank as milk was healthy.  Then they compared drinking
a cup of whole milk to eating 9 pieces of bacon and that woke everyone up to
what we were doing to our bodies!  Instead of 9 pieces of bacon we can use
Wes Rose's idiot who is barreling down the wrong side of the freeway.  That
explains the situation quite nicely and what we as hikers face!

Keep it simple, most people are pretty apathetic.  I think this is our best
strategy for winning and educating the public.  Feel free to comment and
maybe we can come up with better or other strategies!

Melanie

On Mon, Nov 1, 2010 at 10:45 AM, Barry Teschlog <tokencivilian at yahoo.com>wrote:

> I can’t speak for the mindset of the bikes on the PCT crowd.  Ditto those
> that
> want to open wilderness to bikes (look around – there is plenty out there:
> FB
> pages, specifically “Wilderness B = Wilderness with Bikes”, the IMBA, etc).
>
> What these MTBers either don’t understand, willfully ignore, don’t care
> about,
> or what other reason motivates them is that their desire to open the PCT
> and
> wilderness to bikes is a zero sum game.  For them to gain, others
> necessarily
> lose.
>
>
> For what ever reason, they don’t care, understand, know, get that the mere
> presence of bikes on the PCT or in wilderness destroys the experience for a
> large number of hikers and equestrians.  I go to the wilderness to get away
> from
> modern society, to relax and reset.  To enjoy space unspoiled by machines.
> To
> enjoy a slower pace of life in wildness that is quiet save for the sounds
> of
> nature.  To have to dodge hell bent for leather MTBers coming down the
> trail, to
> hear the piercing squeal of disc brakes, to slog along trail churned to mud
> –
> only one of these will ruin what is otherwise what I’m seeking in heading
> to the
> wilderness or out for a hike on The Trail.  Go to the Wilderness B FB page
> and
> read for insights into the mind set – the self centeredness in wanting to
> be
> able to go ANYWHERE is unmistakable.  All I want is my bit of peace and
> quiet
> left alone, which is too much to ask of the MTB crowd I suppose.  They have
> practically all of the forest outside of wilderness areas already - I guess
> that's not good enough for them.
>
>
> It’s been my experience that the MTB crowd is also willfully ignorant of
> the
> facts of the wilderness act.  They hide behind arguments that bikes were
> banned
> from the wilderness by rule and not by the plain text of the act (see
> section 4c
> specifically, to wit:  “no other form of mechanical transport”).  When
> confronted by this fact, they simply ignore the plain English in the act
> and
> press on like it didn’t exist.
>
> In regards the recent discussion on fines, etc.  Wake up folks.  150, 250
> or 500
> bucks is chump change to a MTBer.  The only thing that matters to them is
> their
> beloved ride.  Until the penalty is a fine AND loss of the bike, bike
> shoes,
> helmet, body armor, bike tools and accessories (all the MTB specific gear)
> that
> are illegally on a trail or in wilderness, they won’t respect the law.
> MTBers
> spend a lot of time and energy into customizing their rides.  It’s the same
> kind
> of effort that we hikers put into our own gear selection and
> customization.  Far
> fewer of them would risk losing it all if that was part of the penalty.
> Try
> this thought experiment:  How many thru hikers would risk entering fire
> closures
> if part of the penalty was loss of their hiking gear (pack, sleeping bag,
> poles,
> shelter, stove, etc, etc, etc)?  Yeah…not many.  The same dynamic applies
> to
> MTBers.
>
> TC
>
> Note:  The above is said as someone who loves some fine single track.  I
> was
> just out at Duthie Hill MTB park on Saturday (Issaquah, a bit east of
> Seattle).
> Talk about fun. It also highlighted that what is a great MTB trail is a
> lousy
> hiking trail – super elevation in the turns, winding and twisting tread,
> whoop-de-doos, jumps, etc.  And the mush that wheels make from the
> slightest bit
> of organic matter on the trail.
>
>
>
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