It was an awesomely busy day at McIntosh Run. I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve bumped into more than one female mtn biker back there - today I crossed paths with at least 6!
Same situation with kids, there was an awesome amount of younger riders out there.
Less awesome - the number of people I noticed running/hiking/riding CLOSED trails. Friends don’t let friends ignore the trail signs!
I know most people don’t understand the damage that can be caused, and the work that can be undone, but especially this time of year the freeze/thaw cycles leave the ground pretty fragile. If people do understand the amount of work that goes into getting the trails where they are, and just run/ride/hike on by the signs, well that’s pretty selfish and disrespectful.
Anyway, if you can tactfully educate your friends on why it’s crappy trail etiquette to blow right by the signs, that would be grand!
It would be nice if someone notified dog walkers or owners that the trails are like side walks. Pick up after your dogs. The last few weeks have been nasty. And I would suggest it’s the locals that complain about us cyclists.
Yeah, you’re probably not wrong. I flick a lot of poop into the woods that doesn’t belong to my dogs…
I’d suggest the same sort of diplomacy. If you see someone doing something that doesn’t shake out, politely educate. There is 100% an influx of new trail users, and what seems obvious to people who have used them for a while, just isn’t.
It’s never going to be perfect, but if any of us come across something on the trail that we can easily easily do to make the experience better for others, no harm in giving 5 minutes to clear a tree branch, flick some poop, pick up someone’s trash etc…
