Sycamore Canyon 2/13 "TRAIL USE RANT"

[weaksauce]

Not one to stop and snap some photos while riding, but thought with the recent rains I would post some here and show how us mountain bikers (myself included)damage the trails...when we ride when wet...well im proud to say that my stomping ground of sycamore canyon westside (pt mugo) was in great shape in regards to hike/bike use...equestians are another story...i almost vomited when I saw the damage these a##holes did.

REALLY? You have to ride your horse right after it rains!! WHY? You cant wait a week to getty up...i mean how exciting it must be to hurry up and ..um...sit. Cant you just sit at home on your recliner watching the rodeo on versus and get the same RUSH as sitting on a horse and looking at stuff..how hard is it to look left, then look right, then left again...ohhh so thrilling. Its not like your getting excercise or something!! Its not like you have to rustle up some cattle to pay the bills...you people, and i know its just a minority of equestians/hikers/bikers, but you should be treated just like the punks who graffiti, cause it is vandalism. Plain and simple. Six inch holes in the trail is vandalism...and dont tell me six inches isnt alot...ITS HUGE!!! At least thats what i tell myself...anyways....

vandalism
Willful or malicious destruction of public or private property.

Last time I checked those multi-use trails are public property and the fact that you know that riding them when conditions are unfavorable is willful or malicious destruction of said property.

Here's an excellent article, a must read.

http://www.americantrails.org/resour...enImpacts.html

Happy Trails

[newpos]

i would like to see these pictures posted on ocregister and listen to what people have to say.

[jayman_29]

I think the guy who wrote that article is a member on this site. Hopefully he'll see these pics and include them.

[MTBBill]

That crap really pisses me off. It is my opinion that your average equestrain does not care about trail tread because they are seperated from the trail by thier poop machines. The get to enjoy the scenery from thier lofty perch above the muck and mire. I also think there is a small percentage of anti-bike equestrains that actively go out right after rains just to f#$k trails that mountain bikers routinely use thinking that if they make the trails less appealing to us we will go away and the trail to themselves.

[One_Track_Mind]

It might do some good to send those pics to the agency that manages Sycamore Cyn too.

[jh4rt]

M(&)(^&)(*& F(&)(^)*(^r....

I've been both folks. Don't discount the vehicle... Anyone (and I have been guilty of this...some of the ruts on backbone are accidentally my fault, maybe) who rides when the trail is adverse is bound to cause damage. We got stuck on backbone one time and it was wetter than we thought..and we did our best to creep out doing the least damage possible. Perhaps this equestrian got into a place where he thought he was ok.. but then tried as best he could to get out with as little damage as possible. Or, perhaps he didn't give a sh*t, but that could be a mountain biker, or hiker, just the same.

I guess my point is: the vehicle wars are silly. We all use the trails, some of us don't have the best judgement with regard to the current conditions. Some of us just can't wait to get back out there and ride.

So, yeah... this sucks. Those holes are going to cause some discomfort... But, I'm thinking that, were it me on that horse, i'd be doing my best to minimize my damage considering I had gotten myself in a bad situation. Not sure if you know it, but when a horse gets a flat (throws a shoe, trips and comes up lame, etc...) it is a lot more expensive than one of our flats.

JMHO...

[BFloFoxRider.]

not only is it bad for the trails, but i'm sure if the horses ankles werent wrapped, the horses now have ankle problems, that cant be good for them.

[rwmagnus]

Same story the mnority ruin it for the majority. Tha's one heavy horse to make those holes. Actually I don't know too many horse riders that would want to ride that trail either. And with all the rain expected this week it;s gonna get worse. Looks like the mountian bikers will have to come to the trail rescue once again.

[dirtvert]

yikes. that's the worst trail damage from a horse i've ever seen. i'm sure the hikers/runners aren't too stoked about it either. i would forward those to the ranger.

[Fearless Fly]

**** horseback riders, most of them are dicks, the more we kiss their asses the more they tell us to pucker up.

[Fearless Fly]

I did not type ****

[roach]

Happens after every rain in PV (aka Del Cerro). Still an ongoing mystery as to why, ignorance or vandalism? Maybe it feels better to ride a horse on soft, wet clay?

There's one trail in PV that CORBA spent all day widening and "repairing" and it was totally ruined by horses about a week later after some wet weather.

But hey, equestrians were recreating on trials long before us, so I guess we have to suck it up. lame.

[weaksauce]

Talked to the ranger there at sycamore and have come up with a solution...I think its more than reasonable...what do you think...cheers!

[speckledtrout]

Gabe, you kill me.

[chupacabra]

Call me ignorant.
But are those postholes really going to affect anyone's ride negatively. Seems like you could just ride over them without cause for worry.

[monkeyman]

Same thing happens at Daley Ranch in Escondido after it rains.... but they usually arent such clean holes poked in the ground. Its more like a big wide dish pressed into the mud with a rim around it. When the mud dries I can sometimes still spot those pressed dishes in the ground 7-8 months later...

Its a shame.

Mtn Bikes are the new horses of the 21st century.

Let the old west go...we aint cowboys no more... I reckon

[panteratwork]

Whats up with that Toy dog, Is that like a sex toy for your pets?Gabe thats out of nowhere! what made you think of that?

[RazoR]

Thats weird, how often do you see horses in sycamore? I live at the top of the canyon in Newbury and sometimes when I hang at the top of the bb I see groups of 10 mtbkrs with mud all over their bikes....they never stop riding in any conditions because they are so "hardcore" !

[lmnop]

Originally Posted by chupacabra

Call me ignorant.
But are those postholes really going to affect anyone's ride negatively. Seems like you could just ride over them without cause for worry.

True, no one would plow into one of those things and get thrown over the bars. However, water is the number one enemy of the trail and the horse just aerated the trail and future rain water will enter. Gopher holes cause the same problem on landscaped slopes.

[MTBBill]

Originally Posted by rwmagnus

Tha's one heavy horse to make those holes.

All of those poop machines are really heavy compared to a mountain bike or hiker

Originally Posted by chupacabra

Call me ignorant.
But are those postholes really going to affect anyone's ride negatively. Seems like you could just ride over them without cause for worry.

It is the future damage to the trail that is going to be the issue.

Originally Posted by jh4rt

I guess my point is: the vehicle wars are silly. We all use the trails, some of us don't have the best judgement with regard to the current conditions. Some of us just can't wait to get back out there and ride.

So, yeah... this sucks. Those holes are going to cause some discomfort... But, I'm thinking that, were it me on that horse, i'd be doing my best to minimize my damage considering I had gotten myself in a bad situation. Not sure if you know it, but when a horse gets a flat (throws a shoe, trips and comes up lame, etc...) it is a lot more expensive than one of our flats.

JMHO...

I think you give that community too much credit. Your average equestrain is just not that concerned about the trail thread or the conditions after a rain. They do not have to get muddy from thier perch on the back of the 800+ pound poop machine. They can trash a trail out to a point where neither hikers nor bikers would want to be on it, and it is still perfectly passible for them from thier "vehicle" The Bell Canyon trail at Caspers Wilderness Park is a good example. They screw that fireroad up so bad a you would need a pumped up 4x4 to get through.