Ernie Maxwell is now closed to bikes.

I bike in Escondido and San Diego area. There are riders who ignore greetings from time to time, but as often as I'm out on the trail, I've never seen a mtn biker behaving rudely toward anyone. I have seen and heard equestrians, however, make rude comments and whinny statements about mtn bikers. Some have made these comments as I pass them AFTER having announced my intentions and asked whether the horse will be ok with it!:-k

 

For as much as I've enjoyed EM as an after work ride- on weekdays only- I do see good reasoning for closing it. It's literally the most accessible trail in Idyllwild, a way to ease into the strenuous hiking we have here. We have plenty of other trails to ride, but grandma and her half-blind dog don't have many other options.

 

Thanks for the heads up Simon. I will miss Ernie Maxwell, the first time I rode it I think we came across 2 hikers. Talk about fun. I was so excited to ride it again the following year, but the trail was crowded with hikers it got frustrating having to pull over every minute. So long Ernie, thanks for the memories.

 

That's really why its not a good trail for MTB either.

Lets see...you're getting a a pretty broad spectrum of the population on the trail. While the majority are cool, a fair number of are clueless, bitter, intolerant, or simply hate bikes.

They don't want to have to think about which way to move to let a bike pass. Or about reigning in their out-of-control dog or kid so it doesn't get run over. And they don't like bikes "zooming" past them (at any speed). They just want to wander around in their own little world oblivious to everything around them.

Now add a mountain biker approaching from behind. He rings a bell, slows down and says "on your left", but the hiker wasn't paying attention, is startled now realizing a bike is there, and moves left because that's what he thought the low-life said. Or, they're just thinking dammit I have to move over for another one of these assholes?

Now consider that the most bitter and intolerant people seem to be those who have way too much time on their hands and few outlets to vent, so they'll call the ranger or whoever else will listen and they complain. Don't believe me? Just read the comments to online news stories. Lots seem to be hanging out in the healthcare and immigration threads on STR too :lol:.

And just because a hiker says nothing doesn't mean they aren't fuming as you pass by. It might just mean they didn't have the balls to say anything to your face. Even though you did nothing wrong, for whatever reason they may still be miffed enough to make a phone call, and all of a sudden the ranger is hearing a tale of some singletrack crazed biker killing puppies and running everyone off the trail. 'Cuz, really, if you call the ranger are you gonna say "he slowed down, rang his bell, but had my earphones on and I got confused and thought he was going to go right when he meant left, oh god it was awful!!" No, they're gonna rip us a new one....

My point here is that what we think is acceptable, other users may have a very different perspective on interactions than we do. I'm not saying either user is right or wrong, we just have to deal with it and be extra considerate when passing and approaching. Some people will complain about anything and nothing so we'll never get away from all complaints and issues, but lets not give them ammunition by riding like douches. Showing consideration to other users and choosing the right venue to train, rip, or take a big group will go along way to preserving trail access, especially in places that see heavy hike/horse use.

Flame away :wave:

 

Brendan and Simon as usual have the right point here. Ernie Maxwell is fun on a bike but in the grand scheme of things isn't much to give up. To hikers though, especially ones who are not very strong, it is a huge trail, maybe the only wilderness trail accessible to a lot of residents and visitors. And it is so crowded that multi use just was not working. We are lucky to have a ranger up here that has our best interest in mind, and the foresight to keep us out of a bigger fight that could have come out of this if Andy didn't step in. :clap: Please everybody respect the decision.

 

Oops I misread the title of this thread....I thought it read "Ernie Maxwell now closed to hikes" :lol:

 

Ernie Maxwell was very, very fun! I did not know we were supposed to try to stay off during weekends and actually rode it on a few weekends, but really early when it was still freezing outside and did not encounter many hikers and the hikers we did encounter we would stop and chat with about the beautiful trail!

Before it was said to have gone through a wilderness area, all it did was take you form the town to a road where the trail continued in a wilderness area, right? So, it was just a short little out and back for us mountain bikes.

It will be missed!

 

Is the status on the coastal trails "clear?"...just curious Dougie!

 

Has anyone had the guts to ask Mr. Ernie Maxwell, how he feels or was the original trail entrusted to the USFS??

 

Personally, I bailed on EM a long time ago. Seemed like everytime we rode it we were constantly stopping for hikers and there always seemed to be a cloud of tension no matter how curteous we were. Its a nice trail but too much baggage.

 

Weekend bump.
Signs are up.