Have you ever poached a trail?
05-21-19, 12:56 AM
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Have you ever poached a trail?
I rented a MTB in Winthrop, and took it to check out some of the new trails on Sun Mountain. After a while going up and down got old and it became time for a viewy trail. So I rode Patterson Mtn.
Midway through the ride, the trail crosses a cattle fence. There's a ladder set up to get over the trail. That was my first clue, it's hard to shoulder a bike while you climb a ladder. Next clue was a couple saying in all their years, they've never seen anyone take a bike up here.
I confessed my sin to LBS when I returned the bike. "No harm no foul, but here's a map that shows where you're allowed to ride."
Midway through the ride, the trail crosses a cattle fence. There's a ladder set up to get over the trail. That was my first clue, it's hard to shoulder a bike while you climb a ladder. Next clue was a couple saying in all their years, they've never seen anyone take a bike up here.
I confessed my sin to LBS when I returned the bike. "No harm no foul, but here's a map that shows where you're allowed to ride."
05-21-19, 04:29 AM
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I did a sorta undergroundish gravel-y race-y thing a decade or so back that hit a bunch of dirt trails around the Boston area... most of which was kosher. I noticed in advance that there was a short bit of the route that went by a drinking water backup reservoir and it specifically said NO BIKES so we dodged that short portion. A little while later we entered another area that I'd run in before but never cycled through, but we came in a weird way that hit some singletrack through the woods before meeting up with the main trail. Turns out that main trail also specifically excludes bicycles... as a surly rich suburban lady told me while trying to block my path.
Did feel a bit bad about the cycling where we weren't supposed to, but that lady was a jerk.
If you don't want people cycling on a path people walk/walk dogs on, probably a good idea to put signs somewhere along the path, not just at the parking area. That said, my bad.
Did feel a bit bad about the cycling where we weren't supposed to, but that lady was a jerk.
If you don't want people cycling on a path people walk/walk dogs on, probably a good idea to put signs somewhere along the path, not just at the parking area. That said, my bad.
05-21-19, 04:50 AM
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.. doesn't sound like behavior that's likely to endear cyclists to non-cyclists.
05-21-19, 08:40 AM
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Admittedly, no, not so much. On the other hand, do people say that about ill-behaved motorists?
05-22-19, 02:10 PM
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why, whatever do you mean? 
here I am exiting the woods thru someone's property. actually i think the road is public but they own either side of it. so technically was OK but I had my doubts as I could see more of the property thru the open gate. the lady carrying stuff to the ppl riding horses to the right smiled at me, so I wasn't scared
skip to 1:31
here I am exiting the woods thru someone's property. actually i think the road is public but they own either side of it. so technically was OK but I had my doubts as I could see more of the property thru the open gate. the lady carrying stuff to the ppl riding horses to the right smiled at me, so I wasn't scared
skip to 1:31
Last edited by rumrunn6; 05-22-19 at 02:14 PM.
05-22-19, 02:48 PM
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Last weekend near a trailhead on the Greenway- some lady drove her car onto the Greenway and started down it. My wife shouted "it's not for cars!", and told me that the woman tried to start a shouting match over it. Seems like an analogous situation and I'm pretty sure she said a few things about ill-behaved motorists.
