North Country Trail

[BWANA]

I just read the article on the North Country Trail on the Dirt Rag Website. I have been interested in this as a multi-use trail for some time. As a hiker I thought I would talk it over on the North Country Trail Website… If you are wondering what HOHA (Hateful Old Hikers Association) thinks of you as a mountain biker then check out my thread on the North Country Trail bulletin board. They are not all bad, some are quite level headed. I am afraid my cynical and sarcastic personality shows through. I am not the most eloquent member of the debate team so for that I apologize in advance. Not all of them think mountain biking is a problem, but for some, there is a certain “failure to communicate”

http://www.northcountrytrail.org/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=7&sid=d21c134ad54108f4ea658493da2474ac

BWANA

[mudskipper]

I had some time and actually read a good portion of the discussion BWANA had with the other hikers on the use of mtbs on the NCT. My 2 cents on the topic is that hiking advocacy groups have more cash and more experience in founding, maintaining and treading thru the murky legal waters of trail access; ( because hikers have been together politically as a group longer.) so donate more to IMBA people...

As an Imba member and memeber of several hiking groups (ATC, etc)
I can sympathize with both arguments. However, I feel that most (excuse the generalization) hikers and bikers would agree upon a common enemy to trails and backcountry access (or for that matter trail exsistance at all) Big MOney companies that support Logging or other industrial or commercial uses of backcountry resources. Don't miss the forrest for the trees here folks ...
Regardless of your trail use, We need to come together and pool resources
Multiple access trails can work if we police them and maintain them ...
Many trails systems have successfully adapted a "use for particular day" policy. As a biker & hiker, I would gladly use the trails for the use specified for that day

the world is not getting any bigger and I would rather share the trails with a hiker or horse than have WALMART or some developer of "MCmansions" take the trails away ....

[Bikephreak]

I have had the pleasure of riding some of the North Country Trail. It would be fabulous to have full access to it! Some of the problems of multi user trails boil down to decorum and misunderstandings. It really sucks to be walking with your family and have a couple of guys come skidding around a blind turn at high speed and yell "Look out!!"
Multi user trails are like the road, used by multiple modes of transportation. We need to be courteous of others. It is a sheer joy to ride on this trail when the late spring orchids are in bloom. I like that it is not full of jumps and stunts like some trails. I just like single track. We need to get this trail completed and have access to it protected.

[EBasil]

Are there any portions of the trail that, even if not the most desirable bike ride, can be identified as the "low hanging fruit" in terms of pushing for Multiuse Access? If you can find those locations, and push for fair, equitable access for all non-motorized users, then you can start breaking down the illegitimate restrictions on other parts of the trail.