"Phil W Lee" wrote in message ...
[...]

For the story of how a trail develops over time, I would recommend the
song "Telegraph Road" by Dire Straits.
Ed my find it highly educational.
The fact is that most rural roads started out as trails.
And since men took the easiest route when establishing the early
trails, that often meant following animal trails, so Ed is really
advocating banning all human use altogether.

Reading the history of anything is usually an eye opener. But that does not make it relevant for today. What was a ‘trail’ several hundred years ago is not quite the same thing as a ‘trail’ today. I am not interested in what animals were doing nor what Indians and pioneers were doing either for that matter. The kind of trails we are discussing here began with the National Parks and spread from there throughout all wilderness and natural areas. For many generations they were for the exclusive use of walkers and equestrians. We should strive to keep it that way for ourselves and for future generations.

There is a universe of roads of all kinds for bikes to play on. I am a cyclist myself and ride almost every day weather permitting. I do it for the enjoyment I get from it. I do not ever need to ride off road. Minnesota has thousands of miles of gravel roads for me to ride on right out my back door. When I am on a foot path (the correct definition of a trail today) I only want to be walking – and I do not want to encounter any bicycles any more than I want to encounter any motorcycles or all-terrain vehicles. There are a gazillion miles of roads for them - dammit!

Mountain bikers are barbarians and have no right to be on any trail used by hikers – unless they want to get off their god damn ****ing bikes and walk like everyone else. When they crash and injure themselves, I rejoice! If and when they manage to kill themselves, I say good riddance to bad rubbish! Death to mountain bikers!

“Tread softly! All the earth is holy ground.”
~ Christina Rossetti (Psalm 24),
from "A Later Life: A Double Sonnet of Sonnets"

Mountain bikes have wheels. Wheels are for roads.

Trails are for walking. What’s the matter? Can’t walk?

Ed Dolan the Great
aka
Saint Edward the Great