andybob

Haven't ridden it, but it looks fun and pretty long. Not too tech though.

Haha, yeah, there's a lot of truth to that quote. Mount Vernon P&R recently developed some nice trails on Little Mountain, and they're b-line all the way. Thanks for the discourse Charlie - you make some overstatements, but also some solid points. It was never my intention to start any arguments that detract from the issue at hand: maintaining access to the NF road and trails. My comments above don't capture my whole outlook. I'm an advocate for access, but I'm not well versed in any of these issues. I just ride my bikes and volunteer to dig when I can. I was just throwing out some food for thought. But... full disclosure: I used my L&C degree to become an employee of a rather large public land agency. So, I do grapple with the idea that the mountain bike community should be exempt from land ethics and just go rogue. Land managers have a complex job and it's easy to criticize their decisions (logging, etc.). It's up to these human beings to manage shared resources fairly with a long-term outlook. If every user group out there went against policies and regulations for their own enjoyment, it would be a mess. Why should it be different for us? I think we can easily make the case that trails can be built on appropriate lands (ie, DNR, non-Wilderness, etc.) with little environmental impact and serve an ever growing demographic of the public. But you're right: reality is that 9/10 times user development, from bike trails to sport climbing, is only successfully established though, "ask for forgiveness, not permission". I'm just challenging that it might not be the ethical way to go about it.

Thanks EB. Just challenging the mob a little and wrestling with the ethics of illegitimate trails on public lands - so I appreciate your comment to keep it civil. To clarify, what I meant was this is the first that I've seen of a major push for community acknowledgement and support of the NF. But, I shouldn't be critiquing from the sidelines. Go do good work. I'm really grateful to have a dedicated group of advocates putting time and energy into organizing our community voice and representing sustainable trail building at meetings and in discussions with land managers. I don't want to see good trails get torn down ( I would rather ride them this summer ) and it's unnecessary given the mission of the DNR and the role they should aim for in the State. I learned to bike on DNR land in Skagit County as a teenager. I hope that the community can work towards an agreement with the DNR that would allow the road and trails to remain accessible. I'll be writing a letter and I'm appreciative that folks have been involved with this issue for years.

Agreed, thanks for putting this together Thad. This is really unfortunate. These are really well built, amazing trails with shuttle access - which is surprisingly rare in NW WA since most of the trail work has focused on Galby and other pedal accessed hills. Props to the builders who made this network a reality. But, these trails were unauthorized and continued to be developed without an agreement, formal or otherwise, so it puts the land managers in a tough spot. If Whatcom Trails is endorsing these trails now, where was this effort prior to this eventuality? It might have been there, I'm not that involved... just asking. Is Duthie the model for getting things done in WA? Why can't we be more like BC, where amazing trails on crown land just don't seem to be an issue and the communities and local businesses reap the benefit?

Anyone know why she rides an Izimu instead of a Makulu?