Moutain Biking

Whether this is due to a small group of very passive/aggressive hikers backed up by various environmental groups or just arbitrary decisions by Ranger Rick sitting behind his desk down in North Bend is a matter of conjecture. In a bitterly ironic twist to the situation, the last few open, decent, singtrack trails (open for three seasons anyway) within an hour's drive of Seattle are now getting completely shredded from massive overuse.

I certainly don't think that I should be able to ride wherever I want. But there's nowhere else to ride, so the crowds keep coming.

I'm kind of at a loss now about what can be done in the way of changing the situation. People are poaching more and more trails now, often at night, which certainly isn't going to help matters any. And the "ATBs are just as bad as dirt bikes" crowd can now point at the Tiger Mountain trail system and say "look, we told you so!"

The only communication I've ever received from any hiker about the matter came in the form of some rude graffiti scrawled on the sign at the Middle Fork trailhead. But me, I'm stuck riding fire roads and rail-trails--Whoopee! Just like road riding! Or I can take my life in my hands and go play on the motorcycle trails. Horseback riders can trash trails to their hearts content in the National Forests here (even some trails in designated wilderness) all winter long. Who knows? Mabye indignant vandalism would have worked for us too. The USFS web site contains some sort of mealy-mouthed explantion about how yes, the realize that the demand for bike trails is there, but so sorry, we can't provide that.