|
Post by Angela on Oct 21, 2010 6:40:33 GMT -5
And that would be Mistletoe State Park (GA) - except December 4th and 5th, Hickory Knob State Park (SC), and the Augusta Canal MTB Trail - I think that is all of them! All fine trails.
|
|
|
Post by Angela on Oct 21, 2010 6:44:29 GMT -5
On another note - we did a night ride on the Bartram Lake Trail last night (waited until it was nice and dark) absolutely a gorgeous ride and the trails are so different at night. If you haven't ridden at night before and want to extend your riding season come out and give it a whirl during the November 6th Bikefest. We'll have some lights out there so people can try it out and make sure they like it before investing in a light!
|
|
|
Post by ted on Oct 21, 2010 7:00:14 GMT -5
Thank you Ted. If you're going to send me PMs you need to take me off your blocked list. Then I'd be involved in this part of the discussion that just needs to be put to rest. I just wanted to point out, without having it raise anymore of a stink, that your comment wasn't helping things and it's not the way to go about talking to people on the board, regardless of what they say. Keep it civil and clean. You've been a part of this community for quite a while and should act as a representative for the betterment of the club and avoid negative comments. Keep in mind that there are people who visit this site, both old and new, who look for information related to cycling. When bickering and name calling are present it makes the club look less appealing and will deter people from wanting to get involved for fear of being attacked or belittled on this forum. Neal is allowed his views, but there are better ways of explaining things to people such as himself. Thanks, Todd IMBA Trail Ambassador #2 of 2 in the CSRA.
|
|
|
Post by wooglin on Oct 21, 2010 8:04:27 GMT -5
Then I'd be involved in this part of the discussion that just needs to be put to rest. I just wanted to point out, without having it raise anymore of a stink, that your comment wasn't helping things and it's not the way to go about talking to people on the board, regardless of what they say. Keep it civil and clean. You've been a part of this community for quite a while and should act as a representative for the betterment of the club and avoid negative comments. Keep in mind that there are people who visit this site, both old and new, who look for information related to cycling. When bickering and name calling are present it makes the club look less appealing and will deter people from wanting to get involved for fear of being attacked or belittled on this forum. Neal is allowed his views, but there are better ways of explaining things to people such as himself. Thanks, Todd IMBA Trail Ambassador #2 of 2 in the CSRA. You pretty clearly misunderstood my use of the word roadie, for which I apologize. It's not a pejorative term in my book. Like I said, I am one. My point was that if someone thinks riding in the woods during hunting season is dangerous, they clearly don't road ride because riding on the road is significantly more dangerous than being in the woods during hunting season.
|
|
|
Post by ted on Oct 21, 2010 9:36:52 GMT -5
I misunderstood because you let out an open ended statement that leaves the interpretation to the reader. As we all know sarcasm and jest can't be conveyed via words only. Please make clear what you are saying. Thanks for clearing it up. The cycling community is on edge right now due to the recent events and newspaper articles that include "opinions" of cyclists and non-cyclist alike. Let's try to continue to keep this site civil and no dirty words like poop, mud, trash, refuse, etc..... Remember there's 1-2 kids out there that may or may not be reading our posts so we'd better make sure we keep it clean.
|
|
|
Post by Angela on Oct 21, 2010 11:49:49 GMT -5
So many of the frustrations we encounter could be minimized just exhibiting a little common courtesy towards our fellow man. Sometimes as we assert our rights they began to overlap on the rights of the next guy and that is when some of these angry encounters take place. A couple of case in points. How many people have not been frustrated driving behind a driver on the road going 25 mph in a 40 mph zone? Unless on an interstate there is generally no marked minimum so the person certainly has the "right" to drive that speed. Sometimes we are tolerant and other times we get really mad - if we discover it is a older person sometimes we are tolerant for a little while. At the same time we certainly appreciate it if that person, who sees they are causing congestion but simply doesn't feel safe going faster, will pull over and let the faster vehicles go by if they can. Sure they can get off the road but they may be perfectly able to still drive and still need to get to the store to pick up their medicine or drive to the doctor's office. On the trail, you are shredding the trail when you come upon a couple of hikers with their dogs. Since we are to yield to the pedestrians and they have the right to walk on the trail............. generally most of us will back off, make eye contact if possible or indicate our presence and most hikers or people going slower will step aside at the earliest opportunity to let us ride by. What about a slower rider in front of us - they don't have to move over even if we indicate our presence they have the right to continue just rolling along - but in the interest of common courtesy as soon as they are able to let us ride past most do. I believe many of these instances of angry encounters could be avoided if people practice some common courtesy on both sides - sometimes there simply is not enough of common courtesy these days as folks assert their rights.
|
|
|
Post by DK on Oct 21, 2010 13:39:31 GMT -5
I dont think its the two weeks closure that bothers me - its that you have potentially very dangerous / fatal consequences lurking in the woods while you are just trying to enjoy a bike ride. I rode recently and heard 4-5 gun shots not far off. It bothered me. These two hobbies shouldnt co-exist in the same space. I have a negative opinion of hunters because - you take the gun out of their hands, and 9 times out of 10 their just a dumb hick in a pickup truck with nothing else to add to the world - nothing to add or give back to nature, theyre just there to shoot something, for sport. Im out there to enjoy and feel closer to nature and try to appreciate it, and some ahole is out there hiding in a tree with my head in his crosshairs - so yeh, i dont like that. Personally i think the tiny parcel of land that encompasses the fats trails should be . . . wait for it. . . just for bike riding. And the hunting can be anywhere else in the 100,000 nearby acres where people arent trying to ride in peace and safety. Neal, I think you will find that mountain biking can and does co-exist with a lot of sports. Heck, LCHT must not only be one of the best rides in the forest, but also the most dangerous. Not only are the trails open during deer season, but we also have to share the trails with horses! Man, I could get shot and trampled by a horse all at the same time. I almost forgot about the train crossing. Heck, it's right there where the motorcycle trail crosses the road. I could get trampled by a horse, hit by a car, run over by an ATV, and shot by a deer hunter all at that one spot. In reality Neal, deer hunters are one of the safest user groups in the woods. Most deer hunters are ethical, responsible people that are well aware of the dangers of their sport and take every precaution to not only protect themselves, but also others that are in the woods with them. How would I know? For starters, I've spent more time in the woods with a rifle in my hand these past two weeks than I have with a bike between my legs. I hunt in the area near Parson's Mountain. Yep, that's right smack in the middle of LCHT. Over the pst couple of weeks, I've seen three gray foxes, countless squirrels, six pileated woodpeckers, two red foxes, one snake, and ten deer. I have managed to bag one doe. That was this past Saturday, which was an either sex day. Out of all those animals, the only one to end up in my crosshairs were the deer. They were identified to be deer before I scoped them, and when I saw that they were not legal (no antlers), then my sights were lowered. The one shot that I fired Saturday was fired in a safe direction away from any trails, roads, houses and all other known people or hunters. So why did I just tell you all of that? Because I don't consider what I did to be anything extraordinary. I am the typical, ethical, responsible everyday hunter. I am not the exception to the rule. If I were, and hunters were who you say that they are, there's no way in hell I would drive a two lane country road during deer season, much less head off into the woods with either a rifle or a bike. Also, you state that hunters have "nothing to add or give back to nature". Ever hear of Ducks Unlimited? Or NWTF (National Wild Turkey Federation)? They are leaders in the conservation and preservation of wildlife. I would guess that 99% of their members are hunters. That's just a couple off the top of my head. Do some research, I think you would find that the majority of programs to save and conserve wildlife and it's habitat comes from the efforts of hunters and hunting organizations. So Neal, besides me, how many hunters have you actually met? Tell ya what, how about you come up to Greenwood and go hunting with me. Bring the bike. We could hunt in the morning, then hit LCHT for a ride while all of the "dumb hicks" are at Hardee's eating lunch.
|
|
|
Post by jp3 on Oct 21, 2010 15:57:59 GMT -5
+1 Doug
I am also a deer hunter and over the next few weeks, I will spend more time hunting than biking. Of all the times I've gone hunting I have never had and anyone's head or any other body part in my cross hairs. But I do drive a pick-up.
|
|
|
Post by neal1975 on Oct 21, 2010 16:10:15 GMT -5
I dont think its the two weeks closure that bothers me - its that you have potentially very dangerous / fatal consequences lurking in the woods while you are just trying to enjoy a bike ride. I rode recently and heard 4-5 gun shots not far off. It bothered me. These two hobbies shouldnt co-exist in the same space. I have a negative opinion of hunters because - you take the gun out of their hands, and 9 times out of 10 their just a dumb hick in a pickup truck with nothing else to add to the world - nothing to add or give back to nature, theyre just there to shoot something, for sport. Im out there to enjoy and feel closer to nature and try to appreciate it, and some ahole is out there hiding in a tree with my head in his crosshairs - so yeh, i dont like that. Personally i think the tiny parcel of land that encompasses the fats trails should be . . . wait for it. . . just for bike riding. And the hunting can be anywhere else in the 100,000 nearby acres where people arent trying to ride in peace and safety. Neal, I think you will find that mountain biking can and does co-exist with a lot of sports. Heck, LCHT must not only be one of the best rides in the forest, but also the most dangerous. Not only are the trails open during deer season, but we also have to share the trails with horses! Man, I could get shot and trampled by a horse all at the same time. I almost forgot about the train crossing. Heck, it's right there where the motorcycle trail crosses the road. I could get trampled by a horse, hit by a car, run over by an ATV, and shot by a deer hunter all at that one spot. In reality Neal, deer hunters are one of the safest user groups in the woods. Most deer hunters are ethical, responsible people that are well aware of the dangers of their sport and take every precaution to not only protect themselves, but also others that are in the woods with them. How would I know? For starters, I've spent more time in the woods with a rifle in my hand these past two weeks than I have with a bike between my legs. I hunt in the area near Parson's Mountain. Yep, that's right smack in the middle of LCHT. Over the pst couple of weeks, I've seen three gray foxes, countless squirrels, six pileated woodpeckers, two red foxes, one snake, and ten deer. I have managed to bag one doe. That was this past Saturday, which was an either sex day. Out of all those animals, the only one to end up in my crosshairs were the deer. They were identified to be deer before I scoped them, and when I saw that they were not legal (no antlers), then my sights were lowered. The one shot that I fired Saturday was fired in a safe direction away from any trails, roads, houses and all other known people or hunters. So why did I just tell you all of that? Because I don't consider what I did to be anything extraordinary. I am the typical, ethical, responsible everyday hunter. I am not the exception to the rule. If I were, and hunters were who you say that they are, there's no way in hell I would drive a two lane country road during deer season, much less head off into the woods with either a rifle or a bike. Also, you state that hunters have "nothing to add or give back to nature". Ever hear of Ducks Unlimited? Or NWTF (National Wild Turkey Federation)? They are leaders in the conservation and preservation of wildlife. I would guess that 99% of their members are hunters. That's just a couple off the top of my head. Do some research, I think you would find that the majority of programs to save and conserve wildlife and it's habitat comes from the efforts of hunters and hunting organizations. So Neal, besides me, how many hunters have you actually met? Tell ya what, how about you come up to Greenwood and go hunting with me. Bring the bike. We could hunt in the morning, then hit LCHT for a ride while all of the "dumb hicks" are at Hardee's eating lunch. Doug, my arguments against hunting were not aimed at you, it was towards the stereotype in general. It may not be fair to you, ive met you and you seemed like a completely legit and responsible person and a trustworthy person, but ive met lots of hunters that arent. I am sure there are plenty of responsible and ethical sportsman. But theres lots of complete idiots out there that go out and shoot bottles of a tree stump while they polish off a 12 pack of PBR. Alot of them just simply want to . . . shoot something. I dont like the feeling of riding through the woods and being looked at through a rifle scope. I dont think the sarcasm about the railroad tracks and horses helped your argument, but i did get a laugh out of it. Ok, thats all im going to say about this. Lets end it. Hunting is gay. Bike riding is cool. That is all-
|
|
|
Post by Mark Y on Oct 21, 2010 16:17:41 GMT -5
Just as the jackass roadies who show no respect for motorists are the ones that are used to paint all road riders, the few slob hunters are the ones who get noticed and remembered. Truth is, there are some hunters out there whose only goal is to kill. They give away the meat, have a "if it's brown it's down" mentality, and go around thumping their chests about their hunting prowess for ambushing an animal at 150 yards with a high powered rifle. Fortunately they are in the minority and the majority of hunters are conservationists. Also, I shudder to think what he deer population would look like without hunting.
|
|
|
Post by neal1975 on Oct 21, 2010 16:18:55 GMT -5
The cycling community is on edge right now due to the recent events and newspaper articles that include "opinions" of cyclists and non-cyclist alike. do u have a link or source for this?
|
|
|
Post by azdrawdy on Oct 21, 2010 16:24:03 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by neal1975 on Oct 21, 2010 16:33:32 GMT -5
Thats him. Thats the guy i was talking about earlier. I dont know him personally, but overheard about this at the watercooler one day at my office.
|
|
|
Post by neal1975 on Oct 21, 2010 16:40:12 GMT -5
it seems that it was an accident. But, after reading the comments - you can really get a sense of how inconsiderate each side is for the other. Both sides feel that they are being inconvenienced and put in danger. The funny thing is - the CAR DRIVERS actually feel endangered by the bikers - because they have to swerve or stop suddenly - boo f-ing hoo - you have to put on the brakes? ! Your inside of a metal cage, think about the bicyclist-
I am actually suprised you dont hear about this kind of thing more often - riding a bike down the side of the road is just a bad idea. Where do u ride then? I dont know. . . . hmmm..
IN THE WOODS SUCKAS !
|
|
|
Post by wooglin on Oct 21, 2010 16:53:40 GMT -5
I am actually suprised you dont hear about this kind of thing more often - riding a bike down the side of the road is just a bad idea. Where do u ride then? I dont know. . . . hmmm.. IN THE WOODS SUCKAS ! JH Effing Christ Neal. Get a freaking clue already.
|
|
|
Post by DK on Oct 21, 2010 17:32:05 GMT -5
Doug, my arguments against hunting were not aimed at you, it was towards the stereotype in general. It may not be fair to you, ive met you and you seemed like a completely legit and responsible person and a trustworthy person, but ive met lots of hunters that arent. I am sure there are plenty of responsible and ethical sportsman. But theres lots of complete idiots out there that go out and shoot bottles of a tree stump while they polish off a 12 pack of PBR. Alot of them just simply want to . . . shoot something. I dont like the feeling of riding through the woods and being looked at through a rifle scope. I dont think the sarcasm about the railroad tracks and horses helped your argument, but i did get a laugh out of it. Ok, thats all im going to say about this. Lets end it. Hunting is gay. Bike riding is cool. That is all- Yes, the part about the train tracks was sarcasm, and I hoped you would laugh. The point was serious though. In the end, the most dangerous thing that you will ever encounter in the woods while mountain biking isn't the trains or the hunters. It's yourself. The invite to go hunting with me wasn't a joke, the offer stands. Deer Jerky packs up real nice in a camelbak. ;D
|
|
|
Post by neal1975 on Oct 21, 2010 18:22:09 GMT -5
Doug, my arguments against hunting were not aimed at you, it was towards the stereotype in general. It may not be fair to you, ive met you and you seemed like a completely legit and responsible person and a trustworthy person, but ive met lots of hunters that arent. I am sure there are plenty of responsible and ethical sportsman. But theres lots of complete idiots out there that go out and shoot bottles of a tree stump while they polish off a 12 pack of PBR. Alot of them just simply want to . . . shoot something. I dont like the feeling of riding through the woods and being looked at through a rifle scope. I dont think the sarcasm about the railroad tracks and horses helped your argument, but i did get a laugh out of it. Ok, thats all im going to say about this. Lets end it. Hunting is gay. Bike riding is cool. That is all- The invite to go hunting with me wasn't a joke, the offer stands. Deer Jerky packs up real nice in a camelbak. ;D you dont have a banjo do you?
|
|
|
Post by neal1975 on Oct 21, 2010 18:22:45 GMT -5
just kiddin
|
|
|
Post by brianW on Oct 21, 2010 19:12:14 GMT -5
I am in less danger in the woods during hunting season, with or without orange than I am in Augusta. If I recall there has been 30 murders this year in Augusta already with many more shootings and other violent crimes.
About 15,000 people are murdered each year, only 150 deaths by hunting accidents.
just to put it in a different perspective. anyone riding tomorrow morning?
|
|
|
Post by justjoe on Oct 21, 2010 19:52:48 GMT -5
You have to worry about getting shot at all those places. But chances are better at FATS and that part of Bartram because you're not expected to be there. Edit: WTF is the issue here? Some trails got built on the condition we not ride them at certain times of the year. Its not like this is rocket science. Its called a compromise.
|
|