March 23, 2007 by Boonerider
Posted in
Has anyone heard from him since his post regarding trail condition at Cave Run? I know that Gonzo had a meeting with him and gave him a ton of info but has anyone heard from him since? We really need some changes here at the Run and I'm hoping he is the key.
I was at the bike shop a
I was at the bike shop a couple weeks ago and found out that someone else had a meeting with him. I'm not sure if he has any plans, but hopefully something will be done about the horses. That was the main concern from what I gathered.
I should be out at the bike
I should be out at the bike shop later this week. I'll give you an update.
Chris Hood
I sooooooo hope that some positive changes for the mountain biking crowd happen in the not too distant future at Cave Run. It could be such a mountain biking mecca. The location along with all of the amenities that the lake and the Morehead area provide are such a great combination. The location, amenities and a better maintained/improved trail system could draw huge amounts of mountain bikers to lay down some knobby tracks. Positive changes for the mountain biking crowd would be a winner in lots of ways. Tourism dollars, trail work support and a better overall condition of the trails at Cave Run....
not made it to the bike shop
I've haven't been able to look up I've had so much homework, but hopefully I can get out to the shop soon and give you an update.
I got an e-mail reply Yesterday
Heres What Chris Hood wrote me
James -
Thanks for the update. I was out on some of the trails last week and can sympathize with your frustrations. Most of the trails are in terrible shape. The Forest Service is aware of this and realizes that something must be done (seasonal closures, designating single use, etc.) As far as when and how it will be done we will have to wait and see. But I think it will be sooner than later due to the safety and resource damage issues.
I am hopeful that the various user groups can get together and try to work out some solutions to present to the Forest Supervisor. I'm working on how to try and get some sort of working group together. I think if the initiatives come from the actual user groups with some type of consensus that changes will be much easier for the FS to implement. This is what happened at Mammoth Cave and other areas to spur changes.
I'll keep you posted.
Chris
I e-mailed him but I didn't
I e-mailed him but I didn't get a reply. If I get one I'll give you an update.
Anyone who cares about Cave Run
Send a letter or e-mail to Hal Rogers and ask for his support in our trail issues here at Cave Run. Please explain how one user group(equestrians) is ruining the trails for all other user groups. Thanks Here is the link
http://halrogers.house.gov/Contact.aspx
Even the guys at the Forestry Dept told me that if enough people complains something will be done
Cave Run Trails
I just contacted him. I'll let you know if I get a reply. Everyone else do the same. How long does it take to write a couple of paragraphs?
Thanks Rod
:-)
Chris Hood
Maybe Chris Hood and this latest trail management change/effort at Cave Run will be the real deal....
I'm going to sling Hal Rogers a write. Just takes a few minutes of keyboard pecking to be heard!!!! :)
I hope so czar
They are talking about giving part of the trails to the horses and part to the other user groups. This would be ok. In a perfect world they would ban horses completely. I'm not selfish or vengful and hate to see anyone banned but the simple fact is that one user group has made the trails unusable for all other groups. They ride after rain, after a thaw, they litter, they get drunk and are rude with everyone, they cut switchbacks and they make rouge trails.
This place could be a mecca like Tsali or Pisgah if it wasn't for the simple fact that we can't fix the trails because they come along and destroy them hours after we fix them.
Boonerider you're on target
I was at the a couple weeks ago and someone at the shop said the same thing. He was talking about the prepartation for the adventure race that took place at the end of last year. He talked about putting 16 hours worth of work and he named several other people who put in just as much time. Two weeks later he said the trails were destroyed once again. He's a quote from another rider that a professor at MSU happened to overhear "don't stop now or we'll all sink up!"
So they're the people who've been leaving the natty light cans along the trail! aha!
Cave Run adventure race
The horse riders have never been rude to me, but I haven't been around them much. My friend told me during the adventure race a group near the front got into a heated argument with them. Why were they allowed on that trail during a race? 2nd, how can they be upset at bikers for not giving them the right of way during a race. That really scared my friend and felt threatened by them.
Yep that's them
I've followed them and watch them take full beer cans out of their saddle bags, drink the beer then toss it to the ground. Where is the sense in this? Why not just put the empty back in the saddle bag?
Gonzo worked his ass off last fall and had Caney Loop in awesome shape. Now it's the trail of tears.
Gun
"That really scared my friend and felt threatened by them."
Try having a gun pulled on you for asking them not to litter. Happened to me.
I was riding Caney a few years ago and came upon a lady hiker sitting beside the trail crying. I stopped and asked her what was wrong and she told me that a group of drunken horse riders had just came by and harrassed her. I can't repeat the things that they said to her. I offered to walk her out but she said that she was just going to go back to her car. This is just a few reasons why I have come to dislike these people.
I'm sure Gonzo worked with
I'm sure Gonzo worked with the guy I was talking to at the bike shop. I wouldn't want to walk around the Caney Loop right now, let alone ride. I rode it 2/10 of a mile this year before turning around. I knew it would be muddy, but couldn't have imagined what I got myself into. The Sheltowee wasn't as bad, but it was still in bad shape.
I believe ya. The first time I saw Keystone and Natural light cans beside the trail I wondered what in the world. What kind of man drinks while mountain biking? Then I passed some horse riders and put 2 and 2 together. I don't care if someone has a beer, but like you just said put it back in the saddle bag. That's not being unreasonable.
Horse riders pulling a gun
I thought rednecks were a few and far between as compared to back home, but I guess I was wrong. How irrational can a person get. A mountain biker asks, "would you please not throw down your trash" they reply "hell no" and pull out a pistol. No wonder you don't like these people. That would definitely be the type who would harass a young lady walking on the trail. I don't want my g/f to go biking by herself because I figured people like that existed around here. Drunks love to prey on females who happen to be alone.
I still can't believe that
I still can't believe that happened. For the lack of better words absolutely amazing
Chris Hood
In my letter to Hal Rogers I mentioned the latest activity regarding trail access issues/conditions at Cave run, wrote about how the horse damage makes it tough for hikers/mountain bikers to enjoy the trails, let him know that I thought that segregating trail use there is the way to go so that everybody still gets to be in the woods on the trails and I asked for his support on the deal. Kept it short, civil, realistic and let my support of segregated trail access for all user groups be known....
I agree that horse riders
I agree that horse riders shouldn't be completely banned. I would like to enjoy spring days on my horse if I had one. If they have their own trail there shouldn't be a problem, but horse riders will eventually get banned if they keep harassing people.
Just to clarify...
The original post where Chris Hood is asking for feedback was actually reposted by Pat Collins and was only posted by Chris Hood on KyMBA.org. I have yet to see him sign up on this site.
Chris Hood
Correct Scott, I contacted Chris and he is very interested in listening, I'm not sure what he is going to be able to get done at this point but hey it's worth a shot. I recommend everyone take a moment and call or email him.
Thanks,
Pat
I am posting this in case he happens by...
Chris,
I would like to thank you for your interest in the mountain biking trails in Eastern KY. As you should be able to tell from the socio-economic conditions of our area, many riders can not afford access to the internet, so their voices could go unheard. Another user group is the many individual bikers who are geographically separated from the kymba. These individuals do not visit that website, since a club based in Louisville has no strong ties to the really rural areas that can easily be a 4 hour drive away from the main group. Both of these unheard groups should be considered in judgements on projected trail usage. As trails develop in areas such as Morehead/Cave Run, those individuals will travel to ride trails that are more enjoyable than the ones behind their house, and they will begin to network. Then the mountain biking community will become more united, and will be able to grow faster than it is currently growing. Here in Pikeville we have one bike shop, they sold a couple of dozen new bikes last year, these riders only ride near their homes due to the trail conditions in shared use (horse) trails. These new riders, along with the many other "seasoned" riders in our area would frequent the trails at Cave Run since they are so close. Without development, and guidlines for trail usage the individuals will stay home only to ride the gas well and logging roads near their homes, with no real connections to other riders. In short, a user specific trail system would give our area a stronger sense of unity among bikers that seems to currently be dwindeling a little. A good trail system could also generate profits for the community. Look at Tsali, NC, I have no problem paying the small user fee for the trail. The trail is well maintained, attracts a lot of users which stay in the areas; either in the campground or in one of the cabin rentals nearby. It is a win win situation for the parks and for the surrounding community. With a projected 35 mile multi use "rails to trails" system coming to Johnson, Breathitt, and Magoffin counties, people will be traveling to this region for that and would stay longer with a nice nearby singletrack trail system. The only unlimited resource in our area is our wonderful wilderness areas. These areas can be accessed only through a usable trail system. This can only be a welcoming experience for a biker, or hiker; if the trail is not destroyed by horses.
thank you,
John Murphy, Pikeville, KY
Great post! I just submitted
Great post!
I just submitted a nice little e-mail to Rep. Rodgers (thanks for the link Boonerider) suggesting hike/bike only areas be developed due to equestrian usage rendering much of the more than 250 miles of trails unusable to other groups.
I included the 250 miles stat., as that is what the RTP submittal lists as the non-motorized trail length, and should help point out that there's ample amounts available.
Thank you
I really appreciate it guys. Scott I told Chris about this site and he told me that he read the posts on it.
The only thing that I think will work here is either a total ban or splitting trail between the user groups. The forestry dept still wants the trails to be multi use but our soil is mostly clay and the horses destroy it so badly that I can't see how multi use would work. One horse makes a big impact on this soil, 50 destroys it.
atvsmurf
Please send your post to this e-mail address. It's Chris Hoods address. Thanks
kyhoods@yahoo.com
Chris Hood
Sent some words to Chris Hood this evening too.... :)
e-mail
My post was just a copy of the e-mail I sent him already....thnx
Classic Advocacy
Classic Advocacy Process!!!
1. One or more individuals (or user groups- in this case mountain bikers & hikers) dissatisfied w/the current status quo.
2. Land Manager is contacted, and the straight-shooting Forest Service tells it like it is, if enough people complain it greatly increases the chances of something being done.
3. Local mountain biker leader, who's intimately familiar w/the trails in question, posts a link to contact his congressman.
Well done! Just wish we had more like minded individuals here in Louisville, who would focus on items 2. & 3., advocate not only to the land mgr., but also to your elected officials and other local government & civic leaders.
Keep up the good fight to ensure these trails are protected, not only for current users, but future generations as well!
Same needs to be done throughout the state...
We are feeling out the local officials here in Pikeville, once we know who will be supportive we are going to build some trails around the little city...