Finding an understanding

As is the case most weeks, what I write on page 2 is not addressed to just the general readers but to me as well. I thought it was implied in last week’s piece that I had ridden one of the so-called “pirate trails” north of the Lupine Trail more than once this summer. But when someone went on about the private property poaching a**holes who had been riding it, I made it clear I was one of the a**holes. From someone else this week, I got the vibe that any open land should be open to bikes and screw the property owners. Neither black-and-white attitude holds a lot of weight in the valley.
When I got here 25 or so years ago, there were a lot fewer houses and a lot more open space and trails. Trapper’s Crossing was owned by a faraway and very absent mining company. There were many trails up there, including one of my favorites; the Secret Trail. There is a house there now. A great trail used to take bikers up the back of Teocalli on the ski mountain. There is a house there now. The Lower Loop crossed private property and it wasn’t an issue for many years but eventually the land had to be purchased to secure one of the best trails in America. Trails up Washington Gulch and Slate River fingered up the valleys. There are houses or gates up there now.
The protocol back then was pretty simple. If a trail was there you could use it. Lightly and with respect. If a “No Trespassing” sign went up or a property owner wrote a letter to the paper saying the trail was closed, most people stopped riding the trails. You might get permission from the landowner but if it wasn’t given, the trail was generally off-limits.
The tipping point that would usually result in a closed trail was either a run-in between a biker with a bad attitude or just simple numbers. Too many people discovering and using a trail will in itself have a noticeable impact on the property. But while not everyone was happy when a trail was closed 25 years ago, most locals respected the request.

That’s unfortunately where we appear to be with the “pirate” trails near Lupine. Numbers. Another friend commented this week that a rider he knows has probably been riding that route for 15 years. When just a few people do it, the landowners are probably not bothered and an understanding exists. When the Lupine opened this summer and brought with it a dramatic increase in the number of riders to the area, the impact perhaps crossed a tipping point with the landowners. It may have been me who took it to the tipping point. Or you.
That is why easements like the Budd Trail are precious. Those landowners get it. They graciously allowed an easement on their private property, knowing many will benefit by the experience. Not everyone does that and the family’s generosity enhanced the Lower Loop trail system. It’s the best-case scenario.
More and more easements around here have to be paid for and as more people have moved into the valley, more private property owners are more protective of their land. I don’t necessarily like it, but that’s just the way it is. It comes down to respect.
So looking at the big picture, if a great trail system can be carved out of the Smith Hill area and the landowners can be happy about it, it seems reasonable to adjust to the change in attitudes and work with those that can make things better.
I believe the understanding still exists with most of us out here that you can use some spaces as long as it is done lightly and with respect. But when the owners ask that it stop when it becomes too much, we have to think past today’s hike or bike ride to see something even better in the future. Situations change and with greater numbers, the situations change faster.
More Budd scenarios would be great. But in the meantime, while I will miss that trail linking Lupine to Gunsight, I look forward to riding the Upper Lupine trail next June.