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REGIONAL NEWS & INVESTIGATIONS
PO BOX 161702, Duluth MN 55816
Email contact@duluthmonitor.com
Phone (218) 391 - 8791
- All rights reserved.
Wow, if this is the biggest issue you have with our city, I’d say we are doing just fine. You’re saying if it’s wet and people use it (which is highly publicized and marked to stay off trails when wet) and even if the trail gets a foot wider in that spot, suddenly we have crippled the environment? Removing weeds and rocks to create nice surfaces to hike and bike on is hardly “degradation,” the amount of good that COGGS and the city of Duluth have done for our community far outweighs the fact that some underbrush became homeless. They go out and clean up trash that people throw in the woods and ensure water run offs are undisturbed and that natural habitats aren’t effected; they aren’t clear cutting the forest while burning tires… In no way can these trails be compared to “cattle yards,” that’s just nonsense. I mow my lawn pretty frequently and pull weeds, I suppose I should be accused of environmental degradation as well. Mountain biking and recreation is one of the best things to happen to this area. Go rent a bike and understand why it’s so good. The first time you see a family ride past you with big smiles and people having the chance to appreciate where we live and the beautiful landscapes that would otherwise be impossible to see, you’ll take back all the ridiculous accusations about these trails.
He’s obviously been out on these MULTI-USE trails. They are not owned or in any official way controlled by a handful of COGGS members. They belong to the entire community and are controlled by the city.
Though it’s great to see people enjoying the outdoors, more often than not, this vast and ever-expanding network of trails raises numerous concerns for me. I grew up here in Duluth, spent my roarin’ 20s visiting every corner of US that I possibly could, and I chose to move back here because I know what a precious gem our unique town provided. We HAD vast hiking trails that were full of critters, wild edibles, friendly hikers and jolly off-leash dogs. Now I walk on the Lake Superior Hiking Trail and I am constantly finding myself in a newly torn up bike intersection, or sharing or parallel to a speedy bike trail. When I heard Duluth was building the Traverse, I was excited. One long twisty windy trail sounds great! But that isn’t what occurred. The bike trails spiderweb off in every direction, they are hastily constructed with ample construction debris and trash left behind. Hiking trails I used to ramble with my dog while listening to the song birds are now constantly interrupted by squeaking brakes and entitled bikers. Don’t get me wrong, I am an avid cyclist as well. I love my road bike, recumbent, homemade bike trailer, and mountain bike. But the extraordinary lack of respect to our natural landscape and the existing hiking trails disgust me all the time. I’ve had so many bikers sneer at me while they ride by as I smile and offer them a friendly hello. Seems like my presence offends them while I’m near or on their precious trail. They invested thousands in their bike, how dare I be in the woods without investing my cold hard cash. I don’t see the wildlife anymore, people whine about my dog being off leash, (just ask me kindly, I’ll happily leash her up even though she’s 16 and frankly more polite than all of us… but I get it, for very valid reasons dogs can be triggering)
Yesterday I was on a stretch of hiking trail, with a bike trail above me. I was passing an old fort constructed in the trees that’s been there for years – a community campsite for all to peacefully enjoy. Lo and behold, a fresh, haphazard traverse trail was chopped into the hillside, literally bisecting of the fort from the fire pit…
Why is that necessary? Their is another trail literally 50 feet away! Y’all, I’m a way-too-open-minded millennial, but even liberal as all hell me finds this never ending development absolutely disrespectful and could use a dash of class. COGGS – Please foster a community of respect encouraging riders to not be bourgeois entitled assholes in the woods. You proudly have hundreds of miles of trails now, stop being greedy and destructive and put a dang cap on it. Pretty soon I’ll stop my rarely reciprocated MN-nice smiling and trying to be the change I wanna see… there are lots of sturdy branches that can very easily get shoved into your speedy old wheels…
Short answer, No, they are not sustainable. You may also ask: Are down hill ski areas, sustainable? Cross country ski trails? Golf courses? Parks? Ice rinks? Basketball courts? Tennis Courts? Baseball diamonds? Board walks? Beaches?
Mountain biking is the sport of the day, just as tennis was 40 years ago, or golf was 30 years ago. Take solice that in 30 years the fat tire biking trails will be excellent hiking trails.
I am a big fan of the Superior Hiking Trail. I also get annoyed at the biking trail right next door. But then I hike the new biking trail below the antenna farm. But for the bikers (and their current labor output), that excellent stretch would not be there.