I was absolutely dismayed at the tone of the article by Jason Kauffman in the July 8 issue, expressing the view of Renee Catherine, trails co-ordinator for the Sawtooth National Forest, who pointed an accusatory finger at dirt motorcyclists and mountain bikers for damage to the trails.
During the month of June when the Wood River Valley received an unseasonable amount of rain, the trails were frequented by all recreational groups hungry to enjoy our trails after a long winter. Specifically, those groups were hikers, mountain bikers, equestrians and dirt bikers. To point a finger at one particular group (mountain bikers) as having created most of the damage to the trails just seems to be pretty poor judgment and unfortunately only creates discord among the different recreation groups.
Surely, we all know where and how most of the damage occurred. The deep ruts are created when a great amount of water rushes down a trail that has been constructed to follow the direction of the fall line of the slope. In many cases, the trails would be completely dry early morning when recreationists would set out, and then these very unusual torrential rain storms would hit unexpectedly and trails would instantly become muddy and rutted. The sign that reads, "This trail was ridden during wet conditions" should have considered the fact that regardless of whether you were hiking, biking or riding, damage was done as you exited the trails after the unexpected, heavy flash flooding. It simply could not be avoided.
With the help of volunteers, these sections could have been rerouted by the forest officials a long time ago. Don't blame the trail users to cover up the inactivity of the Sawtooth National Forest to improve trails over these recent past years.
Nello Busdon
Ketchum
