people like that are frustrating.
So she said "you must dismount" WTF?
I'm on Spring Brook this beautiful June day, chatting with bikers and hikers alike. All is good. I go left at the split of Spring Brook and eventually come up behind a lone hiker. 20 feet away I say "beautiful day". No response. 10 feet away I say "great day, yeah?" No response, she's just hiking with her head down. At this point I'm willing to allow that she's maybe deaf so I get right up behind her and say "are you going to let me by?" She mutters, head down, walking slowly (there's absolutely no way to ride around her at this particular spot) in the middle of the trail "when you dismount". WTF?
No acknowledgment of my presence, just militant hiker attitude. I get off my bike, go off trail to get around her and say "the rangers I've talked to here say dismounting isn't a requirement". She says "the rangers are wrong. It says so on the sign (pointing back to the trailhead). It's the law." At this point I'm wondering if there was indeed a new requirement posted that says "you must dismount when yielding." I ride away saying "the rangers are right, you're the one that needs straightening out". She barks out a derisive laugh.
So I go up to the next set of signs and see no word "dismount" so I double back to inform her of this (why am I wasting my time, you ask?) She just kept repeating "it's the law, it's the law". I gave up and said, just ask the next ranger you see. She says "this is my interpretation, you have your interpretation and the ranger may have theirs. It's the law." I'm outta there.
So I read the www.osmp.org "rules" and it says "Yielding the right of way requires slowing down to a safe speed, being prepared to stop, establishing communication, and passing safely". All of which I did and informed her that "that's the law" but the militant hiker was having none of that. Where did she get the idea we HAVE to dismount?
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No acknowledgment of my presence, just militant hiker attitude. I get off my bike, go off trail to get around her and say "the rangers I've talked to here say dismounting isn't a requirement". She says "the rangers are wrong. It says so on the sign (pointing back to the trailhead). It's the law." At this point I'm wondering if there was indeed a new requirement posted that says "you must dismount when yielding." I ride away saying "the rangers are right, you're the one that needs straightening out". She barks out a derisive laugh.
So I go up to the next set of signs and see no word "dismount" so I double back to inform her of this (why am I wasting my time, you ask?) She just kept repeating "it's the law, it's the law". I gave up and said, just ask the next ranger you see. She says "this is my interpretation, you have your interpretation and the ranger may have theirs. It's the law." I'm outta there.
So I read the www.osmp.org "rules" and it says "Yielding the right of way requires slowing down to a safe speed, being prepared to stop, establishing communication, and passing safely". All of which I did and informed her that "that's the law" but the militant hiker was having none of that. Where did she get the idea we HAVE to dismount?
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Sweet!
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You see, in the yield sign you posted above, it is clear that the cyclist is actually dismounted from the bike and is jogging beside it while pushing. However, since the image is represented by a silhouette, it can be confused that the person is pedaling when in reality, they are next to the bike in mid stride. The sign also clearly states that this technique is "the law." You must jog next to your bike with a stride on the same plans as the cranks. This hiker was simply informing you about a rule you easily overlooked. 
Sucks that you ran into someone as stubborn and ignorant as she sounds to be. I hope the rest of your ride was better.
Sucks that you ran into someone as stubborn and ignorant as she sounds to be. I hope the rest of your ride was better.
I respectfully disagree. As a hiker and a biker when I'm on my bike I don't have to grovel in the face of a dip$hit hiker. They can kiss my a$$ as far as I'm concerned.zorro said:
Luckily there probably aren't too many dip$hit hikers like that...
outside of Boulder.
Nickle said:You see, in the yield sign you posted above, it is clear that the cyclist is actually dismounted from the bike and is jogging beside it while pushing. However, since the image is represented by a silhouette, it can be confused that the person is pedaling when in reality, they are next to the bike in mid stride. The sign also clearly states that this technique is "the law." You must jog next to your bike with a stride on the same plans as the cranks. This hiker was simply informing you about a rule you easily overlooked.
So according to that sign "dismount"... "prance"... "remount" is the only legal method for passing a hiker?
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