Hope everyone is enjoying the start to the weekend!

Tip of the week:

Again, as part of both the "Educate Yourself" and "Do Your Part" principles, this week I am encouraging everyone to take a small amount of time out of your evening and complete our Online Awareness Course.

This online activity covers the basics of the Tread Lightly! principles and is a wonderful way to quiz your knowledge of what responsible recreation means to us as a community.

Enjoy: Tread Lightly - Online Awareness Course

Also, everyone who completes the course is entered into a drawing for a free hat, courtesy of Cabelas.

 

Good afternoon everyone!!

Tip of the week:

With the 4th of July holiday weekend rapidly approaching, we hope that you and your friends and families are making plans to head outdoors to enjoy some responsible fun and celebration. Since we figure (and hope) that many of you will be camping, we wanted to toss out a few reminders about campsite ethics.

- Look for previously-used campsites, and camp on durable surfaces.
- Campsites should be at least 200ft from water sources, other campsites, and trails. Pay attention to local regulations (MVUMs, etc) concerning how far your vehicle can be off the trail for camping.
- Keep a clean camp. Place food and other products with odors in animal-proof containers or back in vehicles.
- Follow the pack it in, pack it out guidelines. Police your camp before you leave to leave it in better condition than you found it.
- Campfires are not for waste disposal. Please do not leave trash in campfire rings, especially glass.

All that said, lets all cross our fingers for beautiful weather and get back to planning that perfect trip!

 

Good evening friends!

Decided to step it into a new direction this week. Instead of a tip of the week, we'd like to know the answer to a simple (potentially) question.

Why do you ride or wheel? Lets hear it. Where did you start? Who hooked you? Etc, etc.

 

Rode my first quad in the early 80s? Was a Honda Fourtrax or something like that. Loved it. Over the years I got to ride on others machines and enjoyed it. Between using it for tree cutting projects, hauling out firewood, and just fun riding it gets me out into the woods. I used to hike a lot but with injuries to my knees and back, riding is the best way to get out of Dodge for the day.

 

Rainbow Gathering in SE Washington - Back Country Rebels - Forums

Rainbow gathering?????







Be nice if you could convince THESE folks!

10,000 Rainbow Family followers expected to gather in Pinchot Forest | KING5.com Seattle

by KGW Staff

KING5.com

Posted on June 29, 2011 at 4:47 PM

Updated Wednesday, Jun 29 at 4:58 PM

Related:

* Archive: Group tries to revive the hippie revolution in Colville forest

COUGAR, Wash. – U.S. Forest Service officials were working with Skamania, Clark Dept of Justice to prepare for the "All improv all the time" Rainbow Gathering of Living Light as perhaps more than 10,000 people were expected in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest this weekend.

The festival is held at a different location in the U.S. each year. People come together to live for about a week in a natural setting to “try and achieve peace and love on earth,” according to online descriptions.

Since 1972 the leader-less counterculture followers have gathered annually in different national forests to live off the land.

Marijuana and psychedelic drugs abound - but harder drugs and alcohol are prohibited, one man told Spokane's KREM TV. The group camped in the Colville National Forest last summer.

Around 3,500 people were already camping out in the Skookum Meadows area -- and organizers said the number would likely triple the population of Skamania County.

Skamania County Sheriff Dave Brown said his department has used the past two weeks to prepare for the influx of as many as 20,000 visitors.

“We're obviously a small county and our resources are limited. We have a small jail that's two-thirds full right now and we could fill that up over the next week,” Brown said. “Yeah, I'm concerned about that and I'm concerned the taxpayers in this county are covering the cost.”

Brown also suggested that anyone who is not part of the Rainbow Family gathering should avoid the camping areas for the next couple weeks, if possible.

Representatives from the Multi-Agency Coordinating group told reporters Tuesday their aim was to ensure safety and security for employees, neighbors and attendees.

"I haven't found an organizer yet," Brown said. "I've had a lot of interesting conversations with people who say they have no organization, no authority. It's something we have no control over, they have a right to travel freely in this country."
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A couple suggestions from some on BCR who experienced the Rainbows in their areas


Wade Boise Id.
If you own a house near it, the Feds will rent it. Must not have many cops in that county. And, you better get some toilets in there before they get there, enough for 20,000 people. They wrecked Bear Valley up here, the area is still closed. I recommend setting up tank traps, and back fire the entire area. Set up a vehicle inspection point at the entrance, and search every car. Build a fenced area to hold them, one of their hippy millionaire friends will bail the all out. Good way to make some money for the county. Also, warn every store, and food bank, in 50 mile radius, take a month off, when they start to show up. Don't let more than 1 of them in your store at a time, and no backpacks. Also, have children's services inspect all the babies they drag through, they got money for beer, but no money for baby food. DON'T use any hotsprings near the area for a couple months, they use them for baths, and you don't want to catch what they got.
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Later post
I lived here, when they came through Idaho City. Remember it well. Even the liberal earth muffin types at the Coop, where offended by those throw backs.
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Ollie ....Colorado

They had their gathering in Steamboat springs a couple years back.
They did so much damage to the forest they staying in that it was closed for over a year while the forsest service cleaned it up.

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ccoleman77....Casper Wyoming

Same story when thy were in Wyo. This group is bad news and did serious damage to the land
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RMK Cowboy.... Newport Wa

Also keep your dogs away from them (they don't vaccinate their animals) and don't eat anything they offer you.
They showed up here last fall, they bankrupted the local food bank in one day and there were only a few hundred of them. They contemplated having their gathering over here again but there isn't a large enough meadow for them... oh darn.
Filthy doesn't even begin to describe most of these people. There was one I met that was "normal" if such a thing is possible. They all have "Rainbow names" that they give each other and they don't use real names, one guy's Rainbow name was Worthless... that always made me chuckle.

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and finally from Wolfrun in Wyoming


They were here in 74 or 75 and it was bad bad news, and you have to remember they will all vote for Ob

 

That's the second forum this week that has popped up references to the Rainbow Family gatherings...

The damage that they do is extensive. I've personally seen satellite photos of the Colorado event a few years ago that made me cringe. This would be an excellent recommendation for Leave No Trace :: Community :: Hot Spots

 

A lot of horse people can come across as entilted just like the atvers who dont stop. I have been riding horses and atv for a little over 17 yrs now. Most of the time I just wave machines past, no problems. Other times I refuse to let machines pass until Iam ready and have my horse ready so you dont get hurt... As a atv rider my atv will only do what I make it do. As a horseback rider I have to take into account that my horse just may not care what you think or what I ask of it. The atver has all of the control and the horseback rider has much less. So I need to have my horse ready, for the saftey of everyone.
My horse has kicked a atv rider who did not stop. It was a loose loose situation I would not wish on anyone.

 

well said jgar

like you said- I can control my atv... there's no controlling an "out of control" horse, and some spook real easily. I've never been in such a rush on a trail that I couldn't kill the motor and wave a horse on by- when everyone is happy, everyone wins (in this case anyway)

 

You got it beergut.
This is one way we can keep trails open. I dont think all of the land owners who make up lmft would let us ride there if we did not yeild to horses.

 

This has been a good thread to read.coming from Canada not all our Provinces ( state ) have near as many rules or riding restrictions. Having said that I come from the last Province that currently has no policies , rules or any real structure. It's like the wild west at times ! now living up here we have large pieces of forest that are crown land or ublic land over see by our park rangers. Well there is not enough of them and many of our riders have not bought in on the whole " tread lighly " idea , and they are not helping to preserve our sport and our privilages.

Here are some numbers. Our Provience ( state ) has a population of 1.4 million , we have 24,000 registered quads or insured , only 6 clubs with a total of 280 members in total !

Now I ride in and live in a Provincal Forest it is around 250,000 arces or so. We did a GPS program of the trails in the area. It came out to or around 3,800 KM's or about 2,400 miles of trails. And you can ride free , just about anywhere you want any mud hole you want to play in , and hill etc.

But now people ( non atv'ers) are noticing the trail condition and are talking to our government. And they are listening. Now because people are not respecting the trails and land they are talking about an all out band in certain areas. We are fighting that and hopefully we can agree on a happy medium.

Sorry for the long story and going on and on but just wanted to share this story. It does prove that you need to respect and protect your privilages.

Might be going to Nebraska in the fall to visit family. I hope to bring the quads and take in some riding near Colarado. Thanks.