Dear HCN,
I read, with
bemused interest, the vaunted “face-off’ between
Michael Carroll and Jim Hasenauer over allowing mountain bikes in
wilderness areas (HCN, 3/3/03: The Wild Card). My puzzlement was
engendered by the comments of Hasenauer. He explains that his
pleasure is derived from “pedaling through wild places,
experiencing the views, the changing colors and textures of plant
life, the occasional animal sightings.” I wonder at what
level he appreciates the delicate colors and textures of plants as
he pedals “sedately” along on the downhill. I hope that
he would be concentrating on the trail ahead so as not to collide
with hikers or to turn a peaceful equestrian trip into an unplanned
rodeo.
Further, he states that, “Most wilderness
advocates are astonished to learn that the Wilderness Act did not
ban bicycles.” To the contrary, most of us understood the act
to be very explicit in its language. When Section 4(c) stipulated,
“There shall be no temporary road, no use of motor vehicles,
motorized equipment or motorboats, no landing of aircraft, no other
form of mechanical transport … ,” those of us with the most
rudimentary grasp of the English language understood the
act’s intent. The various editions of Webster seem to concur
that “mechanical” means “of or pertaining to
machinery or tools.” The dictionaries also seem to agree that
a machine is “an apparatus consisting of interrelated parts
with separate functions, used in the performance of some kind of
work.” Nowhere is there mention of a requisite power source
in the various definitions a machine. It is clear that a bicycle is
a machine, and it is equally obvious that a bicycle is used for
transport.
Mr. Hasenauer assures us wilderness advocate
yahoos (you know, the ones who can’t tell the difference
between a motorcycle and a mountain bike) that if we would only
exert our influence to grease the skids for mountain bike entry
into the wilderness, all would be well with the world. And if we
don’t … we take our chances. Sounds like he speaks for a
bunch of people you would really like to place your bets
on.
Charles Clough
Libby, Montana
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Bicycles are machines.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
