I arrive at the Grand Canyon, my eighth National Park of the year, on a strikingly clear day. As I strap on my trusty Deuter pack and unload my bike, I can’t help but feel a tinge of frustration when my Pivot Mach 6, a six-inch full-suspension aggressive mountain bike, hits the National Park pavement for a tediously smooth road ride … yet again.
However, those frustrations quickly dissipate as I look around and see the striking beauty of earth’s wondrous formations and realize the vital need to keep these natural wonders protected as best we humans can.
As one measure of protecting these places, trail biking is restricted in many, but not all, of our National Parks.
Some would argue (myself included) that the voluminous amount of hikers from around the globe are doing an equal, if not greater, amount of damage to these protected spaces.
Regardless of who or what is more harmful, I realize that boundaries need to exist to preserve national parks, and if those boundaries mean forgoing my favorite way of exploring nature (mountain biking) and instead going for a hike or road ride ... then I’m all for it.
I’ll gladly take a hit for team Mother Nature! Besides … plenty more singletrack awaits in this beautiful world to keep me happy!
In the meantime, it’s a good thing I’ve got the Deuter Race X pack which can transform from my everyday beloved mountain bike pack into a hiking or road ride pack whenever life demands!
I personally don’t see how a passing biker changes the magic of where one is, but many hikers do see it as an abstract obscenity, especially in a national park. So, in order to keep the peace and to keep the magic with the masses, I’m game to throw on the sneakers and join them in their magical world.