With all of the information available to anyone with a connected deevice in their grimy paws, how does one not know the rules of any pursuit? Recently I took Backgammon back up after many years of not playing and read the rules before proceeding. It took all of about five minutes. Why then do people run amok on their mountain bikes with an inexcusable disregard for proper etiquette and denegrate the environment with their blatant ignorance? There appears to be a myriad of reasons and pointing a finger at entitlement is probably the easiest cover-all, however sloth and other negative aspects of the inhuman condition are complicit as well.
Though the IMBA rules of the trail cover the basics well enough for anyone beyond a third grade reading comprehension level, it's too basic to explain a few details that are especially important in desert environs to those who found themselves sat in a corner with a dunce cap on. The most important item of note is the base of all life forms in many deserts, Cryptobiotic Soil. The microorganisms contained within Cryptobiotic Crust are ground zero for all desert life where they occur and when they are damaged and eliminated, they take decades or even centuries to recover. A saying to bring awareness to this that isn't used enough anymore is, "Don't Bust The Crust". One irresponsible person on a mountain bike in the desert is bad enough, but when others of the same ilk see tracks and convinces themselves that it's not bad form, life disappears in the desert.
Riding wet trails in the desert is largely based on soil composition. While riding trails that have high sand content allows for more more moisture content without damaging the tread, many desert trails have a combination of soil types. Once the loam runs out and shale takes over the trail bed, those with a self-imposed cluelessness and deep wallets to replace drivetrains can utterly destroy a trail. Sensible trail users turn around at this point and cause no harm, whereas the DGAFs continue on in their blissful ignorance.
When land managers are made aware of damages caused by such rampant disregard, they have a tendency to be less supportive of the user group(s) responsible. It's easy for anyone with one iota of common sense that if wanton destruction such as this is going to create fiscal strain to their lands, the damages may not be repaired and future facilities would get reduced consideration.
Riders Come and Go, Kooks Accumulate
