Submitted by flubberghusted on Sun, 10/10/2010 - 22:20.
Having arrived there to get told to turn back by the Fireys, we were "fair enough" after hearing about the chopper crash.
Would have been nice of rangers to let bikers know back at Glenbrook having caught the train up only to be turned back but understandable so we happily hit the bitumen to ride back.
One of the firey's then said "Huh we were told to expect hostility and protests from mtb'ers by the park rangers and so far, you guys have been great and understanding"...
This got me annoyed at how rangers view us and convey it to the general community. Lets not forget who found and raised the alarm of the blackhawk down, i mean chopper down.
Wow...!
It sounds like it was pretty close to the Woodford end... any idea where exactly it was?
Agreed about the view of mountain bikers by rangers.
If there weren't mountain bikers riding the trail... how much longer would the people in the chopper have been waiting before someone arrived on the scene to help?
Submitted by flubberghusted on Mon, 11/10/2010 - 00:58.
Was told it was just 2km in so we were trying to figure another drop in route.
Tried the Sassafras and St Helens entry but that was a bust.
So rode back down to Glenbrook and back up again the other direction.
Low and behold, not a site of rangers anywhere with a little white board sign saying "Oaks fire trail closed to bikers and walkers until further notice".
However, you can ride pretty much all the way up to helipad and we still didnt see any closures of any sort.
Rangers obviously getting stuck into their action adventure of the decade for them therefore nothing else matters.
Did anyone see the news last night? One rider interviewed. On the background footage, a rider waiting patiently way off in the distance while another was helping the ambos carry someone on a back board.
Well done to those guys on the scene for clearly thinking straight and doing the right thing.
As for the ranger bad mouthing riders to the RFS... that's just disgusting! I guess there's always one idiot that spoils the reputation of a group to outsiders - even in the ranks of NPWS Rangers. Difference between them and a lot of other groups is of course - these people are in a position of trust and authority. Shame!
I was up there and came across the crash site about 30 mins after the first bikers arrived. There were a lot of vehicles around - I walked past and headed on up to Woodford gate. I stopped up there and had an energy bar and told the rescue staff up there what was happening - then I turned around and headed back with no protest by them. On the way back they asked me for a quick help to carry some of the guys down to a level where the helicopters could winch them. All the search and rescue operators were great - no one had a go at me and they let me pass. However there were a lot of vehicles on the road between the crash site and Woodford gate - I guess they didn't want any chance of further collision if they saw a big group of riders. I'm surprised they stopped you though.
Having arrived there to get told to turn back by the Fireys, we were "fair enough" after hearing about the chopper crash.
Would have been nice of rangers to let bikers know back at Glenbrook having caught the train up only to be turned back but understandable so we happily hit the bitumen to ride back.
One of the firey's then said "Huh we were told to expect hostility and protests from mtb'ers by the park rangers and so far, you guys have been great and understanding"...
This got me annoyed at how rangers view us and convey it to the general community. Lets not forget who found and raised the alarm of the blackhawk down, i mean chopper down.
Wow...!
It sounds like it was pretty close to the Woodford end... any idea where exactly it was?
Agreed about the view of mountain bikers by rangers.
If there weren't mountain bikers riding the trail... how much longer would the people in the chopper have been waiting before someone arrived on the scene to help?
Was told it was just 2km in so we were trying to figure another drop in route.
Tried the Sassafras and St Helens entry but that was a bust.
So rode back down to Glenbrook and back up again the other direction.
Low and behold, not a site of rangers anywhere with a little white board sign saying "Oaks fire trail closed to bikers and walkers until further notice".
However, you can ride pretty much all the way up to helipad and we still didnt see any closures of any sort.
Rangers obviously getting stuck into their action adventure of the decade for them therefore nothing else matters.
Did anyone see the news last night? One rider interviewed. On the background footage, a rider waiting patiently way off in the distance while another was helping the ambos carry someone on a back board.
Well done to those guys on the scene for clearly thinking straight and doing the right thing.
As for the ranger bad mouthing riders to the RFS... that's just disgusting! I guess there's always one idiot that spoils the reputation of a group to outsiders - even in the ranks of NPWS Rangers. Difference between them and a lot of other groups is of course - these people are in a position of trust and authority. Shame!
To be honest it's probably a fair call to warn they might cop some slack.
I know I've been abused by riders who showed up to Lidsdale during a race and thought they deserved full access to the trail.
There are wankers in all walks of life
I was up there and came across the crash site about 30 mins after the first bikers arrived. There were a lot of vehicles around - I walked past and headed on up to Woodford gate. I stopped up there and had an energy bar and told the rescue staff up there what was happening - then I turned around and headed back with no protest by them. On the way back they asked me for a quick help to carry some of the guys down to a level where the helicopters could winch them. All the search and rescue operators were great - no one had a go at me and they let me pass. However there were a lot of vehicles on the road between the crash site and Woodford gate - I guess they didn't want any chance of further collision if they saw a big group of riders. I'm surprised they stopped you though.