Review: Singletrack MINDS

Singletrack MINDS is a short "documentary" covering the decades long trail access conflict between hikers and cyclists in Marin County, California. Produced by Poison Oaks Productions , the 30 minute piece includes interviews with local cycling figures such as Gary Fisher as well as trail advocates on both sides of the hiker/biker debate.

Marin County is known as ground zero for mountain biker and hiker trail conflicts. It sits adjacent to one of the continents largest metropolitan areas and includes a very large area of protected wilderness land. Look north from the Golden Gate bridge and you are looking at Marin County. That beautiful green mountain looming over the bridge is what everyone is fighting over. Marin is where mountain biking as we know it was started three decades ago. And it is also where groups like The Sierra Club first worked to protect public lands from developers.

That's Marin County in the background.

Singletrack MINDS uses interview clips as well as shots of local Marin trails to present a brief history of how and why things got to where they are today (which continues as something of a stand-off between two user groups). Many of the interviewees, such as Gary Fisher, offer candid commentary as to what went wrong in the early days of mountain biking to turn off the local trail advocates.

The documentary doesn't directly take sides. But there is a message. Mountain bikers made a lot of mistakes in the early days of mountain biking, which included an in-your-face attitude that turned-off land managers and reinforced negative stereotypes of cyclists that were being propagated by the hiking community. On the other side of the conflict there is an unwillingness to share public lands and a feeling that "hikers built these trails."

That unwillingness on the part of the anti-cycling crowd to "share the trail" comes up again and again in Singletrack MINDS. What may be insightful for multi-use advocates is the fact that the elitist arguments of hiking groups do not necessarily play well with all land managers and public officials. Hikers often present themselves as the "moral" and "righteous" side of the conflict. Cyclists might be able to overcome that argument by knocking down the stereotype of the Mt Dew drinking adrenaline junky and showing public officials and the public in general that cycling is a healthy, environmentally conscious activity .

The standoff in Marin County continues to echo across the United States. Singletrack MINDS is a great documentary that offers a starting point for education and conversation on the subject of trail access. Poison Oak Productions offers DVD copies of Singletrack MINDS through their web site. In exchange for a $5 donation, they'll snail mail you a copy promptly. I got mine in about one week.

"Spread the Good News!"

Velo Tracts is an in your face answer to people who want exclusive and special rights to public trails. Located somewhere in the Great Lakes region, the mysterious creators of Velo Tracts have borrowed a familiar tactic from evangelicals. Their tactic is described on their web site:

A tract is a leaflet or pamphlet containing a declaration or appeal, especially one put out by a religious or political group. An individual tract's message can be conveyed in words, pictures or both.

Perhaps the most world-renowned tracts are the awkward pen and ink stylings
of the unintentionally zany fundamentalist Christian crusader, Jack Chick. Chick
began drawing miniature comic book tracts over 30 years ago to evangelize and proselytize his faith. Over 500 million of these little books have been passed out on street corners from Amsterdam to Zambezi in almost 100 different languages. Whether you agree with Chick's message or not, his tracts captivate you with their blunt delivery and often surreal dialogue and illustrations. Described as lacking nuance and charity, they often leave both their 'believer' and 'non-believer' readers with an unintentionally creepy feeling.

Feeling unbreakable? Jack Chick will take care of that feeling. If you’ve got a strong stomach and non-malleable mind, check out his stuff at www.chick.com.

In addition to "preaching" an anti-elitist message of multi-use trail advocacy, Velo Tracts also utilizes some hip artwork in their pamphlets and their web site.

Don't be surprised to run into a Velo Tract evagelist one day out on the North Country Trail. Advocates have been known to pass them out to backcountry travelers, especially those who react in a confrontational manner to people who wish to do nothing more than ride their bike.