Letter to the editor: Crane Mountain photos misleading

Unfortunately, the photos shown with your July 27 article about the Crane Mountain trails gives the impression folks are arguing over the use of logs to cross wet areas on the Beardance Trail, which is not the case. You did not show any photos of the breakneck biking jumps installed along the Beardance Trail, one of which was posted by Ron Cron on Crane Mountain Trail Supporters’ Facebook page soon after the jump was constructed this June.

The jump photo was accompanied by Ron Cron’s statement, “I landed it but I was a little sideways and flew farther than expected. If you hit this with any speed you’ll fly 20+ ft.”

This is not the kind of behavior hikers, horseback riders and other mountain bikers want to run into on Beardance and other Forest Service trails.

The issue is why the Forest Service has been allowing unauthorized breakneck biking trails, jumps and ramps to remain in use on Crane Mountain and why it took nearly two years to fine Ron Cron for clearing the first unauthorized biking trail above Ferndale in 2009.

The public does not deserve to have this shoved down their throats and the Forest Service should not be creating unnecessary conflicts between forest users.

Folks can view some of these unauthorized trails, jumps and ramps in Swan View Coalition’s Crane Mountain Position Paper by visiting our website at swanview.org. We’d send you to Crane Mountain Trail Supporters’ Facebook page, but it’s now a closed group.

Keith Hammer

Bigfork

Chair, Swan View Coalition