JOHN Alford, the Why-Can't-We-All-Just-Get-Along conscience of mountain bikers and hikers in Hawaii, is at it again. He's come out with another book promoting a nature-friendly approach to mountain biking. And let me - a sofa spud with a major tendency toward eco-terrifiedness - be the first to say thanks. Alford puts hikers, bikers on right path
Although I have a hard time balancing myself on even a stationary bike and the last time I did any serious hiking was 15 years ago in Army basic training (not exactly a nature study), I truly appreciate Alford's efforts and those of others like him.
Why? Because Alford is one of those rare people - especially rare in sports - who can see both sides of an issue and act rationally and accordingly . . . for the good of all parties concerned.
This issue is not really as much about who has the rights to the trails - bikers or hikers - as it is about love of the land, aloha aina, and preserving it for future generations.
In recent years, Alford has been one of the leaders in getting these people who share the trails to cooperate more and to become more aware of problems like erosion and destruction of indigenous plants.
IN a way, it's analogous to the decrepit condition of our softball fields and our basketball courts on Oahu - but these guys got it together and got something done. Apparently, we recreational ballplayers just don't give enough of a damn to help take care of the fields and courts we use. We'll complain all day about the condition, but how many of us volunteer to drag an infield after a game?
Hikers, and the often negatively stereotyped bikers, are a different breed. Maybe it's because their recreational activities are closer linked to nature that they make better efforts to preserve it.
A couple years ago, Alford came out with a book called "The Mountain Bikers Guide to Oahu." It was everything you needed to know about how, when and where to ride bikes here, and more importantly, how not to irritate hikers, and how not to screw up the trails.
That book's out of print, but Alford has completed the expanded "Mountain Biking The Hawaiian Islands," which, you guessed it, covers trails on the Neighbor Islands, too.
"Oahu has the most single track trails, but there are some great places on the other islands, too," Alford says. "And hikers and bikers tend to share the trails at the same time more. There's less segregation than on Oahu."
LIKE his first book, this one has lots of practical tips to go along with the philosophy of co-existing with hikers and nature. New topics include the best way to transport your bike inter-island and safe night riding.
The soft-cover, 264-page book, which includes 32-color pages, goes on sale Dec. 1.
Alford says this Sunday's National Off-Road Bicycle Association's (NORBA) Hawaii State Championship Downhill Mountain Bike Race is already one of the sport's premier events here.
Waimea Mountain Bike Adventures proprietor Tracy Paiva, who has been in business for eight months now, seems to be a major reason why.
"We didn't go up there and just go crazy when we built the trails," Paiva said. "It's all private property so we didn't have problems doing what we wanted to do. But before we built anything, we had an archaeologist and a botanist look over the area. As a Hawaiian, I felt it was important to make sure there were no artifacts we might disturb, and to identify indigenous plants."
Paiva says the result is that the four-mile course is half bike trail, half botanical garden.
"It's not like people think, people just flying down the hills," Paiva says. "Especially during the week, when the tourists are here, they go slow so they can look at all the plants."
Dave Reardon is a magazine editor and freelance
writer who has covered Hawaii sports since 1977.
He can be reached via the Star-Bulletin or
by email at dreardon@hmsa.com.
