We've had this question before. A quick search of the archives found:
* This thread from about two years ago
* More recently, we had this thread.
2011-10-03 21:01:31
28
Panther Hollow in the wee hours...
I am looking to bike from Neville St. to First Ave downtown at approx. 630am. My wife says since it's dark, its dangerous. Basically, can this thread prove her wrong? I would appreciate it.
2011-10-03 20:41:16
I ride that route down Neville thru Panther Hollow and down the jail trail a few times a week between 4:30 am and 5:30 am. The only problem is you need a really good light. Panther hollow is dark and the average light isn't good enough. But the only people I ever see on the trail that early is other cyclist, surprisingly there are a lot of us riding that early. I've had no problems in 6 months.
2011-10-03 21:14:52
get bright lights! I've never been bothered by anything alive on trails, I'm mostly deterred by the dark itself - I'm kind of scared of the dark, but the thought of hitting an obstacle is even scarier than anything I might make up in my head. Get some bright lights so you can see whats around you.
2011-10-03 21:18:47
Of course there are hazards with anything.
Panther Holow at 6:30 AM?
With good lights, This is probably a fraction as hazardous as driving half a mile at the speed limit.
2011-10-03 21:48:21
Junction Hollow in the dark, ok. Panther Hollow in the dark might be a little trickier.
2011-10-03 21:50:25
Maybe I have above avverage night vision, but I rarely run my full lights while riding home through Panther Hollow at night. I feel there is a fair amount of ambient light, and if there is snow on the ground and it is cloudy (for lights to reflect off of) I sometime turn off my light to save the battery. I just hope any approaching cyclists have theirs on so at least I can see them.
I have been riding through there around 8am and anywhere between 5:30 and 8:30 pm for 10 years and have never had any trouble other than deep snow.
If you want dangerous, there are some neighborhoods with streetlights and traffic that you might want to avoid at night. Darkness in itself is not dangerous.
2011-10-03 22:28:56
stef rides through around 6-6:30 am almost every day. she's never had a single issue.
2011-10-03 22:40:00
Starting soon ill be riding down there not long after that as well. im much less worried about a trail than a road.
2011-10-04 00:17:59
I love riding this at night with a full moon. Super cool. I definitely wish it were better lit and had call boxes lining it.
2011-10-04 06:22:04
I love riding this at night with a full moon. Super cool. I definitely wish it were better lit and had call boxes lining it.
2011-10-04 06:22:29
I've ridden back a number of times on Saturday nights (er, Sunday mornings) at 3:00 a.m. and though it sometimes creeped me out a bit, I never had any actual incident. I only ever saw deer, rabbits and one or two cyclists going the other direction.
I'll make a point to try and ride it with a full moon out sometime.
2011-10-04 06:49:18
Augh, the rabbits! Between the Hollow trail and the Soith Side trail I've had tons of too-close encounters with small mammals, and probably did at least some tail damage to one.
2011-10-04 12:12:33
You did tail damage to a rabbit? That WAS a close call.
2011-10-04 13:12:05
2011-10-04 13:38:36
I often ride it abt 7am perhaps 70 days/year I have never seen anything sketchy on that route. Just be careful on the hill at neville and you MUST have good lights. Both front and back. I often ride home late 9pm or so. Other than being spooky dark its fine at night too
2011-10-04 14:20:29
Rode panther hollow this morning. Got to hot metal at 7:00am so was around 6:30 ish. plenty of light to see by once I got on the trail, on the road before the trail (at the bottom of the hill) - not so much.
Lots of rabbits
No problems.
2011-10-04 14:44:39
Came thru today around 5:30am ish lots of rabbits they seemed to of formed their own gang and didn't like me trespassing
2011-10-04 15:13:45
dang rabbit gangs selling carrots and beating up the chipmunks!
2011-10-04 15:37:25
Bit of a harey situation this morning, eh mr. marv?
2011-10-04 15:40:42
@ scott I definitely wish it were better lit and had call boxes lining it.
I like it with natural light and my headlights. I don't think it has any safety problem which would justify harsh lights.
2011-10-04 15:55:18
I also ride through there about almost everyday or every other day, sometimes around 11pm, never had problems either
About three years of that, worst I ran into was a punk catholic school kid tipping over a portapody, who I promptly chased with no goal in mind
2011-10-04 16:03:26
Between the rabbit gangs and the squirrel gangs I'm always caught in the middle of furry gang violence during my commute.
2011-10-04 16:19:00
I can bring my indoor/outdoor cat with me and drop her in panther hollow. I bet she would kill a good portion of the population there. She is a murder machine, but when I come home from work, she rolls around an meows happily.
Ps- there is a wild cat near where the detour was on the jail trail. I bet He/she may kill some wabbits
2011-10-04 16:57:49
Hmmm, come to think of it, the dog next door to me has a fascination with rabbits. She could have a great time. Don't know if she'd actually do anything to cull the population, through. She'd not all the fast, or all that bright. I don't know what she would do if she actually caught one.
2011-10-04 18:24:08
Look out for the albino deer. Come to think of it, that shouldn't be too difficult.
2011-10-04 21:57:32
Noah, is there really an albino deer down there?!
2011-10-04 23:00:08
Actually I think it's up in Schenley Park... according to those who have seen it (not myself)... dwillen?
2011-10-04 23:07:30