BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

« Back to Archive
58

Panther hollow at night

So I'm going on a short ride tonight by myself, and as someone who's paranoid about absolutely everything, the thought of riding the trail at night is a little scary. Has anyone ever had any run-ins here?


rubberfactory
2011-06-29 03:49:50

I havent. I've ridden through there a couple of times by myself in the dark (but not really late)...usually I'm with at least one other person. It's creepy by yourself, less so if you have a bright headlight.


kgavala
2011-06-29 03:53:14

I'll make sure to use both of mine!

I usually only use one because the second one is kind of squirrelly, but they're pretty bright together.


Thanks for the input!


rubberfactory
2011-06-29 03:57:40

got about 50 ft into the trail, realized my light is nowhere near bright enough and turned around. It was almost scary enough to send me home, but I made my way to the birmingham bridge instead. It was a really nice night!


rubberfactory
2011-06-29 07:34:58

I have ridden there with a really awful light when it was really dark. If you know where you are going, it isn't so bad, but if you don't, it can be problematic. Panther hollow is part of the reason I got a really bright light in the first place, though.


stefb
2011-06-29 09:10:04

Yeah, you need a good light-more than just a front blinky. I've ridden through it at night a number of times and never been bothered. I did go through a few evenings ago and saw two cars parked just up from inside the gate on the Oakland side & thought it might be a drug deal, but the guys were far enough off & didn't bother me.


pseudacris
2011-06-29 12:48:45

I rode through there several times without lights, with mixed results. The one time there was a lightning storm, I could see clear as day…when it flashed.


The other time involved having an incredibly close brush with a deer.


Bring a good light.


wojty
2011-06-29 15:03:33

@RF, some of the LED flashlights are pretty inexpensive (<$5). If you can't spring for a strong enough bike headlight, maybe try a flashlight mounted with the TwoFish Lockblock (~$10).


The Lockblock is very sturdy & easy to put onn & take off. The downside is that it's harder to adjust the position of the beam as you ride along. Maybe there's a way to put it on your helmet, but I haven't tried that.


pseudacris
2011-06-29 16:03:48

I've ridden it into the late evening and it was fine, especially if the moon is out. But it does feel kind of spooky sometimes.


ahlir
2011-06-29 16:24:36

It was pitch black, and I'm unfamiliar with the trail, so I just turned around.


I do remember riding it once when the moon was out and being fine, but last night was just too dark. I'm pretty scared of the dark.


rubberfactory
2011-06-29 16:41:01

Nick and I rode through there one night, it sucked. I only had my shitty light, there was a bunch of freshly poured gravel and I was on 28c tires. How I didnt eat shit I dont know...


boostuv
2011-06-29 17:06:41

Watch aht for bunnies.


bradq
2011-06-29 19:47:36

Also watch for bike police riding two abreast on the trail with no lights...


eric
2011-06-29 20:02:42

I swear I saw a coyote down there once. Everytime I ride through there alone at night something spooks me out. Sorry I guess that's not helping.


salty
2011-06-30 01:13:53

One thing I will add ('cause I just rode through part of Frick Park in pitch black): even if you have a good light, you can't really see what's lurking off to the sides outside of your beam. It feels like riding down a weird light tunnel and can be a little bit creepy. I think it's good to be alert and have some self-defense / evasion tactics in mind. For the most part, Pittsburgh seems WAY safer than Seattle, but....


I have jammed on my brakes 4 or 5 times in the last couple of days for rabbits. Mostly the junior ones - including after dark in Frick. The trail just east of the Hot Metal bridge has TONS of rabbits right now.


pseudacris
2011-06-30 03:36:45

OT "Pittsburgh seems WAY safer than Seattle" Where were you riding in Seattle? I always felt safer there personally, except when traveling from Downtown/ID to West Seattle.


headloss
2011-06-30 03:41:47

@headloss: I should have been more specific...I lived there from 86-96 and bussed and walked everywhere. It was when the Green River Killer were still active, Mia Zapata was killed not far from my neighborhood, and several friends and classmates experienced assaults and/or near abductions in capitol hill, even when walking in pairs during the daytime.


[edit - Bundy was in prison, bu a co-worker had evaded him when he was still active]


pseudacris
2011-06-30 03:46:54

Yikes! Capitol Hill has been cleaned up significantly then (2004-2010); the only regular issues that I recall had to do with muggings around Mercer Island.


I get a bit paranoid walking/riding around Oakland/CMU, much more so than I have ever been in Seattle... but then, I had a friend who was mugged during our time at Pitt which left a bad taste in my mouth. Although, in fairness there were a lot of issues on the Burke-Gilman... but they usually went after pedestrians near UW, not so much bicyclists.


*edit* I was also almost car-jacked once on the Blvd of the Allies, which also left a bad taste in my mouth. LOL

OK, sorry, no more OT :p


headloss
2011-06-30 03:54:57

Yeah, I remember stuff happening around Burke-Gilman but I avoided it in those days and wasn't cycling yet. Sorry about your friend - I guess it's always good to be careful. Things are always changing.


pseudacris
2011-06-30 03:58:51

Not really OT, since the original post is about personal safety at night. I regret not taking one of the self-defense classes that started to become popular after Zapata's death.


pseudacris
2011-06-30 04:00:38

There's just something about bicycle self-defense... But seriously, yes, it would be nice to take a few classes considering we don't have the extra safety of a steel cage that motorists have. Mr. Marvelous would have to learn snake-style kung fu to defend against those angry squirrels of course. ;)


headloss
2011-06-30 04:09:30

Ha! I would love to see Jackie Chan take on some squirrels!


pseudacris
2011-06-30 04:21:05

I occasionally come up to Oakland from the South Side via the Hot Metal Bridge, the Jail Trail, the loop-de-loop to Second Avenue, and then the Panther Hollow Trail, and am sometimes creeped out when it's too quiet. I scan ahead to see if someone is moving into position to "get" me but happily, have never found anyone. A handful of times, I round a corner and come upon pedestrians or other cyclists, and probably scared them with my startled shout. I often see the deer and rabbits mentioned by others.


ieverhart
2011-06-30 04:25:10

I love riding panther hollow at night. Going under the bridge feels epic. I like to take others and riding alone makes me nervous for sure, but I still love riding there in the dark.


caitlin
2011-06-30 13:14:23

I'd love to do PH at night. I've done the old trolley line from Babcock to Perrymont using a $2.50 flashlight from Home Despot duct-taped to my helmet. Works pretty well.


On the trolley line at dusk or night, it's not muggers or rabbits I'm worried about, it's skunks. A mugger you can reason with. Skunk strategy: Do not encounter them quickly. Stop dead if you see one, do not shine light on it.


stuinmccandless
2011-06-30 15:02:59


... and what ever you do, don't paint a white stripe on your black bicycle.


headloss
2011-06-30 15:20:21

I just came up PHT about 30 min ago and some old lady was driving on it and almost hit me. Don't know how she got on the trail but it was kinda scary. I tried to talk to her but I guess I spooked her because she hit the gas and shot away.


marvelousm3
2011-06-30 16:35:12

I just came up PHT about 30 min ago and some old lady was driving on it and almost hit me. Don't know how she got on the trail but it was kinda scary. I tried to talk to her but I guess I spooked her because she hit the gas and shot away.


I like having the gates open since you can go through faster without worrying about navigating the post, but jeez, maybe they should stay closed.


ieverhart
2011-06-30 16:39:23

That post could use some more reflectors, but I saw cars on the trail the other day.


pseudacris
2011-06-30 16:43:57

Somebody's figured out it's a shortcut...


lyle
2011-06-30 16:55:50

I wonder if it will be the new awesome way for cars to deal with the absence of the Greenfield bridge?


pseudacris
2011-06-30 17:01:34

Maybe I'll wrap some reflective tape around the post next time I ride the trail.


marvelousm3
2011-06-30 17:03:07

Maybe someone could commission a piece of public art from Dick Elliott?


pseudacris
2011-06-30 17:06:46

Cars in Junction Hollow? Really?


I don't think the gates are enough. We need better signage at both entrances to clearly state: "Stop. Trail Access for non-motorized vehicles and pedestrians only."


Speaking of that, random thought, anyone ever see someone tooling around the trails on a segway? Going to CMU, I see some quite frequently, but I never see anyone brave enough to take an EXPEDITION of sorts on the trails with one. Has anyone else?


PS: The lights from the Charles Anderson Memorial Bridge (Blvd. of the Allies) light up the trail at night in the most sublime (some could say chilling) way.


impala26
2011-06-30 17:08:36

Yes, really. I think it's still just occasional.


pseudacris
2011-06-30 17:12:22

I ride through there on my commute twice a day 5 days a week and have for the past 10 years. Never any problems- sometimes I turn off my front light on the trails to save the batteries, but turn them on when I see someone coming towards me.

I have only seen a civilian car go through once- he was behind me on a snowy night, so I welcomed his lights to better judge where to position my wheels with varying depths of snow. I do see police cars every few months.


helen-s
2011-06-30 17:43:28

When on the roads, I use lights at night unless in those rare places I feel safer not being seen. Off roads, I've always felt like I could see better with my light off, relying on ambient light and night vision to avoid the weird tunnel vision Pseudacris described earlier.


But my uncorrected vision is so bad (and has been for so much of my life) that I'm extremely comfortable with only the barest hint of a visual distinction between obstacle, other travelers, trees, and path. I definitely don't recommend my practice in this case, just relating the story.


Psychologically, I tend to be way more afraid of the things I can't see when I CAN see other things. So when it's all a gray blur, I definitely (artificially?) feel more secure than when my tiny well illuminated field of vision is empty but the majority of my field is black from lack of night vision. Again, I don't really recommend my practice, I admit it doesn't seem rational to me.


ejwme
2011-06-30 21:47:12

I've seen civilian cars at least twice on the PH trail, another time a pickup and suspicious looking people were parked on the field; I complained about this several months ago.


The problem with the gate is that it forces people through a small spot, which can be annoying with two way traffic or even a little hairy with panniers or a trailer


Removable or retractable bollards would be more ideal, if spread out far enough


sgtjonson
2011-06-30 22:07:04

I've encountered cars twice in the last few months, both times coming from the Oakland end. Both times it was pouring rain, which made things a little more ... interesting. Given the conditions, I could understand how the drivers got confused, because the road at that end kind of looks more like a path anyway.


chinston
2011-06-30 22:11:54

I got caught between a shooter and his target in Junction Hollow last Saturday evening.


Just as I was approaching the ball fields a barefoot man running towards me said he was shot and was being chased. So of course I followed him back towards Oakland.


As we get near the bridge, I see the dude walking calmly up through the ball field. He got halfway across the field by the time the police surrounded him. Police by that time were at both ends of the trail.


Surreal because the victim was wearing white, for the most part, while the shooter was wearing black shorts and a black t-shirt.


So many police. I asked one which (safe) way to go, he just said to "get outta here."


Good Times


sloaps
2011-06-30 22:40:13

thats nuts, I ride through there every night between midnight and 4am and the only things that ever scared me were in order:


1) a large buck that tried to gore me


2) two boxers that chased me growling and off leash until I stopped and pet them for a minute


3) cycle ninjas w/ no lights riding three abreast


4) the time I almost took out the flock of cycles at 4am flying through the park with no lights


Basically I like to ride completely blacked out through there late riding a silent fixed bike because you get the jump on would be dangers of the human variety. The downside is that you are invisible to most animals and pet owners.


I really suggest headlamps if you are scared of the dark because you can see really far to either side and survey the entire field long before you come apon it.


*note, I usually sit by the tennis courts in the really dark part before the trail head for 10 mins and let the old eyes adjust a bit before riding through without a light on.


spakbros
2011-06-30 23:45:24

My boxer mix will do a growl bark at you until you pay attention to him. He is just trying to say hello, probably like those dogs were trying to do :)


Anyway, i have seen some deer, no cars, and all dogs off leash have not chased me. I don't think I have ever been spooked out at night. I like to have no one around. Peaceful.


stefb
2011-07-01 00:56:05

How could Panther Hollow be a shortcut for cars? Aren't there those rocks (and a closed gate) at the southern end by the soccer field?


anyone ever see someone tooling around the trails on a segway?


One of the segway tours was coming up the switchback on the Fort Duquesne Bridge pedestrian access (North Shore end) right as I was coming over the bridge, to the North Side from downtown. There were like 15 of them with a tour leader. For whatever reason (surely captivated by my good looks), two tween-ish segway riders crashed into one another as I was approaching, and totally fell over, forward. I stopped as they righted themselves and continued on.


ieverhart
2011-07-01 05:23:15

There's google streetview for the trail, interestingly enough.


In some streetview images of roads you will sometimes see the fuzzy image of the front hood of the car. In a couple of the Panther Hollow frames there's a ghostly black and white baseball cap.


There's one frame with a bicycle in it, and another with a segway.


nfranzen
2011-07-01 13:30:13

google has a streetview tricycle for trails


cburch
2011-07-01 15:38:05



reddan
2011-07-01 15:52:03

Hot Dog! Ice cream? Why does he need a helmet? In case he trips and falls getting off?


lyle
2011-07-01 16:59:46

You can tell in a few frames from the trailview that the operator's gone helmet-free.


nfranzen
2011-07-01 18:13:40

Also bad helmet fitstrap adjustment; his forehead is still totally exposed


sgtjonson
2011-07-01 18:24:51

Here's another nighttime skunk story. I'm riding with a bright headlight and spot a skunk on the trail ahead, stopping about 20' from it. My usual strategy for dealing with critters that I prefer not to tangle with whether they be little skunks or big bears is to simply stop and slowly back off. They usually want nothing to do with me and scamper away.


I expected the skunk to just duck into the brush one side or the other of the trail. But instead little Pepe keeps trotting down the trail in the same direction that I was going. So I start following the skunk keeping a safe distance and expecting that it will duck into the brush off of the trail at any moment.


Not so, we convoy for nearly 1/4 mile down the trail. Then Pepe stops, I stop, Pepe turns around and charges me! Yikes! It caught me off guard so I just jammed straight ahead hoping that Pepe is a bad shot at a moving target. We passed one another without incident.


Theory: Pepe was actually a mama skunk and her nest was back where we first met one another. She tried to evade me and then finally the instinct to get back to the nest took over.


thielges
2011-07-01 23:17:05

@thielges - I'd say you're darned lucky. I'm not sure I'd do what you did. I'm not sure what I'd do, but it wouldn't be that.


stuinmccandless
2011-07-02 03:23:50

anyone ever see someone tooling around the trails on a segway?


Earlier this year I encountered a older gent riding north on the Jail Trail on a really tricked out Segway. Smoking a cigarette, which seemed curious, I don't know why.


His wife was slightly ahead of him on her bicycle, he had both knees replaced and can't ride anymore, and with the Segway he's able to go out and get some fresh air with her.


He was as pleased with the way he outfitted his Segway as I am of the way I've got my bike tweaked, it was a pleasant moment and a slice of something different.


vannever
2011-07-04 02:26:10

I would like to see a tricked out segway. There were a fair amount of low riders where I grew up & I enjoy the artistry of kustom kars. It would be funny to see a segway with chrome hubcaps and one of those weird dolls looking into the reflection. Anyone who's been to a custom auto show knows the dolls I'm talking about.


pseudacris
2011-07-04 12:57:16

I was trying to decide which would be better, neon ground effects or flames. Neon, I think. And a subwoofer.


lyle
2011-07-04 13:10:48

+ 1 on subwoofer. It has to push grass and dust around, though.


pseudacris
2011-07-04 13:11:32

a segway would make a great trail sweeper. At least in my head it would...


rubberfactory
2011-07-04 13:22:40