Southeast - Trail Etiquette

OK. I know I am a newbie and don't know all the MTB vocabulary and rules of cross-country trail riding. I have really only been riding a few times, mostly on the New River Trail in southwestern VA. But I must ask the forum WTF with people riding two and three abreast no matter oncoming riders? I spent yesterday riding about 40 miles with my GF and there were several times either she or I had to dodge idiots riding directly at us or that had simply stopped in the middle of the trail to look at a leaf or something.

The New River Trail is fairly narrow but there is plenty of room for two way traffic if people would ride single file when necessary. Is it just me or isn't that what riders are supposed to do? Or am I supposed to play chicken with these A-holes? I mean hey, it was a rental bike so maybe I should just head straight for them until I buy my own, right?

Anyway, just wanted to vent. Thanks for listening :-)

People can just be idiots sometimes. No other explanation except rudeness. Same happens when my wife and I are walking down a busy sidewalk. We always feel that we are the only ones to step off to the side so as not to bump into others who are walking two and three in a line. I feel if we move over then they should as well. I'm a big guy so I told my wife I should just not move and knock people over when I walk. The problem is my conscious gets to me and I figure there is no use stooping to their idiotic level. I try to be the good guy.

There needs to be more education on this. We rode a trail along the Little Miami in Ohio near Cincinnati and encountered a lot of rude riders. Maybe they didn't realize what they're doing, but I suspect some of them didn't care. Most other trails we have ridden, Silver Comet, Chief Ladiga, Katy, Longleaf Trace, don't seem to have this problem.

There needs to be more education for trail users. Signage is also helpful. We have ridden many trails and encountered the rudest riders near Cincinnati on a trail along the Little Miami. Rides on the Silver Comet, KATY and Longleaf Trace were completely different, with riders making way for others.

LOL, yeah I almost t-boned (I sped up but she was just a hair faster) an idiot who couldn't wait to pass me on the left, even though I had turned and was off the trail. It's probably too much to hope that she learned either to call out, "On your left," like everyone else or to pay attention to people she thinks she can pass.

Ceaddam raises a point I am unsure of in my "newbness". It seems that some folks do give me an "on your left" but most do not. I assume this is proper etiquette? I could of course holler "LOOK OUT!" but that seems vague :-)

"On your left" is the proper call-out. Some of the walkers don't get it, however. I'm thinking of getting a bell.

"On your left" works but only if you've heard it before. I think for most people, they just hear "left" and move to the left. So I say, "Coming up on your left" and that seems to work pretty well.

I ring of the bell usually works.