Maybe you haven't noticed but a lot of new people have decided to make the Treasure Valley home. That means extra stress on all the Valley's recourses including one of the most coveted, The Foothills. Joggers, hikers, bikers, walkers even pets in greater numbers are hitting the hundreds of miles of trails through the Boise foothills. More traffic means more congestion and that can lead to tempers flaring when the entire purpose of a trip into the foothills is to relieve stress. The other day I was walking a trail when a biker told me I'd better move off the trail because she was about to come "bombing down". As grateful I was for the warning I found her "This is my trail attitude" somewhat grating. Actually, a lot grating. So who does have the right of way? As of now it's shared trail and courtesy should be the ruling factor. As the weather improves and the foothills become more crowded with diverse users, traffic management will certainly become an issue. Many places already have some signs in place informing users that bikers may indeed come flying down this trail, or to watch for hikers with dogs. In Eagle there is a wonderful area with fantastic jumps for bikers and trials for hikers. Some of the biking areas are actually fenced off for the safety of everyone but the further one hikes into the foothills the more the rules concerning right of way become fogged. First and foremost we need to watch out for others and realize this is a shared treasure. With that mind, stay on designated trails, protect the environment. It might be tempting to take a photo of a nearby wild flower but if it means leaving the trail it's not worth the trampling that could cause future damage. It's that time of year folks head outdoors and with new comers to Boise discovering what we long time valley residents have tried to keep secret and sacred it's time to play nice and teach everyone to embody the same respect for the foothills. Same goes for the river but that's a blog for July or August when the river isn't so angry.

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