Hiking <===> Biking

Do you think bikers should be able to ride on the Appalachian trail?? i do. This coming weekend i am doing my grad project. My project is to raise money for the a local charity the Way station. we will be hiking 20+ miles in PA on the AT. When we got to PA to check out are start and end points there were sings plastered all over the area saying hunting is permitted in this area!!! I looked at my dad and the expression on his face was something like this..... O SHIT WERE GOING TO GET SHOT..... I must say i was kinda thinking the same thing, but i was thinking more along the lines of hunting and hiking in the same area??

In Maryland and as i found out later along are trip in PA that you can not bike on the AT. But in all states you can at least be 150 yards off the trail and in many states you can hunt right off the trail. i asked my self why cant you bike?? do we cause damage?? Yea sure we do we wear into the trail, but so do hunters and hikers. What i safer? Hunting or biking?? I believe it is safer to have Hikers and bikers instead of hikers and hunters. If you can walk down a trail with a loaded rifle or Shot gun, why cant you ride a bike??

Like i said sure we do wear on the trails, and will admit that, but look around the Frederick Water shed for 10 minutes and i guarantee you will see at least one hunting stand nailed to a tree. Hunters run around open in the woods making there own trail beating up the trees with the stands and leaving trash all over the place. Yes bikers do occasionally make are own trail but we don't hammer stands into the trees nor do we leave trash all over the place, at least not the guys I have rid-in with, I also believe it is safe to say nor do the bikers that are serious about riding.I just believe that Bikers should be able to use the AT like hikes and hunters do. I don't see the big deal. Do you????