I bet that more times than you can remember, someone has checked to make sure you were doing all right when you were engaging some trail side mechanical foray. Since I started riding almost six years ago, what I have heard reiterated most about mountain biking is how it was originated to break free from confines. I was under the impression that mountain bikers like the challenge of personally conquering obstacles. On the other hand, we all get a little tired out there riding, so maybe we could get these patrollers to carry our bikes up all the hills. All of us would agree that one of the best things about mountain biking is the chance to escape society and all of its trappings, including regulations, if only for an hour at a time.
Patrols typically operate as a volunteer group for the local land management agency.
Mountain bike patrollers are regular folks. They're fat-tire fanatics just like us, who have completed appropriate training and are ready and able to inform, assist and educate fellow mountain bikers and other trail users. The National Mountain Bike Patrol, which serves as the umbrella organization for patrollers coast to coast, emphasizes trailside bike repair, low-impact riding, emergency care education, trail user etiquette, local expertise and interaction with land management agencies. Enforcement is NOT a function of mountain bike patrols. It's NOT Pacific Blue on singletrack.