| |
| 23 Apr 2008 12:15:04 |
| Parker Race |
| Jogger mauled by brown bear (not Dot) |
http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/story/384525.html ENAI -- A jogger was mauled by a brown bear on the Kenai Peninsula in what state officials are calling the first mauling of 2008. The mauling is being blamed on improperly stored garbage. Larry Lewis, a wildlife technician who investigated the mauling for the Division of Wildlife Conservation, said he found several large buckets of garbage on the victim's porch, about 150 yards from where the mauling occurred. The 43-year-old victim, who has not been identified, was charged by a sow with two cubs when he left his home early Tuesday. The man turned and fled, but the bear quickly caught him, biting his buttocks, the back of his head and his chest. |
| 23 Apr 2008 13:28:49 |
| Michelle |
| Re: Jogger mauled by brown bear (not Dot) |
In article <aa4115e6-51b5-444d-b512-434bb61345d9@r66g2000hsg.googlegroups.com >, Parker Race <parker.race@gmail.com > wrote: > The man turned and fled, but the bear quickly caught him, biting his > buttocks, the back of his head and his chest. Giving a whole new meaning to "That bites my ass!" -- 13.1 Because I can |
| 23 Apr 2008 14:53:16 |
| runsrealfast |
| Re: Jogger mauled by brown bear (not Dot) |
On Apr 23, 1:15 pm, Parker Race <parker.r...@gmail.com > wrote: > http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/story/384525.html > > ENAI -- A jogger was mauled by a brown bear on the Kenai Peninsula in > what state officials are calling the first mauling of 2008. > > The mauling is being blamed on improperly stored garbage. This is why bathing in our trash is not a good idea! John |
| 23 Apr 2008 22:56:41 |
| Ken |
| Re: Jogger mauled by brown bear (not Dot) |
In article <aa4115e6-51b5-444d-b512-434bb61345d9@r66g2000hsg.googlegroups.com >, Parker Race <parker.race@gmail.com > writes >http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/story/384525.html > >ENAI -- A jogger was mauled by a brown bear on the Kenai Peninsula in >what state officials are calling the first mauling of 2008. > >The mauling is being blamed on improperly stored garbage. > >Larry Lewis, a wildlife technician who investigated the mauling for >the Division of Wildlife Conservation, said he found several large >buckets of garbage on the victim's porch, about 150 yards from where >the mauling occurred. > >The 43-year-old victim, who has not been identified, was charged by a >sow with two cubs when he left his home early Tuesday. The man turned >and fled, but the bear quickly caught him, biting his buttocks, the >back of his head and his chest. What is the recommended policy when one sees a bear, assuming that one has foolishly left the high velocity rifle in the drop bag? Running doesn't seem to be a good idea, nor does climbing a tree. Offering them food, sex, etc. only seems to encourage them. -- Ken |
| 23 Apr 2008 15:19:45 |
| Michelle |
| Re: Jogger mauled by brown bear (not Dot) |
In article <Jc4Uj1AZC7DIFwza@dasha.demon.co.uk >, Ken <Ken@dasha.demon.co.uk > wrote: > What is the recommended policy when one sees a bear, assuming that > one has foolishly left the high velocity rifle in the drop bag? > Running doesn't seem to be a good idea, nor does climbing a tree. > Offering them food, sex, etc. only seems to encourage them. Play possum (or Rover). -- 13.1 Because I can |
| 23 Apr 2008 18:35:13 |
| Melinda Shore |
| Re: Jogger mauled by brown bear (not Dot) |
In article <Jc4Uj1AZC7DIFwza@dasha.demon.co.uk >, Ken <Ken@dasha.demon.co.uk > wrote: >What is the recommended policy when one sees a bear, assuming that one >has foolishly left the high velocity rifle in the drop bag? Some research at Brigham Young University was recently published, finding that bear spray tends to be more effective than that high velocity rifle (interview here: http://www.wildebeat.net/scripts/E134.html)for repelling grizzlies. They don't talk about bear bangers, though, and I wonder how those compare. -- Melinda Shore - Software longa, hardware brevis - shore@panix.com Prouder than ever to be a member of the reality-based community |
| 24 Apr 2008 01:22:51 |
| Tony S. |
| Re: Jogger mauled by brown bear (not Dot) |
"Ken" <Ken@dasha.demon.co.uk > wrote in message news:Jc4Uj1AZC7DIFwza@dasha.demon.co.uk... > In article > <aa4115e6-51b5-444d-b512-434bb61345d9@r66g2000hsg.googlegroups.com>, > Parker Race <parker.race@gmail.com> writes >>http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/story/384525.html >> >>ENAI -- A jogger was mauled by a brown bear on the Kenai Peninsula in >>what state officials are calling the first mauling of 2008. >> >>The mauling is being blamed on improperly stored garbage. >> >>Larry Lewis, a wildlife technician who investigated the mauling for >>the Division of Wildlife Conservation, said he found several large >>buckets of garbage on the victim's porch, about 150 yards from where >>the mauling occurred. >> >>The 43-year-old victim, who has not been identified, was charged by a >>sow with two cubs when he left his home early Tuesday. The man turned >>and fled, but the bear quickly caught him, biting his buttocks, the >>back of his head and his chest. > > What is the recommended policy when one sees a bear, assuming that one has > foolishly left the high velocity rifle in the drop bag? Running doesn't > seem to be a good idea, nor does climbing a tree. Offering them food, > sex, etc. only seems to encourage them. > -- > Ken This is for black bears, not sure of grizzlies. I recall that if it appears to be a male bear or a pair of male bears that seem interested in you, that you should definitely not play dead, but stand up tall and act strong and in command. Young male bears checking out people are often just curious, but if you play dead they might actually come over and take a bite and taste you or toy with you. OTOH, if you see cubs, it's a female and you should play dead in acute circumstances (charging bear or a bear close by, etc). If you're farther away, you could walk away sideways so as not to face and anger the bear and also not turning your back on it, possibly inviting attack. This last part is just what I think I would do. -Tony |
| 23 Apr 2008 20:19:31 |
| D Stumpus |
| Re: Jogger mauled by brown bear (not Dot) |
"Ken" <Ken@dasha.demon.co.uk > wrote > What is the recommended policy when one sees a bear, assuming that one has > foolishly left the high velocity rifle in the drop bag? Running doesn't > seem to be a good idea, nor does climbing a tree. Offering them food, > sex, etc. only seems to encourage them. I've read about the possum strategy for moms w/cubs. I came upon a mother black bear* (they were actually red) with two 80 lb cubs. They were about 150 yards ahead of me on a fireroad in the mountains above Pasadena (Mt. Lowe railbed just North of cape of good hope for locals who know the terrain). The mom looked at me, I stopped cold, and she and cubbies hurried up the hillside. I got the impression that at that distance, she just wanted to get out of the vicinity. My brother encountered a mom w/cubs in the mountains near Aspen CO when riding mtn bikes with a friend. Brother quickly turned and rode away, his friend paniced and got or fell off his bike. Mom approached and friend held the bike up between him and mama. The bear sniffed, looked a bit confused, then walked away. I imagine he could have found his max heartrate if he was wearing his HRM... * Grizzlies have been killed off in So. California. I was near Bear Canyon, where the largest Grizzly ever killed in CA was hunted down. |
| 24 Apr 2008 04:49:38 |
| Dot |
| Re: Jogger mauled by brown bear (not Dot) |
Ken wrote: > What is the recommended policy when one sees a bear, assuming that one > has foolishly left the high velocity rifle in the drop bag? Running > doesn't seem to be a good idea, nor does climbing a tree. Offering them > food, sex, etc. only seems to encourage them. Depending upon how close and fast the encounter, it's usually recommended to stand your ground and look big - waving arms, hold up pack, spread poncho, whatever. Talk quietly. Let the bear know you're human. Obviously, if you're already being charged, you might want to pull the safety off your pepper spray and act more aggressively. More noise might be useful. Many charges are false charges, so I've been told. Sometimes humans and bears just happen to cross paths on a trail, and both go on their way - both usually freaked out by the enounter with the other. Ma and cubs are something to be avoided. Bears on kills are something to be deathly afraid of - more so than bears and cubs. At least that's my experience and what seems to jive with other reports. Both grizz's and blacks can climb trees. Both are incredibly fast - even downhill. Grizzly tracks are truly impressive - not just the size of their paw, but the length and sharpness of their claws. Those things were made for digging. Avoidance: don't leave trash out. Anchorage has an ordinance now that fines people for putting their trash out too early on pickup day, having food in bird feeders, leaving dog food out, etc during bear season. Keep clean camps. Bears are somewhat like humans - take the easy route to food. Bear spray is to be used on charging bears or others. Don't use bear spray like insect repellant. Spraying it ON things (like using bug dope to repel bugs) attracts bears. However, if you spray it on yourself, you may be so busy screaming from burning eyes and nasal passages and thrashing arms that bears may choose to avoid this thing. (that is facetious - just didn't want anyone to try this) Make noise when out in woods - or be very alert to what's going on. We used to take 3 non-lethal deterrents plus loaded 12-gauge. Cow bell (like the kind they use for cheering, not the "bear" jingle bells), air horn, pepper spray. I've also taken screamers with me on occasion, like where NPS wouldn't let us carry firearms even if qualified (current proposed legislation is scary - parks always used to be safe haven for humans). Here's some ramblings of thoughts from assorted folks. IIRC, most of the suggestions were meaningful, but some were dangerous. I'll let you figure those out.;) http://tinyurl.com/628wo8 If out in bear country, I highly recommend seeing the DVD "Staying Safe in Bear Country" before you go. It shows you bears in various poses, and how to react. Far more meaningful than someone trying to describe the poses and what you're supposed to do. I understand it's what the agencies are using for bear safety training now. The most recent time I'd had any bear training was about 10 yrs ago by Tom Smith, the researcher in Melinda's post. FWIW, When I saw the bear scat and heard noise in the trees last summer in RP, I stopped, turned to face the noise, couldn't figure out what it was, it moved away, and things got quiet, I backed slowly up the trail - both away from the noise and in the direction I was headed anyway. After a few minutes, I resumed running, but kinda keeping an eye to the rear and occasionally stopping to listen. I don't know what the noise was for sure, but it wasn't tweety bird. Squirrels can sometimes knock branches and sound very loud for their size. I was looking at that spike in my hrm trace the other day.;) (reviewing some race strategies for this year) Dot -- "Magic rocks and roots - the ones that trip you but you can never find afterwards" - Matt Carpenter |
| 24 Apr 2008 04:51:20 |
| Dot |
| Re: Jogger mauled by brown bear (not Dot) |
Forgot to post these links: Here's a fairly comprehensive site on bears: http://www.wildlife.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=bears.main and pepper spray http://www.absc.usgs.gov/research/brownbears/pepperspray/pepperspray.htm -- "Magic rocks and roots - the ones that trip you but you can never find afterwards" - Matt Carpenter |
| 24 Apr 2008 05:06:07 |
| Dot |
| Re: Jogger mauled by brown bear (not Dot) |
Melinda Shore wrote: > In article <Jc4Uj1AZC7DIFwza@dasha.demon.co.uk>, > Ken <Ken@dasha.demon.co.uk> wrote: > >>What is the recommended policy when one sees a bear, assuming that one >>has foolishly left the high velocity rifle in the drop bag? > > > Some research at Brigham Young University was recently > published, finding that bear spray tends to be more > effective than that high velocity rifle (interview here: > http://www.wildebeat.net/scripts/E134.html)for repelling > grizzlies. They don't talk about bear bangers, though, and > I wonder how those compare. Most of that work was actually done in Alaska. It may be that Tom get it to the refereed publication stage until I went to BYU. His bear spray work has been known up here for years. I know some of Tom's work was just collecting reports of encounters and what happened, then looking at trends. No idea how many encounters weren't reported. Some might have been in Yukon as I know they've done studies with airhorns. Here's a local newspaper rehash http://www.adn.com/bearattacks/story/381252.html ('tis the season for bear stories) 'Ramm pulled the trigger on a canister of Counter-Assault, watched an orange-mist of pepper spray cover the brush and envelop the bear, saw the bear's eyes go wide and last heard her breaking brush as she beat a retreat. 'Ninety-eight percent of the time, this is how things go with bear spray, biologist Tom Smith has concluded. In a paper published in "The Journal of Wildlife Management," Smith -- along with co-authors Stephen Herrero, Terry Debruyn and James Wilder -- indicates bear spray might be better than a firearm for protecting yourself against the rare attack. 'Bear spray is cheaper. It doesn't require much shooting skill. And in none of the 83 cases the scientists examined was a bear-spray user seriously injured. '"All bear-inflicted injures associated with defensive spraying involved brown bears and were relatively minor," they reported. 'Smith noted this has not been the case with firearms, the other main means of self-protection. Wounded bears sometimes turn on people, seriously mauling or killing them.' The bear researchers in bear country are looking at bear encounter data from several perspectives. Fewer enounters means potentially less having to control bears or shoot some that get too habituated, i.e. fewer problems. But they're also concerned about human safety - not just recreationalists, but other researchers, including themselves and colleagues. I believe the bear researchers use electric fences around their campsites. Dot -- "Magic rocks and roots - the ones that trip you but you can never find afterwards" - Matt Carpenter |
| 24 Apr 2008 05:10:58 |
| Dot |
| Re: Jogger mauled by brown bear (not Dot) |
Parker Race wrote: > http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/story/384525.html > > ENAI -- A jogger was mauled by a brown bear on the Kenai Peninsula in > what state officials are calling the first mauling of 2008. > > The mauling is being blamed on improperly stored garbage. > > Larry Lewis, a wildlife technician who investigated the mauling for > the Division of Wildlife Conservation, said he found several large > buckets of garbage on the victim's porch, about 150 yards from where > the mauling occurred. > > The 43-year-old victim, who has not been identified, was charged by a > sow with two cubs when he left his home early Tuesday. The man turned > and fled, but the bear quickly caught him, biting his buttocks, the > back of his head and his chest. geez, you guys know more about what goes on up here than I do.;) I just heard a bit on tonight's news, then saw your post from about 7 hrs before. Spring has sprung, maybe. At least the trails are thawing and seem to be drying up fairly rapidly in some places. The other "s" word is a potential tomorrow night, still, although studded tires have to be off by May 1. The number of bikers and runners along the roads and bike paths went up exponentially this week, although some of the early season races are coming up in a week or so. Dot -- "Magic rocks and roots - the ones that trip you but you can never find afterwards" - Matt Carpenter |
| 24 Apr 2008 04:16:38 |
| Parker Race |
| Re: Jogger mauled by brown bear (not Dot) |
"Dot" <dot.h@#duh?att.net > wrote in message news:CDUPj.239443$cQ1.229489@bgtnsc04-news.ops.worldnet.att.net... > Parker Race wrote: > > geez, you guys know more about what goes on up here than I do.;) I just > heard a bit on tonight's news, then saw your post from about 7 hrs before. > I'm still registered for adn.com, it was required to view the Mt. Marathon pictures. I've been too lazy to reset my password to unscubscribe. It wasn't good day for humans versus grizzlies: http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSHUN37628320080423 CORRECTED: Hollywood grizzly bear kills trainer Corrects sheriff spokesman's name to Arden Wiltshire in paragraphs 3, 6-7 By Steve Gorman LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A grizzly bear featured in the recent Will Ferrell film "Semi-Pro" and touted as one of the "best trained" in show business has killed its handler, but officials said on Wednesday they were puzzled by what provoked the attack. The 700-pound bear, which stands 7 1/2 feet tall, bit Stephan Miller, 39, in the neck on Tuesday at a facility where wild animals are trained for film and TV productions near the mountain resort of Big Bear Lake, east of Los Angeles. Parker |
| 24 Apr 2008 07:11:10 |
| Doug Freese |
| Re: Jogger mauled by brown bear (not Dot) |
"Parker Race" <prace@nycap.rr.com > wrote in message news:481041e5$0$7731$4c368faf@roadrunner.com... > > "Dot" <dot.h@#duh?att.net> wrote in message > news:CDUPj.239443$cQ1.229489@bgtnsc04-news.ops.worldnet.att.net... >> Parker Race wrote: > It wasn't good day for humans versus grizzlies: > > http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSHUN37628320080423 > > CORRECTED: Hollywood grizzly bear kills trainer > Corrects sheriff spokesman's name to Arden Wiltshire in paragraphs 3, > 6-7 > By Steve Gorman > > LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A grizzly bear featured in the recent Will > Ferrell film "Semi-Pro" and touted as one of the "best trained" in > show business has killed its handler, but officials said on Wednesday > they were puzzled by what provoked the attack. > > The 700-pound bear, which stands 7 1/2 feet tall, bit Stephan Miller, > 39, in the neck on Tuesday at a facility where wild animals are > trained for film and TV productions near the mountain resort of Big > Bear Lake, east of Los Angeles. Why do people have to screw around with nature such as taming a bear? Don't we have enough problems with dogs?. If it doesn't live in cage like a dumb gerbil, then it best be small enough to drop kick 15 feet. To many people belived those old Tarzan movies where all the forest creatures were his homeland security force. -Doug |
| 24 Apr 2008 17:03:40 |
| Ken |
| Re: Jogger mauled by brown bear (not Dot) |
In article <3zUPj.239426$cQ1.200355@bgtnsc04-news.ops.worldnet.att.net >, Dot <dot.h@#duh?att.net > writes >Melinda Shore wrote: > >> In article <Jc4Uj1AZC7DIFwza@dasha.demon.co.uk>, >> Ken <Ken@dasha.demon.co.uk> wrote: >> >>>What is the recommended policy when one sees a bear, assuming that >>>one has foolishly left the high velocity rifle in the drop bag? >> Some research at Brigham Young University was recently >> published, finding that bear spray tends to be more >> effective than that high velocity rifle (interview here: >> http://www.wildebeat.net/scripts/E134.html)for repelling >> grizzlies. They don't talk about bear bangers, though, and >> I wonder how those compare. > >Most of that work was actually done in Alaska. It may be that Tom get >it to the refereed publication stage until I went to BYU. His bear >spray work has been known up here for years. I know some of Tom's work >was just collecting reports of encounters and what happened, then >looking at trends. No idea how many encounters weren't reported. Some >might have been in Yukon as I know they've done studies with airhorns. > >Here's a local newspaper rehash >http://www.adn.com/bearattacks/story/381252.html >('tis the season for bear stories) > >'Ramm pulled the trigger on a canister of Counter-Assault, watched an >orange-mist of pepper spray cover the brush and envelop the bear, saw >the bear's eyes go wide and last heard her breaking brush as she beat a >retreat. > >'Ninety-eight percent of the time, this is how things go with bear >spray, biologist Tom Smith has concluded. In a paper published in "The >Journal of Wildlife Management," Smith -- along with co-authors Stephen >Herrero, Terry Debruyn and James Wilder -- indicates bear spray might >be better than a firearm for protecting yourself against the rare attack. > >'Bear spray is cheaper. It doesn't require much shooting skill. And in >none of the 83 cases the scientists examined was a bear-spray user >seriously injured. > >'"All bear-inflicted injures associated with defensive spraying >involved brown bears and were relatively minor," they reported. > >'Smith noted this has not been the case with firearms, the other main >means of self-protection. Wounded bears sometimes turn on people, >seriously mauling or killing them.' > > >The bear researchers in bear country are looking at bear encounter data >from several perspectives. Fewer enounters means potentially less >having to control bears or shoot some that get too habituated, i.e. >fewer problems. But they're also concerned about human safety - not >just recreationalists, but other researchers, including themselves and >colleagues. I believe the bear researchers use electric fences around >their campsites. > >Dot > Thanks for that information. A number of race organisers cite bears and other wildlife hazards as a risk of taking part in a race. As far as I know none have ever recommended any form of protection. 100 mile races normally involve running, walking, or hallucinating over night. Some runners (not usually me) recce the race in advance in which case they forfeit any safety there may be in numbers. At the practical level a runner must acquire the spray from somewhere, if he is flying to the race he must be able to legally take it on the aeroplane, or else be able to buy it locally. He then must be able to fix the can conveniently to his pack. -- Ken |
| 25 Apr 2008 07:36:26 |
| Dot |
| Re: Jogger mauled by brown bear (not Dot) |
Ken wrote: > Thanks for that information. > > A number of race organisers cite bears and other wildlife hazards as a > risk of taking part in a race. As far as I know none have ever > recommended any form of protection. I don't think they have up here either. But one race does give pre-race reminders of what to do in case of bear encounters. That race was cancelled one year because of a problem bear in the area. It's one thing with normal bears, but when you've got problem ones, it just raises the risk factor too high. >100 mile races normally involve > running, walking, or hallucinating over night. Heck, I don't need no 100 miles to hallucinate. You'd be surprised how many stumps can look like bears on a 2-hr run.:) > > Some runners (not usually me) recce the race in advance in which case > they forfeit any safety there may be in numbers. Around here, many people run in groups of at least 2 in backcountry. Others may run alone. We have some decent urban spaghetti loop trails for most running, but they don't have extended climbs. We have moose on ours, but Anchorage has moose and bears on theirs. But those areas tend to be heavily used. There are some heavily used single tracks in mountains that many folks run / hike alone. And others where folks tend to run with others. When alone in backcountry, some simple problem can become much greater problem. I do most of my long runs in summer above tree line - see and be seen. It's also nice terrain for a change. And early part of spring / summer, I may use some asphalt or gravel roads in mtns, because the main trails are too muddy / icy to get extended runs in and some gravel roads that I use later aren't maintained in winter. They might be partially available in early June, completely available by late June or July 4 (traditional opening day for Hatcher Pass). I'm debating about trying to find some others to run the last part of a trail in late June - or run it alone. We don't have similar topography locally. > At the practical level > a runner must acquire the spray from somewhere, if he is flying to the > race he must be able to legally take it on the aeroplane, or else be > able to buy it locally. Don't carry spray in passenger part of any aircraft. It's a safety issue more so than legality. Should it fire or leak, it can disable the pilot - ok, maybe more relevant in helicopters and bush planes than 747s. >He then must be able to fix the can conveniently > to his pack. What I did last year was to attach the holster to my shoulder strap near where it connects with pack at bottom end. That puts it in a position where it's available, but out of my way. I was able to position mine so it didn't bounce much. When I was going through tall grass, I pulled it from holster and had it in my hand. I'm usually making noise - yelling or clapping or whatever - as I go through any place with restricted visibility. I've had too many encounters either during field work or hiking where I wasn't all that far from a car. I really don't want an encounter 19 miles from a trailhead, running alone (hazards of being a way slow runner). Most people up here I don't think carry spray in races or even on training runs. Many run together, esp. through the night in bear country, then the "race" may start after the half way point. Many do make noise. Some have dogs - which could be bear attractant. Some may encounter bear, stop, and weight for bear to move off trail. Some bears appear to like to watch races. Dot -- "Magic rocks and roots - the ones that trip you but you can never find afterwards" - Matt Carpenter |
| 24 Apr 2008 09:18:42 |
| MANchelle |
| Re: Jogger mauled by brown bear (not Dot) |
Parker Race <parker.race@gmail.com > wrote in news:aa4115e6-51b5-444d-b512- 434bb61345d9@r66g2000hsg.googlegroups.com: > http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/story/384525.html > > ENAI -- A jogger was mauled by a brown bear on the Kenai Peninsula in > what state officials are calling the first mauling of 2008. > > The mauling is being blamed on improperly stored garbage. > > Larry Lewis, a wildlife technician who investigated the mauling for > the Division of Wildlife Conservation, said he found several large > buckets of garbage on the victim's porch, about 150 yards from where > the mauling occurred. > > The 43-year-old victim, who has not been identified, was charged by a > sow with two cubs when he left his home early Tuesday. The man turned > and fled, but the bear quickly caught him, biting his buttocks, the > back of his head and his chest. > Did you have to spoil a potentially good thread by adding "not Dot" to it? ** Posted from http://www.teranews.com** |
| 24 Apr 2008 08:59:20 |
| jobs |
| Re: Jogger mauled by brown bear (not Dot) |
Dot wrote: ... > Both grizz's and blacks can climb trees. Both are incredibly fast - even > downhill. But I thought downhill is the only time a human can outrun a bear. The steeper the better. Was I wrong in thinking that all this time? jobs ** Posted from http://www.teranews.com** |
| 26 Apr 2008 19:50:32 |
| Dot |
| Re: Jogger mauled by brown bear (not Dot) |
jobs wrote: > Dot wrote: > ... > >> Both grizz's and blacks can climb trees. Both are incredibly fast - >> even downhill. > > > But I thought downhill is the only time a human can outrun a bear. The > steeper the better. Was I wrong in thinking that all this time? Yep. Old wives' tale. The one time I was charged, she was coming full barrel downhill at me - across my research plots - with cubs romping behind her. Fortunately, I was very close to my vehicle (i had a straight shot for door, she had to make a right angle bend at bottom). The way she turned at the bottom though and went off into the woods below my site, it could've been a false charge had I stood my ground. BUT (notice very large BUT), I was so close to my pickup, that it just made a lot more sense to get in. In the future, I parked it so it was headed outbound - since one of the grizzes in the area had been known to charge the reclamation truck. (and people wondered why I retired) Dot -- "Magic rocks and roots - the ones that trip you but you can never find afterwards" - Matt Carpenter |
| 27 Apr 2008 00:41:38 |
| steve common |
| Re: Jogger mauled by brown bear (not Dot) |
Dot <dot.h@#duh?att.net > wrote: >In the future, I parked it so it was >headed outbound - since one of the grizzes in the area had been known to >charge the reclamation truck. (and people wondered why I retired) > you were a lot more convincing the last time you advertised the delights of alaskan tourism :-) |
| 27 Apr 2008 07:11:22 |
| Dot |
| Re: Jogger mauled by brown bear (not Dot) |
steve common wrote: > Dot <dot.h@#duh?att.net> wrote: > > >>In the future, I parked it so it was >>headed outbound - since one of the grizzes in the area had been known to >>charge the reclamation truck. (and people wondered why I retired) >> > > > you were a lot more convincing the last time you advertised the delights > of alaskan tourism :-) Well, if you want this week's special :) If you remember, my long run a week ago got relocated and postponed 2 days cuz of snow. Then when I did do it, I almost got frostbite on last lap. Well, this week the weather warmed up, trails were drying out (10k with pointy rocks in 2+ wks, but they've been kinda hidden), did my long run in same place and ended up running in t-shirt. However, my original intention was to go to the intended place of last week's run. Except as I was almost out the door, I heard the highway was closed due to a high-speed chase (no white bronco) and a standoff / attempted suicide. Then Fri morning I wake up to see the first accumulations of snow on my lawn (the one I'd been doing barefoot work on earlier in week, although it wasn't thawed under the grass), and it proceded to snow for about 24 hrs. About 10+ inches in my yard this morning - largest snow of the year I think. Anchorage had places up to 20 inches, and they had put their snowplows away for the summer. So didn't get them on roads until near 7pm. Wondering if my 10k will be a snowshoe race, since my March 15 ss race (same place) was cancelled due to no snow. It's so warm, I think it'll melt in a couple days. Ma Nature has her calendar seriously messed up between March and April this year. Although we have had snow on the ground and major snow in town in mid May (1992, year of Pinatubo). Do ya think the Tourism Bureau will hire me? ;) huh, huh? Dot In case you're wondering, yes, I hiked about 1:45 in it Fri (had to get something small from store, so just kept hiking on trail), and ran about 1 hr this afternoon in incredibly wet, slushy snow. Seriously considered ss running this morning, but wondered about road conditions to get there, esp. since the parking lot is at bottom of hill. -- "Magic rocks and roots - the ones that trip you but you can never find afterwards" - Matt Carpenter |
| 28 Apr 2008 01:20:39 |
| steve common |
| Re: Jogger mauled by brown bear (not Dot) |
Dot <dot.h@#duh?att.net > wrote: >Do ya think the Tourism Bureau will hire me? ;) huh, huh? They should :-) PS re wierd weather - we had gorgeous sunshine all week in Manhattan (OK some clouds on Sun/Mon mornings but otherwise...) I spent the wole time in a Tshirt and wished I brought shorts. PPS I am starting to think I'm an anti-rain God. Even when I go to the UK it doesn"t rain. I'll have to test this in Scotland and Wales sometime. |