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One Of My Mountain Biking Nightmares

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Sandro

Sandro

Terrified of Cucumbers
Nov 12, 2006
3,228
2,541
The old world
"Dowler says the sound he remembers most of all was bones grinding on teeth."
That's some proper victim blaming, what was he thinking messing up that poor bear's dental health with his bones.

"... it was just happenstance that one of the officers actually picked up on the bear’s odour from behind us and alerted the second officer who then destroyed the bear.”
They used either dynamite or a rocket launcher, don't nobody tell me any different.
 
6thElement

6thElement

Schrodinger's Immigrant
Jul 29, 2008
17,244
14,718
So if that's one of your mountain biking nightmares, what would happen if you were trying to coast on your road bike but for some reason it was slower than your mountain bike AND you were getting chased by a grizzly?
 
rideit

rideit

Bob the Builder
Aug 24, 2004
24,703
12,496
In the cleavage of the Tetons
Funny enough, I was road riding up to Togwotee Pass yesterday and saw a Momma Griz and Cub that have been frequenting the area...my wife wanted me to bring bear spray.



(low altitude for you Colorado Monkeys)
 
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Nick

Nick

My name is Nick
Sep 21, 2001
24,918
16,506
where the trails are
I've seen 4 bears in 10 years out here. I'm much more worried about a cat, but considering how many 1/2 deer we pass on trails they seem to be well fed.
 
Jm_

Jm_

sled dog's bollocks
Jan 14, 2002
20,164
10,706
AK
Thought this was going to be about breaking your neck and getting paralyzed.
 
I Are Baboon

I Are Baboon

Vagina man
Aug 6, 2001
32,747
10,699
MTB New England
Lots of cute black bears around here, and I've seen lots of them on rides and runs. I've had them walk out of the woods just a few feet in front of me. Freaky but cool. Fortunately the black bears really DGAF about me and just go about their business. No angry grizzlies around here.
 
chuffer

chuffer

Turbo Monkey
Sep 2, 2004
1,794
1,142
McMinnville, OR
Yeah, black bears are pretty common here. Still dangerous, but chances are good that an encounter won't do much more than raise your heart rate. Cougars on the other hand...I think I might actually wet myself.

It seems like there are more cougar sightings (game-cam and in person) every year. Not sure if there is a population increase of cougars, more people riding our trails or just more communication amongst us...?

Well, all that said, I am gonna be totally spooked during today's late afteroon til dusk SOLO trail maintenance session...
 
rideit

rideit

Bob the Builder
Aug 24, 2004
24,703
12,496
In the cleavage of the Tetons
Unless, of course, you crash into the bear, like the guy that died in Montana.
A cat would likely already have left.
(I say this as someone who has been 'chased' by a mountain lion while riding)
 
chuffer

chuffer

Turbo Monkey
Sep 2, 2004
1,794
1,142
McMinnville, OR
rideit said:
Unless, of course, you crash into the bear, like the guy that died in Montana.
A cat would likely already have left.
(I say this as someone who has been 'chased' by a mountain lion while riding)
Click to expand...
Tell us about the chase. The guy who had the run-in with the mtn Lion the other day said that cat bolted immediately.

This whole cat thing is interesting to me. I have twice now seen pictures of myself and mtn lions in the same exact spots (at different times) from a buddies game-cams. So, I know they are out with us pretty much all the time. I've seen bobcats twice now and a cougar from afar (I think).

Luckily for me the only part of bears that I ever see is their asses as they scoot on down / off the trail. Black bears have very jiggly asses. Really.
 
rideit

rideit

Bob the Builder
Aug 24, 2004
24,703
12,496
In the cleavage of the Tetons
Well, the irony is that I never even saw it. I was the lead rider in a fast group, and stopped to hike over a blowdown. My friends, who had been hollering on the downhill (I assumed just out of stoke) came up to me with their eyes as big as pies, stammering "Mt. Lion...On your wheel!"
I guess it was also running down the trail (path of least resistance) to get away from the group. I just happened to be in it's way for a 10th of a mile.
That's why I put 'chased' in parenthesis, pretty sure it just wanted to get out of there.

EDIT: I have seen two other Mt. Lions while riding here, both times they bolted as soon as they saw/heard/smelled me.
 
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rideit

rideit

Bob the Builder
Aug 24, 2004
24,703
12,496
In the cleavage of the Tetons
I was in a lean-to in VT. On the AT when I was around 16, a bear crawled over us in our sleeping bags checking things out. We were told to play dead.
It worked, I guess.
 
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Jm_

Jm_

sled dog's bollocks
Jan 14, 2002
20,164
10,706
AK
So 72 mile mtb race today. 2 miles from the end of the trail (about 9 miles to go total) I come around the corner and there's a huge brown bear walking/jogging down the trail about 50-100' in front of me. I instinctively roar at the top of my lungs to not give the bear time to size me up, just to think "wow, this human thing is angry and threatening". Luckily it works this time and it scurries off the trail, but I can't tell how far with the undergrowth. I wait a few moments and "go for it". I'm going to have nightmares about that bear.
 
slyfink

slyfink

Turbo Monkey
Sep 16, 2008
9,796
5,627
Ottawa, Canada
rideit said:
I was in a lean-to in VT. On the AT when I was around 16, a bear crawled over us in our sleeping bags checking things out. We were told to play dead.
It worked, I guess.
Click to expand...
I have witnessed this on several occasions at the Marcy Dam camp area in the High Peaks region of the Adirondacks. As the backpackers dropped their stuff to unpack, the bears wander up to them, and just start rummaging through the packs. they are able to find and pull out the food bags. they are discerning enough to separate the sweets from the salty. A park warden once told me he saw a bear grab a box of wine, sit of the edge of a lean-to, bit off a corner and chugged the whole box. it wandered away plastered.

My scariest bear moment was flying down a dh section of trail in the Chilcotins and coming around a corner and seeing what I thought was a horse in front of me. then it turned it's head and I realized it was a bear. it was fricken huge. I've never climbed so fast in my life. But I think it was as startled as I was and had disappeared when we went back through there with the rest of our group (hollering "hey bear" the whole way).
 
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