Bikes and bears

[David Thomas]

I learned a few things from:

https://www.adn.com/outdoors-adventure/2017/04/23/when-bikers-collide-with-bears/

It starts with, “In June 2016, Brad Treat and a companion were biking a singletrack trail in the Flathead National Forest near Montana’s Glacier National Park. Rounding a corner at an estimated 20 mph, Treat T-boned a grizzly bear. The cyclist flew over the handlebars, breaking both wrists. Then he was killed by the surprised and extremely provoked bear.”

The reporter then dives into other incidents since 2000.  I liked, “In the fourth case bear spray in the biker’s pack was released in the bear’s face when it bit the pack. Counting on a bear biting into your bear deterrent is not a recommended procedure.”

[Kattt]

Sounds like going alone is, once again, a bad idea.

And here I am still a bit traumatized from riding over a baby bunny yesterday, right around the corner of a single track trail along a cliff. By the time I saw it, looking right at me, it was too late. It was gone today so at least it fed something.

That is a beautiful trail camera capture, btw.

[W I S N E R !]

“It was gone today so at least it fed something.”

Or someone?  Weren’t we talking rabbit and hare recipes a while back?

[Ken Thompson]

Yum. Don’t see it for sale like we use to.

 

[Cameron M]

If an out-of-control biker hits a bear, it seems that they could also collide with a hiker.

I too would be “extremely provoked” if this were to occur, but I am inexperienced at mauling people.

[BlackHatGuy]

“And here I am still a bit traumatized from riding over a baby bunny yesterday…”

Well, that explains what I saw on a street corner this afternoon….

[Kattt]

I think the bunny is right…driving OR riding. That fawn would say the same thing….

I do try and be careful .

 

@Craig & Ken I ate so much rabbit growing up and loved it. It’s been years now.

[Will Elliott]

We have used Bluetooth speakers before while riding trails where we don’t expect to see any other people. No bears encountered with speakers, versus a few every year without. Revelate Designs (Anchorage) makes a great top tube bag that holds spray or speakers. They seem to have no effect on habituated moose though, like in Kincaid or the Hillside.

[David Thomas]

Cool.  Now my iPhone replaces carrying a 12-gauge with rifled slugs, reducing my load by 6-7 pounds.

That you see fewer bears while broadcasting makes complete sense to me.  While I might glare at folks blaring music in the backcountry, as hiker, I would rather hear you coming fast from 100 yards away than not hear you coming fast until you were 30 feet away, coming around a corner.  I was on the Resurrection Trail from Hope to Cooper Landing on a day there was an organized 100-mile trail ride (with shuttles between trailheads).  The first few pissed me off and I was on my guard for the remaining scores of bicycles.  I schlepped a lot of little plastic and metal bicycle bits off the trail that trip.

[Author]

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