Mountain bikers describe attack by grizzly on Peninsula trail

http://www.adn.com/2010/07/08/135949...s-tale-of.html


Mountain bikers describe attack by grizzly on Peninsula trail

RESURRECTION TRAIL: Group surprised sow with cubs.

By MEGAN HOLLAND


Published: July 9th, 2010 12:14 PM
Last Modified: July 9th, 2010 12:14 PM

Tyler Nord doesn't remember the moment the grizzly pounced on him. He
couldn't tell you what her breath smelled like or how soft her fur
was. All he remembers is summoning the adrenaline that was coursing
through his body to his legs to push her off.

The memories of the attack are like a strobe light of images playing
through his mind, he said Thursday in talking of the encounter
involving him, two mountain-biking companions and the bear on
Resurrection Trail.

The bear bit or clawed into Nord's thigh, but he wouldn't notice that
until later, after the grizzly and her cubs had retreated to the
woods, bear spray in her face.

Nord, fiancee Kimi Elliott, and a friend on vacation from Portland,
Kyle Eisenbach, all 25, were riding mountain bikes on Resurrection
Pass Trail near Hope on Tuesday when they were attacked by the sow
protecting her two cubs. All three bikers received superficial
scratches, with Nord's puncture wound to the thigh being the worst.
Their 2-year-old dog, Kobi, an Australian cattle dog, was uninjured,
despite its own confrontation with the bear.

"None of it really seemed real. I wasn't scared because it seemed like
a dream," Nord said.

Nord and Elliott, both engineers in Anchorage, wanted to show their
out-of-town guest the Alaska outdoors, the pair recalled on Thursday.
They drove down to the Kenai Peninsula in the morning for a 20-mile,
daylong bike ride along the popular Resurrection Pass, a 38-mile trail
that runs from near Hope to the Sterling Highway near Cooper Landing.

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They had already stopped for lunch and were about six miles into the
trail when Elliott took the lead. Nord had a bear bell on his bike.
Elliott describes herself as a constant talker. They were trying to
make noise, but at that particular spot the river that runs near the
trail is loud. Real loud.

According to Nord and Elliott, Elliott rounded a corner and startled
the bear lounging on the dirt path. Two cubs were nearby. Elliott
slammed on her breaks and skidded to a stop. She quickly got off her
bike, which she was clipped into at the pedals, and began retreating,
walking the bike with one foot still attached to a pedal. She knew
there was going to be an attack. She knew the bear wouldn't quietly go
away. She had been way too close.

She began backtracking toward Nord and Eisenbach. Kobi took position,
barking and growling at the bear.

The bear ran for Elliott. She dropped her bike and went for a clearing
off to the side. She knew she was supposed to not run away from a bear
but at that moment her own fear took over. She ran for her life.

Nord and Elliott both said the whole thing seemed like it was
happening in slow motion but at the same time it all happened in a
flash.

The bear was on Elliott but didn't take her down. It swatted her on
the shoulder. but she doesn't remember the contact. It was right
there, with her, running alongside her. She thought, "How am I not
getting completely demolished right now?"

Later, she would notice bear slobber running down her biceps. She's
not sure how it got there.

"Get the bear spray! Bear spray!" she kept yelling. The spray was in
Nord's backpack.

Nord, who was farther down the trail, looked back and saw the sow
going for his fiancee. He dropped his backpack and started running
toward the bear. The sow turned its attention to him.

He remembers seeing a very big head that came up to his chest, the
flash of her teeth, and the odd, misplaced thought that she was a very
pretty bear. "It wasn't scary because it didn't seem real," he said.

Nord, who had fallen and was on his back, crunched his legs to his
chest just as the bear landed on him. He pushed her off and she
retreated. Nord doesn't remember her biting or clawing him. He didn't
feel it. His adrenaline was skyrocketing.

Eisenbach was the bear's next target.

"Fetal position! Fetal position," Elliott yelled at her fiance's best
friend, whom she had only recently met.

Eisenbach put himself into a ball next to a fallen tree. The bear was
on him when Nord found the bear spray in the backpack and ran up to
within 5 feet of her.

He had never used bear spray before and didn't know how close he
needed to be, he said. "I hope this works," he thought to himself.

The bear was on top of his friend, pawing at his friend's backpack.

Nord got real close and pulled the trigger, aiming at the sow's face.

"She had a stunned look," he said of after the chemicals hit her.

He sprayed again.

In a flash she was gone into the woods.

Read mo http://www.adn.com/2010/07/08/135949...#ixzz0tO2HOCUH


http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/htm...ounter11m.html





Cyclists recount meeting with grizzlies

PORTLAND * A mountain biker from Portland says he and his companions
survived a hairy encounter with a grizzly sow and her cubs on Alaska's
Kenai Peninsula this week.

By The Associated Press

PORTLAND * A mountain biker from Portland says he and his companions
survived a hairy encounter with a grizzly sow and her cubs on Alaska's
Kenai Peninsula this week.

Kyle Eisenbach joined fellow Portlander Tyler Nord and Nord's fiancee,
Kimi Elliott, for the biking trip on the Resurrection Pass Trail on
Tuesday. They had bear bells and spray.

About six miles up the trail they pulled around a blind corner and
almost ran over the sow and two cubs sunning themselves. Eisenbach
told The Oregonian that Elliott ran into a clearing, and the bear
stalked her and gashed her shoulder.

Eisenbach and Nord began screaming at the bear, which advanced on
them. Nord slipped and the bear pounced, puncturing his leg with her
claws. He kicked at the sow, which then jumped up on a fallen tree and
started swatting at Eisenbach's bike helmet.

Nord finally managed to spray the bear and it walked off. The three
bandaged themselves with a first-aid kit and drove to an Anchorage
emergency room for tetanus shots and antibiotics.

Well, well, guess who's back? 99% chance that he's been working with
his lawyer about what he can and can't post. Re-posting of news
stories is fine. Embellishing or responding to postings - not fine. My
guess is that this restriction will be circumvented through the use of
sock puppets. Or maybe he'll just crack.

"Brad Anders" wrote in message
...
Well, well, guess who's back? 99% chance that he's been working with
his lawyer about what he can and can't post. Re-posting of news
stories is fine. Embellishing or responding to postings - not fine. My
guess is that this restriction will be circumvented through the use of
sock puppets. Or maybe he'll just crack.

Mr. Vandeman has most likely just grown weary of dealing with criminal idiot
mountain bikers ... as have I. A much more effective way of getting
accomplished what needs to be accomplished is to work through land managers
and park officials and posting news messages to interested parties on the
dangers of mountain biking on hiking trails.

Mountain biking on hiking trails is a fad and will soon go the way of the
Dodo Bird. And it will be good riddance to bad rubbish! The only cracked
heads I know about are the criminal idiot mountain bikers.

Regards,

Ed Dolan the Great - Minnesota
aka
Saint Edward the Great - Order of the Perpetual Sorrows - Minnesota

"Edward Dolan" wrote in message
...

"Brad Anders" wrote in message
...
Well, well, guess who's back? 99% chance that he's been working with
his lawyer about what he can and can't post. Re-posting of news
stories is fine. Embellishing or responding to postings - not fine. My
guess is that this restriction will be circumvented through the use of
sock puppets. Or maybe he'll just crack.

Mr. Vandeman has most likely just grown weary of dealing with criminal
idiot mountain bikers ... as have I. A much more effective way of getting
accomplished what needs to be accomplished is to work through land
managers and park officials and posting news messages to interested
parties on the dangers of mountain biking on hiking trails.

Mountain biking on hiking trails is a fad and will soon go the way of the
Dodo Bird. And it will be good riddance to bad rubbish! The only cracked
heads I know about are the criminal idiot mountain bikers.

Ed Dolan the Great - Minnesota
-
The only problem I have ever had with mountain bikers is when they illegally
use trails. This hasn't been a frequent problem where I hike, but recently
I had the living **** scared out of me by a downhill biker nearly hitting us
around a blind curve. I mentioned to the guy that bikes were not permitted
on the trail, and his response was that it wasn't a big deal, because he was
the only illegal biker on the trail. Unfortunately, that leads to other
bikers doing the same thing under the premise of "permission by example".

"Wayne" wrote in message
...
-
The only problem I have ever had with mountain bikers is when they
illegally use trails. This hasn't been a frequent problem where I hike,
but recently I had the living **** scared out of me by a downhill biker
nearly hitting us around a blind curve. I mentioned to the guy that bikes
were not permitted on the trail, and his response was that it wasn't a big
deal, because he was the only illegal biker on the trail. Unfortunately,
that leads to other bikers doing the same thing under the premise of
"permission by example".

Sure, I have no problem with mountain bikers as long as they stay off
restricted trails.

On Jul 12, 12:41*pm, "Moderate" wrote:
"Wayne" wrote in message

...

-
The only problem I have ever had with mountain bikers is when they
illegally use trails. *This hasn't been a frequent problem where I hike,
but recently I had the living **** scared out of me by a downhill biker
nearly hitting us around a blind curve. *I mentioned to the guy that bikes
were not permitted on the trail, and his response was that it wasn't a big
deal, because he was the only illegal biker on the trail. *Unfortunately,
that leads to other bikers doing the same thing under the premise of
"permission by example".

Sure, I have no problem with mountain bikers as long as they stay off
restricted trails.

I have no problem with social misfits with PhD's as long as they are
not attacking others with handsaws.

"Bill Weir" wrote in message
...
On Jul 12, 12:41 pm, "Moderate" wrote:
"Wayne" wrote in message

...

-
The only problem I have ever had with mountain bikers is when they
illegally use trails. This hasn't been a frequent problem where I hike,
but recently I had the living **** scared out of me by a downhill biker
nearly hitting us around a blind curve. I mentioned to the guy that
bikes
were not permitted on the trail, and his response was that it wasn't a
big
deal, because he was the only illegal biker on the trail. Unfortunately,
that leads to other bikers doing the same thing under the premise of
"permission by example".

Sure, I have no problem with mountain bikers as long as they stay off
restricted trails.

I have no problem with social misfits with PhD's as long as they are
not attacking others with handsaws.

Bill Weir would like to ride his mountain bike wherever he damn well pleases
and could care less about hikers and other trail users. He is a criminal
idiot mountain biker and deserving of a good horsewhipping. However, he
probably has a very tough hide, so a better solution would be 20 years
behind bars where he could consort with fellow criminals unmolested by any
common sense rules. Sociopaths like him belong in prison.

Regards,

Ed Dolan the Great - Minnesota
aka
Saint Edward the Great - Order of the Perpetual Sorrows - Minnesota

"Wayne" wrote in message
...

"Edward Dolan" wrote in message
...

"Brad Anders" wrote in message
...
Well, well, guess who's back? 99% chance that he's been working with
his lawyer about what he can and can't post. Re-posting of news
stories is fine. Embellishing or responding to postings - not fine. My
guess is that this restriction will be circumvented through the use of
sock puppets. Or maybe he'll just crack.

Mr. Vandeman has most likely just grown weary of dealing with criminal
idiot mountain bikers ... as have I. A much more effective way of getting
accomplished what needs to be accomplished is to work through land
managers and park officials and posting news messages to interested
parties on the dangers of mountain biking on hiking trails.

Mountain biking on hiking trails is a fad and will soon go the way of the
Dodo Bird. And it will be good riddance to bad rubbish! The only cracked
heads I know about are the criminal idiot mountain bikers.
-
The only problem I have ever had with mountain bikers is when they
illegally use trails. This hasn't been a frequent problem where I hike,
but recently I had the living **** scared out of me by a downhill biker
nearly hitting us around a blind curve. I mentioned to the guy that bikes
were not permitted on the trail, and his response was that it wasn't a big
deal, because he was the only illegal biker on the trail. Unfortunately,
that leads to other bikers doing the same thing under the premise of
"permission by example".

You want to be cautious when confronting illegal mountain bikers on hiking
trails. They are all without exception idiots and criminals. I would carry a
handgun if I were you for your own protection.

Regards,

Ed Dolan the Great - Minnesota
aka
Saint Edward the Great - Order of the Perpetual Sorrows - Minnesota

On Jul 13, 12:00*am, "Edward Dolan" wrote:
"Bill Weir" wrote in message

...
On Jul 12, 12:41 pm, "Moderate" wrote:





"Wayne" wrote in message

...

-
The only problem I have ever had with mountain bikers is when they
illegally use trails. This hasn't been a frequent problem where I hike,
but recently I had the living **** scared out of me by a downhill biker
nearly hitting us around a blind curve. I mentioned to the guy that
bikes
were not permitted on the trail, and his response was that it wasn't a
big
deal, because he was the only illegal biker on the trail. Unfortunately,
that leads to other bikers doing the same thing under the premise of
"permission by example".

Sure, I have no problem with mountain bikers as long as they stay off
restricted trails.
I have no problem with social misfits with PhD's as long as they are

not attacking others with handsaws.

Bill Weir would like to ride his mountain bike wherever he damn well pleases
and could care less about hikers and other trail users. He is a criminal
idiot mountain biker and deserving of a good horsewhipping. However, he
probably has a very tough hide, so a better solution would be 20 years
behind bars where he could consort with fellow criminals unmolested by any
common sense rules. Sociopaths like him belong in prison.





Bill Weir doesn't own a mountain bike, nor is he a mountain biker so
he doesn't ride anywhere off-road, he hikes. Bill Weir spent the last
three weeks hiking while Ed Dolan sat at his computer suffering from
senile dementia.

"Bill Weir" wrote in message
...
On Jul 13, 12:00 am, "Edward Dolan" wrote:
[...]

Bill Weir would like to ride his mountain bike wherever he damn well
pleases
and could care less about hikers and other trail users. He is a criminal
idiot mountain biker and deserving of a good horsewhipping. However, he
probably has a very tough hide, so a better solution would be 20 years
behind bars where he could consort with fellow criminals unmolested by any
common sense rules. Sociopaths like him belong in prison.

Bill Weir doesn't own a mountain bike, nor is he a mountain biker so
he doesn't ride anywhere off-road, he hikes. Bill Weir spent the last
three weeks hiking while Ed Dolan sat at his computer suffering from
senile dementia.

Bill Weir might as well be a mountain biker who rides his bike on hiking
trails since he is defending the worst human trash in the world, i.e.,
mountain bikers. I seriously doubt that he does any hiking. His animus
against Mr. Vandeman tells me all I will ever have to know about him. If you
defend criminal idiot mountain bikers, than you are no better than they are.

Regards,

Ed Dolan the Great - Minnesota
aka
Saint Edward the Great - Order of the Perpetual Sorrows - Minnesota