bushwacked Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 (edited) I'm currently in Yellowstone with the family (actually first night in 48 hours in a hotel with internet access in a town outside the northern gate). Grizzly Mauls Tourist in Jellystone Wife is paranoid of bears and she won't hear about this from me, at least not initially, until we get out of the park for good on Friday. Family oblivious to this, even though I have received a text message, overheard discussion during dinner at the restaurant, and obviously read the above link. We were in the exact spot, generally, where this happened a couple hours after the fact. Now I know why the helicopter was there, I thought they were giving tours of the impressive Yellowstone falls. I unknowingly walked up to the trailhead sign that led to this event, and a ranger (with pulaski in hand) immediately told me "It's closed". "Why?" I asked. "Grizzly bear activity." Huh...no lie. No wonder they had the turnout area roped off with a bunch of rangers with binoculars on the hill side further down the road. I was pissed because I thought they didn't want us to partake in seeing a Grizzly from a distance. Yellowstone spokesman Al Nash said the couple saw the bear twice on their hike. The first time, they continued hiking. The second time, the grizzly was running at them and the man told his wife to run. If true that says it all. I've spent plenty of time in the mountains from 18 to 30 and more than several backpacking excursions into Grizzly country. I've never encountered a Grizzly, but have seen many a black bear which have always ran off (cept for the few I've seen here in Jellystone). Once I walked up on a black bear with sows and was immediately relived it didn't notice, as I briskly walked backward until they were out of sight and then hurriedly got out of dodge. But, cmon folks.....it was a Grizzly and yer not that ditzy guy from Alaska who petted them until he eventually got mowed down when his luck ran out. People here are oblivious, there are cartoon signs all over the place that display a guy getting gored by a charging bison. The first animal encounter we see is a bison frolicking in the sun and rubbing against a tree with a family having a picnic about 20 yards away from it. Tomorrow we do our final tent camping night in an established campground, but we may be sleeping in a car if the wife hears about it. I'm not worried about safety as the bears know the drill in Jellystone camps: no easy scraps to chomp down at night and no reason to take their babies close to humans. I have a better chance of getting bumped into a thermal pool by Monster or one of the other Asian tourists that can't figure out it's courteous to walk on the right hand side of the wooden path when they aren't blocking access and egress with their entire clan. Edited July 7, 2011 by bushwacked Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooby's Hubby Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 (edited) roll 'em up, Russ! Excuse me, Homes, how do you get back to the interstate? Edited July 7, 2011 by Scooby's Hubby Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt770 Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 I've got a little .380 that fits nicely in cargo shorts pockets. I wonder if I emptied the thing in a grizzly if it would even slow it down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ditkaless Wonders Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 I've got a little .380 that fits nicely in cargo shorts pockets. I wonder if I emptied the thing in a grizzly if it would even slow it down. Nope. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt770 Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 Nope. What if the bear was actually a big hairy ghey man? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ditkaless Wonders Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 What if the bear was actually a big hairy ghey man? Trick question. Ghey men shave and wax. They are not hairy. That aside, yes emptying a 38 into a large ghey man will kill him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clubfoothead Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 Sounds like dude saved his wife. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt770 Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 Trick question. Ghey men shave and wax. They are not hairy. That aside, yes emptying a 38 into a large ghey man will kill him. It was a trick question...my .380 is actually a staple gun. I stapled his butt cheeks together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SEC=UGA Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 Sounds like dude saved his wife. I can out run my wife. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt770 Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 I can out run my wife. "Honey!!! Yell and complain really loud at the bear!!! They hate that!!! I'll run for help!!!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ditkaless Wonders Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 It was a trick question...my .380 is actually a staple gun. I stapled his butt cheeks together. That's one bear who will not be SHAM WOW!ing in the woods. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whomper Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 "Honey!!! Yell and complain really loud at the bear!!! They hate that!!! I'll run for help!!!" Honey, here..Hold this chopped meat !! Ill be right back !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Square Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 I can out run my wife. Mine ran track. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buddahj Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 Getting mauled by a bear would be a crappy way to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooby's Hubby Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 Getting mauled by a bear would be a crappy way to go. that is up there with shark attack Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh 0ne Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 What if the bear was actually a big hairy ghey man? Leave Whomper out of this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pope Flick Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 People here are oblivious, there are cartoon signs all over the place that display a guy getting gored by a charging bison. It's actually scary sometimes: I was camping in the eastern Sierra this past week, and came out of a simple 4 mile hike. On the way back to the car, and near a split in the trail head some guy in his 40's with his parents asks me this question: "does this path reconnect with the Mono Pass Trail up ahead - do you think I could take my parents up it?" He was asking if the trail that we were on and 4 miles long with an overall rise of around 600 feet when all's said and done was similar to the trail that rises over 2000 feet inside of 3 miles, and we were already at 10,000 feet with some snow on the ground (Rock Creek Lake area). Him and his entire family were in shorts. I just told him they weren't geared up for that and left it alone. But it astonishes me how people think it's like going to the mall when in fact it's f'ing dangerous even on the most worn of trails. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missoula Griz Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 They are not going to kill the sow. She was just protecting her young. They were at the wrong place at the wrong time. Very sad... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whomper Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 Leave Whomper out of this. zinggggg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
satelliteoflovegm Posted July 9, 2011 Share Posted July 9, 2011 Why are you putting on sneakers? You can't outrun a bear! I just need to outrun you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bushwacked Posted July 9, 2011 Author Share Posted July 9, 2011 (edited) They are not going to kill the sow. She was just protecting her young. They were at the wrong place at the wrong time. Very sad... Yup...part of the rare risk you play int the back-country hiking game. And contrary to initial reports, the story is now the couple didn't keep hiking after seeing the grizzly, it was a one time bad situation. Feel bad for the family and applaud the park service on making, what I guess, is the right decision. The park service handled the immediate aftermath flawlessly in my opinion. As we arrived near that same trail-head a couple hours after the death they disguised the tragedy very well, beyond stern controlling of crowds in certain areas and blocking off access without creating panic. The next day(s) they shut the whole area down to observe more and what not. Although that may have not been absolutely necessary, hard to blame them. Dissolved immediate panic with large crowds to the extent practicable and then shut er down to human access after dark before daylight the following day. I should have known something more was up. On the way up to the trailhead there were 3 rangers on panic patrol for a fairly typical animal sighting in Yellowstone. My wife was like "Do the rangers always act this stern when people are around a bull elk?" It was a beautiful bull by the way. I don't mean to sound like a cold hearted prick, but the South Rim is one of the neatest places of the park, the planet earth for that matter, and I'm glad I was there before it closed with my wife and kid experiencing it for the first time. Edited July 9, 2011 by bushwacked Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Furd Posted July 9, 2011 Share Posted July 9, 2011 Sounds like dude saved his wife. If he did, it was dumb luck (from what I understand of the situation). Both of them should have dropped to the ground, covered up their faces and necks to the extent possible, and played dead. Running from a grizzly is the wrong thing to do. If the dude really wanted to be chivalrous, he would have told his wife to do the above, and he would have sprinted off to try to attract the bear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Furd Posted July 9, 2011 Share Posted July 9, 2011 Now its being reported that they both ran: Park officials believe Brian Matayoshi, 57, of California, disturbed a grizzly sow and her cubs while hiking with his wife. When the couple spotted the bear, they turned and walked away. But when they looked back at the bear, they saw it was running towards them. Next, they made what proved to be a fatal mistake, they ran. link Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bushwacked Posted July 10, 2011 Author Share Posted July 10, 2011 God forbid if it ever happened to me, but playing dead instead of running would have to be incredibly counter-intuitive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pope Flick Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 http://www.salient-news.com/2011/07/hikers...to-their-death/ Not about a bear attack, but a vivid reminder that going for a simple hike is not like going to the mall. So tragic, I feel bad for their families. I spent the 4th in the Eastern Sierras (Rock Creek Lake) and even creeks were raging nasty with 40-ish degree water, from a hugh snow pack and cold spring. It's May conditions in July which many tourists aren't used to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.