G
George F. Johns
Guest
In a recent thread on biking Yellowstone National Park, I mentioned the possibility of spring biking
before the roads were open to autos and said that I was planning on a ride or two myself. I received
an email asking me to write a trip report, but I demurred on the grounds that my rides are not so
interesting for anyone to want to endure my writing. Yesterday I went for a ride in Yellowstone and
had an experience of sufficient interest to make me change my mind.
I started riding at the locked gate on the Mammoth to Norris road, about a mile south of Mammoth.
The elevation at Mammoth is 6239 ft. The gate is a bit higher. From here the road climbs for perhaps
3 miles through Golden Gate to Gardiner's Hole; a highway sign puts the gradient at 6%. Beyond
Golden Gate, the road is in a very good state of repair and the grades are gentle all the way to
Norris geyser basin (elev. 7484 ft.), about 20 miles from the gate. On the way you pass Roaring
Mountain, an interesting geothermal area. It was just north of Roaring Mt. that I had my interesting
experience. Although the road is closed to the public, there are maintenance and administrative
vehicles using it. Rounding a bend in the road, I saw a maintenance truck stopped in the road, its
three occupants looking at something off to the side of the road. I followed their gaze and saw a
bear on my side of the road between me and the truck. Several decades in bear country have honed my
powers of discrimination to be instantaneous and infallible; I realized immediately that this was
not a black bear but rather a large silver tip grizzly (the bad news). The good news followed almost
as immediately; it was not a sow with cubs so the probability of an immediate charge decreased
considerably. I stopped. A grizzly is capable of tremendous bursts of speed and I calculated that
this guy was within 2 or 3 seconds of me. I spied a tree that looked climbable, but in 3 seconds?
And without ripping my lycra tights? The prudent thing to do at this point was turn around and beat
feet, or rather pound pedal, normally a dumb move as it is likely to elicit a pedator/prey response
but with a slight down hill, a good wind at my back and a double dose of adrenalin it seemed likely
I could match the bear's top speed of some 35 mph. The driver of the truck beckoned to me so instead
I crossed the road and bending low to try to stay hidden by a snow drift, I sneaked by the bear to
the relative safety of a hard sided vehicle where I snapped a couple of pictures while considering
the wisdom of having packed a camera and not a canister of bear spray. Now I've hiked a couple
thousand miles and slept out a couple hundred nights in grizzly country and this was the closest,
most potentially dangerous encounter I've had with one. The irony was not lost on me; nor was the
humor. I could just hear my friends: "That George. Always did attract his share of junk yard dogs
but I never dreamed it would be a 500 pound Griz would finally bring him down on a bike ride".
The bear did not seem agitated but in the interest of safety I decided it was time to continue on
to Norris where I stopped to eat the lunch I'd packed and watch the geysers, elk and geese for a
while. From here one can continue south to Madison and beyond to the town of West Yellowstone, but
I turned east toward Canyon (elev. about 7900 ft.), a distance of 12 miles. A highway sign
proclaims 3 miles of 8% grade but it didn't seem that steep. This road is also in good repair and
even has a paved shoulder, something lacking on many of the park's roads. When I got to Canyon I
decided to take the spur road to the canyon and water fall overlooks and this road was so bad that
I regretted my choice of 23c tires. I returned to Canyon on the Canyon to Lake road and this road
is also in bad repair. From here it's mostly down hill back to Mammoth for a total distance of some
70 miles. I had a moment of apprehension when I passed the place where the grizzly had been.
Happily he was elsewhere by then.
George F. Johnson A veteran for peace
before the roads were open to autos and said that I was planning on a ride or two myself. I received
an email asking me to write a trip report, but I demurred on the grounds that my rides are not so
interesting for anyone to want to endure my writing. Yesterday I went for a ride in Yellowstone and
had an experience of sufficient interest to make me change my mind.
I started riding at the locked gate on the Mammoth to Norris road, about a mile south of Mammoth.
The elevation at Mammoth is 6239 ft. The gate is a bit higher. From here the road climbs for perhaps
3 miles through Golden Gate to Gardiner's Hole; a highway sign puts the gradient at 6%. Beyond
Golden Gate, the road is in a very good state of repair and the grades are gentle all the way to
Norris geyser basin (elev. 7484 ft.), about 20 miles from the gate. On the way you pass Roaring
Mountain, an interesting geothermal area. It was just north of Roaring Mt. that I had my interesting
experience. Although the road is closed to the public, there are maintenance and administrative
vehicles using it. Rounding a bend in the road, I saw a maintenance truck stopped in the road, its
three occupants looking at something off to the side of the road. I followed their gaze and saw a
bear on my side of the road between me and the truck. Several decades in bear country have honed my
powers of discrimination to be instantaneous and infallible; I realized immediately that this was
not a black bear but rather a large silver tip grizzly (the bad news). The good news followed almost
as immediately; it was not a sow with cubs so the probability of an immediate charge decreased
considerably. I stopped. A grizzly is capable of tremendous bursts of speed and I calculated that
this guy was within 2 or 3 seconds of me. I spied a tree that looked climbable, but in 3 seconds?
And without ripping my lycra tights? The prudent thing to do at this point was turn around and beat
feet, or rather pound pedal, normally a dumb move as it is likely to elicit a pedator/prey response
but with a slight down hill, a good wind at my back and a double dose of adrenalin it seemed likely
I could match the bear's top speed of some 35 mph. The driver of the truck beckoned to me so instead
I crossed the road and bending low to try to stay hidden by a snow drift, I sneaked by the bear to
the relative safety of a hard sided vehicle where I snapped a couple of pictures while considering
the wisdom of having packed a camera and not a canister of bear spray. Now I've hiked a couple
thousand miles and slept out a couple hundred nights in grizzly country and this was the closest,
most potentially dangerous encounter I've had with one. The irony was not lost on me; nor was the
humor. I could just hear my friends: "That George. Always did attract his share of junk yard dogs
but I never dreamed it would be a 500 pound Griz would finally bring him down on a bike ride".
The bear did not seem agitated but in the interest of safety I decided it was time to continue on
to Norris where I stopped to eat the lunch I'd packed and watch the geysers, elk and geese for a
while. From here one can continue south to Madison and beyond to the town of West Yellowstone, but
I turned east toward Canyon (elev. about 7900 ft.), a distance of 12 miles. A highway sign
proclaims 3 miles of 8% grade but it didn't seem that steep. This road is also in good repair and
even has a paved shoulder, something lacking on many of the park's roads. When I got to Canyon I
decided to take the spur road to the canyon and water fall overlooks and this road was so bad that
I regretted my choice of 23c tires. I returned to Canyon on the Canyon to Lake road and this road
is also in bad repair. From here it's mostly down hill back to Mammoth for a total distance of some
70 miles. I had a moment of apprehension when I passed the place where the grizzly had been.
Happily he was elsewhere by then.
George F. Johnson A veteran for peace
