Hey thanks AB. There are some golden oldies in the Red Rock TD photo gallery! Names that are TD folklore.

...Meanwhile Mike McElveen is still showing as in Helena. I hope he is ok as he was smashing it.

Yup, those photos are "history" now! Especially the one with Scott Felter -- he of Porcelain Rocket (locally made) -- with a BOB trailer and absolutely no frame bags: http://photos.rvinteractive.com/Public-Galleries/Sports/Bicycling/Great-Divide-Bicycle-Race/i-Gcp4m7t . He'll never live that one down.

I sure hope Mike is still in the game. It showed him at Budget Inn Express this afternoon and he looks to still be in the vicinity. Anyone know his status/troubles?

There are so many impressive rides going on out there again this year! But it's always concerning to hear about all the reports of close encounters and collisions with cars, dogs, etc. coming in from the TD and TransAm. Be safe out there, everyone!

Can't say much about guarding yourself from redneck, anti-biker drivers -- like the nut who went after Josh -- but the dogs can be taken care of with a smaller canister of relevant spray: http://www.cabelas.ca/product/42208/sabre-dog-attack-deterrent. Available in both Canada and the U.S. usually over the counter. It saves you the trouble of wasting bear spray on a mutt and weighs about an ounce. I pack one in a mesh side pocket up front where I can get to it quickly -- and a magnum bear spray canister is not far away as well: http://www.mec.ca/product/5025-358/frontiersman-bear-spray-1-325g-canister/ . Why the larger magnum size? Because you might be facing more than a single griz: http://abcnews.go.com/WN/zookeeper-jack-hanna-pepper-spray-save-hikers-bear/story?id=11263009 + http://www.jhnewsandguide.com/news/top_stories/grizzly-bear-attacks-visitor-in-grand-teton/article_dec1a300-6fcd-5305-9df0-7f2780cb5106.html . If you carry no spray you endanger not only yourself but the resident bears and their offspring: http://ghostbearphotography.com/outrage-in-yellowstone/ .

Hey ABfolder. I was watching Mike as we have been chatting via email for a while now and he was just ahead of the 20D flag out of Helena about 20 minutes ago but it looks like he has turned back and is now in Helena again? I hope he is ok.

Yeah, I saw that 20D flag with him close this morning. I recently made my way through your excellent TD blog, Dave, and will be using some of your tips for an upcoming GDMBR tour. Racers are now approaching what I believe you deemed an "oasis" -- Red Rock RV Park, 5 mi west of Hwy 20 near Henry's Lake: http://www.redrockrvpark.com/ (Mike Hall has already zipped by it!). Look under the Reservations tab for their "Special Biker's Rate". The folks there obviously have a sense of cyclist humor as well: "Use of coin-operated Washer/Dryers (please, no waiting in the nude)." I didn't realize they were so keen on the TD/GDMBR: http://photos.rvinteractive.com/Public-Galleries/Sports/Bicycling . Blue dot watchers might look for photos popping up there as well.

Good to see ol' Mike McElveen (60+) doing so well. But he's been on the route before and definitely knows what GDMBR rain and mud looks like:
https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?doc_id=12850 . His 2013 ride wrap-up with philosophical overview is here and worth a read for both racers and tourers: https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/page/?o=tS&page_id=347845&v=31 .

Go Mike, go!

Banff weather forecast: https://weather.gc.ca/city/pages/ab-49_metric_e.html .
Sparwood: https://weather.gc.ca/city/pages/bc-52_metric_e.html .

Good luck to all! Looks like another wet start.

A must read this winter: http://faroutwanderings.blogspot.ca/2015/11/the-cordillera.html .

This Blackburn tribute missed the cutoff for inclusion in the video annex for this year's volume and I feel that it should be mentioned here:

 https://vimeo.com/144393744 + http://www.thespec.com/news-story/3878867-battling-nature-with-pedal-power-and-pure-grit/

All the best to JD and family!

Just saw this photo. It is a Griz that is sedated for tagging.
 


Clearly, serious respect needs to be shown to these things!

Heck, where's the cougar paw/retractible claws for comparison? :-)

'Course we all know that cougar attacks are extremely rare in North America and not likely something that a TD rider has to worry about (right?): http://www.cougarinfo.org/attackex.htm#ParkerSmith . Those two riders were extremely lucky: in June 2008, a cougar killed a man in Pinos Altos at the southern edge of the Gila Wilderness not far from their location. Don't toss your bear spray away just because you're out of griz country in southern Wyoming. It might turn out to be a lifesaver later on since there are an estimated 3,000 or so cougars in each of Colorado and New Mexico.

Night riding is obviously not a great idea in carnivore country. But group riding has some merits after all, even during the daylight hours http://www.cougarinfo.org/attacks4.htm . Having eyes in the back of your head/helmet also helps -- as does having some very accessible bear spray (even in "we don't need it now" New Mexico): http://bikedrifting.blogspot.ca see Marshal's excellent "leadership-by-example" Nov 29, 2014 blog.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/11/Cougar_range_map_2010.png  

http://www.cougarinfo.org/onguard.htm

BTW If you happen to see a spotted big cat down in New Mexico's "boot heel" region (which includes Antelope Wells), it might be one of the elusive, seldom-seen, border-crossing jaguars: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/10/science/10jaguar.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0   +  http://ens-newswire.com/2014/03/05/u-s-designates-critical-habitat-for-endangered-jaguars/ .
Yup, bear spray works on them, too.  

All the best in preps in 2015!

Agreed.

Another Bible Thumper with the same advice: http://www.thecragandcanyon.ca/2014/01/07/living-with-challenging-neighbours + http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/alberta/Learn+live+alongside+natural+predators+says+animal+expert/9365059/story.html .

“We can’t just treat animals as entertainment,” he said. “We go out there, we see ... a pack of wolves, or a dog startles a bear and it runs away — and that’s our story to go home with, but we’re going home having experienced that at the expense of an animal that is living on the edge.

“They are living on the edge of survival, especially in the winter. We aren’t. They are there where they have to be. We are there where we chose to be, so it really falls to us ... to figure out how to coexist with them.”

Or online forums... Are you or anyone else posting here wildlife biologists?

Quick answer: Yes, but you'd know that if you've been reading the thread in its entirety. I've been working around bears since I was a teenager and am now pushing the 60 year mark. I've been around blacks, griz and polar bears which is likely something that few if any other people on this forum can claim.

And I don't need to leave town to have wildlife encounters: http://globalnews.ca/news/1710438/moose-shot-and-killed-outside-marlborough-mall/. BTW That's today's news -- in a Canadian city of 1.2 million people. In my neighbourhood, we get pairs of coyotes roaming down the streets in search of white-tailed jackrabbits (prairie hares) in the wintertime. Now we all know that coyotes are absolutely harmless -- or so the stories go -- but several years back one of them sunk its teeth into a small kid's head in a playground two blocks from my house and tried to haul her away. Thankfully, several adults were in the vicinity and they intervened. Unique? Nope: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/calgary-man-fights-off-coyote-in-living-room-with-vacuum-1.2749744 . Rare? Yes. Black bears and bobcats have also made appearances. Heck, I see deer in the inner city here on a regular basis.

Regardless of preparation, sh*t happens. Carry bear spray and hope you never have to use it.

On the subject of organizers and routes, let me point out that the TransRockies event that Jill mentioned -- now retired -- was routed around the Flathead. Since it was run out of Fernie they could have easily swung the route east on forestry roads but didn't. Take a guess as to why they did that.

At the risk of flogging a dead horse until it's completely flat, let me add another "rare" encounter that involved several airhorns but no bear spray:
http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/05/08/coworkers-desperately-tried-to-save-lorna-weafer-from-fatal-black-bear-attack-at-alberta-oilsands-site/ . What do you think would have happened had all those now-guilt-ridden bystanders been equipped with bear spray strapped to their waists or chests? Advice from distinguished (actually emeritus professor these days) bear biologist Steve Herrero: "They should always carry accessible bear spray with them." I'm not arguing that this kind of event isn't extremely rare, but from Banff to the border TD riders are rolling through some of the most densely populated bear country on the continent. Bear spray could potentially save your life or that of other riders nearby.

I changed the wording to "might give you a survivable minute or three" before you replied James. On reflection, I thought "would" was too generous a word. Regarding wind at close range -- it's a non-issue. That stuff is coming out of the canister at 75mph so unless a typhoon is blowing in, it'll hit the target. Don't listen to sports store staff, either. They aren't wildlife biologists. The point I keep hammering home is that just because you had no problems, doesn't mean the next guy faces the same situation. Bears move, trailside kills happen, etc etc. It's a form of Russian Roulette with the odds of something happening increasing with the number of riders each year -- many of them uninformed, misinformed or unaware. Carry bear spray and know how to use it!

Maybe I was just lucky.

You were: http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2014/06/12/grizzly-attacks-car-jasper_n_5488751.html + http://www.thejasperlocal.com/exclusive-biker-describes-grizzly-attack.html . BTW The car driver's advice applies doubly so to cyclists: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/grizzly-smashes-into-side-of-car-on-jasper-highway-1.2672756 .

In early June the bears are coming off a hard winter and are in a bit of a foul mood. They're looking to feed undisturbed to put some needed weight back on. I had to laugh when I saw the park ranger's advice about scat on the trail. There are numerous bears in the same area and not all of them deposit a fresh load conveniently on a trail for our inspection. There could be a steaming fresh elk kill three feet off a bike trail that a bear will defend with its life -- especially in June -- and you wouldn't know it until you're on top of it. It would take a tank to move that bear off a fresh kill -- not a whistle. All that 120dB whistle is doing is alerting the bear to the fact that a "competitor" (for its kill) is coming. Bear spray might give you a survivable minute or three to hightail it out of that danger zone. Otherwise, you'd be added to the dinner pile.

I placed a link upthread to a map of griz distribution in British Columbia. There is a rough total of close to 500 grizzlies in the Southern Rockies and Flathead sections of B.C. that the Tour Divide runs through (again, that doesn't include the black bear population). If you didn't see one of the bruins, does that mean those 500 animals aren't around? I suggest talking to wildlife biologists when you want advice on bears -- a good many "park rangers" are kids from university working seasonal summer jobs.

The titanium neck collar for cougars is a new one for me. In the old days, they used thick leather collars.

Jill, I fully realize what the other risks are. But the difference is this, in virtually all other scenarios the rider is the one who pays for their sins/miscalculations. When a bear attacks and injures or kills someone who is riding without spray, they end up with a bullet between their ears. I'm not fear mongering, I'm thinking of the welfare of the wildlife in the region.

In a nutshell, it's irresponsible to enter a known bear hotspot without bear spray -- not only on account of the risk to the rider, but the risk to the bears.

Lightning hits you, hypothermia or hyperthermia nails you, you fall off a bike down a cliff, you run into a vehicle because you're going too fast downhill -- that's your problem. No bear spray ... that potentially drags a bear into the mess and they die as a result.

You're right, but as others have pointed out, it's more important to prevent a bear charge than try to defend one, by hanging food far out of reach when camped, and making noise when rolling through the woods.  

Let me play Devil's Advocate here for a moment: Skip forward a few years and there are now 200+ riders rolling through the Canadian wilderness enroute to Roosville. One of those riders, or perhaps two or three of them riding together, are attacked and severely injured or killed by a grizzly in Banff National Park, Alberta's Kananaskis Country or the Flathead. None of them were carrying bear spray because they thought blowing on whistles was enough to protect them -- and, heck, they were "doing what works for them" (in order to reduce the weight they were hauling to an extreme minimum). Do you honestly believe that a so-called "underground race" will be allowed to continue through Canada? I think the current organizers need to look at the racer stats in the latest Cordillera and tally their local political support: 93% of the riders are non-Canadian and the 7% who are Canadian are certainly not all from Alberta and B.C. The first question everyone locally will be asking is "What are those people doing riding through our parks and wilderness areas in those kinds of numbers without any regulation including a mandatory rule for bear spray?" The Tour Divide has a long list of other rules, does it not? For the safety of both local entrants (i.e. voters) and wildlife, the races out of the Canmore Nordic Centre are now towing the line with a mandatory bear spray rule. What makes the Tour Divide -- a group of mostly non-voting "foreigners" essentially on a large joyride -- so special? The answer? Nothing. It'll make the TD look like a bunch of irresponsible wingnuts if someone gets killed or injured. Who in their right mind rides into the Flathead without bear spray -- in the dark, no less. Everyone knows the place is crawling with grizzlies and black bears. If a bear or bears get killed as a result, you'll have influential NGOs jumping all over the TD. And they have a whole lot more political pull than Crazy Larry does.

I'm not a betting man but if I was, my money is on the bears and the NGOs not the Tour Divide. I'm flogging this dead horse for a reason in hopes that someone wakes up in a hurry and takes some necessary action before it's too late.

BTW The "others" you're referring to aren't bear biologists with decades of experience. All of them, to a man/woman, recommend carrying bear spray and knowing how to use it. You can blow whistles, yell and have a completely clean camp and still end up on the wrong end of the stick. And that end of the stick had better have some bear spray on it when you need it. You don't allow 150 to 200+ people to invade (en masse!) a continental bear hotspot -- the entire northern section of the route -- in what amounts to a free-for-all and then look the other way with regards to their safety and the ultimate welfare of the local wildlife (who die after preventable accidents/deaths happen). That eventually catches up with you.

I also fall in the "do what works for you" crowd, but I'm a proponent of carrying an 11 oz canister of pepper spray the entire length of the Divide, especially for women.

As bear biologist Smith points out in the video that Flinch linked to, everyone who enters a bear's home ground -- remember, we're uninvited guests -- should follow the maxim "do what works for you and the bears". And that means carrying bear spray and knowing how to use it. That spray also comes in handy against other four-legged beasts like cougars (or two-legged creeps if/when necessary).

I really hate seeing people use stats like this.  Just to put it into context - how many  (tens or hundreds) millions of people are exposed to lightning every year?

In the high passes of Colorado, especially, SlowRide and Justin have very valid points. There may not be griz up there but you can get fried by lightning and die, too. If you don't die instantly, there's a chance that you'll have brain/nerve damage that'll last the rest of your life. I'm all for carrying bear spray, but you need to read the NOLS link I provided upthread and ready yourself for that threat as well.

Best video I've seen re how to live with bears, and it tackles some myths out there: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PExlT-5VU-Y

He also gives real good advice on bear spray, such as never go out without it.  

Bottom line: real rare to have a bear injure you. But if they do - man is your a$$ sushi !  

Flinch, that is one heckuva good video. Smith is a real joker. His main points over that hour -- and it would have been nice if they'd summarized it in the comments section -- are:
 
1) Always carry bear spray in bear country: it helps you and the bear survive if a rare conflict arises.
2) Stand your ground (don't run off or even back up) ... while getting the spray out to use. Don't yell loudly or wave your arms overhead -- you should be concentrating on getting that spray out.
3) In a group of even TWO people, bunch up to look formidable. The more in a tight line the better.
4) If the bear gets within 20 feet, deploy the spray regardless of the animal's actions. [If it's barreling down on you in a full charge, I'd deploy a short blast before it gets that close so it deeply inhales the spray while going through that wall of vapour. Then hit it again with a 2-second blast. And again, if necessary. You've got about 7 seconds worth of spray in the smaller canisters.]
5) DO NOT play dead and do not avert your gaze. Stand your ground, keep your eyes on the bear and spray it if necessary.
6) While it's recommended to keep the spray close at hand in a chest or belt holster -- or pack strap -- the best defense in a known bear hotspot is having it in hand with the safety off and ready to go at a moment's notice (which is all you might get for advance warning). See 1:10:00 to 1:14:03. That recommendation is obviously more applicable to hikers than bikers.

Bear bells? On a bike, I view them as a waste of time because of the speed you're normally going and the noise of a bike travelling over a trail or gravel road. A whistle or loud yell travels farther. Smith writes them off totally because of a dubious study he did on the Katmai. In the 80s, a published study in the Journal of Wildlife Management that looked at hikers in Glacier National Park found that bear bells prevented charges: http://www.backpacker.com/news-and-events/news/trail-news/do-bear-bells-really-work/ . The bears were conditioned to the bells and knew that hikers were attached to them. Bears in Glacier travel into Waterton Park and even over into B.C. (likely including the Flathead) so I'd be more than happy to hike with them in those areas -- with bear spray in hand, of course. Shaking a few nuts and bolts in a tin can works as well and is louder. At blind bushy corners and near rivers and streams, you add loud vocals. When other hikers are approaching from the opposite direction, out of courtesy, you tone it down.

Good map, Justin. I'd seen another version but yours is far better.

[IMPORTANT NOTE]

The final (?) word on bears:

http://www.cbc.ca/thecurrent/episode/2013/05/14/why-we-need-to-get-over-our-fear-of-bears/ (Click on the Listen link)

http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/story.html?id=46dbd175-91a2-4135-a941-8b47df1ee475

The radio interview is worth listening to because it targeted a guy who knows what he's talking about -- wildlife biologist Van Tighem is a former Superintendent of Banff National Park and had a sister who was viciously attacked by a grizzly. His modern "technological solution" to help get over our fear of bears? Bear spray! Surprise, surprise. If his sister and her husband had both been equipped with it, they would've got out of a tight jam relatively unscathed.

SlowRide brought up a valid point about the probability of getting struck by lightning as being much higher than being attacked by a bear or cougar. The difference is this: the first can kill you on the spot in about a millisecond i.e. almost instantly; the second doesn't (use your imagination on the possibilities/permutations of a long gruesome death or injury). Patricia Ann Van Tighem not only suffered horrendous physical damage during her attack and lost an eye, she also relived that experience mentally for decades afterwards accompanied by a daily/nightly dose of pain.

Waterton Lakes National Park, where Kevin describes encountering a sow with cubs, is just east of the Flathead in Alberta. In August, when I go down there to bear-watch (my favourite place in Canada to observe them -- Hyder, Alaska is my top spot) I've seen over 20 individual bears there in a single day -- both black and griz. The park also has a healthy population of cougars due to the abundant game in the region (elk, bighorn and deer). Useful info: http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/pn-np/ab/waterton/visit/visit12.aspx#tphp .

If you won't listen to me, listen to Kevin and go buy a technological marvel -- bear spray -- that could save your life or someone else's.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Bear spray will work in freezing temperatures but will not spray as far due to a decrease in pressure (from the cooler temperatures). The trick to boost the pressure? Carry the spray under a wind/rain jacket in a chest holster http://www.udap.com/sprayholsters.htm, in a runner's vest pocket as used and described upthread by Justin and Marshal or in the water bottle pocket of a smaller fanny pack. A jersey pocket would also work but will get irritating over a long period of time. Using that under-the-jacket warm-up method, bear spray has been used effectively in Churchill, Manitoba against polar bears at temperatures in the range of 12F/-12C to -6F/-22C.

For info on lightning precautions, read this: http://www.cmc.org/Portals/0/GoverningDocs/NOLS%20Lightning%20Safety%20Guidelines.pdf

Bears and cougars? A finishing touch:

Cougar Mask in detail (I used thin stretch cord to attach it to my daughter's daypack/clothing when she was small and easy prey):