# Ever Get Scared Night Riding?



## wookie (Jan 24, 2007)

Before you pull my "Man-Card", I'm just curious if anybody gets a little scared while night riding solo? We have a lot of wild life (moose, deer, bobcats, mountain goats, & bears) in my area; although, I only run into some of them infrequently. We don't have any tweekers or anything like that (not in my experience anyway). I recently purchased my first light (will have back up as well) and will probably ride solo a lot. Does your mind start playing tricks on you in the dark?


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## mattthemuppet (Jul 16, 2004)

I did once, when I thought I was being chased by 2 owls. They're pretty scary sounding things on your own in the woods!


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## Bernal (Nov 26, 2011)

Oh yea!...down here in Texas we have a hog problem and these things are not affraid of humans lol come up on a pile of them while shagging ass down a trail.....one charged me after i passed him.


Wish i could take my traps to the trails....50lbs on hoof makes some gooood BBQ bruuuuuuther:thumbsup:


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## bloo (Apr 2, 2008)

wookie said:


> ... beers


definitely not scared of those! 

i just started night riding and have only two under my belt, both riding solo. but yeah, my mind has played tricks on me, there are these flying shadows my lights make that have freaked me out for a split second. i hear squirrels, rabbits and owls (these are kind of cool) in the background, that's basically the extent of wildlife where i ride...it's in the heart of Houston, what else can you expect.


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## randyharris (Jul 1, 2009)

I sometimes get scared of what I am riding, but that has nothing to do with it being dark out.


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## wookie (Jan 24, 2007)

bloo said:


> definitely not scared of those!
> 
> i just started night riding and have only two under my belt, both riding solo. but yeah, my mind has played tricks on me, there are these flying shadows my lights make that have freaked me out for a split second. i hear squirrels, rabbits and owls (these are kind of cool) in the background, that's basically the extent of wildlife where i ride...it's in the heart of Houston, what else can you expect.


Fixed. Yeah I'd hardly be afraid of some beers chasing me.


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## Pimpride (Nov 14, 2005)

Used to night ride with a buddy at school. In the summer there would be a bunch of spider webs across the trail and the lead rider was the spider sweeper. I remember looking down at my bars and cables and seeing it coated with webs that I picked up. Got over it after riding through the first few. But night riding adds a certain element that elevates the heart rate a bit more.


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## techeez (Nov 23, 2010)

I only get nervous if I start thinking about it too much, other than that i'm fine, even with the coyotes howling


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## bikerider2 (Nov 9, 2011)

Yeah you can definitely get freaked out about the shadows and noises in the bushes and those sticks on the trails that turn out to be rattle snakes. The spookiest ride for me is usually the first night ride of the fall. I'm fresh off of riding in daylight for six months and it takes a ride or two in the dark to become desensitized to it. A friend of mine gave up night riding after Mark Reynolds was killed by a mountain lion less than a mile from the trails we were on the night before. I think the odds are really low of an attack so I won't let that stop me.


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## MovinUp (Jan 7, 2011)

At night I always have friends with me. I'm actually surprised I have more friends available to ride with at night after the kids are asleep than during the daylight.


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## mtb143 (Aug 26, 2007)

Three words: Blair Witch Project. Oh, and zombies. Don't forget about the zombies. Hopefully the slow kind that can be outrun on a bike.


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## LiveFreeThenDie (Mar 21, 2010)

Sorry, no mtb content. But my 9 mile commute home last night was in a heavy fog. I could see the mist in my bar light. My glasses were wet and later got foggy as well. I have really poor sight, but looking over the tops of the lenses was better than trying to see through them. The fog got worse during the ride. I couldn't see the next set of streetlights. This is the only route I ride and it's always after dark. I feel like I know it like I know the back of my hand. But in the fog it was a different story. My speed decreased over the length of the ride home as I became more fearful of rear ending a parked car.

Until that ride, the scariest thing was commuting on an overpass with 18" bike lane in heavy wind.


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## Hutch3637 (Jul 1, 2011)

Actually, the other day. I live about two miles give or take to my trail head. On route I ride through some bad area's (thugs and what not) and through a park. Well, on my way through the park i'm just going along and I look up and there's some huge dude standing in the middle of the dirt path no lights nothing, mind you it's around 3-3:30AM. I carefully passed the guy and was like Hi... So as I leave the path and head over across the road to the trail head I notice there is a 18 wheeler parked in the dirt/gravel parking lot so it could have been him. So I head off into the trail. The guy why was he there was in my mind but that didn't get me. As I'm doing my usual loop I come to a top of a climb and take a break for a second to sip water. Next thing I hear is some stigs and leaves crunching on the down side the trail. I shine my lights over there and guess what? It's that dude! Mind you i'm about 2-3 miles in the middle of the woods with windy single track. I'm like wtf. Needless to say hauled ass back the way I came down the climb. Luckly there's a brigde crossing which takes you out to a road down the path so I made it there in record time and as i'm riding home I just keep thinking what did this guy want or who was he?


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## jugdish (Apr 1, 2004)

mattthemuppet said:


> I did once, when I thought I was being chased by 2 owls. They're pretty scary sounding things on your own in the woods!


The most unique adaptation of Owl feathers is the comb-like or fimbriate (fringe-like) leading edge of the primary wing feathers referred to as "flutings" or "fimbriae". With a normal bird in flight, air rushes over the surface of the wing, creating turbulence, which makes a gushing noise. With an Owl's wing, the comb-like feather edge breaks down the turbulence into little groups called micro-turbulences. This effectively muffles the sound of the air rushing over the wing surface and allows the Owl to fly silently. There is also an alternate theory that the flutings actually shift the sound energy created by the wingbeats to a higher frequency spectrum, where most creatures (including prey and humans) cannot hear.

I haven't been on a solo night ride in a year or two but yeah. Feeling like you're not the top of the food chain is one of the cooler things about it!


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## nausnyder (Oct 22, 2008)

Close encounters with rattlesnakes make it difficult to have fun on the rest of the ride. In North Scottsdale (Pima & Dynamite), the snakes are the same color as the decomposed granite and I tend to spot them when I am uncomfortably close. I have been on spring night rides where we have run into up 5 or so. When I see one at night by myself, sticks and rocks all seem to be snakes for the next hour.


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## coach2win (Aug 16, 2008)

I rode up on a skunk and I almost ran it over.The skunk just turned around lifted its tail than took off down the trail. I got lucky I didn't get sprayed. I have also had an owl swoop down from behind me right in front of my lights and fly ahead of me for awhile. Now that freaked me out.


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## sbd (Sep 23, 2011)

I had an owl swoop right past my head and it damn near gave me a heart attack. I have seen all sorts of critters, thankfully my Avid Juicy Animal Alert System lets them know I'm coming.


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## buddhak (Jan 26, 2006)

jugdish said:


> The most unique adaptation of Owl feathers is the comb-like or fimbriate (fringe-like) leading edge of the primary wing feathers referred to as "flutings" or "fimbriae". With a normal bird in flight, air rushes over the surface of the wing, creating turbulence, which makes a gushing noise. With an Owl's wing, the comb-like feather edge breaks down the turbulence into little groups called micro-turbulences. This effectively muffles the sound of the air rushing over the wing surface and allows the Owl to fly silently. There is also an alternate theory that the flutings actually shift the sound energy created by the wingbeats to a higher frequency spectrum, where most creatures (including prey and humans) cannot hear.


Damn! Beat me to it...and did a much better job than I ever could. Owls are effing cool.


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## PinkFloyd (Nov 24, 2011)

Bernal said:


> Oh yea!...down here in Texas we have a hog problem and these things are not affraid of humans lol come up on a pile of them while shagging ass down a trail.....one charged me after i passed him.
> 
> Wish i could take my traps to the trails....50lbs on hoof makes some gooood BBQ bruuuuuuther:thumbsup:


I hear ya. Most of our park trails in this area (NE Texas) include some creek bottoms. And where there's a creek bottom...............................hogs won't be far away. I've encountered them in the day and had them run from me. Night is a whole other story.

I guess I'm more afraid of cottonmouths and copperheads on the trail at night than I am the hogs.


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## jugdish (Apr 1, 2004)

buddhak said:


> and did a much better job than I ever could. Owls are effing cool.


 It was cut and paste, I'm not that smart. I did know they didn't make a sound when flying and yes, they are effing cool. I used to cut wood in the fall up around 8000 feet and would hear, at times up to 3 GH's hooting away up and down the canyon. Effing cool, indeed! :thumbsup:


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## semmiho (Jul 29, 2009)

I was getting in a scary situation when I rode on one of my favourite trails at night, somewhere in September (place: middle of Europe, hills of Buda). When I was descending from a hill suddenly a wild boar jumped out to the trail, just in front of my front wheel. I almost ran off and crashed (it was a narrow shave) but at the end I could stop. Probably because of my two big lights the wild boar ran away, but suddenly an another one appeared in my back - uh, that was not so funny but finally I survived.


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## jonberens (Aug 18, 2010)

I usually ride alone at night and find that when I start off I am fine but after a stop for water or gear check when I pay attention to the sounds I start to get squirrelly. The second half of the ride is usually faster than the first as a result. 

Always bring a phone and a backup light and let someone know you are heading out


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## tscheezy (Dec 19, 2003)

I live in Kodiak Alaska and I've been chased by a brown bear on my bike. That was during the day. I tend to not look around much when riding at night because, well, I just would rather not know.


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## ThinkBike (Jun 16, 2010)

It's the people that scare me the most. On a pitch black moonless night I almost ran into a guy riding a bike in the opposite direction. No light. Dark clothes, dark colored bike, no reflectors, nothing white or light colored on him. A scarf wrapped around his head with only his eyes peering out. Because it was so pitch black, he was going about 3 mph. Any faster and he would have run off the trail into a tree or something.

It really is creepy being the only one on the trail. The worst is getting a flat and feeling like you're exposed to the forest, but you can't see anyone or anything else that might be out there.


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## krd123 (Jul 21, 2004)

*I have had a couple of scares*

The most recent was last winter on the commute home from work. I was climbing up this gravel path in the woods when an owl swooped through my light and just missed my head. That got the heart rate up.

The scariest one though was a number of years back when I was riding home through a forested park after working a 3 - 11 shift. Coyotes in the trees to my right started howling. I like the sound so at first I felt privileged. Then the coyotes started moving with me. They would yip and howl then go quiet only to repeat further down the trail. This went on for at least ten minutes. I kept riding faster and they seemed to be sticking with me. I never saw them but it gave me a scare. I was real glad to get out of the park.


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## osmarandsara (Jun 26, 2006)

The only times I get scared is when I have a mechanical and have to stop to work on the bike in the dark. You don't realize how much of the scary "critter chatter" is drowned out by the sound of your moving wheels.......


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## Wibbs (Dec 5, 2011)

I get a little freaked out when my light catches eyes that appear to be looking at me. Two big eyes surrounded by darkness make me pedal faster!


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## Dirt_hog (Jan 18, 2008)

A buddy and I were recentley riding a trail we've done numerous night runs on. For one reason or the other we stopped to B.S. and started shining our light across this canyon just to see what we could and immediately spotted a pair of eyes. It just kept pacing back and forth on this rather large, steep rockface. Once we got all of our lights shining directly on it we were really surprised to see it was a mountain lion. Unfortunetly we had to ride no more than 15 yards from the rockface to continue our ride. After much debate (and we both carry small firearms) we didn't take the risk. I still wish I hadn't stopped and started shining my light around, it has really messed with my head. We haven't done that particular night ride since.


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## Ratt (Dec 22, 2003)

I used to solo lobster dive at night a lot so I've learned to turn off that '_what if_' the part of my brain but... been solo night riding for 10 years now and twice I stopped for a year or 2 after running into homeless people just standing in the middle of the trail with no lights miles from anywhere. Really f'n spooks the S out of me.


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## BeeRye86 (Jun 14, 2011)

I was all pumped to start riding at night, but now you guys making it sound a little creepy! I was planning on riding at night with music, never used music while riding before. Hopefully it can keep me pumped up and I can forget about all the stuff hiding in the dark!


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## il2mb (Jan 27, 2005)

Location - SoCal, Santa Monica mountains, Point Mugo state park
time - Dusk

Just started up a trail and turned into a switch back when I almost ran over a curled up, sleeping bobcat. The squeak of my brakes as I came to a stop woke it up. I was literally only inches away from it. It sprinted up the trail about 40 feet, stopped and stood sideways looking back at me. It was beautiful. Very muscular and good size. I have an 80 lb dog and this cat was bigger. This was not your household kitty cat. I mean it looked very healthy and strong. Couldn't tell if it was pissed off but It was freaky how it was just standing there staring at me. I've seen plenty of bobcats on the trail and usually they dart off. This one seemed to have an interest in me. This trail section had a steep drop off to my left and the right side was a sheer rocky wall about 9 feet high. The trail itself was about 3 feet wide. there was no going around it. The cat simply wasn't moving. We sat there studying each other for about 2 minutes. Finally, I decided I wasn't going back down. I really wanted to get on with my ride so I clipped in an started pedalling. The cat crouched down and leaped up the rocky face in a blink and was gone. A very impressive jump. Kept on with my ride but that cat was never to far from my thoughts. By the way I was riding solo as I do 99% of the time. I never get bothered by the night. I actually enjoy the experience of being out in the mountains, 9 miles from the car, with only the sounds of your bike on the dirt.


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## sporgo (Dec 13, 2011)

Stumbled onto the this thread and thought I would share my cautionary tale.

I always enjoyed night riding... Then last year while riding along the local paved trail at night and rounding a corner I happened upon an alligator. The gator was lying parallel to the asphalt right along the edge. Due to excessive speed and not so great light setup I did not see it until the last second. I did not have time to brake so I tried to swerve and hope that I could sail past it. Well that hope was dashed because it decided to take a snap at me. Whether out of surprise/fear (do alligators feel fear?) or hunger we will never know... It snapped at me and bit down on my water bottle cage area and my right foot/pedal. Not using clipless pedals on that ride may have saved my life. Because the gator bit down on parts of my bike it could not close its mouth completely on my foot so only my ankle got gnashed a bit. My foot was jerked loose when I went over the bars. After I got up I was able to get my extra light out and shine it on the gator who was done with my bike by that point and coming towards me looking very pissed off. The light in its eyes caused it to stop approaching. Due to the concussion I don't remember very clearly after that point but I do know I wandered out to the highway and down a mile or so and knocked on someones door who called an ambulance. I did not think to use my cell phone which I always carry, nor even remember that I had it.

All told I suffered a concussion, facial lacerations (45 stitches), broken teeth, and a gator bite on my ankle. I had to take a bunch of antibiotics to protect against infection from that. My bike fared better than I did suffering only slight damage. The FWC called in a local trapper to round up the alligator which hadn't wandered very far. He was just over ten feet in length. I still ride at night but now I am a bit more cautious. I also use a better light system and refuse to go anywhere unless it is fully charged.


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## Meesta Chow (Aug 3, 2011)

Thats freaky ****


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## ltk1144 (Dec 16, 2011)

I ride the desert around north Phoenix. Wildlife-wise, the main thing to fear would have to be javelinas and rattlesnakes. Often see coyotes, fox, and jackrabbits in the dark, but these are more cool than scary. At the start of some rides, the thought of cougars does cross my mind, but they are very scarce. Scorpians could also be a big killjoy, but while riding they are no issue. I see more of them in my backyard than in the desert.

Besides animals, falling off the mountain is a slightly larger concern in the dark, but I make sure I am very confident on the trails I night ride on.


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## stumblemumble (Mar 31, 2006)

Once when I ran into a bear cub, literally hit the thing and I went OTB. I just barrel rolled and ran, never looked back.


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## Snake Muesl (Apr 17, 2005)

wookie said:


> Ever Get Scared Night Riding?


Isn't that the point?


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## sbd (Sep 23, 2011)

Those are some crazy stories!!


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## BloodyRoots (Feb 2, 2009)

I've had two buddies get attacked by owls in the last month or so. Nothing crazy, just an owl swooping down and hitting their helmet, one guy got pelted in the chest by an owl lol. We kinda named the owl "The Hawk of Achill" after the jameson commercial. 

Also, one of the local riders got scared when he heard my group night riding. We had a few guys barking like dogs and another person screaming bloody murder lol. Guy ended up sitting next to his truck to get a glimpse of what was going on and then saw our lights.


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## dobovedo (Feb 13, 2011)

Awesome stories ('cept the ones that end in injuries... but glad you shared them).

I about dropped a pant load just this evening. I was riding up a steep section of trail in Bent Creek Forest (Asheville). Steep enough that your heart rate is pretty much near max by the time you get to the top and it finally levels out. Just as I was getting near the top I heard something move in the leaves just next to and behind me. It sounded very close and very large. My legs were already burning from the effort, and my heartrate went from near max to hyper-max instantly and then even higher as I stomped on the pedals to get over the top and the hell away from whatever it was. 

A few seconds later the rustling sound stopped and so did I, done in from the effort and the scare. When I looked back I saw what caused it.

I had snagged a small branch with my rear wheel and dragged it through the leaves. 

I don't know if I felt more relieved or stupid, but it took a long time for my heartrate to come back down enough so that I could start riding again!


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## KVW (Aug 11, 2011)

Lol these stories are awesome! I can't wait to start night riding real mtb trails.


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## walkertalker (Dec 13, 2011)

I was riding through a local woods, right out in the sticks, pitch black. Thought I saw something move to my right, then heard a weird nose. Then I felt someone pat me on the back like a double pat. The next 10 minutes I climbed throught that forest like I had never climbed before. I think it was just my mind working over time and a branch or something must of caught me. Been back a few times and still a bit spooky each time I go.


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## tg3895 (Mar 7, 2006)

My biggest fear is running into some dude who has taken some of those slasher movies to heart. Does anyone really need to run into a "wannabe Jason, hockey mask and all" during a ride? Not me!! But the fear of the unknown is part of the fun of night riding.


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## All Seasons Cyclist (Dec 16, 2011)

Most cyclists who ride at night are scared of getting hit by a car. Since I live north of Chicago my biggest fear is getting hit by a stray bullet! I've never had a problem with four-legged animals, but I do carry a can of pepper spray for the two-legged varmints.


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## Bernal (Nov 26, 2011)

I just started nite riding and i usually ride alone.My luck i'll be the first biker to be mauled by a Bigfoot.Are there any Bigfoots in Sugar Land Tx?:skep:


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## MaximusHQ (Aug 6, 2007)

I've had my share of creepy night rides, but i guess the scariest was being chased by two german Shepherds that were kept out at night guarding a farm. Catching glimpses of big white teeth on either side of your bike can give you some real motivation to ride faster. One of them was so close to my leg that I could just about feel his warm breath on me. Another time I found a drunk guy stumbling around out on the trail. He ran away at first bc he thought i was a UFO coming for him. I ended up showing him the way out of the woods.


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## wsmac (Sep 5, 2010)

Ratt said:


> I used to solo lobster dive at night


I tried to be a commercial diver once... schooled in Wilmington, CA. Walking around on the bottom and bumping into stuff is probably the freakiest thing I've ever done 



Snake Muesl said:


> Isn't that the point?


HAHAHA oh yeah.... that's also the reason I'm never getting more than 700 lumens of light... okay, maybe 900... I don't want daylight out there... I want to run just a bit scared :ihih:



dobovedo said:


> I about dropped a pant load just this evening. I was riding up a steep section of trail in Bent Creek Forest (Asheville). Steep enough that your heart rate is pretty much near max by the time you get to the top and it finally levels out. Just as I was getting near the top I heard something move in the leaves just next to and behind me. It sounded very close and very large. My legs were already burning from the effort, and my heartrate went from near max to hyper-max instantly and then even higher as I stomped on the pedals to get over the top and the hell away from whatever it was.
> 
> A few seconds later the rustling sound stopped and so did I, done in from the effort and the scare. When I looked back I saw what caused it.
> 
> ...


One of my favorites... only because this has happened to me before also :madman: 



Bernal said:


> I just started nite riding and i usually ride alone.My luck i'll be the first biker to be mauled by a Bigfoot.Are there any Bigfoots in Sugar Land Tx?:skep:


Naw.... just these folks...









Here in Humboldt County, we have a few great trails for night riding North of Arcata, in Arcata, Eureka, Fortuna, and South.
Most of the 'eyes' I see at night I can identify as deer... but sometimes... not too sure :eekster:

Still, I wouldn't trade night riding for sitting at home watching scary movies!
I likes my thrills the way I gets them now... 

One of the best parts is having most trails pretty much all to yourself.:thumbsup:


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## Snake Muesl (Apr 17, 2005)

Good stuff.

Encounters with wildlife are usually just glimpses of beady eyes. 

One time I rustled up a porcupine who ambled down the trail in front of me. I was more scared for my buddies coming down behind me.

A classic night ride around here, Ape Canyon/Plains of Abraham on Mt St Helens has the curious appearance of frogs on the trail during certain times of the year. I guess it would be scary for the frogs.

One time on a family campout, I was heading out at dusk for a quick solo night ride. A coupIe miles up the trail I caught some movement in my peripheral. I glanced over expecting to see a deer or maybe an elk. I didn't really get a very good look at the bear. Mostly I saw a big shaggy brown patch racing up the hill away from me. The impressive thing was instead of dodging the thick brush, the bear made a straight line through the brush snapping branches and leaving a wake of dust.

Since most animals in the wild are cautious and timid around humans, I'm generally not too frightened. I was relieved this bear took off when it saw/heard/smelled me, but it took off in the direction I was headed. I spent the rest of the ride shouting out occasionally, "HEY BEAR! MAN COMIN'" 

Never saw it again.


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## dhomosapien (Dec 16, 2011)

Lovin' this thread...:thumbsup:

This one is especially :eekster::eekster:



Hutch3637 said:


> Actually, the other day. I live about two miles give or take to my trail head. On route I ride through some bad area's (thugs and what not) and through a park. Well, on my way through the park i'm just going along and I look up and there's some huge dude standing in the middle of the dirt path no lights nothing, mind you it's around 3-3:30AM. I carefully passed the guy and was like Hi... So as I leave the path and head over across the road to the trail head I notice there is a 18 wheeler parked in the dirt/gravel parking lot so it could have been him. So I head off into the trail. The guy why was he there was in my mind but that didn't get me. As I'm doing my usual loop I come to a top of a climb and take a break for a second to sip water. Next thing I hear is some stigs and leaves crunching on the down side the trail. I shine my lights over there and guess what? It's that dude! Mind you i'm about 2-3 miles in the middle of the woods with windy single track. I'm like wtf. Needless to say hauled ass back the way I came down the climb. Luckly there's a brigde crossing which takes you out to a road down the path so I made it there in record time and as i'm riding home I just keep thinking what did this guy want or who was he?


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## BloodyRoots (Feb 2, 2009)

Bernal said:


> I just started nite riding and i usually ride alone.My luck i'll be the first biker to be mauled by a Bigfoot.Are there any Bigfoots in Sugar Land Tx?:skep:


What trails are out in sugar land? Do you commute to anthills?


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## hec (Nov 16, 2007)

.


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## jleinf (Jul 3, 2011)

About once a year a pack of coyotes chases something down behind my house and it's loud and creepy as hell . The first and only time I rode at night the pack started running while I was deep down in the woods. Set a world record getting outta there.


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