Why I don’t think I should ride Wawayanda Solo anymore.

clutch

New Member
This past weekend I went camping at Wawayanda. On Friday after riding a little on Laurel pond and a bit on the Pumphouse Trail, my novice friends decided it was a bit too rocky and headed back to the campsite. After a quick look at the map, I figured I’d complete a loop around the lake first and meet them back at camp. My friend Sam took this picture as I left
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One mile of biking and a half mile of hiking later I found myself in a relatively remote part of the park and I hear a rustling to the left. About 30 yards in front of me I see a juvenile bear run across the trail. He went most of the way up the hill on my left, sat on a rock, and just stayed there looking at me. Not wanting to stick around I rode calmly down the trail.

On Sunday I set out on my own again to follow the race course. Just after the right onto cherry ridge road from laurel pond I hear another ruckus and see 3 black fuzz balls go up a tree. Next, I see one huge mama bear stand up on her hind legs by the base of the tree. I backed down the trail slowly until they were out of view. This time I pulled my camera out and walked up the trail slowly. The cubs had already climbed down the tree by the time they came back into view. I took the first shot without zooming in and they were out of frame when I took the second.

I was by that first rock on the right when I first saw them.
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Cropped and enlarged
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Rather than chase them down cherry ridge I decided to do the race loop as a figure 8 to give them enough time to clear out of the area.

When I came back through they were long gone. I turned onto the red dot trail and started heading back. I came to the split in the red dot trail and headed to the right. As I started climbing, I was thinking how cool it was that I saw a bear, but that maybe I shouldn’t be out here alone. I wonder if anyone in Wawayanda ever gets atta…. I’m stopped mid thought just before I reach the top of the climb. Something isn’t quite right in the woods. I quickly look to the right and see a Mama bear and her cub 15 feet directly to my right. They’re just standing there looking at me, not running, not going up a tree, not standing on their back legs……just staring at me.

Shit…I go to take off, but I’m still in a low gear. I try to shift too many gears at once and my first spin of the crank propels me exactly nowhere. Oh please don’t drop the chain, pretty please don’t drop. Finally a cog holds, my body shifts slightly backwards as the bike accelerates beneath me, but I hold on and shoot off down the trail.

Now, I’m really moving. Down the trail I go. I’m pretty sure mama wouldn’t follow me down the trail. With me far away from her cub she’d have no reason to chase, but curiosity, or maybe anxiety gets the best of me and I look back over my shoulder. Phew, no bears in sight. Relieved, I turn back around in time to see the 8th and final bear of the weekend run across the trail 20 yards in front of me.

I don’t think I’ll be doing any solo rides here anytime soon.
 
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liong71er

Well-Known Member
awesome rides dude!+ bonuses( meeting w/bear)
last year, i,m also encountered them mama bear and cub.

you shouldn,t riding alone there again!( rides w/me:D)
 

keithsly

New Member
Wow .... It's amazing how little has changed in this park over the years. I haven't been back there since the 2002 race season, but I remember before the (I wanna say early fall) race someone spotted 2 bear right off the race course very close to the start finish line. We joked that the race would be that much faster for the leaders and the bears would take care of any of the competition....

Ringwood has the same issues with Bears.... I don't know if putting a small cowbell under your seat or on your cambleback will help with the issue. Usually the sound of you coming will keep them clear unless of course they are too used to people...
 

NJ-XC-Justin

KY-DH-Freddy
...I’m stopped mid thought just before I reach the top of the climb. Something isn’t quite right I the woods. I quickly look to the right and see a Mama bear and her cub around 15 feet directly to my right. They’re just standing there looking at me, not running, not going up a tree, not standing on their back legs……just staring at me.
This was a spooky passage man.

I've ridden Wayway plenty of times but still haven't seen a bear. Consider me lucky.
 

DownhillR3

Well-Known Member
I never ride solo without an air horn... can't say it works on bears because I haven't run into any yet while having my horn, guess that is kind of a good thing.
 
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xc62701

Well-Known Member
They are EVERYWHERE in waywayanda. I'm really surprised when I ride there and don't see any of them. If you're feeling kinda weird look into the woods and there's probably a bear nearby.
 

idbrian

Crotch Rot
How do you go about camping at Wawa? That would be fun.

I would be pretty concerned with how i stored my food there with all those bears.
 

Ian F

Well-Known Member
Black bears in the NE are generally not aggressive. Don't bother them, and they won't bother you. Attacks are extremely rare. As long as you don't get between a mama and her cubs, it is very unlikely she will chase you.

I had a similar experience at Jim Thorpe some years ago on the American Standard trail. I was way ahead of my riding buddy, turned a corner and was face-to-nose with a mama bear and two cubs. They were maybe 50 feet down the trail. I stopped and got off the bike as the cubs took off into the brush... mama staying back and watching me. After the cubs were a safe distance, she slowly went after them, occasionally looking back to check on me until finally all three disappeared into the undergrowth.

As I was sitting there digesting in the experience, two deer jumped up out of the brush right next to me (like, maybe 10 feet away) and bounded off into the woods... Now THAT scared the piss out of me...

Sitting there on the trail, listening to the woods and waiting for my buddy to catch up, I was feeling really insignificant... :p
 

Panhead

Well-Known Member
I ride there solo all the time and only seen a couple of bears, mostly deer. Don't worry about the bears, theres only been 56 documented deaths by bears in the last 100 years, in 2004 725 cyclists have been killed by cars. Stay off the roads and in the woods you'll be safer.

Brian- to camp there you have to check in with the ranger station for a permit to camp in the group site area, thats the only place to camp in there. Only primitave though.

Clutch- Pumphouse is hiking only. For less rocks head to the Southern end of the park- other side of Cherry Ridge.
 
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Nimrod

New Member
Well... If your not going to go alone....

Bring a friend and (without him knowing) put some bacon in his Camelbak.
See what happens
 

clutch

New Member
This was a spooky passage man.

I've ridden Wayway plenty of times but still haven't seen a bear. Consider me lucky.

I was fine with the first two encounters, but this one really freaked me out. They just didn't behave like I suspected. I also think 3 separate encounters with 7 different bears is a bit much for a 7 mile ride.


How do you go about camping at Wawa? That would be fun.
Call ahead and make a reservation they will send you a permit in the mail. There are only three sights and you need to have at least seven people. Just a note, there is no shade at all in site 1.
http://www.state.nj.us/dep/parksandforests/parks/wawayanda.html

I would be pretty concerned with how i stored my food there with all those bears.

They recently put big steel bear boxes in. Apparently, they'll go after anything that looks like a cooler even if it only has water in it. The ranger told us they sit up on the ridge and if they see a cooler when no one is around they'll come right down and get it.

do you have blue anodized bars, sweet!
Raceface used to sell them, but I got them with the bike (it was second hand). It looks like they don't anymore which sucks because the orange ones would look good on my new bike.

I ride there solo all the time and only seen a couple of bears, mostly deer. Don't worry about the bears, theres only been 56 documented deaths by bears in the last 100 years, in 2004 725 cyclists have been killed by cars. Stay off the roads and in the woods you'll be safer.

Brian- to camp there you have to check in with the ranger station for a permit to camp in the group site area, thats the only place to camp in there. Only primitave though.

Clutch- Pumphouse is hiking only. For less rocks head to the Southern end of the park- other side of Cherry Ridge.

Interestingly enough, there is about the same amount of black and brown bear attacks. I always thought that black bears were way more docile. I probably has more to due with population locations.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bear_attack

I realize now why it's hiking only. It is a shame though because there is just a little bit of hike a bike on a long trail.
 
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lawndart

Shop: Campmor
Shop Keep
I don't know if putting a small cowbell under your seat or on your cambleback will help with the issue. Usually the sound of you coming will keep them clear unless of course they are too used to people...

Thats what loud freewheels are for!
 

MTB Aussie

Member
What is the best way to deal with a black bear that you run into on the trail? I read they are not typically aggressive but if they do decide to take a run at you the old playing dead doesn't work for black bear. I saw plenty of fresh bear poop on the trails Sunday morning at Allamuchy and have to admit i kept my eyes on the trail and didn't scan the woods. We don't have anything (dangerous) with claws and teeth in Australia so I don't handle that thought very well.
 

dualfisted

Member
they really are

I heard on the radio that bear sittings/incidents are way up in the Northern NJ area.

Bear "sittings" are way up. Bears nowadays are just sooo lazy, they won't even run after a tasty mt.biker, sheesh. That whole experience would BUG ME OUT!!!!
 

clutch

New Member
What is the best way to deal with a black bear that you run into on the trail? I read they are not typically aggressive but if they do decide to take a run at you the old playing dead doesn't work for black bear. I saw plenty of fresh bear poop on the trails Sunday morning at Allamuchy and have to admit i kept my eyes on the trail and didn't scan the woods. We don't have anything (dangerous) with claws and teeth in Australia so I don't handle that thought very well.

All the bear scat I saw at wawayanda had blackberry seeds in it. I didn't see any lycra in it. ;-)

So far this is the best resource I've found:
http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/bearfacts_safetytips.htm
 

Ian F

Well-Known Member
Thats what loud freewheels are for!

King, Hugi, Ringle. FTW! :rofl:

FWIW, Hugi's are almost annoyingly loud... I have one on my Chameleon... :eek: If riding that bike, any bear would hear me long before I could see it... :rolleyes:
 

MTB Aussie

Member
King, Hugi, Ringle. FTW! :rofl:

FWIW, Hugi's are almost annoyingly loud... I have one on my Chameleon... :eek: If riding that bike, any bear would hear me long before I could see it... :rolleyes:
Add my friends DT Swiss 340 that followed me around Allamuchy for way too many hours.
 
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