I heard late this afternoon at work that a jogger got mauled by a bear near Kenai (or on the Kenai) this morning. Anyone hear about this? It sounds like spring is here.

As reported in the Anchorage Daily News on-line:

Bear mauls Soldotna man

The Associated Press

Published: April 18th, 2005
Last Modified: April 18th, 2005 at 03:15 PM


SOLDOTNA - A Soldotna man was mauled by a brown bear Monday morning.


Scott MacInnes, 51, suffered injuries to his head and abdomen. Alaska State Troopers said his injuries did not appear to be life-threatening.

The bear attacked as MacInnes jogged in the Dirk's Lake Road area. MacInnes told troopers he was running with his dog about a mile from his home when he turned a corner and saw the bear.

The bear was with one and possibly two cubs.

MacInnes ducked behind a tree but the bear charged from about 30 feet away and mauled him.

MacInnes was able to make it a neighbor's house and troopers were called shortly before 8 a.m.

MacInnes was transported by emergency medical personnel to Central Peninsula General Hospital.

Troopers and Fish and Game personnel found a fresh adult cow moose kill site near the scene and posted signs warning people about the bear.

Bear Attacks Man

This is why they make light weight hand guns so you can carry one when you run.

OT warning!!!
This is something I STILL do not understand. My neighbor rides a bike hundreds of miles a week for "exercise" but brags about having a 9 lb. bike (or something) wouldn't he get a lot more exercise if the thing weighed 50 lbs? Wanna run in AK for exercise? Carry a moose gun and run like a Marine

(/ot)

I used to race bicycles in college, and would ride several hundred miles a week. A light bike is more enjoyable to ride, especially in the hills, and trust me, you still get a workout! You just cover more ground in the same amount of time.

I don't carry a gun when I walk or run the trails in my neighborhood, even though we've had two grizzly bears killed in the 8 years we've been here.