Bears in Tennessee

[Pete and Debbie LaBerge <plaberge@epix.net>]

 "Bears in Tennessee" got my attn.
The Tellico Plains (Tennessee 100) bear talk brought back memories of my
first 100 on that same trail(as well as the horse's), also in the 80's.
For the last 25 miles, I was too far behind any of the front people and
about an hour in front of the last group, and rode those 25 miles alone
in the dark. As Sally said, luckily it was a repeat trail. I think it
was October.

Bears were foremost on my mind too. I think instilling bear phobia was a
local tactic used to scare the hell out of us by people like Angie.

Then, at one late-night vet check, my sister who had come over from
Nashville to help me out, off-handedly mentioned that she had just that
week seen on America's Most Wanted that there was an escaped convict in
the Tellico Plains area. It was really hard going back into that dark
woods.
  
At one point I was so scared, I thought I would stop and wait for those
riders behind me, but stopping allowed you to hear all the night noises. 
Luckily,I finished with no encounters with bears, convicts and there
must have been a reroute around the partiers.

An aside: On another 100 mile ride in Tenn I did run into a group of
partiers on horseback-I was also riding alone in the dark- they were
festooning themselves and horses with glow sticks taken off the trail.
At first I thought they were end. riders going the wrong way on trail
until I saw the beer bottles and they asked me if I wanted to party. I
think I thanked them for the offer and quickly KEPT ON GOING. I remember
that once I hit a road I met Ride Mger Jackie Mitchell and reported them
to her-she had heard about them already and was out in a vehicle madder
than a hornet looking for those guys and I understand single-handedly
took care of them....that's a story I might like to hear about.

As far as a first 100, that TN 100 ride was memorable in many ways. 
In the first 50 miles, another rider's horse ahead of me took a freaky
misstep (not going fast) and fell on her- I think she fractured her
pelvis and I don't know what else but she was in terrible pain, it was
in a pretty inaccessible place and the only thing we could do was to ask
everyone who passed for any spare clothing to pile on her to try to keep
her warm until the emergency crew could get there in a jeep. I think
they had to get a helicopter. 

All in all though, as I remember, it should be said that the TN 100
trail was really beautiful with nice footing and was a good trail for a
first 100. Not sure why it was discontinued.
Deb LaBerge/PA


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