The Perils of Trail Running: AKA H-man vs. Hawk

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06-20-2006, 06:36 AM
H-man

The Perils of Trail Running: AKA H-man vs. Hawk

I went out for a 4 mile trail run when I got home last night, 2 miles out and 2 back. It is a run I have been doing for two summers now. About 1.75 miles in there is a small clearing along the trail in which I have seen a red tailed hawk about a half dozen times this year. Usually as I approach it starts screeching and then as I pass directly below it, it takes flight off into the woods. On the way back we repeat the process.

Last night as I approached the area I did not get the initial screeching, but as I passed under the favorite tree, the hawk burst into a fit of screeching, exploded out of the tree and flew off to the left. The hawk startled me initially but I kept running. About 5 – 10 second (of silence) later I got slammed in the back of the head with the full force of a plummeting red tailed hawk! It hit me so hard that it folded over my neck and almost caused me to fall head first. We both let out a huge scream/screech. As I raised my head and struggled to keep my feet below me I saw the hawk at eye level heading away from me down the trail. I felt the back of my head and neck and there was no blood, only sweat. For the next .25 miles about every 10 steps I would look behind me to make sure the kamikaze hawk was not coming in for another sneak attack.

I decided not to take the two miles back through the woods and ran .5 down the road to the truck.
06-20-2006, 06:43 AM
Mybad!

Quote:

Originally Posted by H-man

I went out for a 4 mile trail run when I got home last night, 2 miles out and 2 back. It is a run I have been doing for two summers now. About 1.75 miles in there is a small clearing along the trail in which I have seen a red tailed hawk about a half dozen times this year. Usually as I approach it starts screeching and then as I pass directly below it, it takes flight off into the woods. On the way back we repeat the process.

Last night as I approached the area I did not get the initial screeching, but as I passed under the favorite tree, the hawk burst into a fit of screeching, exploded out of the tree and flew off to the left. The hawk startled me initially but I kept running. About 5 – 10 second (of silence) later I got slammed in the back of the head with the full force of a plummeting red tailed hawk! It hit me so hard that it folded over my neck and almost caused me to fall head first. We both let out a huge scream/screech. As I raised my head and struggled to keep my feet below me I saw the hawk at eye level heading away from me down the trail. I felt the back of my head and neck and there was no blood, only sweat. For the next .25 miles about every 10 steps I would look behind me to make sure the kamikaze hawk was not coming in for another sneak attack.

I decided not to take the two miles back through the woods and ran .5 down the road to the truck.

Riiiiiiight. No need to make things up because it is summer and you have nothing to do.:biggrin:

Thats amazing.
06-20-2006, 06:49 AM
H-man

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mybad!

Riiiiiiight. No need to make things up because it is summer and you have nothing to do.:biggrin:

Thats amazing.

I am far to stupid and boring to be able to come up with that story myself.

Now if Tonghands had posted this.....:p :biggrin:
06-20-2006, 06:49 AM
Tuckerman

You need to bring a good bird hunter with you like Dick Cheney but wear a bullet Bullet Proof.
06-20-2006, 06:51 AM
bklyn

http://badelements.net/birds.jpg
http://emanuellevy.com/images/photos/iq6w3re28ux.jpg
06-20-2006, 07:04 AM
greg

I got attacked trailrunning by breeding birds several times already. it scared me to death every single time. nothing as big as your hawk but these tiny things attacking from nobody knows which direction freaked me out. :p
06-20-2006, 07:15 AM
shmerham

Sir, did the assailant look like this?

http://www.angrywhelk.com/shinjuku/t...EGURGITATE.jpg
06-20-2006, 07:17 AM
H-man

Quote:

Originally Posted by shmerham

Sir, did the assailant look like this?

http://www.angrywhelk.com/shinjuku/t...EGURGITATE.jpg

Now that you mention it...
06-20-2006, 07:24 AM
mrw

Quote:

Originally Posted by bklyntrayc

http://badelements.net/birds.jpg
http://emanuellevy.com/images/photos/iq6w3re28ux.jpg

Tippi was hot in her day
06-20-2006, 09:05 AM
spindrift

A couple years ago cloudpeak & I were running in the Redmond Watershed & came across a guy, obviously another runner, who was looking a bit shocked and was bleeding from the top of his head. Said he'd been nailed about sixty seconds earlier by a Great Horned Owl. The beginnings of a bird conspiracy?

And then there was the time cloudpeak got bit in the ass by a triggerfish...
06-20-2006, 10:08 AM
Shredhead

We trained Swans to attack personal water craft and conservation officers on my ski lake.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13192942/
06-20-2006, 10:33 AM
truth

It's most likely protecting a nest. I had it happen with magpie's in Durnago a few times on the mtb. Pesky fvckers but they don't have talons.
06-20-2006, 10:38 AM
Grange

Quote:

Originally Posted by spindrift

A couple years ago cloudpeak & I were running in the Redmond Watershed & came across a guy, obviously another runner, who was looking a bit shocked and was bleeding from the top of his head. Said he'd been nailed about sixty seconds earlier by a Great Horned Owl. The beginnings of a bird conspiracy?

In the city I used to live I would run the trails up the bluff. One of the trails had a sign warning about an aggressive Great Horned owl. I never encounter the thing thank God, but did almost get run over by a couple of rabid whitetail deer.
06-20-2006, 10:42 AM
drt

Last year biking a section of the Colorado trail I had a Raven attack me while riding and continued to dive bomb me for about 10 minutes down the trail before it relented. The bird put a few holes and scratches in the back of my helmet. It was scary as hell, and funny as hell once I was back at the car...
06-20-2006, 10:50 AM
grizzle6

Time to get rid of that rat tail....
(ba dump, dump ching!!):fm:
06-20-2006, 11:09 AM
Pow4Brains

Holy sheet! LOL
I guess I'd find a new trail............She's got your number now!
06-20-2006, 11:18 AM
Trackhead

I got "attacked" last year by a grouse while running. It flew and rammed me between the shoulder blades. I looked back and it was clucking around on the ground, all cocky. Like it was saying "Come on bitch, you want some more of that".
06-20-2006, 11:23 AM
Viva

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trackhead

I got "attacked" last year by a grouse while running. It flew and rammed me between the shoulder blades. I looked back and it was clucking around on the ground, all cocky. Like it was saying "Come on bitch, you want some more of that".

Did you BBQ or fry it?
06-20-2006, 11:37 AM
G

I have heard that next season, Giro will be introducing a "trail runner pro" bird proof helmet.
06-20-2006, 05:34 PM
Booger

Not really the winged type but....

A few years ago I was working next to a baranca and walked around a tree and was startled by some sort of wolverine-type-thingy but with a flat back just starring at me- turns out it was a badger, first time Id seen one that close.

i just stood there about 15 feet from it staring at it trying to figure out what it was and it started making these weird noises, part growl and part alien-speak-from-the-movie-SIGNs where there is a bunch of clicking sounds (probably the bastard grinding its teeth).

And then it lunged at me. It lunged at me fast and I was totally caught off guard so I ran away as fast as I could. The thing never bit me but Ive never been charged by a seemingly "fairly innocent looking" beast like a goddam badger.
06-20-2006, 05:44 PM
Steven S. Dallas

Quote:

Originally Posted by H-man

We both let out a huge scream/screech.

This is where I cracked up.

There was a crazy dive-bombing bird on the mountain bike course at the Sydney Olympics that was attacking all the athletes- just coming at them from out of nowhere; guys were coming into the hospitality tent with their helmets covered in peck marks.
06-20-2006, 06:03 PM
SnowTigress

Wow H-Man! That's creepy. He was profiling you all that time!! :eek:

We got attacked by a confused pigeon while driving scooters around australia last fall. The stupid thing landed at my friend's feet on its back (like it had literally fallen out of the sky) and started flapping up a storm. My friend was just trying to keep control of the scooter and finally the feathered dumb-ass got on his feet and flapped away, leaving my friend a big, messy au revoir message on the leg!!
06-20-2006, 07:10 PM
Vinman

I was working at a college softball game a few years ago and saw the red tailed hawk that frequented the athletic field dive bomb the girl playing first base. He missed he by a few feet, more of a warning shot per se. But the girl screamed some kind of guttoral death scream and ended up flat on her belly with her glove over her head. Really funny to watch.
06-20-2006, 08:41 PM
LaramieSkiBum

Quote:

Originally Posted by H-man

I went out for a 4 mile trail run when I got home last night, 2 miles out and 2 back. It is a run I have been doing for two summers now. About 1.75 miles in there is a small clearing along the trail in which I have seen a red tailed hawk about a half dozen times this year. Usually as I approach it starts screeching and then as I pass directly below it, it takes flight off into the woods. On the way back we repeat the process.

Last night as I approached the area I did not get the initial screeching, but as I passed under the favorite tree, the hawk burst into a fit of screeching, exploded out of the tree and flew off to the left. The hawk startled me initially but I kept running. About 5 – 10 second (of silence) later I got slammed in the back of the head with the full force of a plummeting red tailed hawk! It hit me so hard that it folded over my neck and almost caused me to fall head first. We both let out a huge scream/screech. As I raised my head and struggled to keep my feet below me I saw the hawk at eye level heading away from me down the trail. I felt the back of my head and neck and there was no blood, only sweat. For the next .25 miles about every 10 steps I would look behind me to make sure the kamikaze hawk was not coming in for another sneak attack.

I decided not to take the two miles back through the woods and ran .5 down the road to the truck.

I've had the same happen with Bald Eagles while fishing...don't fuck with them. Probably a nest. I was within a few hundred feet of their nest, and they didn't want me around period. Dive bombings, closer and closer...I peaced out and respected their wishes. Talons are pretty insane, and they are big, big, birds. 7 foot span and 12 pounds +. Wouldn't take much to bleed out from a hit to the neck.
06-20-2006, 08:57 PM
Dr. Send

I rode my bike past a couple of crows that were fucking around on the side of the street once, and a couple seconds later one of them flew into the back of my head. It must've thought my toupee was a small rodent or something.*

*I don't actually wear a toupee.
06-21-2006, 11:12 AM
coastal

interesting to see how many people have problems with birds and other flying shit when trail running.

I got tagged by a Barred Owl on two separate occasions in the Fall... First time was one of the scariest events I've ever been through... Dark trail, super early in the morning, headphones in... 30 seconds into my run and out of nowhere I get a whack to the head.

Spooked, I tried to rationalize that I must have hit a branch but before managing to convince myself... Whack, happened again. Now I'm freaked as I still don't know what's happening so I start running for a clearing as fast as I can, twisting the fuck out of my ankle in the process. Just as I reached the clearing, I got hit the third time and I finally saw that it was an owl, who then flew over and landed on a tree nearby, staring in my general direction.

Second time was nowhere near as exciting. Happened about 500 metres from the first incident on a different trail and almost certainly the same bird.

Have since learned that it usually happens in the Fall when the juvenile owls are out on the search for food... Supposedly they're not smart enough to figure out that humans are not suitable prey.