Everyone's favorite MTB nightmare scenario: Grizzly attack!

Early Sunday morning, a 14-year-old girl was mauled by a Grizzly bear. She was in a Canadian 24-hour Mountain Bike race. More astonishing than the attack was that the girl was able to make a cell phone call that probably saved her life. Though she only got the word "bear" out before the line was cut, emergency workers called the phone back, and another racer heard the ringtone and found her.





Unfortunately, these sorts of incidents bring out the worst in people. In comments to this news story, I find one question sort of provocative: Should a 14-year-old girl be riding in a 24 hour race in the deep backwoods of Alaska/Canada?

As the father of one of these animals, I have to give the question some serious consideration.

And the other question I have is even more provocative: How come cell phones work in Bicentennial Park, Northwest Territories, but not in Seeley, Wisconsin? (And a follow up: Should they?)