Local Sports

Recent coyote killing of pet dog in Colorado not likely in Mammoth

June 6, 2011

BUT STILL, KEEP YOUR DOG CLOSE,
SAYS STEVE SEARLES
Everyone already knows to be careful of bears and mountain lions around Mammoth, but coyotes?

News that a coyote recently killed a very large dog right in front of its owner’s eyes recently in Colorado prompted the Times to talk to Mammoth’s wildlife expert, Steve Searles.

Searles was once employed by the Town of Mammoth Lakes as an animal control specialist when the town’s coyote population was several times what it is today.

“I’ve never heard of a coyote attacking a grown adult, but dogs, yes,” he said.

Division Creek hike takes you to a world like no other in Eastern Sierra

May 20, 2011

It’s been a long winter up here in the northern Eastern Sierra; eight months of snow, a cold, cold April, flowers frozen on the bud in May.

Even the most ski-crazy winter fanatic is beginning to feel cheated, as May gives way to June with more snow predicted for next week.

But there is hope.

It’s called a car. Yes, cars are gas-guzzling, carbon-spewing monsters that we should feel guilty for driving. But they are also the essence of freedom and adventure and in this case, escape.

Hilton Creek, discovery, adventure, love song to spring

May 6, 2011

There are times when a hike is just not a hike. It’s something else, maybe many things else; an adventure, a discovery, a meditation, a love song.

So it is with the hike up Hilton Creek in early May after the biggest winter on record; a winter when the Long Valley area received 195 percent of its normal snowfall.

The fact that most people don’t even know there is a Hilton Creek hereabouts only adds to this hike being a bit more of a mystery.

Ryan Hall sets new American record for the Boston Marathon

April 18, 2011

Ryan Hall, one of Mammoth’s great distance runners, on Monday set a new American record for the Boston Marathon.

Hall, formerly a member of the Mammoth Track Club but who still trains here, ran the 26 miles in 2:04:55.

It is not a formally recognized record because the Boston Marathon is a kind of an odd duck in marathon circles, not quite conforming to world or national standards.

He led for much of the race before being overtaken near the end.

More to come as details roll in.