Runnin' with the wildlife

Saturday morning started out great. My friend Susan and I met early to get the first 4 miles of an 18 miler out of the way, before we head to the trails. We were moving right along, sometimes faster than a 9 minute pace. We reminded ourselves several times to slow down; we have along way to go. But we still average 9:04 when we hit 4 miles. So we were feeling pretty good about ourselves. Then we head to the trails.
We met my other friend Heather for the 14 miles we have left. So we started out on the trails, and hit the dreaded steep, rooty, rocky area. We knew it was coming, we've only been running that section for 2 years now. So we get through it, and hit a really nice, long down hill. We were all just talking away, when I just stopped dead in my tracks. I did the whole motherly thing, and put both arms straight out to my side. Right there, in the middle of the trail, is a coyote.
At first, I thought it might be a fox. But soon realize that, oh, it's no fox. So I just watched it a minute. It ran down the enbankment, but only about 15 feet. Then it decides to come back up. So what do I do? I get my handy dandy cell phone, and no, not call for help, but I take a flippin' picture of it. The noise from the picture sparked his interest, because he decided to walk up to us. So I'm not quite freaking out yet, but I was pretty close. He must have smelled something on me, maybe my dogs. But he just sniffed my legs, and went on by. I could hear the tension in my friends' voices, but I just said to let him sniff, and go on by. Do not run.
So he sniffs Heather, and just goes on by. He got to Susan, sniffed her legs, and put his teeth on her. She screamed and kicked at him, and then he bit her leg. 2 puncture wounds in her calf. Oh crap!!! So he gets off her, and starts to walk away. We move about 10 feet down the trail, and he starts walking back to us. Susan and Heather yelled at him, and I threw a rock. He finally scampers off the trail, and we didn't see him again.
But, now Susan has 2 bites on her leg, and we're on the middle of a trail. So, I pulled out my handy dandy cell phone and called my husband. I told him to call the park rangers, and told him where we were on the trail. Luckily they aren't miles long. They call me back, and we finally get off the mountain. They clean her leg up, and we filled out some info, then we headed home.
So what's the moral of the story? Always have a cell phone, yell at the wildlife before taking their picture, and always run with a friend.
I'm not quite sure why we didn't just yell at him in the beginning. I guess we weren't sure what he would do, or if he was rabid. I've never really met a coyote before.
I finished up my run with Heather on the roads in the afternoon. So I at least got my 18 in for the day.

Happy trails.