Herty Larsen struggled to describe what it feels like to be pepper sprayed.

"It burns. It hurts," the 77-year-old said. "I coughed for two hours."

Larsen and her husband, Roy, were walking Saturday evening along a footpath that crosses open land north of Wyoming Boulevard near Sunrise Shopping Center. They had stopped for a few moments on a narrow footbridge that crosses Garden Creek when two figures suddenly appeared, she said.

"I had the impression they were young," Larsen said, guessing each was about 16 years old. One wore a black ski mask and the other a bandana, Larsen said, and both were neatly dressed. She said one "pounded" her 80-year-old husband on the back and then promptly sprayed him in the face as he turned around.

Larsen said her mouth must have been open with surprise as she also got sprayed with a chemical that is meant to force eyes closed and cause uncontrollable coughing.

"I just couldn't believe it," Larsen said. "They said nothing. They took nothing."

Casper police say they have no suspects in the attack, which reportedly happened at about 8 p.m.

Margo Perry, who lives in the neighborhood just west of the bridge, said she was stunned on Sunday when she learned of what happened to her mother and her mother's husband the previous night.

That feeling quickly gave way to anger, Perry said.

"What if someone had a heart attack?" Perry asked.

What if the young attackers had picked a different target and found him or her to be carrying a concealed weapon?

"It could bring permanent harm," she said.

Perry drafted a warning letter and printed copies of it on red paper.

"Danger!" the sign reads, describing what happened on Saturday. "Walk with school children," it says. Request extra police patrols in the area and ask the city to trim bushes near the bridge, it adds.

Perry said she and members of her family spent more than three hours distributing the letters to neighbors on Sunday afternoon. Her own son, now in the seventh grade, used to walk to nearby Crest Hill Elementary School along the path, and many children in the neighborhood still do the same.

"We want to promote this," Perry said. "It's trying to be ecologically aware."

And for Perry's 24-year-old daughter, who has Down syndrome, the path also offered some measure of independence, as it enabled her to walk to nearby shops by herself. Now, Perry said, such trips will have to be reconsidered.

"We'll have to do a buddy," Perry said.

Reacting to what happened on Saturday has had a positive element, Perry said, explaining that she "got to know her neighbors better." There is now talk of a neighborhood watch program and local beautification efforts.

The path itself, flanked by unruly vegetation, provides a touch of natural beauty in an area of trimmed lawns and neat fences. Graffiti that now marks the bridge over Garden Creek appeared only recently, Perry said.

Trampled grass and a muddy pathway lead to the underside of the bridge, where heavy spray painting hints at more youthful activity.

While the lingering irritation of her eyes from the pepper spray only faded on Monday, Larsen said she does not plan to avoid an area where she enjoys walking.

"We're not going to give up that stretch," Larsen said. "We've always lived in neighborhoods where people stick together."

Reporter Anthony Lane can be reached at (307) 266-0593 or at anthony.lane@casperstartribune.net.