Mountain Lion Fends Off Hikers!

I caught this article in the Onion, which had me rolling with laughter.  Certainly, the wheels were turning in my head, because the article, despite its morbid absurdity, has a hell of a lot of truth in it. Our wilderness adventures transform us into visitors in the living space of wildlife.

Dr. Winston Vickers, a wildlife veterinarian from UC Davis, spoke at ADZPCTKO back in 2005-6, and reminded all those in attendance that everyday hikers enter prime mountain lion habitat throughout California.  Shrinking habitat and more people in wild areas unfortunately means that there will be more encounters between cats and people (and perhaps their pets!). What is more unfortunate is that when mountain lions and people have nasty encounters, both parties lose. People get severely injured and the mountain lion is subject to elimination.

I saw a mountain lion in 2003 near Grizzly Peak, and I just met a hiker in Washington who had a similar benign encounter.  When I saw the lion, I remember feeling shock, fear and awe, but afterwards I felt extreme privilege and honor for having seen it. I was also reminded of my visitor status in the wilderness, and I must say that I had a different mindset for the rest of my hike.

Enjoy the wilderness out there visitors!