Sniffing California Hiking Trails for the Scent of Mountain Lions
Photo credit: WildPhotons
Are California hiking trails teeming with mountain lions?
The weather is finally cooling down to acceptable levels in Southern California’s wine country. That means, instead of staying indoors running the air-conditioner and writing angry letters to The Cartoon Channel protesting their ever-increasing lineup of Japanimation, I can actually go outside and frolic with nature.
Hiking the hills surrounding my house is how I like to express this frolicking. Out on the trail I’ve seen deer, bobcats, coyotes, fox, squirrels, rabbits, tarantulas, lizards, snakes, frogs, fancy-style woodpeckers and a cornucopia of very interesting, but often bloodthirsty insects.
We also have mountain lions. Although I have never seen one myself, I know that they’re out there because there is an alarming sign at the trailhead warning of the extreme mauling you could experience if you were to ignore the correct procedures for dealing with mountain lion encounters.
For instance, the sign lists ideas like, “Do not panic.” See, that’s just the OPPOSITE strategy I would have tried. Another one that, to me, seems counterintuitive is “Do not run.” But, the sign also says that if you confront a mountain lion you should “remain in an upright position,” and, I have to admit, I probably would have gotten that one right.
The most frightening piece of information of all, though, is at the very bottom of the sign where it says, “If the lion attacks, fight back!”
Ya think? The only other option I can think of is to stand there and let it eat you.
How would one go about fighting a mountain lion anyway? Pull its whiskers? I saw a cartoon once where a mouse stretched-out a lion’s whiskers and played them like guitar strings. I could be wrong, but I’m pretty sure a stunt like that would not only increase the intensity of the attack, but also do very little to protect your face from being clawed off and handed back to you in a kitty-bag.
In reality, mountain lions are extremely elusive and typically avoid people. Since 1890 there have only been 16 verified mountain lion attacks in California. Although estimates put the mountain lion population in California between 4,000 and 6,000 statewide, they are rarely seen, especially out on the hiking trails where people are.
So, I’m going to start my daily hikes again and not worry about coming face to face with a mountain lion. Besides, I’ve had to defend myself against nature before, like the time I toiled with the majestic mosquito…
