[pct-l] Animal Attacks & Defense

[Reinhold Metzger]

Yes,
Mutant saber tooth mountain lions, hiker eating giant condors, sleeping bag swallowing 
giant snakes and hiker stomping mammoth are a real threat to hikers.
But, let's get realistic, the biggest threat to hikers is Switchback the Trail Pirate.

That scoundrel will ambush and sack innocent hikers....he will take your women, your 
food, your booze, even your crystal light and leave you with nothing but the skin on 
your back, at the mercy of all the above mentioned hiker predatory wild beasts.

So do like Ground Pounder Bill & Tortoise say...''be prepared''...for the only defense 
is to carry a muzzle loading cannon, 20 cannon balls and a 20lb sack of black powder.

BTW....make sure the matches and the pre-loaded cannon are always at the ready, for the 
wild beasts & and the pirate will strike without warning, at any time, night or day.

JMT Reinhold
Your prepared, formerly UL trail companion

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Austin writes: I am starting my southbound solo thru of the PCT around July 5th... 
I have a  question about animal attacks...Am I significantly more likely to be  
stalked/attacked when hiking solo?  Am I really going to be actively hunted  by 
coyotes in the dessert night (I plan on walking mostly at night)?  Do  animals out 
there really see me as a meal?  Or are my survivalist family  members just being 
overly paranoid?
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Switchback replies: No, they are not being paranoid at all.  It is a  very 
good PCT question.  There are stalking mutant saber tooth mountain  lions near 
the PCT Warner Springs Loop.  They especially like to hang  out around the 
Clinton C. Clarke tree to pick off unwary hikers.  At the  big Walker Pass Food 
Ruck last weekend, I noticed circling hiker eating  giant condors.  And of 
course, there are always the 20 foot long sleeping  bag swallowing snakes --- no 
problem as long as you keep your Sharp's  mountainman rifle next to you.  

 
But I must admit, when I first started hiking the PCT in 1970 all of  these 
were much more common.  This was back when the final Ice Age glaciers  were 
retreating from the Sierras.  We had to contend with giant hiker  stomping 
Mammoths too.  Of course, that was in an age when  mountainmen were mountainmen.