[pct-l] Night hiking and rodents in food, p.s.

[mark v]

One other thing.  I don't get the point of carrying a "weapon."  A mountain lion will have you knocked down before you have a chance to use it.  And other than a few very specific areas like Vancouver Island (not any PCT places), it's rare almost to the point of never that a mountain lion ambushes a backpacker.  We look too big and slow to be good prey.  Little kids running, yes.  Trail runners with no packs, yes.  Cyclists, yes.  But backpackers...well, someone will link us to an article i suppose where it's happened, but i never have heard of it.  I've heard of plenty of stalkings, but the mountain lion usually decides we're not tasty enough.  That, and if a lion does ambush from above and behind (most common way), the pack is a good first line of defense.