[pct-l] Mountain lion sighting

[Rod Belshee]

I didn't get to see a Mountain Lion, but I did get to hear one outside of my 
tent one night near Warm Springs River on the PCT in Oregon.

He didn't appreciate my choice of location, and wanted to talk about it in 
the middle of the night. The conversation was a bit one-sided as I sat 
upright under my tarp tent with my 1.25" knife blade at the ready, and he 
spent 45 minutes outside with the most blood curdling cat screams you can 
imagine.  He had me convinced that an attack was at least a possibility.

Apparently males get twitchy with campers right on the edge of their 
territory and they encourage you to move along.  That is probably what was 
going on here.  Anyway I felt the illusion of safety staying under my sturdy 
silnylon tarp tent with my trusty knife, or at least I felt safer than I 
would have in breaking camp while he watched.

I saw the cat tracks the next morning within ten feet of my tent.

That story didn't make it into Trail Journals, since my wife and Mom read 
the journal...

Steady