[pct-l] Planning First Solo Hike

[Diane at Santa Barbara Hikes dot com]

On May 24, 2010, at 8:12 AM, pct-l-request at backcountry.net wrote:

> Very well said.......am interested in where the mountain loins  
> are ??.....:)

I don't know the mountain lions exact range, but my guess is you'd be  
most likely to see one in Southern California. Their range is sort of  
constrained by encroaching civilization, plus they had those fires  
recently which only reduces their available space.

Mountain lions attack from behind. They grab your skull with their  
teeth. You won't hear it coming. But since most people have a  
backpack on, the backpack might provide some protection by making it  
harder to get to your head from behind.

Most people who are attacked by lions in So Cal that I've heard of  
seem to be children and mountain bikers. Small people and ones moving  
fast for the chase. So that makes an attack on a backpacker even less  
likely.