[pct-l] Fwd: Re: Mountain Lion Encounter

[Lenka Jensen]

Hi Dan. The best response yet. I have run into these cats quite a few times in the Santa Monica mountains. 1- was hiking up the Edison road, when I came across a small scrawny female. I told the rangers, they tracked her down and collared her. 2-on the Corral Cyn. Trail, had four encounters. First, he was crossing the trail, looked at me, tail swishing, than left. Second time, I sew his outline in the bushes next to me on the trail. I slowly backed of. Third, I brought my husband up there, since he did not believe me, the cat was leisurely sitting in a open field looking at us, than slowly walked away. Fourth time, he was stalking a hiker and his dogs, when I told the hiker, he told me that he knew of the cat. After that, I ran into two cubs on the ridge and later in the day, I ran into a full grown one. This was in the spring, therefore, I thing that this was mama and her young ones. After that on Sycamore trail while running, I let a cat cross the trail in front of me and then I proceeded, two miles down the trail, two mountain bikers passed me, I told them about the cat, only to be told that she has been following them and later the forestry ranger told me that she was collared and was a local fixture living there. Too close to the Sycamore campground full of little kids roaming around, in my opinion. It was the same lion who was watching me and a very large deer heaving a close encounter on the trail. The deer just refused to budge. Once it slowly walked of, I turned and saw the cat watching us. The saddest and scariest encounter was a couple of years back, it was on Mullholand highway in Western Malibu, while running early in the morning, I saw a huge cat standing right in the middle of the road. I yelled at it, he eventually disappeared into the bushes. My intuition told me to slowly get back to my car. A few weeks latter he was found dismembered close to my sighting of him. Somebody shot him and took his claws, teeth etc. My conclusion is, that if you see them and they know that you are aware of them, they will not attack. Yes, I am very afraid of them, but then, I don't care for sharks either, yet swim in the ocean and will hike the PCT solo next year. 
Sorry about this very long post and my imperfect English. It is not my first language.

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