Mountain Lion

As a very old horse my sympathy is with the 32 year old mare. It seems that mountain lion sightings are quite prevalent this year. Since the winter in NorCal has been rather mild I suspect the deer population is flourishing; and where there are deer there are lions!

I have decided to adjust my SOTA activity - focus on being on the trails and summits mid-day rather than early or late; obtain and carry bear spray and an air horn; restart using a walking stick. Although I enjoy solitary hikes I also enjoy summiting with a friend and I expect I will activate more summits with a friend than on my own.

The lion I saw on Smith Mountain was the second I have seen this year - the first was on Big Hill; earlier I confronted a Bobcat on Mount Vaca. I have not been attacked, pursued or chased; but still the mountain lions can have the priority access to the summits; although I am a long way from being a goat, I am not interested in finding out if lions and goats can be amicable friends.

I donā€™t even want to think about wolves -that is trouble that I do not need!

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Hereā€™s a video that gives a little sense how strong the western USA mountain lion/puma/cougar is.

I definitely wouldnā€™t want to tackle one!

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Iā€™m quite glad we donā€™t have many big cats or wolves in Scotland BUT we do have those guid Scottish midges to battle 6 or 7 months each year.

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