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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Jan 14, 2013 - 03:46pm PT
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28 inches? DAMN!
You musta scared the poo outta that poor kitty!
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tiki-jer
Trad climber
fresno/clovis
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Jan 14, 2013 - 04:10pm PT
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I believe I was! A few years ago while waiting for some friends to show up, I decided to explore some boulders up hill from a turnout in the road. It was early season and the road ended due to snow banks etc...So up the backside of Jackass Rock (No pun intended) to recon the area. Turned out the rock was bunk. Went down the same way and stuck my head in the snowmelt cause the hike up had me huffing and it was quite warm. Where I did my head dunk the snowmelt split in two directions. One left and the other on the right as one looked back downhill . I had come up the left draw and went down the same way. Oh and I had taken my sweaty shirt off too. Anyway got back to the truck and drove the curve all of say 20-30ft. and out jumps the biggest mofo cat I have ever seen directly in front of me .....from the other draw!!!
I was stunned and just sat there till the adrenaline rush made my legs all shaky jakey!
It was at time, fully realizing that I was being watched..........I get a little freaked everytime I think about it.
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Crackslayer
Trad climber
Eldo
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Jan 14, 2013 - 07:39pm PT
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When I saw the title to this thread, I read "cougar" out of context. I have been stalked by a cougar(old lady) and a cougar(mtn lion). Neither was much fun.
My 2 friends and I were snowshoeing out of the backcountry after a failed attempt to find unclimbed ice. It was snowing very hard and the temperatures were very cold. One night I believe it was about -32F (we were near grand lake, co). So we were all a little tired even though it was a short trip. We had about 4 or so miles to go when we reached a lake that marks the start of the summer trailhead. It was pitch dark and puking snow. At the lake we all decided to hike at a separate pace to the truck. I was in the middle about 10 minuted behind the leader and about 30 minutes behind the guy behind me. I was following the tracks in front of me but it was snowing so hard that I would lose them periodically. Then, I saw lion tracks. I knew right away, they were huge!! The lion tracks were following the snowshoe tracks that I was following. I kept moving and although exhausted, I was moving faster following both sets of tracks.
I may have walked about 100 meters before the snowshoe tracks stopped, blown away by the snow. But the lion tracks now faced the other way, still fresh. I heard a loud rustle in the woods behind me and my heart sank. It was snowing to hard to see anything but I knew it was very close. It had walked my way and I met up with it. I kept walking, slower and looking in all directions. "Do I get my tools out?? No you shouldn't take off your pack" I thought. I started singing and my heart was racing. I started walking faster, still looking around periodically to see whatever I could.
I probably reached the truck about 35 minutes later and the first thing out of my buddies mouth was "Dude, did you see the mountain lion." Holy shit!! So we decided that if the other guy didn't show up soon that we would get our tools and go out there. He showed up soon after to our relief.
I will have to post the story about the old lady cougar in another thread :)
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Jan 14, 2013 - 09:13pm PT
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I was in the middle about 10 minuted behind the leader and about 30 minutes behind the guy behind me.
Man, and I thought I was slow!!!!!! :-)
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rottingjohnny
Sport climber
mammoth lakes ca
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Jan 14, 2013 - 09:23pm PT
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Rong...too bad you didn't have a gun to defend yourself with...RJ
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johntp
Trad climber
socal
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Jan 14, 2013 - 09:45pm PT
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BITD when I was smarter in my own mind than reality. Wandering around in Pine Creek canyon outside of Bishop I came across a reasonably fresh deer kill. So like the smart guy I was I spent some time checking it out. Oopsie, there was another, older carcass under the recent kill. This was in a pretty tight copse of aspens. So, it suddenly dawns on me that I'm sitting there fat, dumb and happy rummaging around in the cougar's food shed. Doh!
Never saw the cat but am pretty sure it was watching me.
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mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
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Jan 14, 2013 - 09:50pm PT
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Doh! You bet it was checking you out.
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johntp
Trad climber
socal
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Jan 14, 2013 - 10:54pm PT
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Doh! You bet it was checking you out.
Fortunately, given the recent kill it was well fed and did not need me for lunch!
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rottingjohnny
Sport climber
mammoth lakes ca
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Jan 14, 2013 - 11:05pm PT
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Reilly...Weren't you at the center of the tailhook scandal...? RJ
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Jan 15, 2013 - 11:17am PT
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RJ, leave it to you to dredge up old wounds.
And we both know it was totally bogus and trumped up.
What happens in Vegas...totally false advertising.
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BuddhaStalin
climber
Truckee, CA
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Jan 15, 2013 - 02:41pm PT
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Got stalked in 1994 hiking down from tuolumne on snow creek to the valley floor. Just below 120 i was cross countrying a little and ended up turning round after going too far through the bush only to find kitty prints of considerable size over my own prints just several minutes old. After puckering my as#@&%e, i picked up two good size rocks, unclipped my chest strap and hip belt and high-tailed it up and outta there. Hitched down to the valley instead to go get laid in the terrace.
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atchafalaya
Boulder climber
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Jan 15, 2013 - 02:57pm PT
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D35, cool shot!
I run in cougar country frequently, and one of my favorite trails goes right by where a runner was killed by a cougar in 1994. Always makes me uneasy seeing the marker when I run by alone.
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Crump
Social climber
Lakewood, CO
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Jan 19, 2013 - 07:56pm PT
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Been stalked twice in Sourthern New Mex. once in the Organs in winter, and later in the spring in the Capitans. Both times my dogs epected me to defend them. Very scary.
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McHale's Navy
Trad climber
Panorama City, California & living in Seattle
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Jan 19, 2013 - 10:55pm PT
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Back in the late 60s I was camped back in Piru Canyon in Southern Cal with my dad and little brother. We had backpacked in about 4 miles. I was practicing survival skills and this particular night had covered hot coals with sand to sleep on to stay warm. About 2 or 3 in the morning while getting too warm on one side or too cold on the other, I woke up to a couger standing just the other side of our pile of backpacks 10 feet away at the most. I started easing over to grab a 38 revolver and the cat just ambled away - no fear at all. It must have thought there was a barbecue going on - teenager turning on the coals - who could resist?
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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Jan 19, 2013 - 10:57pm PT
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Stalked....probably, noticed...for sure.
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john hansen
climber
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Jan 19, 2013 - 11:04pm PT
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Well, Jim you probably wouldn't make much of a meal anyway.. kind of stringy,, and gamey. :)
Plus they can feel the SF vibe.
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