Mountain Lion on the Black Pearl Trail

I was up on one of my local trails yesterday, and they were covered with Slurpee snow. You really had to watch when you applied power to the rear wheel, else you would start to spin out. It was still easier then wind or hard pack snow so at least I was able to pedal through the snow. It was also pretty sloppy so I rode at a pretty slow speed, else you were going to get covered with crud.

Part way up on the Black Pearl trail, after I left some hikers tracks I came upon some unfamiliar tracks. They were walking up the singletrack and by the stride length they were obviously a large animal. When I got a chance to stop and look closer at the tracks, they seemed to me to be a Mountain Lions. When I got back home I was able to cross check the pictures I took, and they were a Mountain Lion's.

The Mountain Lion had walked up most of the Black Pearl trail, and I was glad it wasn't when I was on the trail! Bears and Foxes I can deal with, but Lions are another matter.

Mountain Lion attacks on humans are very rare, but they do happen. A single Mom in the LA area was killed by a Mountain Lion while out jogging in the foothills a number of years ago. The Wildlife department came out and killed the cat, and they then found out she has cub's. In typical California fashion a huge amount of money was raised for the orphaned cubs, but the children got a pittance.