September 29, 2004
Lonely

Lonely.  Here of late if you want to be by yourself head for the Audubon trail.  While a new fresh coat of asphalt makes life easier for runners, bikers and hikers the parking lots are empty, the picnic areas un-populated and the lake banks devoid of anglers.  I haven’t seen a binoculared birder in weeks. 

One would assume the paucity of people along my favorite part of the Grand Valley is a result of the DOW warning a mountain lion had been seen along the trail.  Mountain lion warnings, posted on and off over the past three years, have been pooh-poohed by some (me) as much ado about nothing.  Nobody ever claims to have actually seen a big cat in the area.  It’s always, “Well my friend says she heard at the beauty shop one of their customers’ sister has a next door neighbor whose cousin said the person living across the street saw a mountain lion.” 

But now I know someone who spotted a really big kitty along the Audubon trail.  A bicycling buddy, we call him “Big Gear Bob” cause he never pedals in any wimpy “Granny” gears, said he was now recruiting members into my runners group.  I asked, “How so?” and Bob replied that while riding the trail last week a mountain lion crossed the path about fifty yards in front of him. A little further up the trail Bob spotted an older guy walking his dog.  “I told him he might think about keeping his pooch on a real tight leash since I had just seen a mountain lion and without so much as a thank you the guy turned around and started running toward the Albertsons parking.” laughed Bob.

 So now the question is to run or not along the Audubon trail?  That meandering strip of concrete and asphalt has been a part of my morning for over seven years.  It’s hard to give up.  Still one hesitates to be so dedicated to exercise fanatic they wind up as the entrée on a mountain lions answer to a “Grand Slam” breakfast. 

I checked out the DOW posting on a bridge over the Redlands Canal.   ATTENTION!  Mountain Lion sighted in area!  As a safety precaution the Department of Wildlife is attempting to capture this animal.  You can help. 

Walk or hike in a group.

Make lots of noise

Keep children within sight and all pets on a leash. 

You’ll have to explain to me how a group making noise will help DOW capture a mountain lion but from now on when hearing a late night party with lots of laughter, yelling and loud music be secure in the knowledge it’s not a kegger but merely a group of youngsters trying to help the DOW capture a cat. 

The warning continued.

If you encounter a mountain lion

STOP and back away slowly, “NEVER RUN”

Do all you can to appear larger.

Fight back if a lion attacks you. 

For a brochure on “Living With Wildlife in Lion Country” contact the DOW. 

Not to question the DOW’s choice of reading material but a five foot eight inch geezer wearing shorts and a t-shirt is in real trouble backing up while trying to appear larger.  The book I need to read is “Killer Moves That Never Fail When Fighting A Mountain Lion.”  This literary masterpiece, one would guess, has yet to be written since the would be authors ended up lion as Gravy Train while doing research. 

Still the ostrich pair on Dike road has yet to be bothered.  Maybe it’s because ostrich’s are huge and supposedly possess a nasty attitude. 

So should you see a cranky geezer jogging the Audubon trail in a Big Bird costume don’t assume it’s a Halloween thing.  It’s just me trying to outsmart a mountain lion.