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Freaquency posted:The nice thing about mountain lions is that you won’t see one until it’s too late, so there’s no point in worrying about them. I'm still haunted by that video of a few years back of a hiker finding a cub on the trail and immediately realizing how hosed he was, and having to very loudly back his way down the trail while the mom stalked him for a good five minutes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkV5NRADmYQ
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May 17, 2024 08:05
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Arkhamina posted:Not recommending this, but I have a friend who uses his expired pepper spray on burgers. Is your friend named Homer? https://youtu.be/EDm15yVx-Fs?si=ABFKca4EKwPLLT22
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May 17, 2024 08:13
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Yes, it's like a lava lamp.
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Cat rear end Trophy posted:https://www.reddit.com/r/Pumaconcolor/comments/1cmqc40/prowling_beast_at_the_san_mateo_canyon_wilderness/ Haha that’s where I used to go on solo hikes all the time before I moved. We also used to do a lot of night hikes there. I always wondered how many mountain lions saw me, that I didn’t see.
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May 17, 2024 13:49
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Acebuckeye13 posted:I'm still haunted by that video of a few years back of a hiker finding a cub on the trail and immediately realizing how hosed he was, and having to very loudly back his way down the trail while the mom stalked him for a good five minutes. The video starts with him walking TOWARDS the cub. Idiot. Don’t do that. Edit: this guy saw two cubs on the trail ahead, stopped to get his camera going, then started filming and approaching the cubs. That’s when the mom shows up. Unless there’s more to the video that was cut out. He should’ve started backing out as soon as he saw them, but he probably thought he was gonna get a good post for the ‘gram. I haven’t ran into any cougars but I’ve been face to face with bears, including one with cubs nearby. I was screaming a lot louder than this guy, pretty much non stop until it turned away. Wii Spawn Camper fucked around with this message at 14:08 on May 17, 2024 |
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May 17, 2024 13:51
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Acebuckeye13 posted:I'm still haunted by that video of a few years back of a hiker finding a cub on the trail and immediately realizing how hosed he was, and having to very loudly back his way down the trail while the mom stalked him for a good five minutes. Absolute nightmare scenario, no exaggeration
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May 17, 2024 14:13
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Personally I got over all of my fears and concerns about bears just in time to develop them for mountain lions what with the two attacks at mount rainier in the past few years
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May 17, 2024 15:50
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I've gotten increasingly paranoid about cougs too, mainly when hunting (since I'm alone, at dawn/dusk, walking quietly, in a place where I see fresh cougar sign every time I'm there). Other than hunting I'm almost never alone in the woods though and I don't think a cougar is likely to mess with a group. Although I do take care that my kids stay close.
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May 17, 2024 18:07
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It's hard to turn off the self preservation part of the brain, but wikipedia has a page for all fatal cougar attacks in the US and the numbers are actually down for the past couple decades. There's been only one since 2020. Not sure on the number of "close encounters" though, those probably don't get logged unless there's some amazing cell phone video to go with it.  You're more likely to get hit by lightning.. significantly so. So maybe you can use that to soothe yourself on the trail.
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May 17, 2024 18:13
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Bloody posted:Personally I got over all of my fears and concerns about bears just in time to develop them for mountain lions what with the two attacks at mount rainier in the past few years there haven’t been any attacks at MRNP that I have heard of. Fairly sure that the ones you are thinking of are the two that happened near North Bend and Issaquah.
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May 17, 2024 18:17
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xzzy posted:It's hard to turn off the self preservation part of the brain, but wikipedia has a page for all fatal cougar attacks in the US and the numbers are actually down for the past couple decades. There's been only one since 2020. Not sure on the number of "close encounters" though, those probably don't get logged unless there's some amazing cell phone video to go with it. I've read articles about cougar safety from pretty legit sources like fish and game departments or public land agencies that all start out with some form of "scary cougar encounters have been on the rise..." I know that's not the most rigorous source but it's something. But yeah, fatal attacks are rare.
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May 17, 2024 18:19
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I wouldn't be surprised if encounters are on the rise, it's just hard to google for data. But food sources + habitat are going to be declining due to climate change and there's been a massive increase in backcountry hiking since 2020. Not a safe recipe for tasty humans.
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May 17, 2024 18:23
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Hiking & Backpacking Megathread II: Now nervous around cougars
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May 17, 2024 18:29
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Take my approach. Immediately soil yourself during any wildlife encounter. This will spoil the meat for the would be assailant.
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May 17, 2024 18:29
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Cat rear end Trophy posted:Hiking & Backpacking Megathread II: Now nervous around cougars cougars and moose and bears, oh no
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May 17, 2024 18:33
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xzzy posted:cougars and moose and bears, oh my ftfy
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May 17, 2024 18:40
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xzzy posted:It's hard to turn off the self preservation part of the brain, but wikipedia has a page for all fatal cougar attacks in the US and the numbers are actually down for the past couple decades. There's been only one since 2020. Not sure on the number of "close encounters" though, those probably don't get logged unless there's some amazing cell phone video to go with it. Yeah but that one fatal attack was on two men walking along a road in broad daylight. This recent nonfatal attack, by two cougars on a group of five cyclists was also crazy.
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May 17, 2024 20:16
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alnilam posted:I've read articles about cougar safety from pretty legit sources like fish and game departments or public land agencies that all start out with some form of "scary cougar encounters have been on the rise..." Maybe that's a byproduct of trail/park use surging over the past 4 years
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May 17, 2024 20:18
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More people in the big blue room, more potential contact. I think the biggest wildlife I have ever encountered was a full grown moose walking through my campsite in the Boundary Waters. I was sitting by the fire, and it moseyed through, walked to the water edge, and let loose a fire hose of piss. Couldn't have run away, but then even if I wasn't scared stiff and cross legged by the fire, I couldn't outrun a moose. (Lived in AK as a kid, they are not just big deer!)
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May 17, 2024 21:28
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Arkhamina posted:More people in the big blue room, more potential contact. Is there even anything bigger? Maybe a grizzly or polar bear, or a bison, but that's pretty much it right? In North America, anyway. Would it actually have chased you? Why? Just to chase you and kill you? I don't know much about moose behavior except dont gently caress with them, and they can dive 30m. Also quote:it mooseyed through
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May 17, 2024 21:34
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Acebuckeye13 posted:I'm still haunted by that video of a few years back of a hiker finding a cub on the trail and immediately realizing how hosed he was, and having to very loudly back his way down the trail while the mom stalked him for a good five minutes. Ayyup this is the one that has terrified me. I will be hiking solo too in Zion, Teton and Yellowstone so naturally I am nervous and want bear spray and a knife on me. Here is the video I took last year in Yosemite of the Bobcat on the Mirror Lake trail. It was my last day and I wanted something easy to finish up with. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhaEtu2gywk
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May 17, 2024 21:43
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Bison are heavier but moose are much more unpredictable and easier to stumble across because of the environment they live in.. not too many bison in forests. Moose go full murder mode when they see a dog too.
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May 17, 2024 21:44
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BaseballPCHiker posted:I would always just leave bear spray or gas canisters with park rangers who were usually happy to have them given to them. Don’t do this in one of the national parks where pepper spray is forbidden by law. 
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May 17, 2024 21:50
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xzzy posted:Bison are heavier but moose are much more unpredictable and easier to stumble across because of the environment they live in.. not too many bison in forests. Moose go full murder mode when they see a dog too. can't climb grass
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May 17, 2024 22:37
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My mom had stories of moose like... Wrecking tourist cars, because they would see a calf by the road, stop to take pictures and mom would come to the vehicle and just stomp it. She homesteaded up in Tok AK.
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May 17, 2024 23:59
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Arkhamina posted:My mom had stories of moose like... Wrecking tourist cars, because they would see a calf by the road, stop to take pictures and mom would come to the vehicle and just stomp it. She homesteaded up in Tok AK. Moose total cars by accident.
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May 18, 2024 01:11
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xzzy posted:not too many bison in forests. https://alaskawildlife.org/about/wood-bison-restoration/
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May 18, 2024 01:12
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Every encounter my spouse or I has had with a cougar has been the cougar getting the hell away or out of sight as fast as it could, including when there was a recurring cougar who would drink from a leaky faucet during a bad drought. Any sighting of that cougar was logged with the general response being that as long as it ran off when people went to use the spigot, it wasn't a problem (also fix the spigot...), but if it was ever seen standing its ground and guarding the spigot, then it would become a candidate for relocation or worse. I'm less worried about cougars on the trail than I am running into gnarly dogpacks when leaving the trail into backwoods mountain towns. Arkhamina posted:My mom had stories of moose like... Wrecking tourist cars, because they would see a calf by the road, stop to take pictures and mom would come to the vehicle and just stomp it. She homesteaded up in Tok AK. I knew a guy who was driving cross-country in Canada to a seasonal job in Alaska in an old beat up carbureted car. He stopped due to a flat tire. While he's stopped, a bull moose shows up and just wrecks the car, and in the process this probably caused a wire disconnection and resulting engine bay fire, and the moose eventually runs off. So he's in the middle of nowhere in Canada with a burned down car and about 2/3 of his stuff rescued from the rear of the wagon before a truck pulls up. He said the trucker found it all very funny and drove him to Yukon. He assumes there's some kind of citation waiting for him in Canada for leaving a burned hulk of a vehicle on the side of the road.
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May 18, 2024 04:35
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Cougars are big ol’ housecats. https://i.imgur.com/ongzLdJ.mp4
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May 18, 2024 05:33
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Kitty!  Housecats are really just small cougars.I haven't been hiking lately and I'm finally getting back out there, but there's still some small things that I forget to do, like bringing a beer to drink at the summit. Did a fun hike yesterday, first one in a long time where I felt like I burned enough calories to do my favorite post-hike activity, which is going to All You Can Eat Korean BBQ and eating 7 pounds of meat. The other thing I forgot was to bring a clean fresh shirt to leave in the car so I can change out of my gross sweaty hiking shirt when I'm done hiking. Sometimes I even used to bring a second hiking shirt in my pack and swap it on the summit. Feels good to be getting back into the groove though. Curious what everyone else's post-hike ritual is like.
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May 18, 2024 15:44
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I wrap an insulated thermos full of ice water in a blanket and leave it in the trunk. Chugging 30 ounces of ice cold water after a long hike is the best loving feeling in the world. Even better if you're hiking to a tarn, if there's still ice in the water you can soak your hydration pack/naglene/whatever in the water and it'll be frosty in a few minutes. Pools that stay cold all summer are getting more rare though.
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May 18, 2024 15:51
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Wii Spawn Camper posted:Curious what everyone else's post-hike ritual is like. Usually food for me. Something either trashy or delicious. Mexican or BBQ is pretty high on my list if there's somewhere around, but an Oreo blizzard at dairy Queen is usually tops for me. My buddy and I started "trailgating" where we cook hot dogs or burgers at the car after a hike and relax before hitting the road. I don't do it on every hike but specifically hard hikes or long drives are especially worth it. I've had a few people smell the grill and walk by, the look on their face when I offer them a hot dog is usually pure bliss. If the weather permits I like to jump in a river or lake. Generally for day hikes I don't bring a change of anything but sometimes it's nice having a clean shirt in the car if I'm sweaty, or clean socks/shoes if it was muddy/wet/or especially dusty. For a lot of my hikes last year, once I bought a helinox chair, I bring that on day hikes and just find a place near the turnaround to sit for an hour or two. That's been great. Just check things out with my binoculars, observe, listen and relax. Sometimes take a nap. Trail treats vary by the day. Sometimes it's just snacks like fruit, jerky, or gorp. Other times it's a sandwich. I bought a charcuterie tray once and that was pretty nice. A cold can of coke is usually my reward though.
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May 18, 2024 17:28
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Verman posted:BBQ is pretty high on my list There's an insanely dangerous BBQ place in estes park about a mile outside the RMNP gate. Finish off a 11 mile/3000 foot trail and you will not be able to drive by it.
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May 18, 2024 17:39
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Verman posted:My buddy and I started "trailgating" where we cook hot dogs or burgers at the car after a hike and relax before hitting the road. I don't do it on every hike but specifically hard hikes or long drives are especially worth it. I've had a few people smell the grill and walk by, the look on their face when I offer them a hot dog is usually pure bliss. We do this too when we're on a camping stint and have our camp stove with us anyway. But usually something like chili-mac. Or in the parking lot of a sno-park in winter, nothing like a bowl of hot ramen and a snow-cooled beer.
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May 18, 2024 17:41
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Verman posted:My buddy and I started "trailgating" where we cook hot dogs or burgers at the car after a hike and relax before hitting the road This is amazing and I’m going to steal it. I also have a chair and it’s my favorite piece of gear, easily. I have a hammock too that I bring sometimes but the chair is so much less hassle. Edit! Actually I just remembered, we did White Mountain and trailgated at the trailhead the night before, other folks ended up coming over and hanging out and even contributing. It was super fun! We had 3 cars and 6 people to start with, it was like a festival atmosphere by the time we ate. Wii Spawn Camper fucked around with this message at 17:49 on May 18, 2024 |
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May 18, 2024 17:45
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Gear chat: anyone got a good propane grill for hot dogs that isn't enormous? Like the weber babyq is a great grill but it's still way too big to haul around regularly. Something half that size would be doable I think.
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May 18, 2024 17:48
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I've been hiking the wrong way this whole time! I never do anything fun.
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May 18, 2024 17:52
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I have a tabletop 2 burner nexgrill that works really well for trailgating this one: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Nexgrill-2-Burner-Portable-Propane-Gas-Table-Top-Grill-in-Stainless-Steel-820-0033/206023898 The Fool fucked around with this message at 18:01 on May 18, 2024 |
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May 18, 2024 17:55
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xzzy posted:Gear chat: anyone got a good propane grill for hot dogs that isn't enormous? Like the weber babyq is a great grill but it's still way too big to haul around regularly. Something half that size would be doable I think. Not exactly what you asked but you could avoid additional bulky equipment with something like this reversible cast iron griddle, fits great on a Coleman 2 burner, grill side up for dawgs and flat side up for pancakes. I use mine camping and at home. It's not a perfect grill but it's okay, and overall a more slim and versatile setup than hauling a stove and a grill.
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May 18, 2024 18:20
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Wii Spawn Camper posted:
There's a good ice cream place near the major local trailheads. Also falafel and/or baklava.
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May 18, 2024 19:23
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