[Rio]

I used to hike there as a kid. Never occurred to me that there would be mountain lions. For that matter, there probably weren't back then.

Lots of elk, though.

[CatoRenasci]

I did a lot of backpacking and hiking in California when I was younger in the '60s and '70s. I always had either a .357 or .44 magnum pistol with me and accessible. I only came close to using it once, when I ran into a pack of wild pigs (with young) on the trail in the Ventana Wilderness. More pigs than I had ammunition (full load in the pistol and one full box), and there was a rock I could climb on and wait for them to move on. I spent an uncomfortable half-hour on the rock, though.

[Vaquero]

before the nannystate of california banned lion hunting these things had a healthy fear of man...

....now, we are just a buffet to them....