Audio by carbonatix
California boasts a ton of hiking trails that allow you to soak in the stunning scenery, but you’ll need to keep an eye on the wildlife you might encounter during these hikes. This includes a mountain lion that gave a woman quite a scare before managing to fend it off during a recent hike in Ojai.
There’s really no state that can rival the geographic diversity that makes California a prime destination for outdoor enthusiasts with so many options to choose from.
You can scratch your desert itch in places like Joshua Tree, get your ocean fix thanks to nearly 850 miles of coastline, delve into several protected forests, and climb some sizable mountains with the help of more than 13,000 trails scattered across the state—though you’ll also need to be prepared for what you might encounter.
The aforementioned geographic diversity also accounts for a level of biodiversity, meaning there’s no shortage of potentially dangerous creatures you might encounter during your travels, including venomous snakes, scorpions, and spiders, as well as some slightly more considerable threats like bears, grizzlies, and mountain lions.
The big cats that can be interchangeably referred to as cougars and pumas generally don’t pose much of a threat to humans (there have been only six recorded attacks resulting in one fatality since 1890), but that statistic probably won’t do much to calm your nerves if you come across one in the wild.
According to Edhat Assim, Cortney Rasura found herself pushed into this scenario while crossing the Gridley Trail in Ojai on the morning of July 3, while hiking when she realized she was being followed by a mountain lion and pulled out her phone to record her efforts to dissuade herself from approaching.
Rasura told the outlet that she’s been hiking in the area for about 15 years and had never encountered a cougar, but luckily knew the proper procedure to follow when she ended up in the situation (she correctly stood her ground and yelled at the animal when it started approaching her).
She added that she might start carrying an air horn when she gets back on the trail, and that’s probably not the worst idea.
