Mountain Lion in my Campsite

After leaving my silent retreat, I continued through the mountains and ended up driving through Yosemite from the West Entrance to Lees Vining.  I spent the night in Yosemite, parked on a pull-out at the side of the road.  It was now after Labor Day so it was a bit quieter.  There were less families with children, but lots of travelers were still on the road, taking advantage of the glorious September weather and quieter roads.

The next morning I drove through Yosemite Valley and saw the large granite walls, which were pretty impressive.  I then took the Tioga Pass through to Lees Vining.

It was beginning to feel that my trip was coming to an end.  Although I was officially on a four month journey, I had traveled so much and seen so much and was already on the road back home.  I knew I could only go a bit further and I would be hitting the hot desert temperatures.

The weather in the Sierra Nevada Mountains was perfect in early September, but I didn’t feel to stay there for the rest of the month.

I felt guided to take the June Lakes Loop and I’m so glad I did.  It was still early in the day and I found a remote campsite on the river right down the road from a busy private campground.  As I began setting up camp, the clouds moved in and it began to rain.  Everything was so fresh and clean.  I kicked back in my van with my journal and listened to the river rushing and the rain falling.

It was “tea time” so I jumped out of the van and went to the back to put the kettle on.  As I was preparing to light the stove I heard rustling in the bushes nearby.  As I turned to look, there was a Mountain Lion about fifteen or twenty feet away.  Obviously she saw me before I saw her and she decided she did not want a confrontation with the likes of me, and trotted off towards the river.  I saw her in her full glory, tail swinging behind her.

When I tell the story of my Mountain Lion sighting, people ask me “did you get pictures?”  Okay, so here’s the deal.  When you see a Mountain lion as close as I did and it is in motion, moving through my site to somewhere else, the last thing on my mind is “oh wait, let me grab my camera.”  The adrenaline is kicked in as my instinctive nature is preparing for fight or flight.  I’m assessing the situation for possible danger and wondering if the Lion would be stalking me now that she knows I’m here.  To grab a camera at a moment like this and chase after her in attempt to get a picture would have been stupid, to say the least.

I barely got my nervous system settled back down and a big white four wheel drive truck pulls right into my campsite.  Mind you, I am in a pretty remote area without cell service or anyone else in sight.  I had no idea who these people were or why they pulled into my campsite.  I stood on the stoop of my van not sure if I should grab the bear spray or not.

Two men jumped out of the truck and began walking towards me.  I didn’t say anything.  I just looked at them.  One of the men said “hello, are you camping here?”  I’m looking at my camp set up, and it was pretty much a “no brainer.”  “Yes,” I said, still sizing them up.  They were older men, and appeared to be Native American.  The same man said he wanted to show his friend the river.  After he stated his intention, my nervous system calmed down again.  They were older men and seemed harmless, so I told them I had just seen a Mountain Lion in my camp.  They both seemed a bit concerned and told me to be careful.

The men did their tour of the river and came back through, complimenting me on my van set up.  We exchanged a few words and they told me again to “be careful” and be sure to lock up the van at night.

The night went smoothly.  It was so quiet!  Not a sound from man or mouse, or….mountain lion.  I never saw her again, but felt grateful for such an amazing experience.  I had hoped to have such an encounter, without danger, of course.

When I was at my campsite outside of Markleeville, I saw a bear across the river and up the hill, sauntering along in the evening, before dusk.  It was so far away, there was no concern, however this was a big bear area.  There were bear containers for our food in all campsites I visited in California.  One was not supposed to keep food in their vehicles because bears are known to break into vehicles.  So that was always on my mind, because in my remote locations there was no “bear containers.”  I kept my food in the Van and kept it locked up with the windows shut at night.  The far away sighting was the only bear I saw on my journey.