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Darija, this is cogent after talking about Bridge Zion. Twice I have seen large tracks in Hepworth wash. Once, a friend turned around early, before the rest of us. Just as we got back to her, there were puma tracks over-printed on our hour-old bootprints, and she had her knife out and her back to a tree. BUT I have never heard of a mountain lion attack on a human in Zion, even though many people have reported being stalked.

The local rangers can probably tell you about the mountain lion population in the Inyos. I asked folks on the http://www.death-valley.net/forum/
BBS about lions in the Panamints, and got some useful info. Generally the lions in desert areas tend to be smaller than those in the prey-rich forested areas.

Since pumas attack from behind usually, many suggestions are probably wishful thinking. What I do (besides the signature eyes painted on my hat!) is: 1) carry pepper spray; 2) roar loudly, especially when I pass cliff walls (and especially when I run through canyons). I'm hoping the headlamp also appears unnatural to them. Maybe a loud whistle, blown occasionally would also put them off.

In NM, where lions do follow people often, there were reports of bikers holding them off by putting the bike in between, or even using sticks. I think one of the SP members has actually driven a lion away by throwing stones at it.

My suggestion would not to get too overly concerned, as you know mountain lion actions are extremely rare. A bit like a shark attack. There are hundreds of people out hiking solo every day without any issue. When someone is attack (I can't even remember the last specific one) the media plays it up and it seems more common than it really is.

As far as defenses, looking behind you probably will not do very much. They are trained predators, and if they are really stalking you it is highly unlikely you will happen to turn around at the correct time. If protection is a concern, making noise might do more, as MoapaPk suggests, and the pepper spray is not a bad idea, as that protects against people too. I would be much more concerned about a person attacking you at the trailhead (whether you are male or female) than a mountain lion. As far as using a gun, you would likely need some training for it to be effective. Imagine the adrenalin rush you might get when being attacked... using a weapon like that will need to be instinct, and in a situation like that it can actually be harder to deliver a fatal shot than you think. Pepper spray or even bear spray is a more foolproof option.

^^^ I agree with everything 1000Pks wrote above too.

There was no visible snow Friday. Saturday night dumped about 6" of powder, which remained around the rocks of Inyo; it wasn't much a deterrent to the climb, but made the use trail sort of unapparent, and made some rocks pretty slippery.

We stopped at ~10850 on the N side of Keynot, just as one descends L of the rocky pinnacle The ground was frozen and slippery, and on top of that, the 6" loose power made for a serious slip condition, with a very bad runout. It is possible that we could have dropped west of the peak on the sunnier talus, but we just turned around at that point.

Just wanted to indicate that a bit of snow (which may soon be melted or consolidated), which was on the cold N side, was a real game-changer. If I had steel crampons and poles, I would have gone for it.

Ya that spot (assuming it's what I'm thinking of) is potentionally dangerous. I ran into similar problems the one time I did Keynot. I ended up having to climb up, around, and down that rocky pinnacle to avoid hard surface snow. It wasn't trivial. On return it was easier because I stayed further down below the pinnacle I think on the sunny side. I seem to recall the preferable route being significantly different than the DPS guide indicated.

This thread was split where it started to become a train wreck, and the constructive part is restored to its original forum.

Edit: now the "new" topic is merged with the original.

Bob Sihler wrote:This thread was split where it started to become a train wreck, and the constructive part is restored to its original forum.

Good work!

I was up in Benton and Chalfant Valley saturday scopin some possible ski descents in the Whites-which were really white that day after a storm blew thru the previous evening. South of westgard pass was dry as a bone