Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Hiking With Wildlife

So, here we are, a new blog design and very little problems with the change over. I hope you like the look of the new place and hopefully it is a sign of many cool things to come here over the months!



One thing I have been thinking about when it comes to hiking recently is the wildlife warnings on the trails. While hiking around California the last few months, I have seen this type of sign more than once.

In addition to snakes, apparently the list of animals that can #@$*&( you up ranges from coyotes to mountain lions!?!

Here is one guy's take on mountain lions near Palm Springs.

Numerous people mention snakes on one little trail in Palos Verdes near where I just hiked.

Even the SoCalHiker reports hanging out with a fox on the trail on Catalina Island (color me jealous on that last one).

So how realistic is it to run into something you don't want to run into?

In the Adirondacks, we were always warned of bears, especially regarding food, but truth be told, unless you left the food out when staying at a lean-to overnight, there were no bears to be found on the trail. As for the other animals, usually us humans with our noisy steps scare them away on the ADK trails. On California trails, I am not so sure.

Surely it seems snakes are an issue but larger mammals? I doubt the foxes in North America know how to operate firearms. I tend to agree with this assessment of the wildlife one can encounter on the Pacific Crest Trail. "The most vicious animals you are likely to encounter will be domestic dogs brought to the trail by other hikers, or the domestic dogs of folks who live close to the trail."

This was true in the ADKs and I bet its probably true here in Cali. Does anyone have any stories about animals on the trail? Share em in the comments!

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