0418 lions and tigers and bears ... oh my!

I found this warning while researching some travel ideas. It reminded me of an experience I had about twenty-five years ago.

A friend and I had decided to go on a day hike at O’Neill Park in southern Orange County. Okay, it was a former girlfriend. It was midweek so the park was lightly populated. We parked in an almost-empty parking lot and looked at a trail map I had brought along.

The trailhead was at the other end of the lot, next to a big white sign that we couldn’t read from where we were. The trail ended close to where we parked, so we decided to walk the trail backwards.

We spent a couple of hours in the park, encountering very few other hikers along the way. We climbed a lot of hills and crossed a couple of streams. It was a nice day – not too hot or sunny.

As we reached the end of the trail, we could see the parking lot and the back of the large white sign. As we passed the sign, we turned around to read it and see what we missed.

It was a warning to use the park with caution, as mountain lion activity was unusually high. She told me that she thought she was being watched on one of the hills. I reminded her that she gets the same feeling while walking through the mall. As we drove off we shared a laugh.