On a more positive note

[Shannon]

Once again, beautiful! One of the many reminders as to why we all love to mountain bike and be out in the wilderness. Please keep posting these pics. from time to time for everyone to enjoy.

[Rascal]

About 8 years ago, I used to ride Whiting at least 3 times during the week as I worked around the corner from the entrance.

Since I went after work, I'd often be finishing up when the sun had started to go down. I guess dusk (but not quite) would be the appropriate term.

Anyway, I would often see cub lions and often fully grown ones, near the exit of the park. Back then, I was stupid and never had any fear of the cat's and in fact, I would always just stop and admire their beauty.

Awesome animals to see in person. Strong, powerful and surprisingly graceful.

[JamR]

Originally Posted by coldbrews

Have the lions learned to hang around the trough, for the easy pickings? Have you ever carcases in the area?

Does not seem to work that way. Most of the time they are in the bush, and carcasses are pretty far off the beaten track.

You still need to watch your back out there though. It sure makes me think twice about my typical long solo rides these days, but I'm a creature of habit and I really like the serenity of long solo rides, so I don't think I'll be giving them up anytime soon.

The three times I've encountered lions were all on solo rides. Once at Whiting, Once at STT, and recently up near M.D.

[guero]

Originally Posted by JamR

The three times I've encountered lions were all on solo rides. Once at Whiting, Once at STT, and recently up near M.D.

adam, i thought i remember you saying one time you were walking back towards trabuco or something and you saw a lion dragging a jouvenile mule deer about 50 yards in front of you sometime last year...

[CPATCRASH]

Awesome pictures Adam Thanks!

[mntbiker12]

Originally Posted by Wicked Smot

Very cool. In that one of the 3 lions, it looks like there is a 4th pair of green eyes peaking out of the bush behind them. Or maybe that's camera artifact. In any case, that is what I look for on my night rides.

yup, I was thinking the same thing. looks like an artifact, but if it isn't, there's a big kitty hiding out in the back...

[JamR]

Originally Posted by guero

adam, i thought i remember you saying one time you were walking back towards trabuco or something and you saw a lion dragging a jouvenile mule deer about 50 yards in front of you sometime last year...

I forgot about that one.

There were three of us and we turned around and warned all hikers behind us to take a different route.

We had just passed the W.H.T. cut off heading up the Trabuco Trail and we saw it dragging a deer by the throat across the creek bed to the opposite side of the creek, probably a couple of hundred yards up the creek. It was a pretty good distance off but clearly a retty cool sighting though.

The other sightings were all pretty close and actually more spectatular to me than the Trabuco Creek one.


I'm sure I've been seen by lions hundreds of times in the past 20 years.

I still want to see a badger though!

[ThinkFast]

Great pics, thanks.

Now we need some of that donkey on Blackstar.

[Schecky]

I did not know we had badgers or ringtails down here. Cool!

[J_Sims]

Good Stuff.... Please keep these coming when ever you get a new set...

Mods, can we make this a stickey so Adam can keep adding ..

[foofighter]

so are you going to tell us where the water trough is so I can avoid it