On the road to Co$tco

I got to Co$tco about the time they opened this morning, so I had a nice leisurely walk around the store with my list. I didn't get much from my list, but I picked up a few things I wasn't looking for.

After reading Margie and Bruce's blog this morning describing their hike in Arches National Monument, I got the old urge to get out and go somewhere - do something! I'm not a stay-at-home person and this current inactivity is getting to me something fierce! It was therefore a "given" that while browsing through the book department I would come upon (and buy) "60 Hikes Within 60 Miles of Sacramento".

After putting my purchases away when I got home, I settled down to plot my list of hikes from the book. There is a quite comprehensive introductory section that contains good advice for hiking, and even an old hiker such as myself is smart to refresh her knowledge once in a while. I came to the section with the heading "Animal and Plant Hazards", and the first thing mentioned is "Mountain Lions". I had a sense of deja vu because I'm almost sure I read something of this nature last year in a book on hikes of Lassen. This is what the book has to say about mountain lions:

"Mountain Lions are important members of the natural community and may be found in this area. Although these animals are seldom seen, they can be unpredictable and have been known to attack humans without warning. It is best to hike with another person, and to keep children close when hiking. If you should encounter a mountain lion, wave your arms overhead and make plenty of noise to frighten it away.

This is a good thing for anyone to know who plans to hike in California, although I think mountain lions are found in just about all the states. Black bears don't frighten me, although I would hate to get to close to a mother with cubs, but mountain lions scare me to death, or at least the thought of an encounter with one scares me. But in reality, how many folks hike in the state of California each year, and how many encounter a mountain lion. Joggers have been attacked however. I'll have to be careful when planning my hikes, and maybe I'll start with the urban hike section.