7 Myths about the Continental Divide Trail

A little perspective on Griz capabilities –

This was a 'prototype'. A 'production' version was never tested.

Yes, shredded carbon fiber and perforated aluminum, separated from each other.
It used to be a bear canister.

I did a semi solo backpack in the Bob Marshall last August. I’m new to backpacking so prior to my trip I read several sources and I asked questions from a number of people to specifically get additional info on bears. I got the bear spray and secured it against my left hip belt. During the parts of the trip that I was alone I was still concerned about bears in general and the grizzly in particular. I was also more than just a little nervous about mountain lions. I saw bear and mountain lion tracks, no animals. Overall it was such a wonderful experience that I’m going back to the Bob this August and I’ll again have the bear spray. I really appreciated reading the first hand bear advice from you guys. So what kind of wisdom can you share on the subject of lions.… BTW, I cant begin to tell you how much I have learned in the past two weeks reading various post here…Great advice from real people! Thanks

I've never seen a mountain lion, which freaks me out because I'm hiking in one of the highest population density areas for them on the planet. I've spoken to a mountain lion expert who said something to the tune of "if you west coasters knew how many times you were stalked by one without knowing it, you'd never go outside again."
I don't know for a fact how accurate this is. But I assume it is. They're out there, they're extremely stealthy, and they like to stalk people. But they probably won't attack. Unless they're extraordinarily hungry or you're extraordinarily small.

"Every few years some trail runner will be attacked by a mountain lion."

To a predator, if it runs, it's dinner!

The only mountain lion I've ever seen was disappearing really fast into the forest. That was 60 years ago. I do occasionally look around to see what's behind me, and I suspect my dog would sense a lion or bear long before I would. On the other hand, such predators are one reason I keep my dog close by, either on a leash or on the trail directly behind me.

Samuel C. Farrington: Yeah, it would have helped to have snowshoes, overall. I carried crampons in May, but that was a mistake. I should have carried snowshoes instead. I never used the crampons because it wasn't super icy, even above 13,000 ft in May. The lack of snowshoes forced me to get up in the dark and hike when the snow was cold and pretty hard. It was a work-around. But the snowshoes would have been a burden at other times. Overall, though, it would have been better with snowshoes.

I saw a mountain lion in New Mexico and a few bears along the way. You're probably more likely to get hit by a car when you're hitchhiking for a resupply than getting killed by a bear. I didn't carry a stove or pot, so I never cooked at all for 7 months. That might have helped. :)

Francis Tapon