Editor’s Note: This blog contains video that is creepy and will scare the hell out of you. Proceed with caution.
There are lots of city people on the PCT who don’t have much experience with the wilderness and the creatures that live there. One woman I met was a successful businesswoman from Washington, DC, mainly doing translations for the government. She had a thriving company, but was burnt out. So she fired herself and took a sabbatical, including hiking the Pacific Crest Trail this year.
In early April, she camped in a dry canyon just north of Scissors Crossing (San Diego County). It turns out I was camped only a mile or so away, but experienced a quiet night beneath the stars, not the horror story my friend lived that evening.
Around 8 PM (bedtime for most PCT hikers), she heard what she described as a combination of a witch’s scream and a baby crying. The sound was terrifying. She had some cell service and did some research, figuring out it was probably a mountain lion. There’s lore that this howl is a way for the cougar to lure good samaritans to rescue what they think is a suffering child, only to be eaten. Others have suggested it’s simply a mating call. Bottomline: It created soul-shattering fright for her.
But did this city girl go crazy with fear? Not for a second. Her solution: Switch on the Thelma & Louise video she had downloaded, and channel their female courage. After watching these gals kick butt for an hour, my friend settled down to a good night’s sleep with no nightmares. And most importantly it gave her a riveting trail story for future hiker gatherings. I heard it at Mike’s Place.