Posted on 01/02/2026 11:53:58 AM PST by Red Badger
With all of our modern technology, our modern lifestyle, our comfortable homes, and so on, it's easy for some people to forget that we're part of the natural world, too. Part of that means that we, like any animal, are subject to predation. It's not common; most big predators have learned that humans are dangerous and steer clear. But apex predators remain apex predators, and they will on occasion decide to prey on a human, especially a hiker or jogger alone and unarmed on a trail.
That's what appears to have happened to a solo hiker on a mountain trail in Colorado on Thursday.
A solo hiker who authorities believe was killed by a mountain lion on a remote Colorado trail on New Year’s Day was not the first person to encounter a big cat in the area in recent weeks.
Gary Messina said he was running along the same trail on a dark November morning when his headlamp caught the gleam of two eyes in the nearby brush. Messina pulled out his phone and snapped a quick photo before a mountain lion rushed him.
Messina said he threw his phone at the animal, kicked dirt and yelled as the lion kept trying to circle behind him. After a couple of harrowing minutes he broke a bat-sized stick off a downed log, hit the lion in the head with it and it ran off, he said.
The woman whose body was found Thursday on the same Crosier Mountain trail had “wounds consistent with a mountain lion attack,” said Kara Van Hoose with Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Officials were awaiting confirmation.
Mountain lions (also called cougars, pumas, and panthers), Puma concolor, are something of a biological oddity; they're technically not a "big" cat, which are of the genus Panthera. That includes lions, tigers, jaguars, and leopards. Mountain lions are known as a "large small cat," being more closely related to the South American jaguarundi and the African cheetah. But they are, in their range, apex predators, and deer are a common prey. Humans, of course, are more or less in the same size range as deer.
Two cats have been killed in the area since the as-yet unnamed woman's body was found.
Wildlife officials later tracked down and killed two mountain lions in the area — one at the scene and another nearby. A necropsy will determine if either or both of those animals attacked the woman.
A search for a third mountain lion reported in the area was ongoing Friday, Van Hoose said. Trails in the area remained closed while the hunt for the animal continued. Van Hoose said circumstances would dictate whether that lion also is killed.
The investigation, which will include examining the stomach contents of the two cats that have already been killed, is ongoing.
While we don't yet know all the details of this case, it's an important object lesson nonetheless. Nature isn't a Disney movie. There are animals out there that can be dangerous. When hiking, fishing, jogging, sightseeing, or enjoying any outdoor activity, it's important to remain aware of one's surroundings at all times. There's almost nowhere in the United States where there are no dangerous wildlife; mountain lions, bears, large ungulates like bison and moose, and even feral hogs can be dangerous.
Remain aware. Remain alert. If you're proficient with firearms, carry one. If not, at least carry bear spray or something of that nature. Always keep in mind: We're not immune to the natural world, any more than any other critter.
A .38 revolver is plenty for a mountain lion. Light and easy to conceal.
Hiking alone is a bad idea.
Hiking without a means of self defense is also a bad idea.
And all mushrooms are edible at least once.
I asked Chat Gpt. I’ve been here since ‘76, I remember 4 in Colorado killed by lions, but one was over 30 years ago. A walking bridge near Idaho Springs is named after him. 19 year-old track runner out for run, IIRC.
Running before the sunrise happens in a national forest? Unarmed? A woman out hiking alone? And then they have the audacity to be surprised when mountain lions linger along the trail. Or as they call it, the buffet.
Cats are notoriously thin skinned. You don’t need much penetration power to get them. A 38 is just fine. A 22 magnum is good. Hell, for someone like me a 22 long rifle would work.
The classic load for jaguar is 12 gauge shotgun with buck.
We have people feeding deer in our rural neighborhood to the point we had over 40 deer and possibly over 50 last spring. Our gardens and shrubs have been decimated.
End of the year we have maybe 7. When the local cougar runs out of deer I am hoping he or she just leaves.
Author does’t answer where until 60% in then it iis still not clear.
I have back-packed in both Colorado and California. I was a geologist who worked alone in remote areas of other western states. I like that there remains wild animals out there. The West doesn’t need to be as safe as a (suburban) city park.
I am sorry for this woman’s horrid death and the others, too. But, we still have upwards of 80 millions of humans in these states and only cats, wolves, moose, etc. in the thousands.
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Pumas are NOT rare!
In AZ, and I suspect all over the West, they are quite common!
They can grow to HUGE size and humans would be easy targets to them.
But they are Very smart. They know killing humans will carry retribution, so they normally see you, before you have seen them, and they run away.
But, if you encounter one, it is a must to confront them, shout, wave hands, attack them, by throwing stones, etc.
Running away triggers a predatory instinct to chase and kill. And you cannot outrun them!
We, humans, are kind of slow and cannot compete in sprints with any large animal.
Every time somebody was killed by puma, they were caught when running away from them!
I agree entirely. Sounds like a great career choice, congratulations. They have a saying here: “The mountains don’t care if you live or die.” Kind of like the highways. I live in an area with amazing geology, wild horses and petroglyphs, never gets old.
Heh. Deer are called “rats on stilts” around here.
No one should go hiking alone. When I was young (I’m 82) we would call each other when we got home...ring once and hang up.
Couldn’t disagreed more.
I am surprised that the author compares mountain lions to jaguarondi.
The jaguarondi I have seen in the wild look to be 30-40 pounds.
The mountain lions I have seen are closer to 200 pounds.
I grew up around where she was attacked and know this country well. We never went up there without a sidearm, just common sense, but now things have changed. These cats are no longer afraid of humans like they were when they were hunted regularly. The whole area is now overrun with houses, condo’s, hiking trails and all the city people who come up to use the trails. The trails that are now full of all kinds of people, and there are fewer places where the cats can establish a territory not full of people. Add to that, the huge overpopulation of elk from RMNP that have to winter down in the foothills just concentrates the cats near the people. This is the way it will be now, so carry a sidearm when in the mountains. IMO
Carry a firearm.
Colonel Colt makes women the equal of men and beasts.
Or when going to the mall or getting groceries or checking the mail...
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