LOL! When confronted by a mountain lion while mountain biking, you stop, get off your bike and raise it above your head. While doing this, you make low, loud yells. This supposedly makes you look too big for the lion and not afraid of him, so the lion "should" back off. As I said, I have heard of when it worked and when it didn't. I heard about one guy who tried to outrun one on his bike and the lion was on him before he could even get started. They tell you to never turn your back on the lion. Now, if you are hiking, I am pretty sure you try to get a big stick and wave it above your head, yell and pray (unofficially, I think a person would pee their pants as well). My sister lived in the mountains at about 9000 ft elevation. They had a big dog pen and of course it had to have a roof on it, or you just pretty much have a nice appetizer for the lions.
The most exotic animal I ever saw out there was a bobcat. It was in Estes Park on a private outdoor shooting range, no less! It was beautiful.
maybe i'll stay in the car if a mountain lion comes; or maybe i'll stay in the hotel.
i'm amazed the bike-thing ever worked at all. maybe the lion wasn't hungry. from what i have read about them, you don't really know they're around until they attack, and they attack by jumping at your neck from behind. in that situation, i suspect by the time you lifted up the bike and made the noises, you would have been dead for several minutes.
it reminds me of the nuclear bomb drills that we had in NY public schools in the 1950's. the teacher had you get under the desk, and turn away from the window (so you wouldn't be hurt by the broken glass, caused by the bomb exploding.) unfortunately, this was in Queens, NY. so if a missile hit manhattan, you would be dead long before you got under the desk. i guess it made us all feel safer, though. maybe if a mountain lion attacks, we could hide under the desk.