The author wrote "..the unthinkable happened." What a freaking idiot. If you hike in California, you EXPECT to encounter mountain lions. It is very "thinkable." The author probably lives in some urban liberal kook land where all you see are squirrels in the parks, pigeons on the eaves, and rats in the garbage cans.
Had one tree’d and darted a week or so ago in Carson City NV. And, a couple years ago in downtown Reno by the now closed Harrah’s casino outdoor stage.