The Rest of the Big Bend - Mountian Lion Story

It started behind a very wide load, then a herd of “trail
ridin” horses (why were they on the road and not on the trail??) After those
strange things slowing us down on our 8 hour drive, the weekend was certain to
be nice. We drove from home in Austin to Big Bend National Park (which is not
in the USA, but a country all by itself, it seems to my little girl). Jamie is
backpacking with the troop guys in preparation for a Philmont Trek this summer.
This is a big check out hike. As in check-out-to-see-if-you-are-ready. Hubby
and Joey each stepped out of this hike because of feet problems (Joey with a
broken toe & Hubby with a nerve problem) I thought they were pretty smart
guys for pulling themselves out, quite proud actually.
Before they pulled out, I had already schemed that the girls
and I would go to Big Bend, too. A kind of parallel play, if you will. Visiting
Big Bend has been on my Texas bucket list. So we continued with our plan – a
family campout in the same relative location as the Boy Scouts. The same, but different. We had a scout duty
though…we were delivering water to their midway cache point on the trails for
pick-up in the backcountry. I like having a purpose, as if camping, hiking and
seeing the sights weren’t enough!
Joey wasn’t as excited as I was. Hubby was tolerant and “ok”
with the idea. But the girls, they were as excited as I was. Joey’s mantra the
whole way down was “can we go home now”. He finally silenced this mantra along
the road but wouldn’t you know, as soon as we pay the Park entry fee … “can we
go home, now?” pipes up from the backseat.
We arrive in Big Bend with plenty of time to pitch tents.
BUT the WIND and the COLD. Oh my. Such is camping. The WIND. (and I thought to
myself, at least it’s not raining, too afraid to say this out loud!) We pitch
tents, and Hubby looks at me. We opt to eat supper at the Chisos Basin Lodge.
There was no way our stove would have stayed lit much less cooked anything in
that cold wind. (“can we go home now?”) Nope, if Jamie is out in this, we can
eat at the lodge and just go straight to our sleeping bags. The wind tossed and
rocked us all night long. You could hear it roar down into the basin from the
steep rock outcroppings around the edge. As the roar came closer I would brace
and feel the tent rise off the ground, ever so slightly. I admit to myself, ok,
if this keeps it up I may bail on the idea of staying around.
Sunday morning we rig a wind break and get huddle behind it
to eat our cold bagels then off we go to face the day (moving is definitely
warmer!) We check out the Chisos Basin Visitors Center – they have a huge
display on Mountain Lions complete with a video on what to do when you
encounter one. We look at the map with the stickers of sightings/dates/times. There
is one report not on the map, one from employees just a day or two previously,
a lion ran through the breezeway between the lodge restaurant and the
restrooms. Right here in “civilization”. We remind the kids that this is the
lions’ home. We are the visitors. As we leave, the girls pause to collect and stuff
rocks into their pockets. Off we go, task to be done…we deliver the water jugs
down the hill at Homer Wilson Ranch (note: there is no ranch there, just an old
building, ghost town like) that’s 18 gallons of water down a hill to a bear box
(yes, I read up on those bears, too) The ranch is tucked into a ravine it is
very prairie like, we enjoy walking in the creek bed, noting the rocky unstable
footing (as I think of my 14 year old with his 30 lb pack)Very big… We load up
and head to the Vista of Solona –
beautiful. Oh, and cell service!
We drive back into the basin (a mere 45 minute drive)
Everything out in Big Bend is Big… mainly the time it takes to travel around
the park. I click pictures – of brown rocks, and more brown rocks, Joey points
out. Alina has the appropriate responses down pat… “cool” “wow” “where”. Anna enjoys the freedom. We buy more stakes and tarps for a wind break
around the picnic table. This is getting expensive. We decide to take a hike
down Window Trail… just at the base of the campground destination is a V
formation in the Basin. I can’t wait. At the head of the trail, the kids
discuss the Lion & Bear precautions. They start yelling and discussing their rock
collection. We pass a stinky skunk smell. I am wary of skunks, too!! We
reiterate, girls cannot go ahead or behind us big folks. Of course, they are
bouncy, we’re all happy to be out and moving.
We settle into our walk, getting warm we start to shed hats, gloves,
etc. We settle into our family procession, Hubby in the front, Joey with him,
Alina and Anna tucked in the middle, I’m in the back. Every once and awhile,
they toss a rock for good measure (the mom says, “stop throwing rocks”). We’re
happily chatting while Anna hands me her bright pink hat, which nicely
complements her purple sweatshirt… in stride, I pull my camelback off to deposit
the hat. Joey stops in his track, points up the hillside and says “Lion” the
look on his face is serious, I know he’s telling the truth. Hubby steps back
one step to look up the same break in the trees. “It is!” I briefly think,
“wow, what are the odds?? I wonder if I can get a pic before it runs off”. Then they start yelling, waving and clapping
at it. Throw a rock or two, yell some more… and then urgency is there. I can
tell it’s coming down the hillside towards us. I see movement through the bare
shrubs and trees. Anna grabs my leg, I’m still holding my camelback and start
yelling, too. Next thing I know, there is a big cat jumping out at me, I see a
crouch and a jump from about 6 feet away, right out of the brush. Ears back,
mouth open, claws out. No sound. LEAP “Go AWAY” I thrust the bag forward (like
you would to shoo away an Indian street dog). IT BITES and GRABS my bag.
Whoosh. Rips it from my hands. I wheel around to see it disappear across the
trail into the brown brush. Hubby & Joey are right by my side. Anna and
Alina are whimpering and squealing. Anna is climbing up my back. I grab the girls.
Hubby and Joey keep throwing rocks. “No” I think,” don’t follow it into the
brush!” My hands sting, I think my
finger is cut, but no, just stings. No marks. Then a man is appearing from
further down the trail. “Are you ok? I heard you yell LION” “It was a lion, it
took my pack!” Turns out, he heard it tearing through the brush past him, down
the trial. Les is still peering into the brush and strategically throwing a
rock or two. The man says he is a National Park Volunteer. We did the right
thing. Anna is still shaking in my arms. Alina’s still whimpering. He’s going
up immediately to report it. HA! I’m not hanging out here. “What was in the
bag?” “a couple of sealed bags of trail mix, head lamps, water, handkerchief,
and my WALLET.” Let’s stay together. A mere ½ mile from the campground. We all
head back up the trail. I’m still
carrying Anna, Joey hauls her for a while then gives her back. Hubby keeps
scanning the brush. (I think about the bits from the Bible where God says I do
not feel the burden of your weight, I notice that Anna is so light, even uphill…
maybe my breathing does not reflect that HA!) Oh wait, I didn’t get a photo.
What was in your wallet?? Just a debit
card and my driver’s license. Alina worries about the license. No big deal,
it’s all replaceable. “Don’t worry, I doubt the lion will make any charges.”
We meet a lady waiting for her husband. Shaken, we let her
know the lion just stole our pack. Hope he comes out soon! The volunteer says
he will hike up to the Visitor’s center. We excitedly tell the campground
hosts. Get in the van to drive up the hill. As we leave we see a family new to
the campground. (I’ve noticed that there haven’t been many children – mostly
older couples and younger couples, how cute) We drive back and warn them. There
is a lion, put bright clothes on your kids and keep them in hands reach.
Disbelief looks back at us. (I know, it sounds unreal) Really, it ripped my
pack out of my hands. The man expresses appreciation for the warning.
At the visitor’s center, the same ranger/volunteer is on
duty from when we were there earlier, she recognizes us. We tell her we just
had our bag stolen by a mountain lion. There’s that little glint of “what are
you saying??” in her eye. Hubby, Joey and I all burst into descriptions &
actions. She retrieves a Ranger who listens to our story. I still don’t really
realize that the lion was going after Anna. Joey and Hubby’s perspective was
better than mine. Alina says she was frozen. Where are your rocks? “still in my
pocket.” Joey chides her for freezing in his line of fire. I didn’t see it
until it leapt out from behind the brush…mainly teeth and claws, and a shoulder
as “he” went by. We complete an “official” report. We thank the volunteer for
being there, we huddle over the map to pinpoint the spot of the “encounter”
(I’m still not thinking it was really an attack). Ranger says that the cat
probably dropped the camelback based on the size we reported. He’s guessing
it’s a juvenile who is being pushed away from his mom, out on its own and not
doing well. The drought has taken its toll on prey. “What was in the bag??” “ Where did it
happen??” We point on the map. Joey says he can show him. I’m antsy. Les says
he’ll take the girls and check us into the Lodge. Joey and I accompany the
Ranger to the trail. We pass the other families’ site, I mention the little
kids (one the same size as Anna and one smaller, in camouflage) to the ranger. The camp host meets us and is in the process
of caution-taping off the trial head. We head down the trail. We discuss the
skunk smell. Yes, it was there when we first went by. Did the lion smell??Now
that you mention it, I noticed a whiff of musk as he ran off, I thought he
expressed as he leapt. Turns out that lions who are having trouble hunting, get
desperate and hunt skunks. Oh great.
We’re on the trail, moving faster than we had the first time
down. I reflect on the experiences on the trail as a runner. How these trails would
be fun to run, but dumb to run based on the wildlife. (Joey notices the ranger
look at me like I’m nuts!) We reflect on
our reactions, the speed of the cat. STOP. I put my hand on the Ranger’s arm.
STOP LION. There is an adult – bigger than our “encounter lion” crossing the
trail. Ranger and Joey are quiet. I’m thinking we need to throw a rock but not
sure about crouching to pick one up. Ranger pulls out his camera. Asks if it is
the same lion. NO! This one is BIGGER. The big cat glances at us and keeps
meandering up the hill away and parallel to us. Definitely not impressed by our
presence. It continued through the woods, parallel to the trail. The Ranger
walks back on the trail and snaps a picture. Joey and I stand and watch as the
lion continues to simply meander away from us. WOW. The ranger says it’s
impressive that we see not one but 2 lions on our visit, very rare. Gee great.
“Can we go home NOW??” (Thanks, Joey)We continue to walk the opposite
direction, continuing to our rendezvous point with lion #1. What do we see
ahead of us, the other family, with the two little kids in tow, in camouflage.
WHAT!? The ranger questions me, am I sure that is the same family we had
warned… YES! He immediately informs them of the danger. I reiterate the kids
need to stay close, these cats move fast. The wife pokes the husband in the
back with that look of “I told you this was a bad idea” the husband responds,
“we looked for your pack, didn’t find it”. Oh my. I reach out on take the mom
by the arm…Keep your kids safe, I tell her. Just now at the .3 mile marker.
We continue on down the trail. I’m glad Joey is with us, I
didn’t recognize the place in the trail until he stopped. I turned to look into
the brush where the lion disappeared with the blue camelback. Yep, this was
where we were. This is where it
disappeared. We toss rocks into the brush and listen. No sounds. Maybe a bird
or two, in the distance. Joey and I exchange that we are glad the ranger has a
side arm. We toss more rocks, then push into the brush. No pack. We go down the
trail a bit to the dry creek bed. Joey and I stay close to each other. From the
other side of the brush, Ranger calls out, “what color blue?” Joey and I notice
a whole lot of scat on the creek bed. This is eerie. Its big scat, I think,
surely not lion. I’m peering in to the brush thinking like my pets, they hid
their trash and treasures under places in behind the bed or in their crate.
Under the brush, I spy the blue camel back. It looks darker in color than I
remember. We call to the Ranger, he comes to our side of the brush. Who’s going
to crawl in there? “Well”, I say,” you have the gun and this mom is not letting
her son go in there, so I’ll go.” We all throw more rocks, no sounds. Break a
few crisp limbs, crawl in on all fours. (what AM I doing??) It’s fairly open
under there, a nice little place to hide. He mentions taking pics of tracks. I
see scuffle marks and mention them, we switch places. Now, Joey and I are
watching the man with the side arm crawl into the brush. There we stand in the
dry creek bed with our rocks. The little
headlamp, tossed along side the pack, glows on. Ironic. The torn and shredded
pack is literally soaking wet. The water bladder punctured. Handkerchief is
wet. It’s all wet. I sniff it, nope, it didn’t pee on it. Dig in and find the
wallet. At least the wallet has no big holes. The other head lamp is still
zippered in the bag but punctured and busted. As we walk out, I ask about the
scat… Ranger informs us that it’s mostly old, mostly bear. Except one big one, that appears to be lion. It’s old, too. Oh
good. We walk out. It seems to take a shorter time than I remember. Hubby meets
us at the trail head in the van. We’re all checked in at the lodge. Stuff has
been moved from the tents to the room. And I think about how welcoming a shower
will be, and eating in the restaurant. Hubby dutifully takes a pic of me holding the
camelback before we happily give it to the Ranger. “The biologist will be here
in the morning to study all of this”. I think, you can just have the bag. I
have the handkerchief (really a block print napkin from a set we bought in
India), Nalgene bottle and wallet,
that’s all I want. That’s it. I hug Hubby and am so grateful that it is “over”.
“Can we go home now?”, pipes Joey from the backseat.
We enjoy a meal in the lodge restaurant. (Now, this is
really getting expensive) we share our jokes, Anna is now called Kitty Bait.
Alina is Freeze Frame. Turns out we had left rocks at our table just last
night. The waitress remembers our rock at our table and is amazed that we are
the “camelback family”. Word travels fast. What memories. Gee thanks. We see
the other family eating in the lodge. They have the room next to ours. She was
planning to stay in the lodge regardless, now they were planning to keep the
kids in the lodge vs the tent. Hubby, Joey and I recount the experience, what
ifs…. We are thankful it didn’t go further than the camel back. It’s Super Bowl
Sunday. I really didn’t remember that detail. How surreal all of this is. Anna asks to go to
the bathroom. REALLY. I think about the report that didn’t get a sticker on the
Lion Map. I have her crawl up on my back recalling the sighting in the breeze-way
a mere couple of days prior. There is a lady in the bathroom that recognizes
us. We talk about the experience. Anna crawls back on my back. Her color is
finally coming back. The girls and I discuss souvenirs. We keep joking and
reliving the memory. They always say to give the attacker your wallet. I
declared it a win over the lion, Joey disagrees. I lost my camelback, which
happens to actually belong to Jamie (oops). We talk about the trek and hope
they are on track. The other family leaves, our check arrives. We pay. Heading
out the door we are stopped, a small group of people come rushing in… “don’t
take your kids out, a boy just got attacked by a mountain lion. There is blood
on the sidewalk.” Anna goes pale, Alina whimpers and tears well up in her eyes.
“Let’s go buy your treasures” Anything to get their mind off of it, or at least
a distraction.
Hubby goes into protector mode again and is thinking. I am
thankful. He and Joey go for the van to come pick us up. They return out of
breath. Oops, keys are in my pocket. They bring the van to the door. We make
our purchase. It’s a full moon. We scurry into the room, clutching the
girls. At the room, there are lights
next door. I ask the security dude hanging out by the other family’s brightly
lit room, about the boy. He mentions that they are patching him up the best
they could but will transport him to the hospital… he needs stiches and but the
dad stabbed the lion with a pocket knife and it ran off. Although, he added, “I’m not supposed to say
that”. People are walking around with flashlights and sticks. Our what-ifs
start again. Scenarios run through our head. Group hug. Hubby says he and Joey
went for the van, knives drawn. Hubby and I talk about the scouts out on the
trail. Showers bed. Anna started on the floor between the beds, ended up in the
bed. Tossing all night. I don’t think I slept much either. Sunlight peeks throw
that inevitable crack in the hotel curtains. I’m wide awake.
I see rangers & trucks outside. Our friend the Ranger is
pulling away. Dogs are baying on the hillside. I wave down a bunch of other
rangers and identify myself as the “camelback lady” with a vested interest. We
have a scout group scheduled to hike back into the Basin tomorrow. Are they
safe where they are? Yes, but they do not need to hike back into the Basin.
Hubby and I decide we need to stop them at the water cache to fill them in
& stop them from hiking in the last day, they can camp there and leave from
there. Hubby talks to the rangers some more. They used our bag for the scent
dogs. Joey discusses the armory in some of the ranger’s trucks. Rangers have
shut down all the trails. We head out to the water cache to leave a note,
trying not to make the note too alarming.
Then we continue our family vacation by heading to Conosolon past Homer
Wilson Ranch site. We call other scout leaders in Austin to fill them in, just
in case the news hit Austin. We have a plan and everyone is ok. I take more
pictures – more brown rocks. We drive along with a little more silence. I thank
Hubby for nothing/everything, he understands. We smile. The sun is out, sky
clearing, the wind has stopped and it is warmer. Joey stops asking “can we go
home now” we have to get everyone safe. We picnic and act like tourists. Talk
to the ranger in the visitor’s center. She confirms the lion has “not been
apprehended”. It’s ironic to talk to the rangers. They hold their cards tight
until they know you know … we tell her we were the camelback family and we’re
trying to keep our scouts safe. She makes another call, gives us a little more
information. As we leave, another tourist family literally waves us down in the
parking lot, asking if we are the camel back family that we were famous. (It’s
not like this was rush hour in Big Bend… we only saw 3 groups of people in this
shop/visitor’s center while we picnicked) Odd feeling.
On the way back, thinking it will be time the scouts should
be arriving at the water cache. We hit the hill with cell coverage and
beepbeepbeep in come the text messages. “Requesting pick up at the trail head
of Dodson Trail…” it goes on. I automatically respond, “on the way”. We
pullover at the Dodson Trail trailhead. Re-read the message. Check the map.
WAIT – they are a day behind! They are at the “other” trail head at the dirt
road (that the key says this “road” is for high clearance vehicles only) at the
Juniper Canyon Trail. I call dispatch (thanks to the lady ranger in Consolon)
and confirm, “no, a minivan cannot be driven on that road”. We do not know of a
medical emergency so they can’t go in. Have the group hike towards you. I
check. The dirt road is 6 miles to the next dirt road ON THE OTHER SIDE of the
park. Did I mention Big Bend is BIG?? We text for confirmation, no
response. Ugh. We head back to the
Basin, it feels like a really long time. These roads are so long and desolate. Ring,
the phone rings, HA! It’s the car garage where Joey’s mustang is being repaired…
we pull over to talk in the middle of the desert. How surreal. Almost a
parallel world. At the Basin, we stop at the visitor’s center (we’re friends
now) explain our situation and flat out ask for a ride in another ranger’s
truck. He makes a few calls and agrees to shuttle Les in/scouts out but we need
our own vehicle at the main road. Rangers say we will be safe in the campsite,
the lion was tracked to the hillsides. Girls and I hang out at camp. I am very
thankful for the sunshine and the lack of cold wind. The girls are scolded for
hopping from rock to rock, “stop acting like deer – that’s prey to the lions!” They
are now both wearing red. (I wonder, do cats see in color?? It’s gotta be
better than camouflage!) The nice camp hosts stop by to visit. Turns out the
adult lion Joey, Ranger and I saw it the day before on the trail had meandered
through camp just after we saw it. Right down the road past our tent. Nice. A
couple of other campers drop by and chat. It’s a small world now. The girls and I eat. 3 hours later – it’s
twilight… Les and Joey return with 4 scouts and the truck keys from a hiking
dad. Grabbing some snack food to go, they take the truck to retrieve the other
scouts and adults in the backcountry. The scouts are thrilled to see the water
spigot and bathroom. They set up tents on our campsite and in the next campsite (I had warned the host
that we had scouts invading for the night) and on our spot. Jamie gives me a
big hug and warns, “I stink”. The boys have heard about the lions. We reiterate
that they must stay close together. No. I mean closer, arms reach. It’s fun to
hear happy boys in camp. They had been slowed by a scout who forgot his orthotics
a home, he was in pain and was reduced to a hobble by the third day. Yes, they
were slow. They recounted their experiences. Hike up to Perry’s Peak, who
stayed behind from Perry’s peak. Which trail foods were better. The Outer Rim
was great. Yes, there were very behind schedule. Oh, one of the adults hiked on
down Dodson Trail. WHAT??? WHY??? WHEN?? The scouts thought it was to get help
but he had waited until we had responded that we were on his way. WHAT? I tell
the scouts the Homer Wilson Ranch was a ghost ranch, an empty shell. He was an experienced hiker, I was certain he
would be ok, afterall the lions were with us in the basin. (Thrills) We change
the subject…their first night on the trail was not as windy nor as cold as ours,
they camped on the “calm side” of the mountain, in the protection of trees. I
send the boys on to their tents after they ate their hot trail meals. It’s a
full moon. Thank goodness. We see a fox. 3 hours after that, Hubby arrives with
2 adults and 2 scouts. 11PM. They decide to go find the other leader as he was
actually expecting the scouts to be shuttled to the Homer Wilson site to
complete the hike into the basin. He had no idea how long it would take to
shuttle scouts around BIG Bend.(did I happen to mention how BIG it was??) Based
on when he left them (3-ish) and the distance of the Dodson trail, we figured
he could have gotten close by the time it was dark. The guys go to find him. I
shoo the scouts to their sleeping bags. And listen, with my hiking stick and
rocks in hand. I scare away a skunk. The
men arrive at 1AM. No other leader. They yelled & whistled. (scouts pointed
out that you should never yell, it might wake up the bears & lions) no
other leader. Turns out, the scouts say, he sleep s with an ipod playing.
WHAT?? I hope this time he didn’t. Surely he’s fine and just bedded down when
it got dark.
In the morning, the men head out again, Jamie goes with
them. I had to get him away from the family food! I simply didn’t have enough
to feed all of the scouts. The boys eat, play cards, they are happy. I tell
them to break camp as we will be leaving as soon as the men return. We briefly
discuss a few “what-if” they can’t find him. They will, I reply. Our family
camp supplies are now strewn all over 2 sights after the unloading for the
shuttling. All the sudden I am behind on the packing. The girls get my favorite
camp breakfast, egg in a bag.
The guys find him. He had bedded down when he could no
longer see the trail markings. Eager to leave… the scouts bug out. We finally
get our van repacked after it seemed to have spewed the gear. We rangers drive
by to check on us, still no lion. We stop by to say good-bye to our friends at
the Visitor’s Center. They say they have finished with our camelback...we could
stop at Panther Junction to collect it. Nice. We do, people there know us as
the camelback family, again. “What made you use the bag to fend off the lion??” I reply, “There was no fending – he just
simply took it & ran.” We figure the scoops of rocks Les picked-up and
chunked at the lion helped send it to my left and not in between us, to my
right. It all just happened so fast. The ranger with my bag pops his truck tail
gate down to use it as a table as he trims pieces off for DNA
testing/confirmation “when” they get the lion. (I thought it was ironic that he
asked permission to do that, OF COURSE, keep it if you need to) There lies half
of a frozen coyote in his truck bed. Funny, no one in our family flinches. They
will use it as bait in the traps. Thank you. Off we go. Next stop, the fossil exhibit, nice place for a
picnic. More rangers are gathered, having a little orientation meeting, I
recognize the ranger from yesterday from Consolaons. I really appreciated her
writing down the Park Dispatch number! She
recognizes us and we share the camelback with her. She identifies us to the
other rangers, they all know of us, nervous laugh, we all shake our heads in
disbelief …. they leave, another older
couple leaves then we have the whole place to ourselves. It’s big out there.
Surreal. Birds, bugs, no mammals. ( I think to myself, none that we see,
anyway. What is watching us??) Is anyone else noticing the sparse scrub? It is
misleadingly secure to think you can see “all around you”. We spy a big raven
catching a snake on the edge of the lookout. Wildlife everywhere!
Good Bye Big Bend…. Good memories??? Not sure, but we sure
are thankful!!! I know God put that pink hat in my hand to put in the
camelback/pack.

As we head home, we get cell signal, call scout leaders,
call folks to contact families, we are heading home early, after all. My sister-in-law
actually finds information on the bitten child – turns out he is from the same
school district as us. Stiches, infection, we count our blessings and hug our
Kitty Bait. We are the “other family” mentioned in the news articles… attacked
that weekend, we “fending of the attack with a backpack”. We remain relatively
anonymous. That’s ok.


Big Bend Mountain Lion update: received an email from the
nice Chisos Camp host... very ill juvenile lion was caught on 2/10 (Friday
after we left) So ill, he was put down by a vet on the following Monday. They
are waiting DNA testing to confirm this was indeed the problem lion. They also
trapped (and released) a large healthy lion (out for a free meal in a metal
box). There have been no other lion sightings since 2/5. Trails are open with
new warnings: advising against taking kids on the basin trails. Yeah, Anna is
still referred to as Kitty Bait, occasionally.