If you hike long enough in the Trinity Alps or anywhere else in the mountains of Northern California, you’ll see a black bear. In my several dozen backpacking trips and day hikes in the Trinity Alps, I’ve probably seen a black bear about a third of the time, always with no problems. In this post, […]
Attacked by a Mountain Lion, Saved by a Bear?
A Paradise, California man claims he was attacked by a mountain lion and saved by a mother bear, and that he played patty-cake with the bear’s cub on an earlier occasion. Robert Biggs Claims a Mountain Lion Attack… The story about Robert Biggs, age 69, broke in Tuesday’s Paradise Post piece: He wrestled with the […]
Single Gray Wolf OR7 Crosses Into California from Oregon
Biologists confirmed that a single gray wolf crossed into California’s Siskiyou County from Oregon, the first confirmed wolf presence in the state since the last known wolf was killed in Lassen County in 1924. There have been unconfirmed reports of wolves in California’s Modoc County. Here are details from the California Department of Fish and […]
When Deer Run from Bears and Mountain Lions…
If you’re out hiking, and you see deer running fast, could they be running from a bear or a mountain lion? Mountain Lions and Bears on Shasta-Trinity National Forest I’ve seen several bears this summer, most recently near Chipmunk Lake below the Pacific Crest Trail in Shasta-Trinity National Forest where I hiked from my nearby […]
On Listening to Birds at Dawn
With the longer days of late spring, I’ve been taking dawn walks down to the shore of Lake Shastina with my morning coffee. Recently, as I stood watching the lake, the birds, and the mountains, I was struck by all the different wildlife I could hear at one time: Canada goose Mallard Gull Redwing blackbird […]
Mountain Lions Together — Cougar Meetup
This trail cam photo of eight mountain lions — also called cougars or pumas — gathered in the night comes courtesy of Randy, a hunter in Douglas County, Washington, who had set up the camera on private land with permission of the owner. Two or More Mountain Lions Together Seeing more than two or three […]
Wolves Spotted in Modoc County’s Warner Mountains?
The Warner Mountains and the Surprise Valley are one of my favorite hidden gems of far northern California. Hike 46, “Patterson Lake and Squaw Peak,” in my 100 Classic Hikes in Northern California explores the high reaches of the South Warner Mountains and is one of my all-time favorite hiking trails. Wolves in California’s Modoc […]
In Remembrance of My Golden Retriever Molly, 1996-2010
My sweet golden retriever Molly passed away recently at the age of 14 after a brief decline. I really miss her. Molly was born on the north shore of Kauai in 1996 and spent her first two years there. I taught her to swim in the Kilauea River, and she quickly graduated to fetching sticks […]
How to Survive a Bear Attack
Northern California outdoors photographer Ken DeCamp pointed me to this hilarious video about how to survive a bear attack. Enjoy! And read this about how Ken survived a black bear attack in the Trinity Alps.
Keep Your Dog from Freaking Out on Fourth of July
Many dogs totally freak when they hear fireworks. (My golden Molly is mostly deaf now, and we live in a rural area with little of the explosiveness of most locations in America today, so it’s not a major concern for me now, but it has been in the past when she was younger and we […]
Should You Run From a Mountain Lion?
Many hikers are justifiably concerned about encountering a mountain lion on or near the trail. Accepted wisdom says you should stand your ground and appear threatening to the mountain lion. But a new study from UC Davis (Go Aggies!) researchers says you may be better off to turn tail and run like hell. Hiker – […]
Ano Nuevo State Natural Reserve
Ano Nuevo State Natural Reserve is a treasure for its Northern Elephant Seals and its hiking trails. I’ve had Dave Miller’s exquisite Bay Area Outdoors blog in my RSS feed for several months, and I love his well-written descriptions of his Bay Area travels. But I’m absolutely crazy for the many, many exquisite photos he […]
Dog Saves Girl from Coyote Attack
We rarely hear about coyotes attacking humans, but one recently attacked a young girl. Luckily, her dog saved her. Regular readers of the Northern California Hiking Trails blog know that I love dogs and spend a lot of time outdoors with my golden retriever Molly. Dog Saves Girl from Coyote Attack I just read about […]
Japanese Monkeys in a Hot Spring: You Gotta See This!
Northern California hikers and travelers know that our part of the world has a lot of hot springs, some we hike to and some we drive to. Well, Japan also has some great hot springs, and it also has Japanese snow monkeys that love nothing better than to stave off the winter chill by soaking […]
“Li’l” Little Smokey the Bear
I wrote about our pal Little Smokey the Bear last month. He’s the cub who was injured in the wildfires on the Shasta-Trinity National Forest last summer and has been in rehab under the loving attention of Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care. Well, good things are still happening for the now not-so-little guy: Li’l Smokey is […]
Outside Magazine’s New Dog Blog
Regular readers of the Northern California Hiking Trails blog know that I regularly take my olden golden retriever Molly with me on my walks and hikes. I’ve just discovered that Outside, the premier mag for outdoors adventures, is starting a new dog blog. Here’s the “scoop”: We’re getting ready to launch the new Outside dog […]
Cows Attack Hikers!
I’ve hiked around cows my entire life, and there’s been several times when cattle have been aggressive toward me. Cows attack hikers? It definitely happens, as you’ll read below and especially in the comments. Many of the stories are from trails around the Bay Area in California. When Cows Attack Hikers Tom Mangan of the […]
Little Smokey the Bear: Improving from 2008 Wildfire Injuries
Little Smokey is a bear who was rescued from the devastating wildfires that ravaged the Shasta-Trinity National Forest last summer. He’s improving and plans are underway for his release back into the wilderness: Lil’ Smokey was found by a firefighter in the Shasta trinity national forest with burns on his paws and ears. Amazingly, he […]
Coyote Playing on a Tee Area at the Lake Shastina Golf Resort
Yesterday morning around sunrise I looked out my office window. In the foggy mist I saw an animal on the Lake Shastina Golf Course just 200 feet from my house. At first I thought it was a dog out for a walk with its owner. But then I pulled out the binoculars for a closer […]
Mountain Lion Killed After Threatening Hiker and Dog
The incident occurred in the Santa Rita Mountains south of Tucson, a place I’ve hiked before when I had two golden retrievers, the often-mentioned Molly (still with us) and the rambunctious and super-friendly Hana, now in doggy heaven. Details of the mountain lion/hiker confrontation: The hiker was walking with his dog on a trail Saturday […]
Deer Attacks a Dog and its Owner
Something for trail enthusiasts who hike with dogs to think about: deer attacking your pooch, and perhaps you. A doe attacked a poodle in Montana: “I see this big ’ol doe that’s ramming him into the ground,” Lince recalled. Lince kicked at the deer’s hind legs to try to get the animal off her dog. […]
Bigfoot in British Columbia, and Hiking in Northern California?
Found this article about Bigfoot footprints and sightings in British Columbia. Seems local British Columbia Bigfoot hunter Larry Sommerfield made a cast of a footprint with four toes that’s 16 inches long and 10.5 inches wide. He says he’s also seen footprints with three and five toes. He says he also had a scat sample […]
Mountain Lions and Northern California Hikers: What to Do
I’ve done a lot of hiking on the trails of Northern California, but I’ve only rarely seen a mountain lion. Hiker interactions with mountain lions are rare. but you need to know what to do. Mountain Lions and Hikers: Northern California I’ve done a lot of hiking in Northern California, nearly all of it in […]
When Hikers and Backpackers Meet Horses on the Trail
Horses and their riders always have the right of way, so step to the side of the path and let them pass. Speak softly to the riders to let the horses know that you are human and no threat. And keep your dogs under firm hand control; this keeps both the horses and your pets […]
