An angry catcall from the hills

“Hunting Humans?” is archaic in thought and old in data. You should have stressed the work of the Mountain Lion Foundation and others in educating us how to live with our fellow creatures. Twenty verified attacks on humans since colonial times shows how little we have to fear from our last great predator.

Kenyon B. De Greene
Woodland Hills

Chow, chow, chow?

My wife, 4-year-old daughter and I were touring Moonridge Zoo in Big Bear, where two rescued mountain lions are in enclosures. The male lion ignored my wife and me but when he saw my red-haired daughter, TJ, he responded as if he’d heard a dinner bell. He paced, stared at her, licked his chops. Obviously, TJ was a desirable item on his menu. I’m no scientist, but it seems that this lion, and by extension all mountain lions, instinctively see vulnerable mammals as walking snacks. Since then, I’ve stayed close to TJ on hikes in the Santa Monicas. After this article, I’ll stay even closer.

Dexter Ford
Manhattan Beach

JUST BACK

On a warm afternoon, I made the 3-mile, 3,000-foot rocky ascent up Mt. Dana. The trailhead at the Tioga Pass entrance is deceptively flat but soon the ceaseless uphill trek begins. Atop the summit, my vista included Tuolumne Meadows, Mt. Whitney and, 6,500 feet below, the shimmering waters of Mono Lake. My legs ached for a week, but the memory will last forever.

Chris Ungar
Los Osos