We were sure it was a mountain lion, an animal that is on the increase in this area. When we heard it a few minutes later, much closer, we were doubly sure. Although we never saw it, a third howl was so close that it raised the hairs on my neck, and put Ellie into race mode on her bike. Unfortunately, the trail still tilted upward for a quarter mile before a two mile descent. Just before we reached the summit we heard another sickening howl and saw the brush moving just downslope from us.
Adrenaline is such a powerful fuel.
We were a mile away before we dared to slow down and look behind us. Ellie will remember this day. June 17 Park City, UT Patti and Denise got off early, and Sam is flying somewhere for Delta. So the five kids and I had a huge breakfast. Between working on the bike and organizing our gear, we enjoyed the perfect, high-altitude Rocky Mountain weather.