Conquering Fears

10/17/2014

One of my fears of trekking off into the wilderness with just me and the girls is the possibility of coming across a mountain lion or bear. It's always made me a bit uneasy being the only adult in the crowd to be able to handle such a serious situation. But I have come a long ways in conquering this fear, and we have been doing a lot of hiking just us girls, in addition to our adventures with my son and/or husband along.

So, I came face to face with my fear of mountain lions on this hike. I had a decision to make... to go or not to go. The girls had no hesitation, but I did. After all, I was the one responsible for our safety.

I decided it was time to proceed further with conquering my fears. This was the next level. So we went ahead and I kept an extra eye out all along the way. We didn't get as far as usual, because the terrain is quite rocky and much of the time the trail follows along a steep side that you do not want to fall off of, all of which makes it difficult to keep an eye out along the upper area for mountain lions prowling around while not stumbling. So I stopped frequently to scan the high ground and the trail behind (in case any were stalking).

The not-so-common picture of me, since I am the photographer.

Kootenai Canyon has a lot of rock!

The water is quite low this time of year, but still very pretty.

The path is quite rocky on many parts of this trail.

The end... until next time.

Two weeks ago, we came out to Kootenai Creek for a quick 2-hour hike after running errands in town. In addition to the special notice on the trail head sign, the sign below was also posted right next to the beginning of the trail to make sure hikers don't miss it. This sighting was only 8 days before we came.

As you can see, we did live to tell about it. :) Thankfully, we didn't see any sign of them, although my son always says they are around all the time, we just don't see them. We have seen their tracks in the past, seen hunters come out with them, and hear of others seeing them from time to time. In fact, shortly after moving out here, my husband's nephew saw three of them in the parking lot of this very same trail head. Of course, you know that went through my mind when I saw that sign!

This is prime mountain lion territory.

Gotta watch your step along here.

The stream is passable now, but not in the spring.

A common view on both sides of the canyon.

Hope you enjoyed coming along on our hike. Please leave a comment below, as I enjoy reading them. :)

--Nikki / myMountainStudio

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11 Comments

anna garner link

10/18/2014 02:09:44 am

Enjoyed the trek, although those slick rocks would be my doom. ;)

Nikki - myMountainStudio link

10/21/2014 05:01:09 am

Thanks, Anna. It's all in finding the proper gear. I've finally found some great hiking shoes with fabulous tread. Much better than tennis shoes, and better than all of my previous hiking shoes. Now I can traverse rocks with much more ease and less slippage. :) They also have a toe wrap so I don't hurt my toes when I hit the rocks (which happens if I don't watch the trail enough).

Ewenique link

10/18/2014 12:04:12 pm

Beautiful photos, as always. I'm not an experienced hiker and that trail looks like it would be quite rocky and difficult for me to navigate, especially while trying to watch out for mountain lions! Glad you enjoyed the hike and had the opportunity to overcome your fear.

10/21/2014 05:08:50 am

Thanks, Debbie. The rockiness of trails varies out here, and this one is moderate in this section. It does get less rocky in parts, especially further in when it opens up more and you're not so close to the canyon walls. My son has the amazing ability to be able to walk along a rocky trail while looking around, but I do have to watch the trail much more closely when it gets rocky so I don't stumble. :)

Natalie link

10/18/2014 03:21:42 pm

Thanks again for sharing these wonderful pictures. Oh how I miss hiking. So glad to know that you overcome your fear.

10/21/2014 05:18:39 am

Thanks, Natalie. Boy, if I couldn't hike, I'd sure miss it, too! We are definitely blessed to live where we do with abundant hiking opportunities all around. Yes, overcoming fears is important to not let them keep us from missing out on opportunities. It is important to evaluate the risk of things and reduce the likelihood of harm to a reasonable degree, but we can't go about our life trying to protect ourselves from everything. It is a matter of judging what the risk really is, and whether or not we are prepared to deal with it if it happens. I always go into the mountains with a firearm and bear spray for protection, so I am prepared. I just prefer to have another adult along, but that limits the amount we can go because of schedules. So by conquering these fears, the girls and I are able to get out hiking in the mountains more often, as we can sometimes squeeze shorter hikes in on errands days. :)

10/21/2014 05:21:30 am

Typo correction: should say "errand days", not "errands days". :)

Pamela

10/19/2014 04:52:34 am

The hike looks great - sure illustrates why we call them "the Rockies". I've never seen a mountain lion although folks have right in my area. I think you're smart to look up and behind in lion country. Also, try to be aware of which way you are walking relative to wind direction.

10/21/2014 05:29:28 am

Thanks, Pamela. Yes, the Rockies consist of many mountain ranges within its range, and the Bitterroot Mountain Range is very rocky indeed. We have the Sapphire Mountain Range on the other side of the valley, and it is less rocky and consists of more rounded mountains instead of the rocky cliffs of the Bitterroots. We have a lot of variety to choose from. :) As to mountain lions, they also come down into the city and to the valley at times. Missoula has had them wander down to the bus stops and back yards in the outer lying areas of the mountain foothills. One year one got a two year old boy playing in his back yard. One of our rural neighbors spotted one out near his horses the day before this hike. We walk up past their place and beyond almost daily. So they are around much of the time. We just aren't always quite as aware of it.

Catherine - Shadow Dog Designs link

10/21/2014 10:15:10 am

We have mountain lions in our mountains, as well, so even though I don't really fear them, I do keep an eye out when hiking. They mainly come down towards town during long months of no rain, searching for water. Have seen several local photos of mountain lions drinking out of swimming pools! While I don't want to come upon one unexpectedly (or wish that on anyone else) I'm thrilled to know they are out there. Be prepared and keep enjoying your hikes.

10/23/2014 04:09:01 am

Hi Catherine... thanks for stopping by to read my story and leave a comment. While the mountain lions around here don't usually bother adults, they have been known to attack children and animals. Since I have children with me (and my youngest is still on the smaller side), I am a bit more on the wary side. Because of this, I do try to keep everyone closer together as a group and not spread out too much. Mountain lions prefer to attack stragglers, not large groups. I do love the wildlife and would like to see the mountain lions at a safe distance when other adults are along, though. :) Thanks for sharing your story of where you live. Would not like the idea of them coming to drink out of pools, though. They are taken very seriously around here, since they have killed children. You keep safe and enjoy your hikes, too. And do share some of your hiking adventures in the comments on mine. I'd like to hear them. :)

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Conquering Fears

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