I got a nice surprise on Monday when I was able to join my friend Scott, in town on business, for an impromptu lunchtime run. We were short on time so I decided a quick run along the shoreline starting from the zoo would be our best option. After reaching one of the upper trails above This Is The Place park I noticed a streak moving down the hill in front of us. We both stopped in our tracks, jaws on the ground and watched as a bobcat bound through the grass about 50 meters in front of us. It was truly amazing. Turns out it was the first time either one of us had seen one outside the zoo and it was right there on trails we run all the time.
Of course this led to a discussion about the other cat we have yet to see in the wild, the holy grail of animal sightings, the mountain lion. The bobcat hunts squirrels, rabbits, birds and the occasional small deer while the mountain lion tends to go after bigger prey. Now, as far as I know humans have yet to be attacked by a mountain lion along the Wasatch Front (at least in recent times) but we all know they are out there silently watching us. I still hope to eventually see a mountain lion, I just hope it's from a comfortable distance...
