I ran into two cougars up the canyon on the Lyre.

I was walking up that logging rod several years ago, to go up into the canyon on the Lyre. It was early morning and just getting light. About 1/2 to 3/4 mile up the road, I startled two animals(that I couldn't see) that must have been sleeping in the ditch of the logging road. One ran a ways into the brush, the other just a little ways. Thinking they were deer, I crouched down to peer into the brush. I could see a shape that slowly came into focus. What came into focus first was a huge cat's head.

I immeadiately stood up and shouted. The cougar ran ahead on the road and stopped about 50 yards away, and stood sideways to me, and just stared. At this time I was wondering what the other Cougar was doing (that I couldn't see) I didn't have a gun, but had a fillet knife that I took out of my fanny pack. I figured with as loud as I just shouted, and the cougar had only run just a short ways, that there might be trouble. I started walking towards the Cat yelling, and when I was about 30 yards from it, it jumped in to the brush and dissapeared.

It must have been a young cougar? But the whole experience was very unnerving.

I did still go fishing though, and got into a few fish.