On a whirlwind adventure last spring I found myself deep in the Chihuahuan desert in southwestern Texas, at Davis Mountains State Park. Western Texas is full of little desert mountain ranges, and while yes, it was definitely desert, I was more than a little suprised to find an abudance of grasses covering the mountains. It even rained a little during my visit; not enough to do much more than wet the earth, but hey rain is rain in the arid southwest. The rolling mountains and little canyons boast a wide variety of wildlife, including a booming population of cougars to the point where you're warned not to hike alone. I didn't instead opting to stick to the roads and other people during my one-night visit to the park, but I couldn't help but wish I'd seen one of the elusive cats. Despite my years of travelling and years of working with them, I've never seen a cougar (puma, mountain lion, catamount, pather, etc.) in the wild. Perhaps someday I'll get lucky, but I know more than likely I'll get a glimpse of a dark tufted tail disappearing into the bushes and that'll be it. You never know!
Leave me a comment below and tell me if you've ever seen a cougar in the wild! I work with them, and I'm not sure I actually want to come face to face with one on the trail..
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