ParochialNimrod
Member
- Joined
- Feb 15, 2018
- Messages
- 19
I've visited this Basin at least once a year since 2009. I've traveled all of it. Not just the main lakes but bushwhacked the entire west end. Never once in all my years have I seen tracks or scat belonging to a cougar in there. So not buying that as the explanation for Garret Bardsley vanishing the way he did in the location he did. If there was an animal attack where was the blood and scene disturbed by an attack? There was a huge search conducted and all they ever found was his sock in a boulder field a 1/4 of a mile from the last place he was seen. No blood was found on that sock. Cougars don't untie shoes or take off socks.
First, I am not sure why you are so aggressive with me, I am just stating my opinion. It is an interesting subject and I have started to see how humans can come to wildly varying conclusions.
Second, I never see mountain lion scat even in areas where I had seen mountain lions over 20 times in a 2 year span (while running a train). I recreate in the same area when I was off work and never see any sign of mountain lions at all despite knowing they are EXTREMELY common in that location. I also never see blood from animals killing animals just about ever. I come across fur or bones sometimes. I once saw a mountain lion on Timp with a twitching deer in its jaws running across a steep slope and making giant, unbelievable leaps and bounds. We went to try and follow where it went a bit and there was no blood or trace of the lion.
I also spooked a lion on the rails one time and he had the Colorado river on his right and a 40 foot cliff on his left to escape. He chose bounding straight up the 40 foot cliff, he made it about 35 feet, then stalled out and fell back down and then took off behind the train. Even though he did not make it, it was seriously the most impressive display of power from another animal that I will probably ever see in my life. I am so glad that humans are not their favorite food, we would stand no chance!
I think other posters have basically said the same thing I am saying, but much more eloquently. I also believe that falling off a cliff is another strong explanation. There's been a lot of people that were lost for years that end up being located under a cliff, and a lot of times the location was within 1 or 2 miles of the epicenter of the search area.