Beautiful spring weather has lured mountain bikers out to the popular Sandy Ridge Trail System at Mount Hood, but they’ve been sharing the space with some the mountain’s scariest predators.
Two cougar sightings were reported at Sandy Ridge last week, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife announced Saturday, though neither resulted in injury.
The first incident happened Wednesday, May 31, the wildlife department said in an announcement on Facebook, when a mountain biker reported a cougar briefly chasing them on the lower portion of the Hide and Seek Trail, a difficult bike trail that runs from the top to bottom of Sandy Ridge.
A second sighting was reported Friday, June 2, near the kiosk on the upper end of the Hide and Seek Trail. In that sighting, the cat did not act aggressively, but also did not leave the area immediately, the agency said.
In the replies to the agency’s Facebook post, a third mountain biker reported being chased by a cougar in the same area Friday. Another reported seeing a cougar at the nearby Faraday Dam outside Estacada.
Cougar sightings are uncommon but not unheard of on Mount Hood. Most sightings don’t result in injury to humans, but attacks do sometimes happen. In 2018, a hiker died after being attacked by a cougar on the Hunchback Trail in the Mount Hood National Forest – just a few miles from the mountain bike trails where the animals were spotted last week.
Anyone recreating in the area should stay aware of their surroundings, stay in groups, keep children close and leash dogs, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife said. Extra caution is warranted around dawn and dusk, when cougars are most active.
If you do encounter a cougar, don’t run. Instead, stay calm and keep your ground. Maintain firm eye contact with the animal, and back away slowly. If the animal seems aggressive, raise your arms, clap your hands and speak loudly. In the rare event of a cougar attacks, fight back with sticks rocks or anything else you have available.
— Jamie Hale
503-294-4077; jhale@oregonian.com; @HaleJamesB
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