Rex Trulove
The tops of the mountains in the center of this image are covered with clouds, but they hold a special meaning to me. That is the Seven Lakes Wilderness. I hiked in there a number of times to camp and relax. Right after high school graduation, in fact, I went camping there; just me and my dog, Zipper. It was there that I had a very close encounter with a cougar, which walked between me and my fire, about 8 feet away. I had to hold on to Zipper, so I couldn’t have prevented a mountain lion attack, but the cat wasn’t concerned in the slightest and walked on through.
Cougars don’t like fire and they don’t like people, so I have no explanation as to why the cat walked between me in my sleeping bag and my fire. I guess it perceived no danger and walked on down to the lake to drink. The name of the lake, by the way, was Puck Lake, nestled down in a small caldera in that wilderness.
That is a brief but scenic overview of Wood River Valley.
