I hike through my local park every morning on a trail that has signs posting "Warning! You may encounter a Mountain Lion on this trail. Please consider being accompanied by a friend for this hiking trail. If it poses a hazardous threat, raise your arms as high as you can while expressing a loud shout." Well, it read similarly in that context. I am only 5’6 and 140 lbs, so I don’t think I will be able to scare/intimidate a fully grown mountain lion. Usually, I hike by myself because I go hiking very early in the morning and I don’t really have any friends who work out.
So far, I am becoming very restrictive and avoid hiking now due to the sign. Now, I just want to face my fears. In case I encounter a fully grown Mountain Lion, what should I do? Should I just bring a Swiss Army or pocket knife as a tool for protection? My state is the most strictest when it comes to carrying firearms, so that option is out the window. Any advice is really well appreciated..
Keep in mind, that this trail is very rural, so it’s nearly impossible to spot a near hiker for help/assistance.
If you have the time, what about rattlesnakes? Do I just jump over them as they slither across the trail? Because I sprint this trail sometimes and their slithering across the track. I don’t know whether to jump over them or just stop and wait for them to clear the path.
On April 1, 1957 the British television programme Panorama broadcast a three-minute segment about a bumper spaghetti harvest in southern Switzerland. The success of the crop was attributed both to an unusually mild winter and to the virtual disappearance of the spaghetti weevil. The audience heard Richard Dimbleby, the shows highly respected anchor, discussing the details of the spaghetti crop as they watched video footage of a Swiss family pulling pasta off spaghetti trees and placing it into baskets. The segment concluded with the assurance that, For those who love this dish, theres nothing like real, home-grown spaghetti. The Swiss Spaghetti Harvest hoax generated an enormous response. Hundreds of people phoned the BBC wanting to know how they could grow their own spaghetti tree. To this query the BBC diplomatically replied, Place a sprig of spaghetti in a tin of tomato sauce and hope for the best. To this day the Panorama broadcast remains one of the most famous and popular April Fools Day hoaxes of all time. It is also believed to be the first time the medium of television was used to stage an April Fools Day hoax. Since 1955 Panorama had been anchored by Richard Dimbleby, whose authoritative, commanding presence had made him one of the most revered public figures in Britain. If Dimbleby said it, people trusted that it was true. Which is one of the reasons why the spaghetti harvest hoax fooled so many viewers. His participation lent the hoax an air of unimpeachable …