January 29, 2009

Mountain lions surprise visitors at Quicksilver Park

By Luke Cunningham
Times Intern

Most people wouldn’t think of the possibility of meeting dangerous animals just 12 miles from downtown San Jose, but in recent weeks, that’s exactly what happened. Three mountain lion sightings were reported in Almaden Quicksilver Park.

Brian O’Leary is an avid jogger and up to about a week ago used the Quicksilver trails to exercise. While on his usual jog, he spotted a mountain lion hovering around the Mocking Bird Lane entrance.

“It looked like it was either a female or a cub; it was much smaller than I had pictured they would be,” says O’Leary.

Returning to the park on Jan. 21, he was not prepared for a second encounter. While jogging, he noticed something dart across the path ahead, but did not get a clear look.

“It was a rainy day, so there was not another soul on the trails,” he said. “I continued up the trail because I wanted to see what exactly it was.”

He cautiously scanned the bushes and to his surprise, it was a mountain lion staring at him, within 2 miles of his last sighting. Only this time the lion was “much bigger and more like I had first imagined a mountain lion to be,” O’Leary said. “This one was probably a male.”

The United States Department of the Interior designated New Almaden a National Historic District 43 years ago. The Quicksilver mines became a powerhouse for the California Gold Rush, and even created more fortune than other mines throughout the state, according to the Internet.

Since the mining industry’s decline, the town’s turned into a mini ghost town. With the miners and residents disappearing, mountain lions began returning, back to their home. According to National Geographic, mountain lions usually survive in small numbers over a 30-square-mile area.

Being a regular jogger, O’Leary has read about what you’re supposed to do if encountering a mountain lion. He did not turn his back and run away because this would be a sign of fear and encourage the cat to hunt him. This time, the lion was on higher ground and only about 20 feet from him.

“It was just looking at me. It was too close for comfort,” he said. Deciding it was time to call it a day, O’Leary made himself look big and shouted with his arms in the air.

“When I spoke to the ranger [later] and said what I had seen and how I scared the lion away, he told me I did everything right.”

While it’s not going to scare O’Leary off, he’s decided to jog elsewhere for the time being. “Sure I’ll go back to jog there, but I’ll probably take a different trail for a little while.” Says O’Leary

A couple months ago, another San Jose hiker, who’s been enjoying the Quicksilver trails since 1982, had his own experience with a mountain lion. Darvis McCoy came across the lion not far into the trail at the Hacienda entrance. While hiking uphill, he heard a dog barking reminding him of his pig hunting trips. As he glanced up, he saw something down the trail jump into the bushes.

Not knowing for sure what it was, he decided to check it out. Taking a closer look, he noticed the lion starring at him. “I never thought I’d see one so close,” McCoy said.

As he was looking at the mountain lion, another hiker was coming down the trail with her kid, and the dog he had heard barking. He told them to stop because they were approaching the hiding lion. The lady told him that she had just seen a deer dart across her path, which is probably what the mountain lion was chasing. Making sure they could continue down the trail out of harm’s way, McCoy kept his eyes on the lion.

“I stared it down for about 10 minutes,” he said. “I was waiting in case someone came up with a camera, but all I had was my cell phone, so I tried to get the best picture I could.”

After getting a couple of phone pictures, he decided to scare the lion away so he could get back to his car. “I waved my arms in the air with my walking stick and yelled really loud, and the lion got spooked and ran away,” he said. “When I showed the picture to the park ranger, he told me that the lion was likely sizing me up,” to decide if it wanted to hunt me instead of the deer.