Gabe Yanez, an experienced hiker, was jogging the Suycott Valley Trail in Mission Trails Regional Park just before 7 p.m. two Thursdays ago when he spotted a mountain lion in the brush about 5 feet off the trail.
“Freaked the heck out of me,” Yanez said. “I thought this was the end of me.”
Yanez immediately put his arms up and roared at the animal.
“Waving, yelling, screaming at it. At one point, it showed its teeth, and I ended up showing my teeth,” Yanez said as the mountain lion kept low, ready to pounce, while he maintained eye contact with it.
The standoff lasted several minutes.
“Once it backed off enough, I started to move off to the side, and it was moving side to side with me, hiding behind bushes,” Yanez said.
The encounter marked one of several sightings in the park over the last 5 weeks.
Park Ranger Christian Navarro said Yanez handled the situation correctly. “Gabe sounds like he did exactly what he should have done, stood his ground,” Navarro said.
Navarro said there have been several mountain lion sightings in the park since late June.
Navarro believes it’s the same mountain lion. “They are usually solitary animals. Their range is large,” he said.
Navarro said the mountain lion is believed to be a juvenile.
After months of camera tracking by Point Loma Nazarene students researching mammals in the park, Mission Trails Park Ranger Steve Blankenship said the group finally photographed the mountain lion.
“It was great to finally see one after many months of camera-tracking here in the park,” Blankenship told the outlet. “This is a big open space. You know, thousands of acres. This is where mountain lions want to live. A mountain lion really proves that this habitat is intact.”
Mission Trails Park Ranger Monica Demetry said, “This is its playground and hunting ground,” adding that they are taking this opportunity to educate visitors.
“This is definitely a rarity. I’ve worked here for a few years now, and this is the first sighting that we’ve had,” Demetry said.
The encounter was reported around 6:50 p.m. on Thursday, July 23.
Cameras monitored by Point Loma Nazarene University student researchers picked up the rare image on Thursday, July 23, prompting the city to alert the community.
Warning signs were placed around Mission Trails Regional Park on Wednesday after several people reported seeing a mountain lion in the area, according to the city of San Diego.
The city warned hikers to stay alert, do not approach the mountain lion if you see one, and call 911 in case of an immediate threat.
The post cautioned hikers to be aware of their surroundings, and to not wear headphones that would impair hearing.
In the viral moment that sparked widespread concern, Yanez stepped out onto the Suycott Valley Trail in the central part of Mission Trails Regional Park—a sprawling regional park where mountain lions are native.
Several hours into his jog, he spotted the big cat crouched in the brush about 5 feet off the trail.
He said the mountain lion kept low, ready to pounce, as he maintained eye contact with it.
After a several-minutes-long standoff, the mountain lion backed off slightly.
Yanez said he is sharing his story to raise awareness for other park visitors who may cross the animal’s path.
The Point Loma Nazarene camera capture had been the only mountain lion sighting from that team’s observations this year.