While we were on our 4 day back country trek through Yosemite National Park, we stopped to refill our water bottles in clear, cold, bubbling stream. Mr Derrane saw something moving through the trees that he said looked like a deer. Matt I., Decker, Fitz, and I climbed up a hill to investigate. To our surprise, we saw a mountain lion at the base of a rocky outcropping. The mountain lion began to walk away when Matt I. snapped a picture.

I liked this part of the trip because it is quite rare to see a mountain lion. Our guide, several other visitors and some trail workers all said "You will see a park ranger and probably a bear on your trek, but never a mountain lion". Mountain lion sightings occur only a few times per year. When we returned to the group, everyone else was amazed, especially Mr. Derrane!