37: Cougar Country

Santa Ysabel Open Space Preserve, Ramona, California


R A M O N A,  C A

Using sketchy internet from the crappy motel I stayed in last night in the Borrego Springs, I find that Granny’s Kitchen in Julian opens at 5:00 a.m.  I leave the California desert in the depths of darkness, after a minimal night’s sleep in a bed as old as I, and arrive at Granny’s just as a touch of morning glow begins brightening the sky.  I fuel up with a fresh pastry, a banana, and a fine cup of Joe then continue westward to the Santa Ysabel Open Space Preserve – a beautiful mountainside property which The Nature Conservancy (TNC) helped preserve.  When I arrive, I find a locked gate, which of course, I hop.  But the kiosk stops my progress.  Sternly displayed are warnings about mountain lions and rattlesnakes, both of which thrive in the environment I’m about to explore.  The cougar warnings are especially stern.  Don’t Hike Alone is recommendation number one on the kiosk. 

With no hiking partner, my options for this four mile hike are limited.  The compromise is to at least wait until the gate is unlocked at 8:00 – the regular opening time for this preserve.  This will also get me another hour away from nighttime – the preferred hunting hours for mountain lions.  Alone walking in sunlight is a lot safer than alone walking at dawn.  I hop the gate and retreat back to my Jeep.  When the gate gets unlocked, I roll the dice again and set out. 

The terrain is very Appalachian-like – steep, rolling hills carved by erosion and mountain streams.  But what’s missing is the oppressive flora; this truly is open space.  The trail though, at times, meanders under and through isolated thickets - ideal for ambushings.  My mountain lion awareness spikes in these areas, but otherwise, the open spaces are joyously pleasant on this beautiful, sunny morning.   

I huff up and over several ridges for an hour into increasingly pristine open space.  The trail comes to the Santa Ysabel Creek at the bottom of a steep ravine.  I cross here on a double-thick 2” x 6” plank that bends and creaks slightly halfway across.  I continue up the other side of the ravine for a hundred yards and find a spot to soak in the wonderful view.   The ravine and stream glow spectacularly in the mid-morning light.  I could probably find a similar scene in some of the balder terrains of southwest Virginia, but it wouldn’t have the same sense of accomplishment that comes with a trip across the country and a stroll through cougar territory.  This roll of the dice and the open space it led me to will be one fine quality addition to my lifetime’s collection of great TNC places visited. 

LEARN MORE ABOUT TNC'S WORK AT SANTA YSABEL HERE.

Location: Santa Ysabel Open Space Preserve, Ramona, CA

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