Random PCT musings - The Night Watch

Late evening in the southern California hills, just a couple of miles from Barrel Springs. Drop the packs, cook up, eat up and crash cowboy style! Me and my PCT compadre for the last few days, Matt from Arkansas, found a sweet grassy patch in a drainage just uphill from the trail. Nice and comfy in my down quilt I settle in for the night, looking up at the stars before my eyes become heavy and I drift off.

Then, "GROWL!" I sit up. "Yo Matt, what was that?". He's like, "What?". "Didn't you hear that, somewhere to our left?". "Nope.."

"Never mind". I lay down again, a bit more aware of my surroundings now. Some minutes pass. And then, "GROWL!" This time, right behind us! I try to get Matt's attention but he's pretty much passed out. A couple of minutes later, there's another growl to our right!

Ok, back then I had never heard a real live bobcat or mountain lion growl before. And, right there and then, I was clueless as to which it was. A bobcat with a sore throat? Or, a mountain lion with a girly growl? Mmmm. Thinking back now, and having listened to some audio with hiker buddies, I'd have to say it was a bobcat. No offence to the bobcat with the whole girly growl statement.. Still, it was clearly aggressive and a pretty scary sound at that!

That fateful night, the night that ultimately led to my trail name (we'll get to that in a second), I finally got Matt's attention. How? I threw him with a rock. "Wake up dude! Do you hear that?". The cat growled again. For the first time he acknowledged hearing the growl. "This thing is circling us, man!", I say. "Maybe we're close to it's den or something". Matt's response? "Well, guess I'm sleeping with my knife in my hand tonight". And with those words he dozed off again.


Me? I didn't doze off. Frankly, I didn't sleep much at all. With my headlamp on and my mini Victorinox knife in my hand, sitting up every now and then to stare into the brush, I spent the rest of the night listening to a pissed of cat growling in the background. Hence, the name Night Watch...

Proud PCT thru-hiker
The Night Watch


PS - Bobcats kick ass!