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indifferentdespair t1_j83jvs4 wrote

From your question I'm assuming your prior forest wanderings haven't occurred in western Washington? With that I'd say they're very dangerous, but not because of the wildlife lol. There's literally 0 mountain lion fatalities in recorded history js... What you gotta watch out for is getting lost. Specifically the biggest things I've noticed in that regard are people underestimating how truly thick and dense the vegetation can be and how quick the weather can change into adverse conditions, I mean it's fairly common to go from blue skies, to dark and rainy, even hailing then back to blue several times within a single day lol. But again, and I can't stress it enough how deceptively easy it is to end up lost. I grew up here and have roamed the forests for decades and honestly it's spooky how truly easily and quickly even I can end up getting turned around if I'm not vigilant.

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carolinechickadee t1_j8503nx wrote

> There’s literally 0 mountain lion fatalities in recorded history

There have actually been two, including one in North Bend in 2018. Still, your probability of being attacked is vanishingly small.

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indifferentdespair t1_j852r12 wrote

I wasn't aware, my bad. Personally I'd say virtually non-existent... but tomato potato I suppose lol.

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Humble_Ladder t1_j83xuav wrote

Totally agree, and might add the risk of falling. Depending where someone is wandering, elevation change can be extreme. Bushwhacking in dense vegetation, it is possible to walk off a cliff or into a hole some places.

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indifferentdespair t1_j84huby wrote

I've ate shit stepping off the road into what I thought was a shallow ditch but ended up being closer to a ravine more times then I'd like to admit haha.

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indifferentdespair t1_j854byu wrote

I can't believe I forgot fuckin WIND!!! Honestly didn't even occur to me as it seems like such a no-brainer.. but if you don't know, even just mild gusts is sketchyyyy AF in heavily wooded areas. I suppose after that I'd say landslide/flood/washout but that's typical seasonal stuff

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