Please be advised, on our way out from the hike we stumbled across large animal scat, the remains of a deer, and approximately 10 mins away from the vehicle, we heard a undeniable growl from a what we surmised as a large cat. Thank goodness we were heading out. Even though I knew how to handle a cat encounter, we were rattled pretty good. I notified the local ranger's office right away. I only had your contact info here at work and wanted to let you know first thing. I mention it since the proximity was so near to your community and since we noticed many signs of horse traffic along the trail. Aside from the near encounter with a lion, the hike was great.