This popular Whatcom County trail is still off-limits because of cougar interaction
You’re out of luck if you’re hoping to hike the Baker Lake Trail and camp nearby this Memorial Day weekend.
The trail and campsites on the east side of Baker Lake were still closed as of Friday, May 28, over concerns about a cougar’s reaction to people over a two-week span.
The area is in the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, in Whatcom County.
The popular low-elevation trail has been closed since last weekend, and the Washington State Department of Fish & Wildlife is still assessing the situation.
“There is a chance that it may open sometime soon, but most likely after the weekend,” said Colton Whitworth, a U.S. Forest Service spokesman.
Officials took the precaution after getting reports of a cougar’s “minimal response” in breaking off its interactions despite hikers shouting and waving their arms to “discourage the cougar from remaining in the area,” U.S. Forest Service said in a previous Bellingham Herald article.
Such encounters may occur because a juvenile cougar is curious, a cougar has stashed its kill nearby, or a cougar is an area with her young, officials said.
Few people will see a cougar, much less confront one, they said.
If you do, you should:
▪ Stop and stand tall, such as on a rock or a stump. Pick up small children. Don’t run or move quickly, both of which could trigger a cougar’s instinct to chase. Do not crouch or try to hide.
▪ Try to appear larger than the cougar. If you’re wearing a jacket, hold it open. In a group? Stand shoulder-to-shoulder to look intimidating.
▪ Face the animal and talk to it firmly while backing away, slowly. Leave an escape route for the cougar. Don’t turn your back to it. Be assertive until it leaves.
▪ If it shows signs of aggression — crouching with its ears back, teeth bared, hissing, tail twitching, and hind feet pumping as it prepares to jump — shout, wave your arms, throw rocks, a water bottle or anything else that you have available.
▪ If the cougar attacks, fight back aggressively. You can pepper spray its face.
This story was originally published May 28, 2021 at 5:04 PM.
