Year before that one, a kid was hiking his deboned deer out on his back in the dark and a big male was sizing us up twice on a switchback right in front of us 50yds. If the kid was solo I know things would of been different.
THAT! That's the kinda shit that was going thru my head when I had to go back in and fetch my tent and shit with the bloodied up pack!
It was 7 of them I counted off down at the bottom of that Ravine the trail semi-circles the top of it.
Coming back thru there later that night on my way back down.. ooh man... you reach this spot where you gotta walk thru a small bit of reeds and mustard and ragweed and other things, two thick for it to trample from peoples feet enough. About shoulder, maybe even head height in some places, maybe 20 ft of it real thick where you can't really see something coming in at you, once you're in there you're blind, its just before you cross over where the water crosses over a cemented part of the trail to prevent the erosion. Usually where all the recreational hikers stop and hang out at, and then go back down. Often being idiots and lighting fires in the rocks there and cooking shit and leaving food liter and bottle litter behind.
I'll tell you what! I was checking behind my ass every 30seconds once I got back to that spot. Even back at the vehicle all by my lonesome, I was on edge. Knowing how damn easy it would be for one of them to mess around and decide to pounce outta nowhere on my worn-out ass after 20miles total in one day. (Up & Down, Back Up again & Down). I was whipped as hell, and I knew it. Whole time I was doing a spit-bath with my tap-water in the bed of my truck so I'd be up off the floor and harder to get to by surprise. Kept my BearSpray and .380 within arms reach while washing. Kept the .380 in my pocket til loaded everything up and ready to drive away. Wasn't about to let no damn cat catch me slippin' Jack!
That was a good thing you did, keeping on eye on that younger kid man.