A close encounter of the lion kind

A West Glacier man had a recent encounter in Glacier National Park that was both chilling and exhilarating.

Weston Harries, 31, was hiking along a frozen creek around dusk on Dec. 15 when he faced off with a mountain lion.

“I stopped to listen and look around, and I heard a crunch in the snow behind me and to the left,” he said. “Then I saw a full-grown adult mountain lion moving through the thick trees at very close range.”

Harries said he stayed still and waited for the big cat to come to a small opening in the trees.

“That’s when it saw me and stopped,” Harries said. “We were both staring at each other in a standoff for about a minute before it decided to move on without any intent of aggression.”

Harries managed to snap a few photos of the mountain lion with his 100-to-400 millimeter lens.

“I was on the short end of the lens for that one,” he said. “It was definitely closer than you want to see a lion.”

Harries said that in years of hiking in Glacier Park, he has seen grizzlies and wolves but only one other mountain lion.

“But not one this close,” he said.

He said he had bear spray and a knife with him, and “was ready to defend myself,” but he cut his hike short and left for the day.