Although I hiked, backpacked and camped quite a bit growing up (and somewhat still these days), I have not seen a bobcat in the wild very often. I once saw one flash across the road as I turned a corner on the winding road up to Henry W. Coe State Park with my kids. But just like that it was off the road and heading downhill, out of view. Another time I saw a bobcat from a distance, on patrol in a hilly area of Carmel Valley. I had to use binoculars to get a good look. Typically bobcats are (wisely) wary of people and will give them distance especially if people can be heard, seen or smelled.

That makes my experience in late January 2024 all the more special. I went for a decent hike at Foothills Nature Preserve in Palo Alto. My usual challenge hike there takes about 3 hours and covers a little over 7 miles and requires ~1,500 feet of elevation gain.

The Los Trancos trail goes through a variety of habitats from mossy moist forests to dryer hilltop areas. It also goes along the Los Trancos Creek – which can be a bit wild following winter rains. In the spring it is a good path for finding various types of wildflowers as well.

The trail goes away from the main part of the park, and goes along the creek for a while before winding back. On the way back there is a hilltop area with a bench and a scenic view of the hills and the bay.

I stopped at the bench to have a snack and catch my breath. I believe I was also listening to a podcast. All of a sudden I sensed a presence and so I pressed pause and looked around. Ahead on the trail I spotted an adult bobcat, peeking out from behind a small grassy hill. I think it was also looking around having sensed a presence. I looked at it for a bit. I could only see the shoulders and head, so I stood up to try and get a better look a the super sized small cat. As soon as I took a single step to get a better view, the bobcat slowly disappeared while keeping its eyes on me. It wasn’t worried or in any hurry – it just slowly slipped out of view and silently went about its day. The funny part was that it looked like it was taking an elevator down – it slowly and steadily went lower until it was gone.

Excited, I relayed the story to my coworker “B”. As is her generous nature, over the next several months “B” proceeded to curate and gift me several bobcat tee shirts to mark the occasion. She also gave me the moniker “Bobcat Matt”, or simply “Bobcat” – which lives on to this day. I still wear the shirts, too. If you hear her tell the story though, she claims I fought off a bobcat to save children from a burning building. ¯_(ツ)_/¯ Supposedly there is a comic book in the works too 🙂