1 But she was jogging.

@5) Most distressing is that they have not ruled out Sasquatch, Mars Invaders, or Elvis yet. It could be a conspiracy between the three of them!

@5: One assumes that would be one of the first things ascertained, but please feel free to extrapolate any doubt you have into a theory of nefarious intent.

@9: It's reasonable to assume that wildlife officials conduct thorough investigations. People drawn to those professions are typically passionate about their work.

Hike alone if that is what does it for you. Just know that there is danger. Risk in such situations is a personal decision. For many people, it is more than worth it.

@8,

Just please don't call the fucking police on him if he does.

Samantha Sayers, the woman who went missing near Vesper Peak in early August?
Never did find a trace of her after an exhaustive search. We do know that they left caches of food and survival gear out for her though and animals tore through those.
Back-country hikers may need to re-assess their risk factors vis-a-vis cougars.

The article I read in the paper today made it clear she was killed by the cougar. She was not already dead.

@3: Wrong. Bring a friend who runs slightly slower than you, and you'll be fine.

@14: I didn't hear about her. That's sad - Vesper is pretty well-travelled (I did it solo years back but I certainly wasn't alone).

Having done it, I'd suspect a fall before a cougar.

17- that's what I figured too, but they got on that search right away and were plenty diligent about it from what I read. Sure think there would just be a finite number of places to look for a fall victim but maybe not.

This is a terrible thing, but why kill a cougar for doing what comes naturasly. It is not gong to reduce the risk that another cougar will kill some one. There is no evidence that this voyager is likely to kill another human. Traveling in the wilderness has some risks, and this is one of them.