Apex Predator: Stalked by a Wild Beast

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0:56It is late morning, April 30, 1998. About 40 minutes southwest of Denver, Colorado, a short hop off the I-25, lies the Roxburgh State Park. In this 3 ,000-acre national landmark, the clear spring sun rests lightly upon forests of ponderosa pine and Douglas fir, mixed together with great swathes of prairie land and show-stopping stripes of orange sandstone. These giant, distinctive rock formations jut into the skyline. It's hot for April, 27 degrees, though small snowdrifts still litter the hillsides in this place of extremes, where the summer sun scorches into the high thirties, and in winter, night-time temperatures regularly dip below minus 20.

1:45Today there is little wind and not a cloud in the sky. Halfway up the park's highest point, Carpenter Peak, the air is dominated by birdsong. The descending trill of canyon wrens and the rhythmic chirping of white-throated swifts make the trees and bushes pulsate with a constant, lively thrum. High above, golden eagles wheel and cry. There isn't a person in sight. Here, in this vast and protected wilderness, the world seems at peace. And then suddenly, silence. The birdsong falters as if in anticipation, an eerie warning of the strange and terrible thing making its way down the mountain. Quiet at first, but getting louder, snarling, screaming, violence hurtles down the trail.

2:42As it barrels into view, it's hard to make out exactly what this awful creature might be. Half human, half beast, covered in fur and dripping blood, this tornado of teeth and claws careers down the rocky slope. Saplings snap in two with a force of impact as the creature tumbles through the brush. Eventually, the catawallin creature slams into a thicket large enough to halt its progress, and for the first time it's possible to make out two figures locked in a deadly embrace. One of them is 24-year-old Andy Peterson. You could feel the claws come out. You could hear the popping sounds, pop, pop, pop on each side of my neck.

3:23They were inside my neck pulling me down. Andy is fighting for his life. Minutes ago, this avid hiker was enjoying the downhill return of his favorite trail. Now, he is in a death grip. His flesh punctured and lacerated, blood cascading down over his eyes, blinding him. And his world is darkening. The bottom jaw was on the top of my forehead. The top of the jaw was on the back part of my head. And I realized, oh my gosh, it's got me. It's got me. That was it. I'm not going to get out of this thing.

4:09Ever wondered what you would do when disaster strikes? If your life depended on your next decision, could you make the right choice? Welcome to Real Survival Stories. These are the astonishing tales of ordinary people thrown into extraordinary situations. People suddenly forced to fight for their lives. In this episode, we meet 24-year-old park ranger Andy Peterson. On April the 30th, 1998, Andy wakes up late. He decides to put off his list of chores and instead head to his favorite national park for an invigorating hike. It's a decision that will change his life forever. On his way back down the trail, having enjoyed panoramic views of Carpenter's Peak, Andy is stalked and then attacked by an apex predator that seems intent on ending his life.

4:58I was on my knees looking right into this mouth. You can see the four dominant teeth. It just smells like rotting flesh. The putrid remains of this beast's recent kill serve as a horrifying preview of what Andy now seems to be becoming. Its next meal. I got the claws in my neck, and it's pulling me down like this vice grip, just grinding, grinding, grinding. I can't move my arms. I can't move my legs. I got a waterfall of blood in front of me. All I know is I got to get out of here. I'm John Hopkins. From the Noiser Podcast Network, this is Real Survival Stories.

6:01It's April 30, 1998. In an untidy bedroom on the outskirts of Denver, Colorado, light is streaming through a crack in a badly drawn curtain. A groggy Andy Peterson stretches and yawns, rolls over to check the time and sighs. He's overslept. Not that he is late for anything in particular. It's his day off. But he's got a long list of jobs to do. And now he's starting on the back foot. I woke up late that day on my day off and I said, oh man, I got so much to do. I got errands in town to get done. I got groceries to get. I got laundry to do. You know, just all kinds of stuff. And I went, yeah, who cares?

6:46Let's go on the hike. Recently, Andy has been working as a park ranger in the nearby city of Lakewood. But his heart lies in another park a little further south. In downtown Denver, one of the main state parks is Chatfield State Park. There's hot air balloons, there's horse stables, there's mountain bikes. Everywhere you looked, there was action going on. Well, 15 miles south of that was a quiet little state park named Roxborough State Park. In Roxborough State Park, Andy has found his own slice of paradise. Expansive and simple, it has four main trails, one of which takes the intrepid hiker straight up the highest point, the so-called Carpenter Peak Trail.

7:31The one that I loved the most was the almost four-mile trail to the very top of the mountains. It was about a thousand-foot incline. The routes can be punishing for the unseasoned walker, but the precipitous nature of the climb has its rewards. Sitting up on top, you know, you have this breathtaking view of just incredible scenery. and this became kind of my go-to hike, my time out, my get away from everything, get away from the noise, the work, the people, just time out. Andy rolls out of bed, throws a few essentials into a backpack and jumps in the car. It isn't a long drive and the day is still young by the time he reaches the park.

8:15He leaves his car by the visitor's center, steps out and breathes in the refreshing, clean air of nature.

8:29He stands at the foot of the Carpenter Peak Trail, with the glorious spring sunshine warming the surrounding wilderness. Grasslands fan out on all sides, with a gentle incline up ahead, growing to steeper, rocky slopes sprinkled with trees higher above. The stage is set for another of Andy's great escapes, a peaceful sanctuary from the pace of life. As he begins the hike, he checks the whiteboard by the visitor's centre where walkers record animal sightings A black bear has been spotted with her cubs not far along the trail near this very spot Apart from that, the board hasn't changed much since the last time Andy came There are foxes, deer, a few eagles and in faded marker pen from about a year ago a mountain lion Andy heads up the trail He is travelling light, with just snacks, a bottle of water and a Leatherman-style penknife in his small backpack He's done this route so many times, any more than that would be overkill As his boots crunch rhythmically up the dry mud path, Andy seems lost in his own world He passes another man walking alone, but he barely lifts his head in acknowledgement Despite the thinness of the path and the tightness of the brush on either side forcing the hikers to sidle past each other at close quarters, Andy is not interested in connecting.

9:57As he continues up the trail, the sun grows warmer and sweat beads on his brow, but he doesn't break stride. A spring breeze provides pleasant respite, and before long, the summit is in his sights. As he is about to crest the peak, he passes four women making their way down, and just as with the male hiker he passed earlier, he doesn't even look up. The only thing I thought of was me, me, me, me, me. I want to get to the top. I want to sit on my favorite spot, my favorite rock. I don't want anybody sitting there. I don't need to speak to anybody. I don't want to talk to anybody. Just my spot. When he reaches the top, Andy has Carpenter's Peak all to himself.

10:39He looks out over the foothills, all the way to Red Rock Amphitheater, the famous music venue, and on to Boulder and Rocky Mountain National Park. He turns his head east to take in the endless plagues, while behind him, Pikes Peak and the rest of their 14ers, Colorado's sequence of 14 ,000-foot Rocky Mountains, stretches out in all their snow-capped majesty. Andy sips his water. This is what he came for. Not community, not connection, just him and the view. Not for the first time, Andy Peterson is putting himself first.

11:25Growing up, Andy lived in the tiny farm town of Hutchinson, Minnesota, with a population of 15 ,000, where everybody knew everybody. But this simple life was complicated at an early age. His parents split up when Andy was in kindergarten And both had remarried by the time he was in fourth grade Andy went from having one home and one sister To suddenly inheriting five stepbrothers across two homes He had to quickly learn how to navigate the duality that comes with divorce So yeah, in third grade art class I'm watching all these kids in my class making one craft Well, that's great, but do I give that one to mom or do I give it to dad?

12:12Can I make two? And the teacher's failing you because you're not making it as pretty as the person next to you. But, hey, I'm going twice as fast to try to make two things to give, you know, who do I give it to? So as a kid, one weekend you're at dad's house and there's a set of rules. And the next weekend I'm at my mom's house and there's a whole set of rules. Without the safety of one single place to call home, Andy began to harden, to detach from his emotions. In his large, blended family, there was often friction, and money was regularly tight. By the time Andy reached fifth grade, he was searching for a sense of self and validation outside of the family home.

12:55It led to experimentation and rebellion. My first cigarettes was in fifth grade. I bought them off my brother for a dime a piece. My first marijuana, my first joint was in seventh grade. And my first hallucinogen, my first hardcore drug was 11th grade. I really quickly started living on the fast lane and parties. I didn't want to go home as much as I could be away from home, partying with friends, I did that. And so I just found myself searching. As soon as he finished high school, Andy left town. He drove west into the mountains with a paper map and no idea where he was going. From Minnesota, he traveled west to Montana, camping out in national parks, living off-grid with little to no contact with family or friends.

13:48Nobody knew where he was or where he was going. Neither, really, did Andy. For the first time in his life, he was totally alone and totally free. He traveled down through Wyoming and Arizona to the Grand Canyon and Rocky State National Park, all the time soaking in the peace and quiet. After partying with a friend in Colorado, Andy was running short on cash. With a car in need of an oil change and a body in need of a hot shower, he headed for home. But after returning to Minnesota, it didn't take long for things to sour. Andy got a job in a lumber mill and resumed the constant battles with his parents.

14:28One day, on his break at work, he had an epiphany. And I just sat there and went, I gotta get out of here. There's nothing here for me. I'm fighting with the family. I don't want to do this. And so I said, I'm just going to head back to Colorado where my buddy is and see what life throws at me, you know? The trouble was, Andy didn't have any money. But he knew someone who did. I went to my grandma's house and I played the old little sorry grandchild type, Hey grandma, I'm moving to Colorado. I don't have any money. Can I get just a little bit of money? And she didn't even hesitate. This sweet lady turns around and she writes a check out.

15:09I have no idea how much for her. She writes a check, holds it in half, hands it to me. and I wish I could have paused a little longer to truly thank her just for her love and support. So she gives me, you know, the check. I put it in my wallet, give her a hug, and she's like, come back and visit Grandma, you know? And I'm just like, yeah, okay, got what I wanted. I'm out. It wasn't until Andy stopped at a gas station en route to Colorado and thought to look at the check that he discovered quite how generous his grandma had been. and I'm sitting there staring at this piece of paper in my hand and at 20 years old with no goals, no nothing lined up, I'm staring at a check for$10 ,000.

15:53I've never seen that much money in my life. And I just got excited. I called my buddy from the pay phone. I said, party's on me. I'm almost there, you know. Let's go party up.

16:07True to his word, Andy and his friend spent his first night in Colorado partying in Denver into the small hours After a long and heavy night, Andy got into an altercation outside a nightclub It led to his friend being tackled to the ground His head was split open on the pavement

16:27With a body full of drugs and alcohol and a passenger covered in blood from a freely weeping gash in his head and he tried to drive to the hospital. No clue where I'm going. And I just start driving around trying to find the hospital. He's trying to tell me where to go, but he can't really see. And all of a sudden we get onto this road and normally you've got sidewalks and a middle line and all of a sudden this road gets more narrow and narrow and the sidewalks get taller and taller and the dotted line disappears. and it does like this U shape. And at the end of this U shape down there, all of a sudden I see this food truck, box truck looking vehicle and it's coming towards us.

17:13And I realized there's not a whole lot of room for this guy to get by me. Now we're driving towards each other and we come nose to nose about a couple feet away from a head-on collision. And I realize it is I that is going the wrong way on an off-ramp. I'm going the wrong way on the big interstate highway. Cars are going 70, 80 miles an hour on this thing. We could have easily had a head-on collision with, of all things, an ambulance. The ambulance into which the two inebriated men almost collided took the friend to hospital. And he drove home.

17:54His next few months continued in much the same vein. He followed the party from Colorado to California and Vegas, only to return to his new home in Denver to find a file of unpaid bills and a letter from his bank bearing two terrifying words, insufficient funds. In just three months, he had frittered away his grandmother's$10 ,000. Andy got jobs and lost jobs. He was fired from a gig in a shipping warehouse and from another on a construction site. Then he remembered that his parents had always said they'd give him money if he went to university. So he sent his mother lists of books and classes he wanted to attend, and she sent checks.

18:38Money that, suffice to say, Andy didn't spend on studying. But this was just another short-term financial fix. Something a little steadier was required. Then he stumbled across a new professional possibility One that held a greater appeal than anything he'd previously tried Becoming a park ranger I didn't want to sit in front of a computer all day I'm more active, I want to be outside Park ranger Camping, boating, fishing, hiking Oh yeah, that's more my style Awesome, awesome And so Andy reached an equilibrium of sorts still partying regularly, but also working at something that he did actually, in his own private way, enjoy.

19:23And every week, without fail, he would head up to his favorite spot in Roxburgh State Park to get some space, to be alone, and to escape reality for a little while.

19:37Right now, sat atop Carpenter's Peak, the reality is that the weather is beginning to turn. The wind is stirring into life, and clouds are forming overhead. I kind of look around like, all right, I can get out of here. You know, the wind's picking up. Still had three and a half miles to get down. So I turn around and I start walking down this trail. Andy finishes the orange he brought as a snack, takes a few more gulps of water, and he gets on his way. He hasn't gone far back downhill, when suddenly, he stops in his tracks. Two vivid purple and white flowers dangle alluringly just off the path.

20:19It's a surprise to see them there. The area surrounding the path is arid and trampled. Andy takes a moment, considering these intricate and beautiful splashes of color on a backdrop of greens and browns. He takes a deep breath, drinking in the natural splendor. He goes to continue, when a faint noise makes him turn. and I look down further on the trail, and I hear the snap sounds. And underneath this little pine tree, sure enough, I see this big brown fur sitting under this pine tree where the noise is coming from. And I know what a German shepherd dog is. I know what a fox is. I know what a coyote is.

21:03And I'm looking at this, and I go, this is a mountain lion. This is a mountain lion. Andy stands stock still. There is nobody else around. There is just him, and a few feet off the trail in the shade of a pine tree, there is a mountain lion. An immensely powerful predator, rarely seen, but deeply feared. There is just one thing playing in Andy's favor. Right now, the beast is distracted by an early lunch. Its powerful jaws tear the flesh and crack and crunch through the bones of a recently mauled mule deer. It looks up briefly, scanning the horizon before returning to its meal. Careful not to make any sudden movements, and he turns his head to look left, down the mountain, at the visitor's center way below.

22:00He can see the parking lot where he left his car, but if he's going to get down there, he's going to have to walk right past the mountain lion. It hasn't looked up at Andy. Not yet, anyway. I know at any moment this lion, their senses are far better than mine. This mountain lion's just going to look right at me, and it's game on. Trembling, Andy tries very slowly and very carefully to remove the penknife from his pack. Without taking his eyes off the mountain lion, he gently unfolds all of the tools from their slot. I folded out the screwdriver part of the knife, and I realized all these knives are just poking all out of this knife set now.

22:46and if I fall on this thing, there's two, three knives at the bottom, I'm just going to stab myself in my gut. I start fighting with this lion and I fall on this, it's just going to stab myself. So I start folding all these blades in to make a makeshift type weapon of just the big blade and I fold in the screwdriver part in the middle of the blade and it slipped at the end and slammed back into the case of the knife and kind of did this little echo across the mountain. The pen knife's click reverberates across the slopes. It seems an impossibly loud noise to emanate from such a small object. Andy sharply inhales.

23:26And just for a second, his eyes dart down, away from the lion and towards the tool in his hand. Glanced at the knife that made that little clap-type noise as the blade went back in. And I looked back at the lion. Gone. The lion's gone. I didn't even see it move. They're so fast. They're like stealth. They're so fast, so quick, so elusive. And I look and I'm like, where'd he go? Where'd he go? Where'd he go? And I look further down this trail and I did a U-shape. And at the corner of the tree, sure enough, there's that lion staring right outside the brush, staring right at me. Andy is looking the lion dead in the eyes.

24:09Its mouth is hanging open, revealing four predominant teeth. Long, sharp canines that seem to jut out of its mouth with exaggerated menace. And on its head, the lion has pulled its ears back flat against the skull. Which means only one thing. It's getting ready to pounce. I'm staring at this lion realizing, Please, somebody come up this mountain because this is getting dangerous real quick. Please, somebody come up here because now the fight is on.

24:48It's the 30th of April, 1998, and near the top of the highest peak in Roxburgh State Park, a 24-year-old man is locked in a staring competition with one of nature's most effective killing machines. up to 200 pounds of pure muscle, and eight feet from nose to tail, the Colorado mountain lion has a record-breaking leap of 20 feet straight up, or 40 feet horizontally. For context, that's like performing a slam dunk in a professional basketball hoop that is stacked on top of another professional basketball hoop. A 40-foot horizontal jump would clear nearly half the court. Also known as cougars or pumas, they have been recorded leaping into trees while carrying 100 pounds of fresh kill in their mouths.

25:35And they can reach running speeds of 50 miles per hour. All in all, the stats are not in Andy Peterson's favor. The fastest guy ever recorded was Usain Bolt in the Olympics, I believe, was 28 miles an hour. So you're not getting away from these animals. They love the surprise ambush. They'll go for the head and neck area. They'll grab the neck and head area and sever the spine or break the vertebrae until whatever it has stopped breathing.

26:14High up on the slopes of Carpenter's Peak, Andy is trying to control his own breathing. He has been stood quite still, staring at the lion for some minutes now. The creature stares back. In its eyes, there is a kind of terrifying certainty, a calm power that shakes Andy to his core. When these lions look right at you, they look through you, almost like they open you all up and see every strategy, every fear, everything about you like they're a step ahead. Because they're so elusive, so powerful that you realize really quickly, I'm in trouble. I mean, the fear alone was so heavy. My legs were shaking so bad to where it was hard to stand up.

27:05Under his breath, he pleads for someone, another walker, to come up the trail. But no one does. So slowly, very slowly, Andy starts to back up the trail, moving uphill away from the big cat. As the path bends, a scrub oak momentarily obscures the lion from view. The second it broke the line of sight, in a blink of an eye, that lion jumped, launched, and landed right in front of me. I could reach out and pet this thing. It was that close. Startled, Andy takes a step back down the trail, and the lion uses the opportunity to take the higher ground, jumping above him on the uphill slope. Andy takes one more step down the trail And the lion pounces Boom!

27:55It jumped right on me, slammed into my chest The lion's razor-like retractable claws rake Andy's torso and neck, drawing blood But somehow he wriggles free The lion pounces again, but Andy dodges the attack And sets off down the trail as fast as he possibly can He runs backwards downhill, swinging his pack out in front of him like a shield and screaming at the top of his lungs. In his other hand, he still grips the penknife. He cannot afford to put a foot wrong on the twists and turns of the trail, with its loose rocks and tree roots threatening to trip him with every step. The lion follows at an effortless canter.