Cougar

The first bridge was all mud and about the same for the second one. I left my cart on the roadside and went down to check it out. I saw some tracks in the mud but paid no attention, as they could have been made by a dog.  Then I went to the other side of the road to see if it had a better ingress option. After checking it out, I went and sat up on the guardrail.  A few minutes later I see a large cat come from the middle of the road from under the bridge,  across the road towards me. But a car was passing and it had to change course away from me. The thing was fast and, I modified my opinion of its size as it leapt into the bushes...very large cat, about to my mid to lower thigh. I recognized it as a cougar, and double checked it with google. Then after making a quick decision and making a hasty retreat, I google them more thoroughly. And it's not good. They can take down animals much larger than themselves, and when you see them, they've probably been stalking you for a little bit. Currently I'm about a mile away, and headed back into town. Safety in numbers and civilization. I was planning on camping under that bridge. Good thing I decided to cross to the other side of the road and good thing a car was coming. I am a little freaked out.