The mountain lion stalked this runner for 6 minutes!

Kyle Burgess headed out on Saturday in search of some relaxing time in the great outdoors and took a run through Slate Canyon in Provo Utah. What started as an exhilarating trek through picturesque fall colors turned into a life-or-death situation when he was suddenly followed by a mountain lion. This was no passing meeting either, the lion stalked Burgess for six horrifying minutes in which he literally thought he would die.

Burgess somehow managed to both keep his wits about him and filmed the entire encounter, which he then shared on social media.

The mountain lion lunges towards Burgess several times, as he yells loudly, makes himself big, and walks slowly and steadily away from the lion. At times, it seems like this may be the end, as Burgess himself vocalized.

It is likely the mountain lion had babies nearby, and Burgess came too close for its liking and may have stalked to make sure he did not head back their way. He did many things that likely helped save his life and prevent the situation from turning into a much scarier one.

If you see a mountain lion, do not approach it. Stay calm if you can, talk firmly, and move slowly. Burgess made himself larger, made a lot of noise, and worked to slowly create distance between himself and the animal, all things advised by the experts. The key is to convince the mountain lion you are a threat, not a snack, and not to take off running even though that may be the first instinct. 

Running will only stimulate the animal’s instinct to chase and hunt, so it is especially important to move slowly rather than quickly. Throwing rocks or branches to deter the animal can also prevent an encounter from becoming an attack. If a lion does attack, fight back with whatever you can; they have been known to run away if their prey fights back. Hiking or running in groups is advised if you are heading into known mountain lion country. 

Watch the terrifying footage here.

Would you be able to keep your cool in this situation? Sound off in the comments and stay safe out there on the trails!