I saw a cougar once with 3 cubs. I was heading up some switchbacks in Big Bend National Park when I saw it coming down the path with a cub. My heart rate went up and it wasn't due to all the climbing I had been doing! I went down to the V in the switchback and got on top of a boulder. I know you are supposed to make yourself look as large as possible. I sure as heck did not want to go down the switchback and put her higher than me. I heard all this rustling and then around 15 minutes later she comes padding down the path and not 1 but 3 cubs get behind her and head down the path. She put her body between her cubs and me. Once they were safely gone, I headed up and finished the hike. What the heck that could have been bad.