Man attacked by mountain lion in Calif.

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NEVADA CITY, Calif., July 3 (UPI) -- A hiker was mauled by a mountain lion while sleeping outdoors in a forest near Nevada City, Calif., authorities confirmed.

The unnamed 63-year-old man, who had driven from the San Francisco area for a multi-day, backpacking trip near the Yuba River, an area known as Gold Country for its connection to the state's historic Gold Rush, hiked a short distance up a trail Saturday, then bedded down in a sleeping bag for the night. He awoke about 1 a.m. to a sensation of something pressing on his head, he said.

He suffered numerous cuts and bites, and a forensic examination of the man, his belongings and the scene, a mountain lion attack was confirmed, California Department of Fish and Game spokesman and game warden Patrick Foy said.

The man drove himself to a nearby hospital in Grass Valley where he was treated and released for cuts and bites to his head and left arm, game wardens said.

The incident is only the 15th confirmed mountain lion attack against a human in California since the state began keeping records on the topic in 1890, The Sacramento Bee reported Tuesday.