blue ridge parkway, 17 iv 04
Apr. 17th, 2004 05:11 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rootofnewtToday's wild adventures involved an encounter with a rattlesnake. Yes, a timber rattler.
I'm fairly sure it was *not* in the path when I walked across it, but it was certainly in the path when I heard that distinctive rattle and thought, "huh, it's way too early for cicadas... and that's a really shrill and indistinct song."
and then i heard![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
nannar call out and saw him running back as I turned around. And I saw a pretty and thick timber rattler looking back and forth at us as it shook its tail. It moved on off the path and calmed down. Eventually, Brian came on past it (while I didn't get too close, but hauled out the camera anyway).
picture one... see the curved stick looking thing? that's the back third to half of the snake. I could be mistaken, but I think it was fairly mature. It was a bit under three feet, judging by what I can remember and adjusting down for fear. I was surprised by how thick it was.
higher quality pic, no zoom... the snake is just below center.
Kinda freaky. They are, after all, poisonous. I was wearing 20i boots, which come up to just below my knees. boy was wearing combat boots, which are at least 8" above the ankle. brian wasn't wearing high boots, though. this kind of makes me rethink my hiking footwear. i was going to buy trail shoes, since they'd be far better than my doc martens, but now i'm not so sure. maybe i need to find some combat boots in my size. they're not so good for my feet, but a snake bite wouldn't be so good for my health.
i've known that timber rattlers are common in this region of the blue ridge, but actually being a few steps from one has made me rethink things. and i feel really stupid for NOT having a snakebite kit on me. we didn't even have a belt between the two of us--i didn't look closely at what brian was wearing. i think a snakebite kit will go into my backpack before the next hike. i know better than this. it was a *hot* day for spring and there's no leafing out yet, so the ground is nice and warm. critters are out and critters are both predator and prey.
I'm also disturbed that I didn't see it. I know they blend in with their surroundings, but I was looking at the sides of the trail just ahead of me, scanning... I was looking for early wildflowers, wintergreen, and baby snakes, to tell the truth. For a *mature* rattler to appear out of nowhere on the trail a few steps behind me? Really freaky.
I'm fairly sure it was *not* in the path when I walked across it, but it was certainly in the path when I heard that distinctive rattle and thought, "huh, it's way too early for cicadas... and that's a really shrill and indistinct song."
and then i heard
nannar call out and saw him running back as I turned around. And I saw a pretty and thick timber rattler looking back and forth at us as it shook its tail. It moved on off the path and calmed down. Eventually, Brian came on past it (while I didn't get too close, but hauled out the camera anyway). picture one... see the curved stick looking thing? that's the back third to half of the snake. I could be mistaken, but I think it was fairly mature. It was a bit under three feet, judging by what I can remember and adjusting down for fear. I was surprised by how thick it was.
higher quality pic, no zoom... the snake is just below center.
Kinda freaky. They are, after all, poisonous. I was wearing 20i boots, which come up to just below my knees. boy was wearing combat boots, which are at least 8" above the ankle. brian wasn't wearing high boots, though. this kind of makes me rethink my hiking footwear. i was going to buy trail shoes, since they'd be far better than my doc martens, but now i'm not so sure. maybe i need to find some combat boots in my size. they're not so good for my feet, but a snake bite wouldn't be so good for my health.
i've known that timber rattlers are common in this region of the blue ridge, but actually being a few steps from one has made me rethink things. and i feel really stupid for NOT having a snakebite kit on me. we didn't even have a belt between the two of us--i didn't look closely at what brian was wearing. i think a snakebite kit will go into my backpack before the next hike. i know better than this. it was a *hot* day for spring and there's no leafing out yet, so the ground is nice and warm. critters are out and critters are both predator and prey.
I'm also disturbed that I didn't see it. I know they blend in with their surroundings, but I was looking at the sides of the trail just ahead of me, scanning... I was looking for early wildflowers, wintergreen, and baby snakes, to tell the truth. For a *mature* rattler to appear out of nowhere on the trail a few steps behind me? Really freaky.
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no subject
Date: 2004-04-18 06:59 am (UTC)Be careful!!!
no subject
Date: 2004-04-18 08:29 am (UTC)yep, snakebite kit sounds like a good thing.
*shudder*
no subject
Date: 2004-04-18 09:21 am (UTC)A hiking staff is a good thing to carry as well. Plant it on the ground between you and the snake and it will most likely strike at it instead. Also useful for poking around the under side of rocks and logs before sitting down.
Eye hoe handles make great hiking staves.
no subject
Date: 2004-04-18 10:25 am (UTC)I was surprised by how thick it was.
Maybe it was a Momma snake basking in yesterday's warmth.
I found this at http://www.umass.edu/umext/nrec/snake_pit/pages/timber.html "Mating usually occurs in summer or fall. Females incubate eggs within their bodies by basking, and give birth the following year to 6-10 young from mid-August through September." Could account for the width, if she was going to give birth this summer.
no subject
Date: 2004-04-18 10:36 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-04-18 10:50 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-04-18 01:27 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-04-18 02:13 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-04-18 02:18 pm (UTC)had it not been a rattlesnake, i wouldn't have been impressed. ;) we had a 5-6' king snake who used to sun on our porch when we lived in esmont. i liked her.