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Devil's Canyon- Aieeeee!!!
I thought about, "Snakes...why did it have to be snakes..." or, "Snakes on a Trail," but "Aieee!!!" fits the situation better.
Here’s the complete Flickr set
We have been hiking Devil's Canyon for decades and the only rattlesnakes we've seen were babies: little snakes about the size of a long pencil. They were laying across the trail and somewhat torpid, so we scooted them off with a stick and went on our way.
Yesterday we went down into the canyon and Roz suddenly says, "Stop." I freeze and see a medium-sized rattlesnake laying across the trail. R0ndo had already passed by or over the snake (gasp!), but I held Apache back. The snake moved off the trail while we waited patiently in gestures of mutual self-preservation. While Roz held the dogs, I took some pictures of the now-coiled and rattling snake in the bushes off the trail. I marked the trail with a branch so we could watch out for her on our way back.
The canyon was as dry as I've ever seen it: there were only a few murky pools left. Even the stone pools where we get frog-spawn were bone-dry. Another thing I noticed: there had been a recent rock fall. Right above the pools a large boulder was left balanced precariously on its two pointed ends. Must watch out for that when we come back next year.
On the way back the dogs splashed around in the one large pool of water while Roz got some water plants. We took special care to watch out for the snake we'd encountered earlier, with me walking ahead with a long stick and my friend and the dogs following. Happily, she had left. Still, with the dogs so close to a serious injury, I was -very- tense.
Well past the snake-spot we started to relax. Dogs off-leash again. I looked down as Apache trotted past me and saw something that re-ignited my fears: a HUGE rattlesnake beside the trail, only a foot from where Apache had just passed. I let out an inarticulate cry of warning. The sound was identical to the ones our ancestors made when they were still in trees: a loud, gutteral "hugaahkg" kind of warning. Fortunately, the snake was fast asleep (which is hard to tell with those lidless eyes!). I yelled at the dogs to stay back. Roz had figured out by the noise what had happened.
I took some pictures while Roz and the dogs waited some distance away . I wanted a size reference, so I tossed a penny near the snake...correction: ON the snake! D’oh! Imagine my horror. Luckily, he didn't stirr-- I think he was sleeping off a meal. I wish I was that skillful at the county fair coin-tosses
After all this, I'm pretty sure Devil's Canyon is off our hiking list for the foreseeable future. In addition, the new condo's being constructed at the trailhead make getting into the canyon difficult. We were very lucky.
Here's a short video I made of the first, angry rattlesnake:
Here’s the complete Flickr set
We have been hiking Devil's Canyon for decades and the only rattlesnakes we've seen were babies: little snakes about the size of a long pencil. They were laying across the trail and somewhat torpid, so we scooted them off with a stick and went on our way.
Yesterday we went down into the canyon and Roz suddenly says, "Stop." I freeze and see a medium-sized rattlesnake laying across the trail. R0ndo had already passed by or over the snake (gasp!), but I held Apache back. The snake moved off the trail while we waited patiently in gestures of mutual self-preservation. While Roz held the dogs, I took some pictures of the now-coiled and rattling snake in the bushes off the trail. I marked the trail with a branch so we could watch out for her on our way back.
The canyon was as dry as I've ever seen it: there were only a few murky pools left. Even the stone pools where we get frog-spawn were bone-dry. Another thing I noticed: there had been a recent rock fall. Right above the pools a large boulder was left balanced precariously on its two pointed ends. Must watch out for that when we come back next year.
On the way back the dogs splashed around in the one large pool of water while Roz got some water plants. We took special care to watch out for the snake we'd encountered earlier, with me walking ahead with a long stick and my friend and the dogs following. Happily, she had left. Still, with the dogs so close to a serious injury, I was -very- tense.
Well past the snake-spot we started to relax. Dogs off-leash again. I looked down as Apache trotted past me and saw something that re-ignited my fears: a HUGE rattlesnake beside the trail, only a foot from where Apache had just passed. I let out an inarticulate cry of warning. The sound was identical to the ones our ancestors made when they were still in trees: a loud, gutteral "hugaahkg" kind of warning. Fortunately, the snake was fast asleep (which is hard to tell with those lidless eyes!). I yelled at the dogs to stay back. Roz had figured out by the noise what had happened.
I took some pictures while Roz and the dogs waited some distance away . I wanted a size reference, so I tossed a penny near the snake...correction: ON the snake! D’oh! Imagine my horror. Luckily, he didn't stirr-- I think he was sleeping off a meal. I wish I was that skillful at the county fair coin-tosses
After all this, I'm pretty sure Devil's Canyon is off our hiking list for the foreseeable future. In addition, the new condo's being constructed at the trailhead make getting into the canyon difficult. We were very lucky.
Here's a short video I made of the first, angry rattlesnake:
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I need to post the pictures.
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Of course, i can laugh about it NOW.
Reminded me of the sign at the LA Zoo telling people not to throw things on the alligators.
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Hahaha on the "Don't throw things -on- the alligators! (Alligator: "Sigh.")
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That looks like a gorgeous place. I would love to hike with you and Roz and your collies and my collies some time.
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Truly my Homer Simpson moment.
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Glad you guys saw the snakes first and stayed safe.
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Cool that you guys and the pups had an overall good experience with them.
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When I was re-sizing the pics, I was finally able to appreciate how cool they were!
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Back when we all worked at Vivid on the edge of a canyon, rattlers (and all sorts of other wildlife) would get into the building. Had a baby camped out in the entrance to Seal's cubicle, a youngish one hiding behind one of the conference room doors, an adult which taped itself to the warehouse floor with packing tape and an adult which took up residence under some shelving. We successfully got the first 3 out of the building. That last one ended up being killed though.
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Of course, I treat them with due respect and handle them only when absolutely necessary.
I always carry a long stick or a snake hook when hiking just from lifelong habit.
-Badger-
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You like to pet cats, don't you?
For snake lovers, its kind of the same attraction.
I've handled maybe a dozen rattlesnakes in the last 20-30 years, and they usually show no signs of aggression or resentment at all, so long as they're handled gently.
I'm a rural kid, Roz.
To me, theres nothing unusual about handling rattlers.
-Badger-
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