Devil's Canyon- Aieeeee!!!

[furtech]

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:

Comments

[bladespark.livejournal.com]

Oh wow. I've seen a few rattlesnakes in the wild, but a lot more in zoos and in the collections of crazy snake owners. :D (I love snakes, but I wouldn't own a rattler even if you paid me.) They are awesome creatures, but I'm quite glad that I've never had a close call with one.

[lyosha.livejournal.com]

Oohhh, that second one is GORGEOUS. They're both beautiful!

[vandringar.livejournal.com]

Wow... Those are nice photos and video.

[skorzy.livejournal.com]

Must be the month of rattlesnakes! We had a Western Rattlesnake just cruise by our campsite for the shade of the rocks this past weekend.

[hbruton.livejournal.com]

Those are beautiful snakes! |I've only sseen one rattlesnake but it was the rare Massassauga rattler so it was a good one\:)

[fenris-lorsrai.livejournal.com]

Snake month in general. I found a ringneck in the basement last night. It was so tiny the poor thing was trapped in a spider web! It was rubberband sized. All curled up it was a bit bigger than a quarter. I kept it in a jar overnight with a drop of water to drink and then released it around noon today when it was warm enough for it to find a good hidey spot.

I need to post the pictures.

[okojosan.livejournal.com]

I laughed really hard at the coin on the snake.

[fatkraken.livejournal.com]

man, those are *beautiful* animals. Gotta love a species that tells you in advance that it's gonna kill you if you come any closer.

[summer-jackel.livejournal.com]

oooooooooh, SNAKES. Such beauties, too! Wow!

That looks like a gorgeous place. I would love to hike with you and Roz and your collies and my collies some time.

[martes.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that was pretty good.

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.

[martes.livejournal.com]

It's nice at certain times of the year. Besides the rattlesnakes, there can also be tons of poison oak. We know much safer spots to hike that are just as senic, if you ever make it down here.

[summer-jackel.livejournal.com]

//nodnods// I will keep that in mind. But I love me some snakes.

[octantis.livejournal.com]

Awesome pics! I love the snakes, though I'm relieved neither you guys nor the dogs ran afoul of them. The 'penny for your thoughts' picture was hilarious.

[furtech.livejournal.com]

I would be much more excited-in-a-good-way if not for worrying about the dogs. Give me a bobcat or a raccoon any day.

[furtech.livejournal.com]

It's funny: at the time I was just focused on the dogs and not getting bitten myself...it wasn't until long after the event (when I was sizing the photos) that I went, "Wow-- he's *spectacular*!"

[furtech.livejournal.com]

I'm guessing the drought is causing them to relocate closer to their prey, which are congregating around the few water sources in the area. I'll have to ask my friend who lives above the canyon if they've seen more rattlers this year (swimming pools, koi ponds).

[furtech.livejournal.com]

Aw! Ringneck! I love those snakes! My favorite!

[furtech.livejournal.com]

They are quite beautiful...it's just the "Surprise!" aspect that startles me. Fortunately the dogs completely ignore them and apparently they can sort of sense when something is just passing by vs investigating them.

[furtech.livejournal.com]

When I tossed it and it landed on the snake, my brain exploded with a multi-ethnic, multi-religious expletive. What came out of my mouth was, "D'oh!"

Hahaha on the "Don't throw things -on- the alligators! (Alligator: "Sigh.")

[furtech.livejournal.com]

I also very much appreciate the warning when possible and also (as noted above) the tendency to ignore a passing creature. Several of my friends have walked over (not -on-) tiny rattlers laying across the path.

[furtech.livejournal.com]

What Roz says.

[furtech.livejournal.com]

The 'penny for your thoughts' picture

Truly my Homer Simpson moment.

[desertcoyote.livejournal.com]

That's cool... They're a pretty species- they look kinda like the Black Rattler we have here in AZ (one of which become dinner this summer while I was dog-walking out in the desert one evening- and was actually pretty tasty, too!) Its hide is hanging here as I type this, in fact.
Glad you guys saw the snakes first and stayed safe.

[shoka.livejournal.com]

This all had me giggling, considering that of the 4 wild rattlers I've seen were all inside a building except for one. Though it was the last one I came close to stepping on. Glad it was fleeing from me.

Cool that you guys and the pups had an overall good experience with them.

[ironbadger.livejournal.com]

I've handled hundreds of snakes in my life, and rattlers are surprisingly placid.
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-

[karisu-sama.livejournal.com]

I think "penny on the rattlesnake" is a FAR more interesting photo than "penny next to the rattlesnake" would have been. :)

[martes.livejournal.com]

Other than working at a zoo, animal control or similar place, why would anyone have any reason to handle a rattlesnake?

[ironbadger.livejournal.com]

Reptile fanciers like to handle almost anything.
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-

[martes.livejournal.com]

There's not much of a chance of a cat landing me in the hospital for a week or causing so much damage my foot rots off! It seems a completely unnecessary risk. Yeah, 99 rattlers may be mellow, then you get the 100th one who's pissed or agressive, and you lose or cripple a hand, and people like me say "told you so."

[ironbadger.livejournal.com]

Thats why you treat every rattler as if it was that 100th one.

-Badger-

[furtech.livejournal.com]

-Inside- buildings...Gah! I'd be a lot calmer without the dogs-- while they're steady, smart and generally reliable, they're still animals and a wild card when it comes to stuff like this.

When I was re-sizing the pics, I was finally able to appreciate how cool they were!

[shoka.livejournal.com]

Wait, make that 5 rattlers, 4 inside.

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.