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Karen had stopped and was starting to slowly back up before I realized what we were hearing.
We both backed up a short distance. The rattler didn’t move and I got a snapshot of it.
Commentary and images from the road
image and information from September 13, 2009
This post is being simultaneously published
on Exit78 and Haw Creek Out ‘n About
September 13, 2009 – Mesa Verde National Park
We were hiking the Knife’s Edge Trail near the Mesa Verde campground, with Karen in the lead, reading from the trail guide booklet, while I was trailing behind taking pictures.
Suddenly, we heard a very characteristic sound, a sound we’ve heard many times in the movies and on TV.
Most of the trail was plenty wide, but, in this area it had started to narrow a bit.
Of course, the rattlesnake blended in very well with the vegetation along the side of the trail. In the closeup crop on the right, I’ve outlined the head and tongue and added an arrow pointing to the rattle.
We didn’t turn around and go back down the trail. There was still a ways to go yet, so, from a safe distance, I started scuffing gravel and rocks toward the snake with my foot. After a little bit of that, it uncoiled and slithered into the brush, still rattling until it was a good ways off the trail.
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Scary!
Wow Mike, my heart would have been beating in my throat I think. Thankfully nobody was bitten.
.-= Davina´s last blog ..93 Million Miles From Home =-.
My first encounter with this kind of snake was driving from New Jersey to San Diego during Grad School and I think in New Mexico we kept driving over them on the road…we just stayed in my VW bug the whole way down that road…No thank you
more great pictures thank you
.-= Patricia´s last blog ..The Life of an Apple Tree =-.
I can see how you’d miss it. I had to look very close in the pic to see it. I echo Davina’s comment………. Thankfully nobody was bitten.
.-= Rose´s last blog ..Twitter Warning- New Phishing Scam =-.
OMG Mike – if that was me I’d probably have stood on it. I wouldn’t have spotted it in that pic at all if you hadn’t said. I’m terrified of rattlesnakes.
One of the places I considered moving to in Canada was Kamloops in BC. It looks so beautiful but while I was researching, I discovered that they have lots of rattlesnakes and black widow spiders and it was enough to put me off.
I know there’s mountain lions and cougars in some areas of Canada but they’re less likely to wander into your house than a snake or black widow.