Rattler!

It was late afternoon on Saturday and Laurie and I decided to hit the trail for a short hike before the sun went down. We drove to the NCAR trailhead about 1.5 miles away and parked there for quick access to a scenic trail.

Here's Laurie on the trail:

A hundred or so yards down the trail from where the above photo was taken, Laurie heard an unusual sound close to the trail. I looked around and spotted this rattlesnake warning us to stay away. He was about 15 feet away or so.

Just goes to show -- ALWAYS, ALWAYS carry a camera with you on the trail. It was in the shadows so it was difficult to get a nice clear photo from a safe distance. The snake rattled for many minutes without slithering away. I was surprised by this display for some reason. I just expected him to move on but he was not budging.

Soon, other hikers and dogs stumbled upon the scene and some dog-owners scrambled to get the leashes on their dogs. There was excitement on the trail!

I'm fairly certain that this was the first rattlesnake I'd ever seen in the wild. I have seen other exotic snakes in the desert southwest but no rattlers. I have filed that rattling sound into my memory banks so that I hopefully will know what to do next time I hear it.

Here is another photo from this hike, taken in the warm late afternoon light:

Here's a quick video clip of the snake - maybe you can hear the rattling: