Surprises along the trail

When we hike at Catalina State Park, we always know there can be poisonous snakes. I keep my eyes on the side of the trail-- my side anyway. We have seen a few but they have been rare.


Mostly we are there for the wildflowers, cactus in bloom, views of the mountain, and the desert pools, which will likely be dry in another week or two unless it get rains before the monsoons.


Our second hike got interesting in the way you don't voluntarily choose. We were walking down a part of the trail wide enough to walk abreast. As always, I had my eyes on my side watching for movement or something that doesn't fit, but Farm Boss, as usual, not so much. We both heard the telltale rattle.


Since he was on the side closest to the rattle, he moved fastest, practically stepping on me to get out of the zone. When we got a few feet down the trail we were able to go back and safely evaluate what kind of snake it was (we knew the rattler part) as well as take some telephoto pictures before the source of our adrenaline rush irritatedly undulated off into the brush and rocks.


It was a Western Diamondback which are noted for having feisty personalities. Although I have been close to rattlesnakes a few times when out, this was the closest I was to one that was angry and rattling to let the world know.


There had been a hiker on the trail about a hundred feet ahead of us, and we are guessing the snake didn't like running into him and us even less. It is said that they are one of the more irritable snakes (big too) and will let the first hiker past, second one they rattle at, and third one gets bit. Since I would have been the third one, given how fast Farm Boss moved out of there, I was glad I was on the other side of the trail. Farm Boss didn't like being less than three feet from a snake that could have reached him if it had so chosen.

A few days after that, he was in line at the Ace Hardware Store for some of the myriad of things we have needed here, and the men were discussing all the diamondbacks they had seen this spring as well as their irritable, spring dispositions. People who live further out see quite a lot around their homes, and it's a concern especially for small children or pets.

Here at this house, I never go outside without looking before stepping down but have not yet seen one here. Our closest neighbors have talked of seeing newly hatched diamondbacks on their porch; so they are likely around.

Years ago, driving up to the house, I saw a snake that looked like a diamondback on my porch right beside my cat who was sitting by the door and watching the snake with great interest. That cat was desert bred and I am not sure what he was thinking. On that particular trip, I was staying here by myself, and seeing my cat and that huge snake (probably 4 feet in length) with diamondback markings gave me quite a start. I looked though for the rattles and saw none. The snake's head was not triangular, and I heaved a sigh of relief, quickly moved to pick up my cat, taking him and me in the backdoor, and of course, grabbed my camera as the bull snake moseyed off in no hurry but staying long enough to get its photo taken. They are snakes you want as they eat the diamondbacks.

This diamondback we saw on the trail was doing what it should have done. It was not the most frightening thing I ever saw a snake do either. That honor goes to one years back on a highway near the Tucson Mountains. It had evidently had its tail run over and was furious. I had read that they can go nearly vertical, but only believed it when I actually saw it. It lunged viciously at every car that passed, striking about side view mirror height. Those were the days before air conditioned vehicles in our life, and Farm Boss quickly rolled up his window. We passed without harm but neither of us ever forgot it! I had read of horseback riders running into that and shooting the snake with the view it was not a disposition you wanted reproducing.

When I had hiked in Arizona mountains, I used to think I only had to keep an eye on the ground in front of me. Then one year at the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum we saw a timber rattler (on the other side of the glass fortunately) curled up for a nap in the branches of a tree. It would have hardly been noticeable if one was walking past. Fortunately they aren't known for having as nasty a disposition as the Mojave and the Diamondback.

I like seeing snakes out, remembering with detail every time it turned out to be a poisonous one. I wouldn't kill any snake unless it was absolutely necessary as I see their value to the ecosystem. I find them actually quite beautiful and am only afraid of them when they are poisonous.