Timber Rattlesnake
Finally, this weekend I was able to get back into the woods and get in some hiking.
I'd never hiked this section of trail in Central PA, but had heard of some really nice views from various points on the trail.
After a little rough trip in (my car wasn't made for the road that led to the trail and couldn't get to the parking area) we found the trail.
A nice hike lead us to the 1st lookout area a really rocky outcropping and we commented that we wouldn't want to be here much later in the season due to concern for snakes. We sat, ate a bite, took some nice shots and headed onward to toward the next vista.
A little spur took me off the main trail towards the next vista and on this spur I encountered this timber rattlesnake. Literally folks I was within a few feet of it. Why it didn't rattle, I don't know. It was still a little cool out and this stone was slightly shaded. The stone that the snake is on, is the stone I was going to step on.
I was so startled, I sprinted backwards. Took these shots, then decided this vista was for another time.
Back on the main trail we still had another mile or so to our destination. 100 feet after this encounter was another rocky out cropping. I no sooner stepped out onto the rocks when I saw a flash and another one of these jumped and quickly went under a rock and rattled informing me it was none too happy with my presence. That is a sound I'll not soon forget.
2 of these within a couple minutes!
Well I wasn't inclined to cross that second outcropping at this point. We turned around and hiked the opposite direction for a couple more hours.
Timber Rattlesnake
Finally, this weekend I was able to get back into the woods and get in some hiking.
I'd never hiked this section of trail in Central PA, but had heard of some really nice views from various points on the trail.
After a little rough trip in (my car wasn't made for the road that led to the trail and couldn't get to the parking area) we found the trail.
A nice hike lead us to the 1st lookout area a really rocky outcropping and we commented that we wouldn't want to be here much later in the season due to concern for snakes. We sat, ate a bite, took some nice shots and headed onward to toward the next vista.
A little spur took me off the main trail towards the next vista and on this spur I encountered this timber rattlesnake. Literally folks I was within a few feet of it. Why it didn't rattle, I don't know. It was still a little cool out and this stone was slightly shaded. The stone that the snake is on, is the stone I was going to step on.
I was so startled, I sprinted backwards. Took these shots, then decided this vista was for another time.
Back on the main trail we still had another mile or so to our destination. 100 feet after this encounter was another rocky out cropping. I no sooner stepped out onto the rocks when I saw a flash and another one of these jumped and quickly went under a rock and rattled informing me it was none too happy with my presence. That is a sound I'll not soon forget.
2 of these within a couple minutes!
Well I wasn't inclined to cross that second outcropping at this point. We turned around and hiked the opposite direction for a couple more hours.