Snakes I don't hate

[zippetydude]

Okay, so I've probably mentioned before that I hate snakes.

What I mean is venomous snakes whose sole purpose in life is to hide beside trails, hoping that I will pass by so they can attack my poor, unsuspecting ankle, injecting their evil venom, leaving me to die a horrible death, or worse, showing up on Venom ER and having my kids coming home from school asking me, "Dad, why did you have to keep crying like that? All my friends say you're a wimp!"

So, where's the love, right? Well, Steve, Fernando and I came across a rosy boa out on an unspecified trail last weekend. It was really a rather peaceable fellow, and I picked it up for a couple of minutes so we could check out its markings. It looked a lot like this:

http://www.californiaherps.com/snakes/i ... iakern.jpg

I've also seen this critter, which moves amazingly quickly, but is also nonvenomous and a very pleasant trail companion.

http://www.californiaherps.com/snakes/i ... thusmt.jpg

I also ran into one of these in Yosemite Valley last year:

http://www.californiaherps.com/snakes/i ... ncta04.jpg

Anyone else see cool snakes out there that aren't on a mission to attack our lower extremities?

z

[EMan]

A gophersnake at the beach of all places, 50 yards from the ocean. Not far from LAX.

[SoCalJim]

I believe that black and yellow striped one is a garter snake. Saw one earlier last week briefly as he crawled quickly into the brush at trailside. A couple of days later, I was hiking in the same area with my 17 year-old daughter when we came around a corner and found a rattler in the middle of the trail. He gave us a warning rattle and crawled under a rock. First live and up close rattler my daughter's ever seen. The reaction of people when they see their first rattler at close range is always entertaining and my daughter didn't disappoint.

[AlanK]

[l kelly]

I saw a very cool black and white banded King snake at Lake Hodges a few nights ago. He moved to fast to get a picture. A couple of weeks ago we saw the fattest black rattlesnake coiled in the middle of the Tahquitz valley trail coming back from Red Tahquitz. Very scarry.

[bluerail]

thats hilarious Alan. thanks..I needed a laugh

[Florian]

There is a friendly rosy boa in the shady part of Skyline around 3000' level. I've seen her twice and both times she was happy to let me pick her up and hold her. Here she is ► http://www.flickr.com/photos/fboyd/3598989038/

Zip, i'm glad to see you may be softening your feelings toward snakes a bit. And i do understand not liking rattlesnakes.

-Florian

[recordalley]

aside from the excitement of encountering a rattler, my best snake experience was seeing a mountain king snake on the trail by the loop jct @ hidden divide. Wish I had my camera, but it looked just like this one.

[EMan]

Alan, I understand from a post on the SGMDF board that a snake just like that is needed to attempt to clean out the pipe at the spring at Kelley's Camp -- provided it hasn't been used previously!

[Nick-SJM]

recordalley - Seeing a Mountain King Snake in the San Jacintos is very special. In the past there were many of them. However, in recent years, for some reason, they have just about become non-existent in the San Jacintos. How long ago did you see one? Former State Park Ranger Eric Hanson only saw one in his twenty plus years on the mountain.

Nick