Getting too warm in the low desert

[Florian]

I was on my FAV fitness trail, South Lykkken, one day last week. All of a sudden I heard the HISS & RATTLE sound, jumped as far as I safely could, did not see the Bastard..... waited, then saw that he was on the edge of the trail I had just passed, against the mtn, safely protected from my feet, even stepping on him, but he had the nerve to hiss and rattle at me!

I was on the south Lykken today. No snakes. But there were lots of chuckwallas.

-Florian

[recordalley]

he had the nerve to hiss and rattle at me!

Bastard!

[zippetydude]

Easy girl. Steve and I were just talking about the two different posts today. You were passionate and kinda feisty, but like a sister givin me hell when I get a little rough. I might mention that to you, and yeah, I might call you on your rough approach, but I'm not offended, and neither was anyone else. You fit in here just fine, and I like your approximations of words in your spelling - very literate and kinda clever, actually. Now Carlin, on the other hand, was on the rude side and a little over the top. Just cause he mentioned your name doesn't mean everyone sees you the same as him.

Anyway, don't panic, don't go away, don't even quit being pesky. No worries.

z

[zippetydude]

he had the nerve to hiss and rattle at me!

Bastard!

Are you a softy for rattlers? Your posts are the best case for being kind to those difficult critters that I've seen. A few years ago, I had a gopher problem. I hated killing them, but they were destroying my lawn. A friend of mine suggested catching them live. He didn't berate me, calling me a gopher murderer. He just asked what happened. Like you. He mentioned he doesn't kill them, he catches them live and releases them elsewhere. On Monday, I caught a live gopher (it was a baby, terribly cute actually) and I drove it about a mile from my house and let it go in a field. Funny little guy, only about 2" long, scampered away in the weeds. So much better than killing it. Even evil Zippetydudes can go soft. Guys like you sure help.

Thanks for your playful and unaccusing posts.

z

[recordalley]

Thanks for the kind words Zip. I am a softy for all critters when we are in their environment. For the record, I kill pests at my house constantly...cockroaches, ants, flying insects, & the very scary black widow spider, & I'm about ready to take a BB gun to a mocking bird with insomina out my window (not really). I didn't alway like rattlers though. I remember the big fire of 82(?) when the mountain burned all the way from windy point to 74 how happy i was that many rattlers were killed, & I remember killing one in murray canyon once. I regret that now & realize how uneducated I was. Gandhi once wrote "'The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the ways its animals are treated," & our country has little respect for the animal kindom. We should only kill for food or in defense, not to mount in a trophy room.

[Ellen]

Howdy Recordalley

Well stated, thank you

Gandhi once wrote "'The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the ways its animals are treated," & our country has little respect for the animal kindom. We should only kill for food or in defense, not to mount in a trophy room.

Miles of smiles,
Ellen

[tinaballina]

We saw a baby rattler on williamson saturday. they are even in the sierra now.
And ludgirl, please don't take offense, my jab was at the ghost man, not at you. we seem to keep missing each other on the mountain.

[NormaR]

Snakes don't lunge at you. The can only strike about half their body length. The only way you are going to get bit is if you try to pick one up or surprise one crawling around rocks or maybe step on one on a trail.

i'm late to the gate on this one and sorry to read the negative posts on what is such a positive board. but it appears you've handled it.

i wanted to comment on recordalley's post though. i personally have never seen a snake lunge at someone on the trail but have heard accounts from others that i respect so i don't doubt their story. i was a trail runner for many years and came to loose my fear of rattler's as they usually always warned me when they were around and i never had one act aggressive. it was ticks i came to fear since they are sneaky and it's creepy to take your clothes off at home and find one in a area that see's little sun.

i know two people that have been bitten by rattlesnakes and both of them were trying to catch them. i watched one happen. stupid. i have seen the resulting effects of a rattlesnake bite, a black widow bite and a brown recluse spider bite and i would rather be bit by a rattler if i had a choice. spider bites are worse.

seems there is caution to be taken around critters that pack venom. even humans.

[Blooty]

Those venon packing varmits! A girl I know got bit by a snake - it was dusk and the thing didn't rattle. She spent 4 weeks in the hospital and had about 6 blood transfusions, along with necrosis of the skin around the bite. I think they're learning to bite first and rattle later from evolution - anyhow, they give me the creeps, I just try to steer clear of them. Yes they're coming out right about now so we all have to be on guard.