San Jacinto's H20

[Backwoods]

Thought this might come in handy I know I was wonderng about the water before this hike. On 06/15 there was pretty good water at Laws were the footbridge crosses. Also flowing water were the PCT crosses the creek in little Taquitz valley. Also on 06/13 the last spring coming up Devil's Slide was trickeling also Willow creek had water up stream a bit it was the funkeyist looking of all I diden't try it. Strawberry Cienaga was just a trickle about 5 minutes to fill a 20 oz'r. All I'm using for a filter up in the San Jacintos is a bandana to get the big stuff out and if it's not flowng well a drop of bleach. I have a filter but always end up just taking it for a ride up high and I have been trying to go more liteweight lately. I have a feeling I'll be useing it more later in the summer when the H20 looks realy crappy. Bleach and bandana 95% of the time worked on the PCT and on all my hikes up here. I haven't gotten sick "Dip And Sippin" yet. Knock on wood. Also be extra carefull I was taking a break up at the wide rocky spot on the PCT south of Strawberry Jct and there was baby rattler coiled up about 1ft from were I was sitting for around 10 minutes before I noticed it becouse it was black and white just like the rock's and rocky sand I was sitting on. I had to look twice it bleanded in so well if I would have sat on the other side of my backpack I would have sat on it. I don't ever see rattlers up that high so I realy wasen't expecting it. Spooky.

[Hikin_Jim]

They're small and stealthy, aren't they?



HJ

[Andy]

Wow that is a cool shot there Hikin Jim! Those colors almost look like camera trickery. Looks like a Southern Pacific Rattlesnake. Where was this taken?

[Backwoods]

Yep Jim. If the rocks in your picture were granite with the black and white he would be even harder to see. Natures camo.

[beantown]

Here is one I almost stepped one, it was laid out across the trail and I almost stepped on it, lucky I saw it. it then slithered over to this log and I scooted by as it rattled at me but was not coiled.

this was on 6/2 on the deer springs trail going up, 1/4 mile from the suicide rock junction.

[Hikin_Jim]

Wow that is a cool shot there Hikin Jim! Those colors almost look like camera trickery. Looks like a Southern Pacific Rattlesnake. Where was this taken?

The colors are as real as my camera can render them, i.e. unretouched/no editing.

That was taken on the upper Winter Creek Trail about a week ago, near Chantry Flats in the San Gabriel Mountains. He was really small. I wish there were something in the photo to give you perspective, but you'll have to pardon me for not sticking a body part into the photo.

HJ

[Ulysses]

I don't ever see rattlers up that high so I realy wasen't expecting it. Spooky.

If thats the spot I think it is you were at over 8K Ken. I was at a presentation by a wildlife biologist for the SBNF a few years ago and I asked her how high rattlesnakes can be found. She said they can be found anywhere on the mountain. All the way to the top. Truly amazing animals that they can survive winter at those elevations.

[bluerail]

http://books.google.com/books?id=ijblNZ ... mt&f=false

[Hikin_Jim]

Zoiks. Read the next page of Bluerail's link, and you'll read a report of a rattler at 15,000' -- higher than the summit of Mt. Whitney. Bad news if your name is Zippity Dude.

HJ

[lilbitmo]

I've run across one at Anvil Camp on the way to Sheppard's Pass to Tyndall/Williamson, it was between 10,100 and 10,200, that's the highest so far that I've seen one.

Anvil camp is major camping area that brings about all the vermin, thus a great feeding area for any type of snake so I was surprised but not that surprised.

They don't bother me but I wouldn't want to one to snuggle with me when I was trying to sleep in my bag out there, that might have me a little nervous.

The largest in the wild I've seen was almost as fat as a baseball about 7 feet long just off the road in Yosemite, that one scared me because it was close enough to strike my daughter who was with me at the time, needless to say he went away unhappy as I used to pitch baseball and have a nasty fastball, rocks make great baseballs we were at one of the view points off Wawona Road by Bridal Vale Falls that leads to the valley at about 4,200 feet if I remember correctly back in the 80's.