SNAKE!!!

[Iceaxe]

I almost stepped on this bad boy last weekend.... and he was not happy about it.... He was hard to see mixed in with dried leaves in the dark confines of a slot canyon. This is the second time I have come close to being biten by a rattlesnake.... it gives me the willeys...

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[Deathcricket]

Nice pic! :2thumbs:
Just be sure you let him bite you on the "other" leg. can you imagine having a snakebite and huge gash on one? gotta spread the damage around a bit. :lol8:

[2065toyota]

There was a rattlesnake in Yankee Doodle earlier this year in the first slot below the rappel and last year in Mystery in the small pool behind the boulder on the long wall rap

[MrAdam]

This guy struck at me after I almost stepped on him while doing Meadow Canyon in West Clear Creek, AZ this past Sunday:scared:. Came with in a couple inches of biting my leg! He was not a happy camper, I guess the black tail rattlers in WCC have a reputation for being mean! I was on edge for a couple hours after that, I kept thinking every branch was another snake!

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[Audilard]

Man, I hate snakes. I've been fortunate to avoid them except hiking Lone Peak. Makes my skin crawl looking at these pics!!!!!!!!!!:scared:

[accadacca]

Yikes! Both of those snakes look pissed! :scared:

[Bootboy]

I have to give rattlesnakes credit though, they are usually courteous enough to give you a warning. The freakin copperheads back east scare the crap out of me. No warning at all.

[Byron]

You guys just need to show these things who's boss. I caught this bad boy on the way up to Icebox Canyon. I was there with Mike Kelsey when this one slithered across our path. I jumped into the bushes and pulled it out and you should have seen the look on Mikes face! He though I was a lunatic. I grew up catching these things, the trick is not to get bit! You also don't want to screw with them when they're warmed up from the sun, 'cause the bigger ones move pretty quick. Also, if they're warmed up, and you get them mad enough, they WILL chase you. Stepping on one is of course, not recommended. There also seems to be plenty of little ones in the slots around the Escalante, for some reason.

[nat]

You guys just need to show these things who's boss. I caught this bad boy on the way up to Icebox Canyon. I was there with Mike Kelsey when this one slithered across our path. I jumped into the bushes and pulled it out and you should have seen the look on Mikes face! He though I was a lunatic. I grew up catching these things, the trick is not to get bit! You also don't want to screw with them when they're warmed up from the sun, 'cause the bigger ones move pretty quick. Also, if they're warmed up, and you get them mad enough, they WILL chase you. Stepping on one is of course, not recommended. There also seems to be plenty of little ones in the slots around the Escalante, for some reason.

Excellent story and photo Byron! That thing is big. Personally, I love snakes.

Nat

[ilipichicuma]

Gavin jumped almost seven feet a couple years ago when a snake buzzed at him on our way to Das Boot. It was hilarious. I figure rattlesnakes are generally pretty harmless, because they almost always warn you before they bite you.

[skiclimb3287]

A few weeks ago we were in St George and came across two in two days. We have decided that on if the guys on the trip needs to be on all future trips. He seems to flush them. On day one we went for a hike up the amputate trail in snow canyon and one rattled at him from the bushes. Scared the crap out of him. At least the rest of us knew he was there after that. On Day 2, we were hiking out the exit gully from Yankee Doodle and he got restyled at again. He had missed stepping on the snake by inches. Jumped quite high again.

I have good pictures of them, but an currently in the slc airport waiting for my flight to st. george. Was in Vancouver for business and already had plans to be in Zion this weekend, so saving time and flying down. The awesome girlfriend it's currently driving my jeep down to pick me up. Will try and remember to post the photos when we return.

Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk 2

[Brian in SLC]

Near the summit of Mt Tammany in New Jersey...near dusk, jogging down from the top...jumped over a water bar and almost landed on this critter:

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Not a happy camper. Huge snake. Struck at me a half dozen times...

Belaying at Red River Gorge, look down, and this guy was sneakin' around under me...

54430

Yeah, copperheads are quiet...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvaEJzoaYZk

[WorkBad]

I'm glad we don't have copper heads around here, but man that is a beautiful snake, you heard me. I nearly stepped on this guy inches from the trail in Kanarra Creek May 21, 2012. Located about an hour up from the second waterfall.

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I also rescued this little guy out of a pothole in Behunin May 25, 2012.

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[MrAdam]

Ran into another pissed off rattlesnake this weekend in Upper Sabino Canyon in Tucson, AZ. Guess it is just that time of year!

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[ghawk]

One time we were stemming down a section and this rattler was in the bottom. Se we just kept stemming as the walls got wider. But the snake started following us from the bottom. It was a little guy which had me worried a bit. We were super stretched out by the end but got ahead of him. Kind of creepy at the time. :eek2:

[Riseforms]

I come across some now and then.

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[Iceaxe]

Anyone else notice there seems to be a lot of rattlesnakes this year? I bet I have seen at least a dozen so far and the year is just past the halfway point. Normally I average seeing a couple every year. Maybe its just me but I seem to find at least one rattlesnake every time we go out this year. Maybe is the hot dry weather.... anyhoo.... watch your step.

[remoteman45]

Came across 4 rattlers in Kolob Saturday. Watch out!!!

[IntrepidTraveler]

I grew up catching these things, the trick is not to get bit!

Thank you, Captain Obvious! :haha:

Seriously, I don't move quick enough or have fast enough reflexes to even THINK about doing that!

[WorkBad]

Found this little guy at the last rap in MMI 12 April 2013.
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[JP]

Sweet pics :2thumbs:

[SRG]

In Short Canyon last summer, I was standing on a chockstone peering downcanyon and when I looked down there was a snake curled up between the rock and the canyon wall just inches from my foot. It didn't even rattle, the snake was probably very very cold.
In the pic you can see my muddy footprint on the rock and the snake to the right.
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[Mojave Silence]

On the hike out from Fat Mans Misery: 65422

[Byron]

In Short Canyon last summer, I was standing on a chockstone peering downcanyon and when I looked down there was a snake curled up between the rock and the canyon wall just inches from my foot. It didn't even rattle, the snake was probably very very cold.
In the pic you can see my muddy footprint on the rock and the snake to the right.
65420DUDE!!!! I just enlarged the pic to see exactly where the snake was....holy Moses! Man, that's about as close to stepping on the thing as you can get! WOW!

[mzamp]

Awesome Pics! Last summer we encountered 4 snakes in Winter Cabin Draw, one of which I did not see and steped right next to. Luckily that was the only one that was not a rattler.

I have also removed 3 from my back yard, but unlike Byron I use a really long rake to get them into a container and relocate.


The closest I got to stepping on one was two years back while trail running. I saw it last second and pushed off just enough to leap over it instead of landing on it.

[Mojave Silence]

Pasadena Glen Canyon (so-cal) 65442

[Mojave Silence]

That rock the snake was on was my next step...

[blamkin86]

Yikes. I've seen quite a few but never anything "aimed" at me!

Last fall, in the next-to-last downclimb in Moonshine wash, my wife jumped backwards and someone else said - "Look at your foot." Sure enough, a little rattler pretty much against my boot - but this guy somehow had his rattlers chewed off or something and was in some distress.

I kicked him out of the way to safety, and we went on down over the dryfall.

Of course then, we realized, we were coming back that way.

On the return trip, I (not so bravely) went first by stemming as much as I could and avoided using my hands up and over unknown rocks.

Sure enough, there he was there waiting for us to return.

[WorkBad]

Found this guy about 5 miles into the top to bottom hike of the narrows.
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[Iceaxe]

Just a heads up.... with the warmer weather coming rattlesnakes will be coming out of hibernation in many places over the next couple of weeks. I haven't seen any along the Wasatch Front so far this year, but I bet I see a couple within the next two weeks.

Tap'n on my Galaxy G3

[earwig654]

So out of curiosity does anyone here now if non rattle snakes have bacteria well pathogens that can make you sick if you get bit

65524

Saved these guys in lodge canyon

[bjp]

A snake and an anchor challenge (the webbing is equalized about right):
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Close up:
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[Mojave Silence]

Looks like the water knot is tied incorrectly?

[Brian in SLC]

Looks like the water knot is tied incorrectly?

Doesn't look like a water knot, but, the webbing looks tied EDK style, maybe?

Where was that? Purty snake, and, doesn't look like the great basin variety we get here in the Wasatch. Nevada?

[Brian in SLC]

Cotalus lepidus, methinks. Rock rattlesnake. One of the protected species of rattlesnakes in Arizona. Darn near stepped on this feller in Cochise Stronghold, on the way to climb What's My Line a few years back. Thank goodness it was docile!

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[Brian in SLC]

Another close encounter...running the trail at dusk from the summit of Mount Tammany in New Jersey, in the Delaware Water Gap. Jumped a water bar and about landed on this feller. Huge snake. Was pissed for a second and struck at me three or four times.

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[bjp]

Doesn't look like a water knot, but, the webbing looks tied EDK style, maybe?
Probably, but the snake was a much bigger problem with the anchor than the knot (lower right for anyone who didn't notice). If I tried to move him with a stick, he'd probably drop into the pool that I needed to descend into next in order to finish the canyon. Final solution was to downclimb half way then jump into the pool (not use this anchor).


Where was that? Purty snake, and, doesn't look like the great basin variety we get here in the Wasatch. Nevada?
San Gabriels in southern California, second to last rappel in Little Santa Anita specifically

[Udink]

I saw this little guy in the San Rafael Reef on Saturday--only the fourth rattler I've ever seen.

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[Iceaxe]

Saw my first rattlesnake of the year along the Wasatch Front yesterday. He was crawling across the trail as I was riding my mountain bike. I unintentionally ran right over the middle of him as I thought it was a stick. I didn't bother to stop and give him CPR and he wasn't in the trail on my return trip so hopefully he survived.

[WorkBad]

All three were from this last weeks adventures in the Zion area. May 2013

Found this guy in Fat Man's stuck inside a pothole. Anyone know what kind this is?
66496

Garter Snake... Nom Nom Nom on a lizard. Exiting Rock Canyon
66497

Bull Snake trying to climb the walls
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[Brian in SLC]

Found this guy in Fat Man's stuck inside a pothole. Anyone know what kind this is?
66496

Can't see it real well, but, maybe a ringneck? You know they're, uhh, venomous snakes, right? Ha ha. Glad it didn't gnaw on ya...

Tom and I saw one in Telephone Canyon back in the day...

http://dwrcdc.nr.utah.gov/rsgis2/search/Display.asp?FlNm=diadpunc

[WorkBad]

Yup! That's the guy... Cool. Venomous too hu? Says slightly venomous on Wiki, whatever that means... It was very docile and really didn't mind being handled at all. Thanks Brian

[StarFangledNut]

Got some awsome snake-on-snake action while hiking up a trail a few years back. These two guys were going at it hard; each had their fangs buried into the other's throat. I'm guessing the King came out on top.

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(I took the pic with my flip phone...haha...hard to imagine those ancient devices even had cameras)

[Taylor]

Just about stepped on this one near Halls Creek Narrows.

[WorkBad]

Found this guy all drowned in Echo last July. Sorry about the focus

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[Byron]

Obviously, this snake was eating another...both were dead, though. I fished their bodies out of Calf Creek, just like this.