Spent the weekend up in the Sierras on a back country hiking trip. Ran across this nice little Northern Pacific Rattlesnake. Our dog was very interested, but luckily was kept well away. We ran across one more rattlesnake on the hike out.
Having lived in Arizona and constantly crossed paths with rattlesnakes, the rattle sound still raises my adrenaline. A dry leaf getting caught between the front tire and fork brace on my mountain bike creates a similar sound and reaction. Amazing how we build up those defensive instincts.
Update: My friend’s Scott and Martha determined the snake is a Northern Pacific Rattlesnake (Crotalus oreganus oreganus) and not a Western Diamond-backed (Crotalus atrox) as I had earlier thought. So, I have updated this entry.
Cheers!
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