Last Saturday afternoon I went out for a jog following my usual path, a narrow trail through the wilderness. With each step I took I heard them. “Shkshkshsk”. “Shkshkshsk”. “Shkshkshsk”. The now all too familiar shake of a rattler’s tail. They were all around, on each side of the trail, some close, others far. I’ve been running, hiking, and biking in the wilderness for years and it’s never bothered me before. But this day was different, the trail appeared narrower due to an abnormally high amount of vegetation. Soon my run turned from a relaxing escape to an intense running of the gauntlet. Every sense was on high alert, my heart raced as I feared the next step. I kept on my toes readying myself for that instant when a snake might lunge out at me, or I overrun one while it innocently crosses the trail. What would happen? Would it be frightened enough to strike? Would it freeze and play dead? If it struck and hit me, what would I do? All of these questions raced through my mind over and over with each stride I made. I was on an out and back run. Needless to say, I was anxious to get to my turn around point and head back home. I struggled on. After 30 minutes, the alarm on my watch signalled me to turn around. I stopped, took a few deep breaths, turned around and began to get back into my rhythm. A few strides in and bam!, a three foot long rattler had slithered out of the vegetation onto the trail. He must have heard, felt, smelled, and/or saw me coming as he had froze with his body completely stretched out and his rattle and head both slightly lifted off the ground. We watched each other for a few seconds. I waited for him to move along, but I knew he wasn’t going anywhere while I was there. I turned around to ponder a different route, but it was extremely hot out and I only had enough water for my planned route. I looked for sticks and rocks to throw at him, to encourage him to move along. There was nothing around. Well it wasn’t the first time that I had to pass a rattler on a trail, but it was the narrowest margin I ever had. So I said a little prayer and slowly skirted my way passed him. Although the excitement was behind me it was hard to get my heart rate down and get back home, but I pushed on, and made it back without any further troubles.

This was my third direct encounter with a rattlesnake this year. In April, I was hiking with my daughter and our dog on a nearby trail, and we had to sneak passed a rattler in a similar situation. It was crossing the trail while we happened upon it, so it froze the same way, body outstretched with head and tail slightly lifted. By the time I saw it, the dog had already passed over it and my daughter was just passing by its head. I stepped around it’s tail and we continued on, but at that time of the year the trail was so overgrown that we had to take it very slow and careful. We were so tense that it ended up not being much fun so we cut our hike short.

Last month I came across another one while climbing a steep hill on my mountain bike. Again it was trying to cross the trail when I came along. Unsure of its reaction, I dismounted my bike and walked passed it, keeping my bike between us.

Actually, my first encounter this year with rattlesnakes came in early April. My buddies and I had just finished a day hike. When we got back to the car there were a couple of teenagers in the parking lot taking pictures of a couple snakes they had caught. Here’s some video…

Anyway, after years of little to no sightings, it’s strange that I’ve seen so many in the passed 6 weeks. It just makes me wonder what the next 5 or 6 months has in store.