by S. Heisley » Sat Jul 03, 2010 7:05 pm
As a child, growing up in the middle country, I was told that we had to stay on the path and "Walk hard" so that our feet would carry a vibration into the earth. Generally, the snake will feel that vibration and move away from the path.
However, like people, snakes like to sun themselves. They like the warmth of an open patch of ground and may become too relaxed to move quickly at first. That's when a startled snake will strike....Sort of a "Let sleeping Snakes lie". Okay, so I took some liberties there and replaced 'Dogs' with 'Snakes' but the rule still holds true. Speaking of dogs, keep them on a leash so that they can't run ahead and startle a snake. Most are too light footed and quick to give a snake warning or time to get away and all the dog sees is a critter to have some fun with. The same can be said for "little people" (kids). Hold toddlers' hands and insist older kids walk next to you, on the path. Don't let them run ahead of you.
Once, while horseback riding in Kings Canyon National Park, we came upon a rattler that had seemingly fallen asleep in the sun. Luckily, we were with a guide and she stopped us. She dismounted and stayed back about 8 to10 feet from the snake and tossed pebbles towards (but not on) the snake until it gathered its senses and moved away. It took half a dozen tossed pebbles to persuade it to move.
Another time, a bunch of us were on a rafting trip and were sleeping in tents. The people in the neighboring tent woke up to find that a six foot rattler had decided to sleep in the sun just one foot from their tent zipper. Again, the guides came to the rescue. They made a hat band out of that one and said they were going to have rattlesnake steak for dinner that night.