Holy Snakes!!!
I don’t think I will ever get used to these creatures. They freak me out!!! I had the pleasure of seeing 2 on the workout run this evening. The first was right at the trail head. He/she was a monster. Easily the biggest I have seen so far. Plus it had either just eaten or was pregnant. Anyway, it was sprawled across the trail just basking in the heat. It took a few minutes but it finally made its way across the trail so I could pass.
The second came when I decided to go a little different route than I normally do. Because this was a workout run I was going a little faster than usual and knew I needed to tack on a little more distance. I decided I would go up this little trail I knew that would add about a half mile. No more than 20 feet into that trail I almost stepped on the rattle of snake number 2. I stopped about 6” away and took about 4 quick steps back while yelping some foul language. Meanwhile the snake got freaked out as well and went from a sprawled out length to a rattling coiled up attack position with its head facing at me. Here it is on the stand off:
To me, there is nothing more terrifying than the sound of that rattle. It sends shivers down my spine. I seriously need to find some sort of kevlar knee high socks to run in. This is getting to be too much.
On a lighter note, the run was great and it was only 86°F out. Better than the 102°F from a couple days ago. Also, the clouds were back which always makes things better. That lake is so beautiful. I love seeing it almost everyday on my runs. It makes me so happy. Tomorrow has rain in the forecast for the morning so it may be a soggy long run. I’m kinda looking forward to it. Hopefully that keeps those damn snakes away!
