Sunday, April 7, 2013

rattled

Every ride has moments. Some good, some bad, fun and terrifying. Like when a rattlesnake begins vibrating next to the trail and you just keep moving as fast as you can.




I was on single track, the rock trail. There is nowhere but down a cliff, up a cliff or back down the trail. We were scaling a rocky section, at a pretty good pace (as fast as you can scale rocks, admittedly not THAT fast), when I heard it. My brain processed in a split second, didn't see it on the trail ahead, and asked Major to just leap ahead! Whew!

I saw my first rattlesnake of the season last week, while climbing Dottie's hill. He was a big, fat guy half into the bushes as I came around the corner. That trail is wide enough that I could go to the side and avoid it.

Last week I also saw a big garter snake, but that was cool. Today I was riding ahead of a storm blowing in, my intentioned 12 miles becoming 6 as the sky darkened.

Threatening clouds, trails totally overgrown with poison oak, hanging caterpillars from the oak trees, and now snakes.

Oh boy.

5 comments:

  1. Jeepers Creepers! SNAKES!
    I had Falcon out earlier-didnt seen any snakes.

    Love your "purple haze" post. It is so gorgeous out there right now...minus the snakes! : P

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  2. Keep an eye out, they're starting to get active! The summer is more obvious when you see their tracks across the trail.

    It is so pretty right now, try to remember that in July!

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  3. My idjit just trotted right over a rattler on the trail once. So scary!

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    Replies
    1. Scary! I watched a friend in front of me do that one time, snake was all confused! I backed my horse up and waited for the snake to move off the trail. Sometimes you just don't have time, glad everything was OK!

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