While out hiking and enjoying the landscape in the Sequoia National Park this rattlesnake ended up coiled next to my leg.  We were near a waterfall so you couldn’t hear the rattles.  Lucky for me I was actually paying attention to the ground, saw the snake coil.  I jumped backwards away from the snake as fast and as far as I could.  Since my Uncle had been walking in front of me, it looks like the commotion scared the snake out of it’s den as I was walking by.  Given the cool weather it was surprising to see a rattler out.  This one was definitely sluggish which boded well for me.

Even so, the rattlesnake was not happy that I was so close and I was not happy that it was that close me.  We stared at each other for what seemed like a lifetime, but was probably only a minute or so.  After the snake realized i wasn’t going to do anything it started to slither away.  That is when I felt the courage to actually grab my camera and take an image of the snake.  Even though I was scared out of my wits, I have to admit the rattler was very beautiful.

Remember to pay attention in nature!

Remember when out in the wilderness to always pay attention to your surroundings and just because you can’t hear rattles doesn’t mean there isn’t a rattlesnake around.  Also, keep a cool head and don’t panic.  Staying calm really kept me out of trouble.  Especially with rattlesnakes, staying away and letting them just move on is the best practice.  They usually only become aggressive when spooked or provoked.

Thank you for reading.  Don’t forget to look at some of the latest landscape and wildlife images in my Open Edition Collection .

Don’t forget to check out my first blog post on this website.