Gambolin’ Man writes long essays about his hikes complete with philosophy and natural history. His latest post covers a recent summer sojourn North Fork American River in the Sierra Nevada foothills:
One early evening, with the wind whipping up into swirls of dancing dust devils, I’m enjoying a moment of quiet respite sitting on a rock writing my bear memoir when, suddenly, Gambolin’ Gal – approaching from the river – lets out a startled gasp, which causes me to drop my pen and whirl around just in time to see a bear tear off faster than possible for such a lumbering animal, leaving scattered sets of giant paw prints and clear indentations of five inch long claw marks scarring the trail. Ursula, bad girl!
North Fork American River. (Photo by Gambolin' Man)
Rattlesnake near the North Fork American River in the Sierra Nevada. (Photo by Gambolin' Man)
Another fascinating post. Be sure to check it out.
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Wow great photo! Was it dangerous to take the picture of the snake from that close?
Twitter: @TheJohnSoares
He might have used zoom, so perhaps the snake wasn’t as close as it appears.
As I wrote in the account, rattlesnakes, when given enough room, are not really threatening creatures. I was probably 4 or 5 feet from this snake.
Twitter: @TheJohnSoares
I watched a rattlesnake near Morris Meadows in the Trinity Alps as it slithered across the trail and then circled back toward me. I’m not saying I was a target, but I’m not sure it was coincidence either.