Today, I saved a life and helped to educate some folks in the process. Beginning on my mountain run, I came to where the trail forks. As I headed up the right side, I noticed a large rattlesnake in my path. I stopped to take its photo. That proved anything but easy, as it was moving with great speed, wanting to get a way from me. In addition, the sun was glaring with such intensity on the screen to my phone that I could barely see what I was taking a picture of.
Just about the time I was able to snap what I hoped would prove to be a good photo, along came a younger couple with their dog down the other side of the fork. As they were headed, unaware, straight into the path of the snake, I informed them of such. The man became rather protective of his girlfriend and their dog, ushering them off to the side. The snake, sensing the dog, became agitated and began to accordion the upper half of its body, getting into a strike pose. This was my cue to ask the couple to please move their dog away, and for me to move myself out of the way.
The snake calmed down, and I snapped a couple more pictures. Putting my phone back in my running pouch, I turned just in time to see the young man come up behind me with two huge rocks, one in each hand, his eyes intent on the still moving snake. I looked from the rocks to the poor snake that was just trying to get away and said to the man, “Please don’t kill it. It means no harm. Just wants to get away from us.”
The man, not detoured, kept approaching the snake and said, “Are you sure,” as he paused to look at me.
“I am,” was my reply.
The man dropped each of the rocks, each landing with resounding thud that I felt more than heard, the ground vibrating from the force. Then he said, “But what if the snake tries to attack a person or dog?”
I looked at the snake, relieved that it had finally reached a spot where it could conceal itself, then turned to the man and said, “That won’t happen unless it feels its life is threatened. And if people and their dogs,” I added, referring to what I’d seen as the couple had approached with their dog off-leash and romping off trail through the grass, “remain on the trail. That way, they’ll have plenty of warning there’s a snake about and will be able to safely make their way around it without incident.”
The man looked at where the snake had disappeared into the tall grass and then back at me before he said, “I don’t know…. I don’t like it.”
With the utmost patience, I looked at the man and with a calm voice said, “Try to remember that we’re in the snake’s territory up here. This is his home, not ours. As such, we have to be respectful of him.”
As if a light bulb had finally gone on, the man looked from me to his girlfriend, dog and then back at me before relaxing. Heading off a moment later, he said, “You’re right.”
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