[DßR]

Just a heads-up for y'all riding in the Gambrill/Shed area -- I saw the 1st rattlesnake I've ever seen up there today, near the top of Hamburg. I don't know what passes for "big" as rattlers go but he was a really fat f*cker, about 3 1/2' long and as big around as my arm, 4 rattles I think?

Anyway I've always known they're "out there" but now it's a little more real; I know I for one will be a hell of a lot more cautious doing trail work from now on...

 

[sguhrofst8]

wow, that's a little scary.
--z--

 

[whale]

Anyway I've always known they're "out there" but now it's a little more real; I know I for one will be a hell of a lot more cautious doing trail work from now on...

damn, i never realized we were risking our lives doing trail work out there !

 

[llkoolkeg]

They have always been here, but they are particularly prominent this year. Yours makes the third sighting I have personally heard about in a month. Mike C- the local buddy I sometimes ride with who's on a blue Bullit/Jr. T- saw one run over in the middle of Hamburg Road just a couple weeks back just above where the pipe run comes out. Amazingly, I have only enocounterd one in all my years riding the 'shed. As luck would have it, though, it was at the RTE 15 Overlook near Cunningham Falls when I had taken my wife there for some overlook nook before we had kids. Nothing will shrink up your shiet and put a crimp in your plans for lovin' like a rattlesnake shaking his tail at you for trying to lay out a sleeping bag near his sun rock! To this day, it's probably the quickest I have ever moved.

 

[biggins]

they are just snakes no need to be scared.

 

[Buck Fever]

I saw one on Hamburg about three weeks ago as well. I stopped to snap a pic and escort it off the road when a pickup full of fredneck jumped out screaming "that's my snake, that's my snake!" and tried to smash it with a deadwood log (the smasher was smashed and missed the snake). I was so furious about the situation that I left in order to avoid a violent confrontation. I hope the sucker got dosed with venom.

The snake was about 3 1/2 feet, slightly bigger than a coke can and about 5 rattles.

 

[llkoolkeg]

I stopped to snap a pic and escort it off the road when a pickup full of fredneck jumped out screaming "that's my snake, that's my snake!" and tried to smash it with a deadwood log (the smasher was smashed and missed the snake).

I know that if I ever see one up there while riding, it'll scare the piss outta me. I'm just not a big fan of poisonous snakes since having a couple real close calls with them as a youth.

Just out of curiosity, is that how to properly pluralize "redneck"? Ya know...like a gaggle of geese a herd of antelope or a pride of lions?

A "pickupful of Fredneck" might also be considered an international unit of weights and measures, e.g. "The hapless roadie was struck with Coors bottles heaved by a pickupful of redneck that sped by in primer-gray 80's Buick."

 

[DamienC]

Rattlesnake...potential trail name? Rattlesnake Trail . . . RT

 

[goofy]

Rattlesnake...potential trail name? Rattlesnake Trail . . . RT

I think that is the next trail name

 

[DßR]

a pickup full of fredneck jumped out screaming "that's my snake, that's my snake!" and tried to smash it with a deadwood log

That sounds like it was D. "Sanchez" Kalt -- Dave, anything to add here?

RT

Absolutely, no question about it.

 

[sguhrofst8]

Rattlesnake...potential trail name? Rattlesnake Trail . . . RT

good stuff D, good stuff !

now we make a big rolling whindy skinny on it.

--z--

 

[Capt. Jack Sparrow]

Just a heads-up for y'all riding in the Gambrill/Shed area -- I saw the 1st rattlesnake I've ever seen up there today, near the top of Hamburg....

Oh, more incentive for me to stop falling off my bike so much!

 

[Buck Fever]

Just out of curiosity, is that how to properly pluralize "redneck"? Ya know...like a gaggle of geese a herd of antelope or a pride of lions?

A "pickupful of Fredneck" might also be considered an international unit of weights and measures, e.g. "The hapless roadie was struck with Coors bottles heaved by a pickupful of redneck that sped by in primer-gray 80's Buick."

Although I innocently forgot the "s" at the end of Fredneck, I like your idea, I'm going to use it from now on.

 

[riderx]

Rattlesnake...potential trail name? Rattlesnake Trail . . . RT

I'm pretty sure there is already a trail named Rattlesnake up there. I know there is Salamander. I'll check my map when I get home.

 

[Mattoid]

I saw my first copperhead on the trail today. Eeeep!

 

[DHracer1067]

ha. i saw a copper head yesterday. i found a big boulder and smashed its head.

 

[llkoolkeg]

It was staring directly into the face of a copperhead from a foot or so away that originally made me nervous about poisonous snakes. Being chased out of my rope swing swimming hole by a testy cottonmouth only reinforced my distaste.

 

[NoCoastFreeride]

Man, woulda freaked me out. Hell, those bugs at the top of Monarch that buzzed scared the crap outt me...

 

[MojoJojo]

Just a heads-up for y'all riding in the Gambrill/Shed area -- I saw the 1st rattlesnake I've ever seen up there today, near the top of Hamburg. I don't know what passes for "big" as rattlers go but he was a really fat f*cker, about 3 1/2' long and as big around as my arm, 4 rattles I think?

Anyway I've always known they're "out there" but now it's a little more real; I know I for one will be a hell of a lot more cautious doing trail work from now on...

Hey Dan... If he was dark brown to almost black with hard to distinguish diamonds, it would be a timber rattler.....grayish with black/white bordered diamonds... Eastern Dimondback. The Timber are pretty passive and it take a lot to get their attention. Easterns are a bit more aggressive. I see a lot of Timbers in the Pisgahs. Mattiod on the other hand with the copperhead sighting...leave those little bastards alone. They're quiet, quick, and strike anything they think they can hit!!!!!!! All will F you up really bad. Go search for sites concerning venomous snake bites....hope you don't have a weak stomach

 

[Mattoid]

I had never seen a snake like that before, it was actually pretty cool. My freinds walked right past it on the trail, then when i came up about 15ft back i saw it sittin there lookin all pist. After we were done looking at it from a safe distance i grabbed a 5' stick, stuck it under itand flung it 20 ft off trail... thats how you deal with a dangerous snake on the trail... not by smashing it

 

[MojoJojo]

I had never seen a snake like that before, it was actually pretty cool. My freinds walked right past it on the trail, then when i came up about 15ft back i saw it sittin there lookin all pist. After we were done looking at it from a safe distance i grabbed a 5' stick, stuck it under itand flung it 20 ft off trail... thats how you deal with a dangerous snake on the trail... not by smashing it

That was cool of you. I pretty much do the same thing. WARNING: Do be careful, most snakes can strike distances near equal to their length and they are faster than you can every dream of being.

 

[DßR]

Hey Dan... If he was dark brown to almost black with hard to distinguish diamonds, it would be a timber rattler.....grayish with black/white bordered diamonds... Eastern Dimondback

Definitely the eastern diamondback; he clearly had white/gray borders on the diamonds on his back....