Events and Rattlesnakes

I remind people all the time to watch out for wildlife when they are hiking, biking, or otherwise spending time in the back country. All manner of critters are out there... bobcats, cougars, bears, raccoons, and rattlesnakes. I tell them, so they don't have run-ins with them, resulting in a medical need.

So, imagine my surprise when, at an event at Toro Park this past Sunday, I found this guy at my feet:

Yeah, thats a Western Diamondback. Little guy, around 16 inches long. But perfectly capable of laying me out. Seems he was just moving past me. I stopped and let him continue on. Didn't seem to mind me at all...

Problem is, he decided to continue on to the race course. Just as the last mountain bike race was getting started. Although he was VERY young, I was amazed at how agile he was, avoiding getting hit and killed by the cyclists. Talk about FAST! Wow!

Then he continued on. Right toward a car next to our medical station. Someone brought me a long pole, and I "guided" the little snake into the bush, away from people.