We went for a walk in Hixon Forest yesterday. It seemed like a good way to spend a hot day in July. So we were hiking on the Hickory Trail and almost at the junction to Lookout Point. We’d just come around a corner and I was walking in front.
As we neared a tree in the trail Obbie yelled “STOP”. I looked down, saw a snake and heard it’s rattle all at the same time. I tried not to panic, although I wanted to run back down the trail as fast as I could. Instead, we stepped back and let the snake continue across the path and into the woods.
Obbie had the small camera along and recorded what we saw. Kinda shaky, but considering the circumstances…
A large rattlesnake crosses a trail in Hixon Forest.
Close-up detail of the above picture.
After recovering our senses we continued on up the trail to Lookout Point, with a lot more awareness of what’s around us. And respect too. Thanks snake, and Obbie, for the warning.
This encounter reminded us of this silly but fun little Flash video. Watch for the snake.
Whaddya mean “our” senses? My senses didn’t need recovering, thank you very much.
This wasn’t the first time I’ve encountered a rattlesnake, but it’s the first one I’ve seen in Wisconsin. This isn’t the place you expect to see such a big rattlesnake, but it was very exciting, in more ways than one.