Snakefest in Quehanna / Call Me Rattlesnake Queen!

Featuring: T. Tiger in peril!!!!

A couple of days ago, looking ahead at the weather forecast, my husband suggested we head for the Quehanna Wild Area on Saturday, for some day hiking. We had not been there since our October backpack, into the Valley of the Elk (here and here). We didn't really discuss exactly where we'd go; we would figure that out when we got there. 

For once, we were not backpacking, nor were we car-camping, which is a thing we used to do a lot there. In the olden days, which is to say the mid to late 1980s, we did not have tents; we simply tossed our ground sheets upon the ground, threw our sleeping pads and bags on top, and spent the night on the open ground. Consider this, as you read this story.

Saturday morning found us packing up our daysacks, and me, making bagel sandwiches with ham and cheese. We tucked those into a cooler, along with some snacks and drinks, and got out our chairs and the usual stuff, hopped into the car, and set out for the big woods. 

T. Tiger and the Moose and the Anteater and Alex the Alligator and Little Bear were with us. Little did I know that we were about to embark upon one of the finest rattlesnake adventures of our entire life! We stopped at Benton's in Karthaus along the way, for a quart of chili, cold, which we tucked into the cooler for later, at home.

As we got to Quehanna, we noticed two things: there were big black (very full) garbage bags at regular intervals along the road, and every spot where we could have parked the car for a day hike ALREADY HAD PEOPLE IN IT! Many of them had small children with them, too. Hmmph! Well, it was a Saturday, and a glorious one at that. I guess we should have expected to discover people out and about.

So my husband chose a side road, and down it we went, until we found a parking spot by a place where we like to hike. There are some big rocks a couple of miles back, and for obvious reasons, my husband and I have christened them Rattlesnake Rocks. There were two vehicles parked there already, but apparently nobody on the exact trail we were on. 

We set out into the woods, and hiked through a beautiful mossy forest that was so, so green. There was a section where there were lines of trees on either side, and a pretty little stream, that reminded us a lot of the Black Forest Trail, in northern PA, which we have not hiked in many a year.

And then we came out of the woods, and there in the distance were the huge rocks. There is a spring nearby and we stopped and drank from it. The water was amazingly fresh and cold and tasty. Wild water in the middle of nowhere just TASTES better. 

As we headed for the rocks, I teased my husband by announcing to T. Tiger and the Moose, "He just wants to boop the noses of rattlesnakes!" The last time we were there, my husband saw (and jumped over) one rattlesnake, while I missed the entire show. I was hoping that this day would turn out better, for me. I was hoping for snake sightings. I was hoping for snake photos. Boy, was I one lucky girl; all of my wishes were granted!

As we approached the rocks, my husband insisted that I be extra-careful. He warned me several times. He made me PROMISE. He knows how much I love snakes, and how much I wanted to see some, and how my personal tendency (though I never try to TOUCH them - no touchie the serpent!) is to run TOWARD the snake to get a better photo, rather than to try to run AWAY from one.

So we set up our chairs and sat our daysacks down, and began to explore the area. We set out Alex and Little Bear and the Moose and Tiny Tiger and the Anteater on a mossy rock with a nice view, so they could enjoy the day. My husband approached a rock at the top, and from underneath it we heard a rattle. Timber rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus) number one! I heard it but did not see it. He heard it AND caught a tiny glimpse of it. We resolved to leave it alone. Smart move.

After a little rest in the shade, I decided I was going to walk down around the front of the rocks to look for snakes. Once again, I got a warning to be very, very careful. I swore I would be. Then I walked down along the edge of the rocky face, carefully looking this way and that. Hmmph. No snakes so far!

I decided to give up, a little disappointed, and as I turned to go back up the hill, I looked closely at the rock next to my foot. Spotted some stripes underneath. The very edge of a rattlesnake! Oops! Had it been there the whole time, right by my foot? I snapped a photo. Took a step back. Quicker than you might expect, the stripes moved; the rattler silently disappeared under the rock! Snake number two!

Okay, I felt a little bit chastened now. Maybe I needed to look more carefully. I took my sunglasses off, looked ALL around me before I took each step. Up the hill I went, and as I walked past one rocky space, I glanced up and saw a rattlesnake above me. Hello, snake number three!

I carefully skirted it, walked around the edge, and there it was! Had it been there the whole time? Had I walked past it on my way down and never seen it? Nestled in between a rock and a tree was the coiled-up timber rattlesnake you see in the photo above. Note the huge triangular head; this is customary for venomous snakes. (A quick note on poisonous vs. venomous: If you EAT it and you die, it was poisonous. If it BITES you and you die, it was venomous. You're welcome.)

I walked up around the edge of the rock and told my husband about the rattlesnakes, very calmly, which is how I've tried to learn to behave around snakes. "What?" my husband said. And I told him about the rattlesnakes AGAIN. He walked around me and peered down the hill; spotted the curled-up one between the tree and rock; admonished me to stay AWAY from it.

He also harassed me a little about being so calm about spotting the snakes. I did not dance the typical "snake dance" and shout and scream. I was totally calm as I relayed the information. "That's how I know something bad is going to happen," he said, "you look totally CALM. I can TELL you're Lee's daughter!'

I guess this was a lesson from Lee, my old man. He was good at being calm around dangerous things; then, he'd suddenly leap out and kill. He was not a fan of snakes, and in fact, probably killed just about every snake he'd ever met, just to be safe. "The only good snake is a dead snake," he might have said. A lot of people feel that way. But not me.

Of course, I wanted more photos of that nice, coiled-up snake you see above. So I walked back down and took a few more, from a safe distance, never closer than six to twelve feet away. I went back again later to discover the spot empty. Now instead of having a potentially dangerous snake in a place where we KNEW where it was, we had a snake that was somewhere that we did NOT know where it was. Which would make YOU a bit more nervous?

I sat back down in my chair, and enjoyed the afternoon. As I looked out over the rock and out over the valley, I could see buds popping on the trees. It is still EARLY spring in Quehanna. They have a ways to go yet, compared to down here in the valley. 

I stood up to photograph the buds, and looked down, and there, curled up not far from a rock about six feet in front of me, was another timber rattler, coiled up and basking in the sun.. This one was sort of orange and black. Snake number four! "There's another one," I said quietly. "Another WHAT?" said my husband. "Rattlesnake," I said calmly. He leaned over for a look; shook his head.

We took the opportunity to move our chairs further away from that rock. I took the opportunity to grab myself a long stick, known to country people as "a snake stick." I did not plan to harm anybody with it, but if any snake approached, I could at least push it away from my feet.

I also took a look at Tiny Tiger and the Moose and the gang on top of their rock, not far from the rock we'd just spotted a rattler under.  I told my husband, "I'm worried that a snake will try to take T. Tiger, thinking he is a large orange mouse!"

Husband: "I think a snake is more likely to take the ANTEATER!" I looked around. T. Tiger looked unhappy. So did the Anteater. I said reassuringly to T. Tiger, "You don't have to be faster than the rattler. You just have to be faster than the ANTEATER!!" Anteater: *looks alarmed* Then I took T. Tiger and the Anteater, and the Moose, and I put them all back in my daysack for the afternoon, where they might feel safer. My husband took Alex and Little Bear, did the same. Suddenly, we both wondered HOW MANY SNAKES ARE THERE???? Quite possibly, even many more than what we'd seen!

By this time, it was heading toward the middle of the afternoon. We discussed whether we should try to stop somewhere else for a second hike, or whether we should just stay where we were, hangin' with our homies, the Rattlesnake Gang. As we were sitting relaxing, enjoying the absolutely gorgeous day, my husband took a photo of me in my chair, with T. Tiger and the gang on the rock behind me; you may see that shot in the extras. We decided we'd walk out shortly, and in a little bit, we did, walking carefully along the rocks, keeping our snurp (snake) alerts on high. I picked up my snake stick.

We walked back to the spring and filled our water bottles, and then headed back through the mossy woods from whence we came. Suddenly, my knees were tired. My snake stick became a walking stick, as mile turned into mile. Part-way through the mossy woods, we agreed that we did not probably have the legs left yet - OR the time - to do another, separate hike elsewhere. Why didn't we just set our chairs up again in the mossy woods, and sit a spell?

As we bushwhacked off the trail to find a spot to sit, I did have a quick thought that - with all of the snakes we'd seen - bushwhacking might not be the most advisable activity in Quehanna. I had my snake stick at the ready. I took my sunglasses off. We stopped and my husband started setting up his chair. I peered carefully to my right; spotted the small form: another rattler, curled up by a tree. 

"Can you believe it? There's another one," I said quietly. "What?" asked my husband. "Another RATTLESNAKE," I said; "snake number five, one for the thumb!" "There she goes again," he said, "being perfectly calm; you know SOMETHING's wrong!" He also asked, "How can you SEE them?" I said, "I have my father's eyes. I just SEE the snakes. This isn't my first rattlesnake rodeo!"

We moved our chairs another dozen or so feet away, keeping a safe distance between us and our latest reptile. And as we sat there, I was jubilant, in the way that only snake lovers can be. I hoped for yet one more snake before we departed, an even half-dozen. "Snake number six, where are you?" I sang out. But snake number six never materialized. I did, however, have photos of snakes number two through five!

We hiked out to the car, got in, and drove home. When we got home, we unloaded the car, took our gear inside, and heated up the chili and enjoyed it with extra cheese and sour cream. Oh my. So good! "This day was for you," my husband said; "You got what you wanted . . . five rattlesnakes and a bowl of chili!" 

And then I ran around the house shouting, "I am the Rattlesnake Queen of Quehanna!" My husband started calling me his Reptilian Princess. For I am the girl who encountered FIVE rattlesnakes in Quehanna, and safely photographed FOUR of them, and lived to tell the tale! "That's as happy as I've ever seen you in the woods!' my husband said, as I pranced and danced and sang my glee.

I uploaded my photos to the computer, and then put the one above on Facebook, promising many more pictures. I was almost afraid to look at the photos, fearing I'd discover even MORE snakes in each photo that we'd never even noticed while we were there. A scary thought. But no, that did not happen. I have not had a chance to do it yet, but sometime today, I'll put the rest of the snakes on Instagram and add a link here. You're welcome! :-)

Now, amid all of this excitement, let me add some caveats. There are dangers in the wild woods that can actually harm, or even kill you. Venomous snakes are one of those things. It's best to leave them alone, if possible, and not get too close. Do not try to poke at them, or move them, or play with them. 

And you are responsible for the people in your party. If you have children or pets, do NOT let them wander among the woods and rocks alone! Only two of the five snakes we encountered actually rattled, so do not count on an auditory warning; put your snurp-alerts on, watch your feet, and take your sunglasses OFF to see them. They hang out amid rocks, and downed wood, and beside trees.

There is a graphic that has been going around Facebook about how you can tell whether a snake is dangerous. To cut to the chase, LEAVE the animal alone. Make sure it has a good, safe avenue to escape. Do not try to harm, kill, harass, or GRAB the reptile. They don't LIKE that! How would YOU like to be harassed, chased, or poked with a stick? No, nobody would!

It is actually ILLEGAL to kill a timber rattler in Pennsylvania, unless you are defending life and limb, or unless you possess a venomous snake permit to take one. Even if you possess a permit, there are still protected state forest natural areas where you may NOT legally take a snake (one of those areas is Wykoff Run, and another is Marion Brooks, both located in the Quehanna Wild Area). Rattlesnakes are protected, and for very good reasons. More info here.

As we conclude the tale of our amazing, spectacular, marvelous, wonderful reptile adventure in the Quehanna Wild Area, let me end with two songs. First is a song that came onto our tunes box (plugged into the car stereo) on the drive home: John Mellencamp, with Your Life Is Now. Here's a quick piece of unsolicited advice. If you want to have an adventure, GO DO IT! The past is not here. The future is not yet. The only moment you can ever truly live in is the NOW. Exercise reasonable caution, but adventure awaits, if you go out and look for it. 

And here's a song for the girl in the extras, who has her father's eyes, when it comes to finding (but no, Dad, not killing) reptiles: Olivia Vedder, Eddie Vedder, and Glen Hansard, with I Am My Father's Daughter. For I AM my father's daughter, come Hell or high water, or even lots and lots of reptiles!


P.S. I have read this story to my husband, and shown him my photos. He says I need to add this comment, about the photo of me in the extras: "Here is a picture of a girl who is surrounded by rattlesnakes, and who is calm and happy at the same time. Go figure!" Also, I'd like to add that many of the truly wild places that I photograph and put on these pages, I probably would not even BE there if my husband and I had not gone there together. So here's a shout-out to him, for arranging the trip that brought us this wild adventure.