The Rattlesnake

So, after the Mount Lemmon climb, I took a short hike, 7 miles, in to Sabino Canyon, trying a couple of new trails that paralleled the creek and then headed up on a spur trail toward the Phoneline Trail.

Multiple types of lizards are all over the place.  Most are very small and must be a diet of something.

I began the climb toward the Phoneline Trail, which runs parallel with the paved Sabino Canyon Road on which trams run all day.  When hiking in the warmer months, my routine is to scan the trail to my front and then scan the sides of the trail, looking for you know what. 

Walking forward, I somehow missed this fella but saw it in time. one step away.  I believe this is a Mojave rattlesnake and they have the rep of being especially unfriendly.  Trust me, it was bigger than it appears in this image.  Not a maneater but quite capable of ruining my fun out here.  I have a good video of the sound of the rattles as I kicked rocks toward it.  Wished I had a hiking pole with me so I could manipulate it a little.  I think this makes the 6th encounter I have had with rattlesnakes, ranging from a pink rattlesnake in the Grand Canyon to a little guy on the Camelback trail in Phoenix.

From that point forward, I went in to hyper scan mode and saw every ledge and footfall a potential point of encounter with another snake.  Look at the above, they could be anywhere.  I encountered a few people coming down from the Phoneline Trail and warned them of what I had seen.  They are always very grateful for the head's up. Back to cycling now.