The Day The Stig Almost Met His Maker

[TheNevadanStig]

On todays walk, I noticed a small bridge crossing over the river. Swallows were nesting under the bridge, so I decided to climb the rocks up to under the bridge to try and get some shots. About half way up I darn near stepped on this guy, a LARGE great basin rattlesnake:

253 by TheNevadanStig, on Flickr

251 by TheNevadanStig, on Flickr

267 by TheNevadanStig, on Flickr

270 by TheNevadanStig, on Flickr

I know the pics aren't the best, but the ledge was very narrow and I wasn't going to push my luck any farther.

 

[BrickHouse]

Cool pics! Don't get bit! The CroFab is expensive and the bites cause a ton of pain.

 

[pjaye]

And you stayed long enough to take pictures???? I would have been out of there so fast. Great pictures but they still creep me out!

 

[TheNevadanStig]

Cool pics! Don't get bit! The CroFab is expensive and the bites cause a ton of pain.

And your lucky if you don't lose a limb on top of everything. The treatment probably wouldn't have been nearly as expensive as the helicopter ride out I would have needed. I was 10 miles from my car, which was 45 miles from the nearest hospital.

 

[BrickHouse]

Cool pics! Don't get bit! The CroFab is expensive and the bites cause a ton of pain.

And your lucky if you don't lose a limb on top of everything. The treatment probably wouldn't have been nearly as expensive as the helicopter ride out I would have needed. I was 10 miles from my car, which was 45 miles from the nearest hospital.

No kidding!! We treat Marines almost weekly for getting bit while out in the field here at Pendleton. They always tell me they were "just minding their own business". I have to tell them "Bro, I grew up in Idaho. Rattlers don't just attack. You were jackin with them. Don't lie to me." Spent a ton of time as a kid out playing with them and doing a lot of stupid stuff. Was probably a miracle I never got bit.

 

[pixmedic]

ive shot a few rattlers from horseback.
last pic is my favorite.

 

[JacaRanda]

Insane. That is much bigger than large. Holy Crap.


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[TammyCampbell]

NOPE!!! No way... Uh uh..snakes and me don't get along..Great pics though..

 

[BillM]

You couldn't get me within 100 yards of that thing !!!!!

 

[limr]

Yikes! Glad you saw it before it could bite you. And I totally would have stayed to take pictures of it, too

 

[runnah]

Yikes! Glad you saw it before it could bite you. And I totally would have stayed to take pictures of it, too

I saw some French tourists poking one with a stick on top of a mountain in new york. I left before I had to suck out poison from anyone.

 

[Raj_55555]

Awesome pics Stig, these things have huge fangs. May be you should have tried to get a few shots highlighting them lol..

 

[TheNevadanStig]

Sure! I just need someone to donate their limb, I'll work the camera!

 

[baturn]

Awesome shots! Looks like he might have been just as anxious to get away from you as I would have been from him.

 

[TheNevadanStig]

HE really wasn't that aggressive. Did a little rattling and that was about it. Never even really pointed his head at me. Didn't coil or cock his neck or anything. I also didn't push it and gave him quite a bit of room. Most of these pictures are from the surface of the bridge, a good 6 feet or so above him, so I was pretty safe once I backed off from the initial run in.

On the way back to the car though, something growled at me from the brush in a thick area, and I'm pretty sure it was a cougar. And it was close. The sage and juniper get so thick at times you can't see more than a few feet from the trail. In all honesty, that was more unnerving than the snake. Kept turning around every 30 yards or so after that, making sure nothing was fallowing me. I've seen cougars before, most cases they don't care or even run, but the growl was straight out of an African safari documentary. Pretty sure it wasn't a bobcat either. This sounded big, deep, guttural even.