A Rattlesnake

This young rattlesnake was in the path when i went to water the orchard one night and i saw it in the headlamp stream right as i raised my foot to step where it was. I then quietly stepped back instead of forwards as i realized i was about to put my foot on a young rattlesnake with two little bulbous portions of its rattle. This would have been a dangerous move as only older snakes have learned to control how much venom they release when they bite. I took a couple steps back and waited as he inched slowly and gradually over to the right side of the trail. I let him get far over enough for me to pass and then i kept an eye on where he was as i went about watering the fruit trees as promptly as possible. When i came back towards the well i refused to go until i located him. Once i saw him under a cedar tree i knew where he was hanging out and i made the walk to the well. Having gotten the water i needed, i walked back, identifying his location again, having moved only slightly from under the cedar tree. He was lying in a straight line with only his head doubled back to stick his tongue out and sniff the air. He was also keeping an eye on me. I made the second pass with the watering can and then walked back to the house where i watered the porch plants and then retrieved the dogs from the dog run and put them inside the house. The person i had been on the phone with while watering the plants said, “i bet that was scary” but it wasnt really. I reserved fear for things that were statistically likely to happen, not a possibility to happen. A mountain lion does not change his or her mind when he or she decides you are dinner, even if fully aware she will find death in continuing to attempt to eat you. If you are staring at a big cat, you should be very very afraid. A rabid animal does not change its course of action once the infected animal has progressed to showing symptoms. They will foam, they will bite, they will run at you. You will pay $27,000 of medical bills and get several painful shots in your stomach. You should be very afraid. A rattlesnake might bite you. One did bite my dog Cashew. Despite depictions in movies, rattlesnakes rarely act as they are portrayed. This snake never rattled, even when i was about to step on it. It also never became aggressive towards me. I find, no matter what the species of snake, you can learn what you need to know about its personality in observing its behavior for the first 60 seconds. It will tell you who its going to be. This snake was cautious and reserved. A rattler is going to bite you if it feels threatened, which it will do if you step on it. The danger zone with rattlers is when you dont know they’re there, not when you have eyes on them. Stepping on them or reaching into something that contains them…thats how most people get bit. I did not kill the snake. They just live out here. He was just doing his thing. He is just part of the daily landscape. He had not gotten a mouse yet as there was no lump digesting in his belly so he had no reason to be lethargic. Still, he did not engage me and made no lunge or rattle. We went our separate ways. Thank goodness for headlamps.