Yes Virginia, it's a rattler!

[Carol]

This picture was taken at the take-out at Eel Rock after our Eel River camp out. We don't know when it got in the canoe.
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We had unpacked the canoes. After everything was out, my husband pulled the canoe into the river and rinsed the sand out. Then he pulled the canoe back up on shore and turned it open-side up. After a while David ragged the canoe up next to Tim's truck, and Tim was about to help him ift the canoe over our heads to put it on his truck. As we were grabbing the thwarts to lift the canoe, Tim asked, "is that a snake in the canoe?" David let go of the canoe as I said, "that looks like a rattlesnake."

After careful inspection, we could finally see the tiny rattles on the end of its tail. ( David's thoughts -- I guess if I had looked at the shape of its head first I would have recognized the distinctive "pit viper" shape.) But it was so small, it looked so cute. It never shook its tail. It is the first rattlesnake I have seen out doors without an immediate adrenaline rush (followed by involuntary levitation -- I don't know how we do that).

We pulled the canoe to the edge of the river to dump the little guy out. We tipped the canoe over and, while holding it upside down, gave it a shake, because it hadn't fallen out of the boat yet. We then carefully set the boat down and backed away from the upside-down canoe. Coast-Guard Mike braved looking under the canoe from the far end and announced that the snake was hiding out (hanging on) under one of the thigh straps. Some more vigorous shaking of the upside-down canoe finally dislodged the critter. After some more observation by gawking canoeists, the snake swam away.

This leaves two questions:
First, if that snake could hang in there that well, how long had he been in the canoe?
Second, if Tim hadn't seen the snake and we hoisted that canoe over our heads, where might the snake have landed?

The snake wasn't scary to look at. Thinking about it afterward was scary.

[Carol]

So much for trying to insert a picture, try this


http://rapids2.myphotoalbum.com/view_ph ... 5324_Small

If that doesn't work, go to:

www.rapids2.myphotoalbum.com

The "Eel River" folder

[Bob P]

Little Cutie... Some Photoshoping on it:

[Carol]

Bob,

Thank you for posting my picture. I don't know what I did wrong, but would you be willing to share how to do it right?

Happy paddling -- minus the rattler

Carol

[Bob P]

I have my own web site (wwslalom.net), so I can upload the picture to that rather than use an external photo-sharing site. I do a lot of file sharing for other things, so the $50/year for my own site is well worth it. I also have a personal page with all my favorite sites so I can access them from any computer. Handy.

[Louie]

Did I ever tell the about the time on a summer run on the Tellico I whiped into an eddy and brushed a long hanging branch. The snake landed on the airbag in front of me. In the split sec when the snake and I were both thinkin WTF I noticed the shape of it head and knew it was not a poision one. That didn't matter however because I still anounaced to three counties "SNAKE" and gave the snake my boat by divin out of the boat. After a second of thinkin about it I decide I wanted my boat back. I went and got the boat (snake still there) I said well I will just tip the boat and flush it out. After this brillent moved I tip the boat backupright just in time to watch the little fellow craw under the air bag. Do you have any idea how hard it is to run a river when ever half second you are looking at the bottom of the boat to see if the snake was comin out from under the airbag?

[mapturbator]

Jeez carol, you left out the dramatic part where dave stopped me from dropping that snake on my head....

[Pierre LaPaddelle]

Of course, things are a little different in the Great White North.

We don't have many encounters with rattlesnakes, but I recall the time I pulled into an eddy, and suddenly a large Musk Ox . . .