It was pretty hot out.
Huge day today! This is the first of two rattlesnakes we found on our hike. We went out looking for snakes so it was a good thing, although somewhat startling still. Check out http://www.snakecount.org/
if you have a chance in the next couple of days! It started yesterday and will continue till the 20th.
The first picture is of the ground squirrel hole the snake was on, right on the trail!!! If we were just out for a stroll we would have walked over it, I even dismissed the idea of a snake being in this hole because just a few moments earlier there were a couple squirrels scurrying about. My girlfriend caught the edge of this rattlesnake as she approached. Great eyes!
These snails were all over the area, have no idea what species.
This is the second rattlesnake of the day, also within 1 foot of the trail we were hiking on. He was curled up under the rocks. The first picture is his head sticking out slightly. We got to see it slither up into the rock pile a few moments later, it was ~2-3 inches thick. It was probably around 80 degrees. Very exciting day! Don't think I will be taking a break on any trailside rocks in the near future.
