2 Rattlesnakes, 4 Inches, and Alex

Ramine and I went for a mountain bike ride at White Ranch yesterday. White Ranch is a network of trails in the foot hills north of Golden, Colorado. It used to be one of my favorite training rides because of it's steep technical riding. We took a newer trail that is about as steep as my still-recovering knee could handle. I suffered through the climb up to a more technical, but rolling trail. I moved out in front on this segment and set a faster pace. Ramine had fallen back a little as I crossed a small gully and headed up a slight climb. I was in my groove, feeling the trail more than actively looking at it. I had my head down and was pretty much riding on autopilot as my mind drifted through random thoughts.

Then I looked up to glance at the trail ahead and my blood turned cold! Less than 6 feet in front of my were two rattle snakes. They were entangled and standing about 2 feet tall with their bodies upright on the left side of the trail. I screamed and swerved violently to the right, my tire missing them by about 12 inches. I looked down at them as they went under my left brake lever. The snakes tangled heads passed about a shoes-width, maybe 4 inches, from my left calf. I stopped about 10 feet on the other side shaking uncontrollably with adrenaline. It happened so quick I didn't have time to process the situation, much less my options. I just watched it all in slow motion from above. The image of two snake heads, flicking their tongues out, breezing by my leg is seared into my memory.



I yelled in a panic at Ramine to slowdown, which he did with plenty of room, and we watched the bizarre ritual the snakes were partaking in. It was amazing, the snakes were poised so that about one third of their bodies were standing straight up, about 2 feet off the ground. They would tangle up into a swirl and eventually fall down. The only noise was that of their scales sliding past each other and their rattles hitting the ground, they never once rattled intentionally. It looked exactly like this photo of two black snakes from the Oz Report that I use to scare Jo and my Mom.





A little research revealed they were Prairie Rattlesnakes (Crotalus viridis viridis). Here are some stock photos off the web.











I'm not sure if they were mating or fighting, but it was amazing. Maybe a South African biologist with years of Western American experience can shed some light on their behavior. I'm not scared of snakes, in fact I've always thought snakes were extraordinary animals, but the sudden encounter did freak me out. The situation could have had a much different ending. I could have easily been bitten twice in the same area, with a high heart rate, far away from people, roads, or help. The snakes were so preoccupied with their activity that they completely ignored my leg even though it was inches from their heads, which re-inforces the notion that snakes have got a bad rap over the years. They want less to do with us humans and we do with them!