I Found A Snake On The Trail This Weekend
My girlfriend and I went on a short hike this weekend and we stumbled across a snake on the trail!
The trail @curiouser and I hiked was on the Potomac Heritage Trail in Loudoun County, Virginia. (Northern VA)
I accidentally stepped on the little guy. . .
Near the end of the hike I heard a scream from right behind me. Michelle was freaking out. I was clueless. I turned around to see a snake smack dab in the middle of the trail.
I accidentally stepped on part of the snake as it blended right into the trail.
My first reaction was to see if it was venomous or not. By the shape of its head I determined that it was likely nonvenomous although it has a similar pattern to a copperhead, which is a common venomous snake in Virginia. (most venomous snakes have triangular-shaped heads)
I prodded the snake with a stick to get a better look and to see if I squashed it badly. As you can see by the picture, the snake was ok.
There were some other hikers behind us who we alerted to what was going on. They had kids, so we wanted to get the snake off the trail.
I got the snake on the end of a stick and moved it away from the trail. Once I put it down the serpent slithered off into the brush.
I am no animal expert but I think the snake was either a rat snake or a water snake.
Had it been a copperhead, I would have pinned its head down and shown it how sharp my Gerber switchblade is.
I have no time for dangerous snakes, especially near a trail. Reptiles give me goosebumps anyways.
FYI here is what a copperhead looks like:
Pictures of our hiking adventure:
Follow Michelle: @curiouser
Follow Me: @slickwilly
At a distance it did look like a pit viper, like a copperhead or some sort of rattlesnake.
You were right to conclude nonvenomous though, probably a species of water snake. Thanks for the link!
Yup, looks harmless to me as well. Thank you for not sending it to slithering heaven.
You're welcome. The snake didn't want to bother or hurt me and it likely won't harm anyone.
"Live & let live"
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