Rattlesnake Hell

I've had plenty of rattlesnake encounters over the years, including one so large that I addressed him as Mr. Rattlesnake. My most memorable rattlesnake encounter occurred in the San Bernardino Mountains. It was a trip with three friends to the Fawnskin area. It was a leisurely off trail overnight trip.

The area was beautiful and the conditions perfect for a nice springtime trip. We passed beaver dams and gorgeous meadows full of wild flowers. There were butterflies and birds everywhere.

We set up camp in a flat area shaded by several pine trees. The pines had laid down a thick carpet of soft pine needles just right for sleeping out under the stars. It was a perfect setting.

Things began to go amiss in the early evening of the first day. We left camp and hiked up a nearby ridge to watch the sunset. It was beautiful and worth the hike. Returning to camp, one companion decided to follow a different route back while the rest of us took the familiar route we had followed earlier. Just before he disappeared from sight, we saw our friend jumping like a mad rabbit. We assumed he was jumping over a stream or something.

Now back in camp, we waited for our friend to arrive and waited and waited.... After nearly an hour, we went looking for him. Soon, we heard him calling. He had gotten lost! Reunited and back in camp, we asked him about the jumping. It seemed he had encountered several rattlesnakes in the dusk along the way down. That should have been a warning of things to come later that night.

Unbeknownst to us, the lushness around our camp was due to a nearby spring. It was only thirty feet away from camp. The spring provided a water source for plants and the plants in turn provided a great food source for a multitude of critters. The critters attracted predators – especially the reptilian kind.

Rising in the middle of the night to answer the call of nature, I selected a promising bush. Just as I was about to get down to business, I heard a rattle very close by in the dark. Thinking that peeing on a rattlesnake was not the smartest thing I could do, I backed off and headed to another bush. There I was greeted by another rattle. This called for a change in direction.

Off I went only to be greeted by a third rattlesnake, then a fourth. My need to take care of business was becoming more urgent with each passing moment. The situation was complicated by my dread of being bit in a place I really didn't want to be bitten.

Eventually, I found a safe location followed by a profound "Ahhh!" Back in camp, I spent a very restless night sleeping out in the open knowing what was surrounding us.