Laura joined me on today's hike, and my snakeophile wife was pleased to encounter not one, but two rattlesnakes. The snakes were less pleased to see my wife.
The first rattler we heard before we saw, as it gave a quick two-count rattle before slithering under some brush and making every effort to blend in unseen. It looked well fed, and because the evening sun was dipping low on the horizon, it was probably done sunning and ready to find a warm place to stay for the night.
A fellow hiker alerted us to the second snake, which was shorter and thinner than the first. It slithered off the trail into some brush, but then coiled and watched my wife and me warily.
Ironically, two days prior, I told Canadian Fred that I had never seen a rattlesnake while hiking in the Phoenix area—a fact that was true at the time. Until then, my only encounters with rattlers had been while (1) hiking Pine Mountain north of the city and (2) road biking in north Scottsdale, where sometimes I see the snakes crossing the roads.
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