calebhelsel's Identifications

iNatting the area near and around the Alibates Flint Quarries Visitor Center with Cami

All of our observations from this visit: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?nelat=35.600591030836846&nelng=-101.59848259125238&on=2024-06-11&order=asc&order_by=observed_on&place_id=any&swlat=35.398438477088284&swlng=-101.80653618011956&user_id=joemdo,camilyyy

This was on day 5 of an 8 day road trip from Miami, FL to San Jose, CA (this leg was from Wichita Falls, TX to Albuquerque, NM)

“ANNIE”: Y’all. It took over 45 minutes for my heart rate to go down. Was looking for frogs, my friend and I sat on a rock and talked for hours. Our eyes adjusted to the dark because we turned our flashlights off. When we walked back, he asked that I turn my pod off as the glare was bright. To get back to the trail from waters edge it was a clear trail but dark, pitch black. In the dark I HEARD A RATTLE AND A HISS and y’all my soul nearly left my body. I jumped back and cursed a LOT. I remembered that I was well away from the strike zone and I can outrun it. So, my friend put the flashlights on it and I got the shot. It took 50 minutes for my heart rate to go down. I have never seen a rattlesnake nor been rattled at in my life, I only knew the sound from watching it on a youtube video ONCE.