[pct-l] Rattlesnakes on the PCT

[Diane at Santa Barbara Hikes dot com]

On Mar 31, 2010, at 10:28 PM, pct-l-request at backcountry.net wrote:

> the hype and hysteria I had read online and in books (Even Jardines  
> Book!) was frankly, overblown. What I found on the trail was "tame"  
> in comparison to what I had led myself to believe.

Please everybody read that sentence again. This is the truth of the  
PCT. It's not all dangerous ice axe conditions, snakes, bears  
stalking your food and whatever other hyped up fears get stirred up  
around here.

> Of couse just because I saw what I deemed to be very few buzzworms  
> does not mean you will.
> Anyhow, as far as the squiggly line to warn others. I only did that  
> when I knew others were following. If I saw a rattler while solo I  
> just passed it uneventfully.
> I really don't know if making squiggles in the dirt helped but it  
> made me feel better.
> -Iceaxe


I had no idea what the squiggly lines in the trails meant. I though  
it was just someone being bored and drawing lines for amusement, or  
else dragging their poles while taking a picture or mostly just  
leading the way across dirt roads.

I like the term buzzworms. I think I'll use that from now on!
Diane



Books I've written:
~ Piper's Flight
~ Adventure and Magic
~ Santa Barbara Hikes