[pct-l] Surrounded by Rattlesnakes

[CharlieJones@aol.com (CharlieJones@aol.com)]

For those of you in the Class of 2001 who plan to camp at Cibbets Flat 
Campground after you leave Lake Morena ...

In case you wake up the next morning and hear noises that make you think you 
are "surrounded by rattlesnakes," stop and think about that (from inside your 
zipped tent, of course). Too bad about your tarp-using fellow hikers; they 
have no place to hide.

This happened to me when I began to section hike the PCT in 1994. The sound 
was unmistakable (almost) and caused me to ask, "What's wrong with this 
picture?" Actually, I never saw any snakes and only solved the mystery 
recently.

I heard somewhere, talked with a bird keeper at the Wild Animal Park, and 
then read about it for confirmation, that burrowing owls imitate the noise of 
a rattlesnake when threatened. Since these little owls live underground in 
burrows and have as many as 8-12 young, they could make quite a stir if 
something tried to invade their burrow. 

Don't be lulled into believing that ALL rattling sounds are from harmless 
burrowing owls. If you only hear one "owl," I'd be really careful about 
taking that next step until I knew what made the noise and where they are.

Have a good hike!

Charlie





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