not the best place to put this but not sure where else to put it.

Edited by DKremers on 05/26/2009 20:27:51 MDT.

looks like a rattler

hehe should have been more specific. its definitly a rattler. not a western diamond back. i was in the Lightner Peak area in the south sierras around 6k feet. didn't know rattlers went that high so was curious to know what type of rattler it is.

side note: he really didn't care i was there but i gave him a wide bearth and hiked up the hill around him.

http://www.californiaherps.com/snakes/snakesmaps.html

my guess: Crotalus oreganus oreganus

in desolation (horsetail falls) & have heard of them that high on the east slope sierras (taboose creek trail)

The rangers in the Owens Valley will tell you that they can be found as high as 8,000'. But very seldom. I have been on the Shepherd Pass trail over 40 times and have yet to see a rattler, even down at the trailhead. OTOH, when running the Wild Wild West Marathon down by Lone Pine, a few miles south, I came across a rattler two years in a row, one of which was huge, but that was down around 4500' or so. I think they start to peter out pretty rapidly above 6000', based on my experience. It still pays to watch where you step though. I extend my poles out almost to max length and probe ahead of me under rock piles and brush on east side trails until I get up to around 7000'. Paranoid, I guess.