After almost two months of guiding nearly every day, it was just nice to take a hike along the river. It’s not that Charity and I don’t want to fish or get tired of it. Sometimes it’s just nice to take in the sights, sounds, and smell of the river and the forest and not worry if the fish are eating or not.
It was a great day for a hike and we cruised along the Little River Trail upstream of Elkmont. I know the following encounter would creep out a bunch of folks, but Charity and I always take pleasure in seeing wildlife.
A timber rattlesnake creeps out onto the trail
Timber rattlers are among the most intimidating snakes you’ll ever see, but I always tell people that they are among the easiest going snakes I see. Most of the time I see rattlers as I’m about to step on the them because of their incredible camouflage. In spite of my many bumbling up close encounters I’ve never had one act threatening toward me.
True to form, we saw this snake as a pair of hikers came down the trail toward us, stepped right over it and never saw it. We only noticed the snake because it flinched to avoid the hiking boots bearing down on it. The hikers smiled and waved in blissful ignorance as they went by. Charity and I decided to let them keep on moving without giving them the fright of their life.
If you haven’t been able to get out on the stream or you’re sitting at work right now and could use a 60 second vacation, this is for you. As you can see, water levels in the Smokies are great right now and the fish are looking up.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzgFfESxQKQ[/youtube]
