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Holding My Hand

I’m headed down to Virginia, then it’s off to Tennessee; they say the foothills are so damn beautiful, a place I want to see.

Then it’s out to California, to kiss the sea and walk the sands; well, girl, I want you there with me; holding my hand; holding my hand, -yeah holding my hand.

Then headed back out to Georgia, gonna stop in New Orleans, they say the bourbon taste so dame beautiful, -yeah a place I wanna be.

Then it’s out to the Carolina’s, to kiss the sea and walk the sands; well girl, I want you there with me; holding my hand..

Yeah, you holding my hand.

We could travel around the world; the seven wonders, the seven seas, it all can be so damn beautifulI, I want you there with me...

You, holding my hand.
Holding my hand.
You, holding my hand.
Girl, you holding my hand.

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It’s amazing to think of certain species and evolution. During the Pennsylvania logging and mineral era, these snakes were once hunted to mere extinction due to a high level of deaths by loggers who accidentally stumbled upon them. In the last few years, their protection moved them up through the endangered species list. Today these snakes have once again become very common, especially in the north central areas of the state.

There are of course the negatives in which increasing numbers of people have been bitten; though typically rare, Timber Rattle Snakes will strike without warning. Their vision is null and they navigate and hunt by vibrations and sense of surroundings by way of their tongues. This particular snake was stretched out on the trail sun bathing; he moved to this position because I had to move him with a stick in order to pass. These snakes generally move slow for travel, but if they are in danger the can be very quick to act or escape. I was within his strike zone for this particular footage.

As you can see in the video, he stopped rattling due to me holding still for a few seconds, as soon as I did move though, he rattled again; they will generally rattle at large movement within a few feet of them. The rattle in a natural state is used to warn off predators.

The most dangerous times to encounter this species is after a shedding, they become completely blind. Each year they shed, a new rattle is formed, thus this particular rattlesnake is about 8-9 years old. They can have a dozen or more young during the birth cycle. Though by way of nature only a couple snakes survive. It’s interesting to know, the younger the snake, the more venom they dispense, as they learn to control the amount of venom used for prey over the years.

Timber Rattlesnake, Quehanna Hiking Trail, Quehanna Wildlife Area, Cameron County, Pennsylvania.

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