This weekend we headed out to the Mt. Zion loop trail and I am pleased to say that while on the trail we had it all to ourselves. Living in the center of Los Angeles I'm always amazed that this kind of solitude is no more than a short drive away. I am further pleased to report this may be the first weekend in several months we did not need to negotiate our way around a rattlesnake or otherwise remove one from the trail, the latter being an unfortunate rite of passage which Sharon expertly supervises from six feet behind me.
The Mt. Zion loop trail crosses directly through Sturtevant Camp and we had the pleasure of stopping in to visit with our friends Chris, Joan and their dog Natalie. Chris and Joan have been the Camp managers for fifteen years now and are always available with a cheery hello! Once we were caught up on the progress of the micro-hydro-electric project and any canyon gossip, we questioned Chris about rattlesnake strategy. Chris confidently assured us that most bites to humans are in-fact dry and that a rattlesnake can only strike accurately a distance equal to one-third the length of its body. How we might judge this distance with a hissing reptile at our feet we considered only momentarily. Chris and I go way back and I consider him to be a reputable source of information with respect to these sorts of things. This being the case, we set off with a new sense of security.
Cheers!
** Chris if you're checking in – since you asked, the trail from camp over Zion is so overgrown it seems more like a deer trail now in some places. There is some ducking, as you mentioned, and the path is washed out in a few places. None of this bothers us 'cause… you know… we can take it.
We may head over the Rim Trail next week and if we do we'll see you then!
1 comment:
Great blog site! Wishing you and yours a beautiful Thanksgiving holiday. I, for one, have a lot to be thankful for. You are a great friend to me and to Sturtevant.
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