I was traveling the back roads of the Pisgah National Forest looking for the trail that would lead to the top of Cedar Rock when I noticed a black stick out of the corner of my eye lying on the edge of the gravel road. I thought that it might be a black snake so I stopped the vehicle and checked my mirror. Yep, it definitely looked like a black snake lying on the edge of the road so I put the vehicle in reverse and proceeded to have a closer look.
I pulled alongside the snake, careful not to get so close that I would scare it into the underbrush of the Pisgah National Forest. As I looked at the snake it looked back at me and for a few moments we were locked in a staring contest. The snake was not intimidated by my stare and gave me the impression it would eat me up if I stepped out of my vehicle. This was not like any other black snake that I had ever seen.
This particular snake had almond shape eyes with a colorful tint around the edges. Its head was shaped like an arrowhead. I suddenly realized that I was locked into the gaze of a poisonous snake. Even from the safety of my vehicle I did not want to challenge this snake to a test of wills. I relinquished my gaze and began to look down the body of the five foot snake.The entire body was black with a crossing pattern. When I finally looked at the tail and saw the buttons I realized that this was a timber rattlesnake.
It is rare to encounter a timber rattlesnake in the wild and to come across one that is entirely black is even more rare. Timber rattlesnakes generally have a brown head and body region and change color to black in the tail region.
I grabbed my iphone5 to snap a few pictures. By this time the timber rattlesnake was bored with me and was no longer looking in my direction. I thought it best not to get out of my vehicle to get its attention again. After all, I was in its element and I wanted this encounter with a human to be a friendly one. No need to rile a timber rattlesnake if you don't have to.
I snapped a few pictures and continued on my way. Needless to say I stepped a bit more cautious that day as I walked through the woods of the Pisgah National Forest.
Formerly from upstate New York, I've had a number of dealings with the Timber Rattlesnake. There's a significant number of them on Overlook Mountain outside the village of Woodstock.A gentleman from Bard (or Marist College) did his Master's thesis on them. I was fortunate to receive a summary of his findings from a friend who was a volunteer at the fire tower on Overlook who got to know the author well. My reading of the document only confirmed what I had experienced for myself; Crotalus Horridus is a fascinating and usually quite docile fellow.
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