Rattlesnakes @ Lover's Leap

Just a heads up for anyone heading up to the Leap: took a day trip on Wednesday the 5th and saw not one, not two, but THREE adolescent Western Rattlesnakes (Crotalus oreganus). Two were on the descent trail and one was moving it's way along the base (we watched it from Scimitar to Haystack). 

Thanks for the heads up

The last three trips I have made over the last few years I have seen rattlesnakes at the top of Bears Reach area. On the very top after all the climbing is done. They seem to hangout in the horizontal cracks and layers in the rock. One was really big!

The dozen or so times I have climbed at the leap I have seen at least one every single day. Couple times had to belay next to one lol.

Cool thing is how laid-back the snakes are. I saw three recently at a local crag and they didn't bother anyone, nor was anyone bothered by them (despite being just a couple feet off the main trail).

back in the last century when the campground was just some flat areas in the trees, we had one chase us for a dozen feet, rattling like crazy.  rather unnerving. Tombstone Terror was known for having one wedged back in the depths that would buzz you as you were pumping out.  it was so wedged in there that I don't believe it bit anyone.

I think they are a special breed of rattler.  the ones I've seen were very dark with a highly accentuated viper head.  could hardly make out the diamonds but there may be a new breed of snake moving in with warming weather.

Not unusual for the leap but it's fairly unnerving how many there are.  And they're everywhere!  Has anyone found another place that harbors such a big rattlesnake population in a similar sized area?

bob branscomb wrote
I think they are a special breed of rattler.  the ones I've seen were very dark with a highly accentuated viper head.  could hardly make out the diamonds but there may be a new breed of snake moving in with warming weather.

Could be you’re just seeing them near shedding time. Colors get very dull and patterns can be hard to discern right before they wiggle out of their last skin suit.

I think it's the Family Boulders out towards ?Dayton, Nv? that has something similar or even more dense each spring with the emergence. Evidently they tend to winter over there and then every spring they come out and they're everywhere. then they take off to wherever they spend the summer since they would quickly run out of food if they all stayed where they emerge.

The Leap is famous for rattlers.  I’ve seen tons up there.

Another area I’ve seen multiple is Horse Flats in So Cal.  I saw 8 come out from under a rock at the base of Ant Line one morning as the sun hit the face.  Obviously a den. 

Yup, there can be lots of rattlers there. Seems like you either see a ton or none. Lots of juvenile ones, the most baby rattlers I’ve seen, but then you’ll see a big one cruising.

Bob’s report of dark, aggressive buzz worms is a little unnerving and I suspect a little racist. Just kidding, lol!

I’ve never actually been rattled at there, pretty chill in my experience.

Here’s a picture of a baby one I saw last month camping with my son, it was hanging near the edge of melting snow:

Most I have seen in one day at the Leap is 5.  But yeah just give them some room.