oh no, it's a snake!
While I was out hiking today, I had my very first encounter with a rattlesnake. I had seen them in zoos and on tv before, of course, but this was the first time that I had ever met up with one in the wild, where it was just me, the snake, and the great outdoors, with no protective glass anywhere in sight. I was just walking around a corner on the hiking trail, when suddenly I heard that distinctive buzzing sound that turns up in at least 50% of western movies, and there was the snake only a few feet in front of me. Needless to say, I backed up pretty quickly. It wasn't a terribly big snake, probably two and a half feet at most, definitely less than three feet, but it sure didn't sound happy with my presence. Eventually, the snake decided that it would be happier exploring the cracks in the rocks rather than sitting exposed on the trail, and I was finally able to continue on my way. That was my adventure for today. Considering how many times I've been wandering around in the desert over the course of my lifetime, it's actually surprising that it has taken so long for something like this to happen.