Aside from rock climbing, another outdoor activity I enjoy is trail running. I am not a huge fan of running itself, but I find it enjoyable depending on the location and surroundings. About a mile from my house is Mission Trails Regional Park, 5,800 acres of sprawling hills, meandering creeks and a sanctuary for local wildlife. The park is surrounded by the San Diego County suburbs of La Mesa, El Cajon, and Santee. It provides a place for the animals and plant fauna to flourish, and for people like me to escape from the hustle and bustle of Southern California to enjoy some peace and quiet.

I generally choose to run at either dawn or dusk for three reasons. The first being that during the Summer it is just flat out too hot to enjoy during the day, the second is that the trails are less crowded with mountain bikers, and the third is that you often get a glimpse of the wildlife as they also too like to avoid the heat of the day.

I typically see coyotes, rabbits, lizards, and birds on an almost daily basis and a deer or two on occasion. If I choose to run along the creek I also see small largemouth bass and sunfish in the creek pools.

The night before last I ran into a small pack of coyotes, comprised of at least 3 juvenile pups from this Spring's litter. As darkness was setting in, about half way into my run I could hear them communicating through the hills with excited yelps. I was the only person on the trails that night, so I had the whole place to myself. The park was alive more than normal, with sounds coming from almost every bush that I jogged past. I eventually ran across the pack of coyotes, flanked by the pups on a trail leading to my truck. I slowed to a stroll hoping not to frighten them, but as I got close they predictably scattered into the creek bed. I hadn't brought my camera, as it is inconvenient to carry while jogging.

Last night I returned and brought along my hydro pack so that I could also carry my camera in the pack, hoping to run into my new fury friends. As I jogged down the trail leading out into the park from the parking lot I saw an oddly positioned stick sprawling several feet across the left edge of the trail.

As I got closer I saw the tell tale shine of a snake's scales, and approached cautiously. I really enjoy finding snakes in the wild, snakes of all kind and I had always hoped to find one in Mission Trails. On several occasions this Spring and Summer I ran across fresh snake trails going across mountain bike trails through the dirt. But I had yet to run across a snake in the act of crossing. When I got within fifty feet of the snake I could easily see the rattle, an obvious giveaway to the "make and model" of this snake. The rattle easily distinguishes it (among other more subtle things) from the harmless Gopher Snakes found commonly around here with a similar color pattern.

Southern California is home to a huge population of Southern Pacific Rattlesnakes, one of the more venomous and aggressive variations of rattlers. This relatively averaged sized Southern Pacific was mild in behavior, making it a good subject for a photo shoot. I set my pack down and captured several shots of the snake, and then even switched it into video mode and filmed myself urging the snake into the safety of the bushes. Mountain Bikers carelessly freight train up and down these trails, and some of them specifically take aim at snakes.

Unfortunately many people fear snakes, killing them on sight. They present no danger to me while running the trails, or living my day to day life in San Diego. I have happened upon dozens of rattle snakes just this year while hiking in other areas of the County, and none have instilled a sense of danger in me. As with most creatures, their first instinct is to yield to much larger animals like us. They just want to get away.

If you stick to the trails, use caution when poking in and around rock cracks, and don't go tromping carelessly through bushes and tall grass, you will never have a problem with a rattlesnake. If you stumble across one while hiking, running, or climbing, simply leave it alone and go around it. They won't be a danger to you.