EISPIRATEN

Last Monday, I woke up with an achy, sick, flu, cold bug. So, I canceled my trip to school and, with no work that day, I thought, "if you're sick, why not spend your time in a nice shaded canyon listening to the birds and the creek."

Kate and I ended up hitting the trail around ten o' clock. We were going to take our time and mosey on up. We noticed some trash on the trial and the creek and decided to pick it all up. I walked back to the car to fetch a trash bag and ended up hulling off the equivalent of a whole trash can out of Icehouse that afternoon.
Pic of trash clean up


At the columbine spring, we saw some twenty-first century loggers(California Edison) in the ceder trees. It was quite a site, a lot of noise, all the branches crashing down.


By one mile, we were feeling very tired, so we took a rest and looked at bugs.


We went a little further so I could find a tree I could climb.(I felt to urge to climb a tree after seeing the powerline team in them). I found good sized ceder and started climbing. Half way up I heard a barking squirrel. It was angry. I was scared. It was getting closer and closer, so I scrambled to down climb. All of a sudden, the squirrel drive bombs me, runs off onto a branch, and jumps off. He was in the air, flying, for what seemed like ten seconds. I watched him hit the ground with a little "squeak" and run off.
I was so horrified and pumped, I could only laugh out loud. I felt bad for the little guy.
(if you look closely, you might be able to see the squirrel facing down the trunk on the right-middle area of the picture.)


I ended up climbing the tree, observing a canopy view rarely seen.

On the way back down the canyon we followed the creek, picking up trash and watching the warblers and woodpeckers fly through the trees. I ended up catching a tiny snake(sharp-tailed snake?) and eating it for dinner.

Good man. Thanks for cleaning up.

Nice, we need more reverse impact hikers like you out there! Thats a good find of a snake too, a two-striped garter. Forest Service sensitive snake, kinda rare. That means the habitat in there is doing well.

Taco wrote: ↑Good man. Thanks for cleaning up.

Here, here.

HJ

Your canyon images and efforts are greatly appreciated. I believe that young snake is labeled a California Striped Racer. If you are quick enough to catch one, then you're likely to be quickly pissed/crapped on too. It kinda smells funky, but it's the price the snake exacts for having the hell scared out of it. I don't know if all snakes share this defense mechanism, but I do know other snakes such as Gopher snakes, King snakes and Garter snakes will often do the same when stressed.

Nice work Moppy, thanks for cleaning up, if we all did that we might have a chance at keeping up with the other half that is leaving it behind.

Hope you feel better, climbing trees, catching snakes, and strolling down Ice House canyon will do that, make you think of something other than being sick.

Thanks again for the clean up

T McPherson is correct - California Striped Racer.

You......






...ate it?

Mike P wrote: ↑T McPherson is correct - California Striped Racer.

Yea, you guys are correct, striped racer. My bad. I'll stick to mammals and birds.

Kinda hard to eat though, I bet. I'd find it next to impossible keeping the gag reflex at bay with all that musky stuff on it, and had it been a red racer, it would have done something like chase him out of the canyon or hold on to his tongue and choked both of them to death.

nice hike, nice work. glad you got sick. thanks for the TR.

BBQ? Teriyaki? Lemon Herb?...

To everyone, thank you and you are welcome.

and

Yeah, No stink on that snake. I expected a fishy, urine smell, but nothing. He or she was real slithery, and no biting either.

PackerGreg wrote: ↑BBQ? Teriyaki? Lemon Herb?...

I stuck with the old salt and pepper.