I hiked out to Black Top Mesa in the Superstitions yesterday. Along the way there, I almost stepped on a rattlesnake. I was walking along when I heard a short buzz and looked down to see a snake tail within about a foot of my foot. Startled, I jumped off to the other side of the trail. I don't know if a better reaction may have been to freeze there, but I definitely didn't think at all when I looked down. I believe the snake must have been sleeping or something, as he seemed somewhat startled as well. Normally when snakes have rattled at me before, they do so rather noisely and for a much longer time than a quick buzz. For whatever reason, I am glad that the snake did not decide to bite me and he wandered off instead.The cloudless sky warmed up the 60-70 degree air nicely and the wind was mostly calm for all but about 30-40 minutes of the hike. This winter had much less rain than the previous few, but the grass at the top of Black Top Mesa was still thick, although slightly less green than in years past.
