Now that spring is just around the corner, I called the chair of the herpetology department at Plattsburgh State, Dr. C. Horridus, for an update on the local timber rattlesnake situation. Essex is home to a number of the rattlers on Split Rock Mountain. Dr. Horridus told me that, … [Read more...] about Rattlesnakes, Rumbling, and Rock
Timber Rattlesnake
Timber Rattlesnake Safari
Slightly less than a year ago I floated the idea of a "timber rattlesnake safari" with Essex, NY friends, John Davis and Tom Stransky. Our mission? To see some live timber rattlesnakes in their native Split Rock habitat. It was intended as an adventure. But it was also a reaction … [Read more...] about Timber Rattlesnake Safari
Timber Rattlesnake Killed
On Wednesday afternoon I drove on Lakeshore Road from Essex to Westport in the late afternoon. A little before 4:00 pm I came across this unfortunate timber rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus) dead in the middle of the road near Split Rock Mountain Wild Forest. Although his head had … [Read more...] about Timber Rattlesnake Killed
One Music
"One Music" by Bob Rich is an essay about Split Rock Mountain that is a contender in the current Champlain Area Trails Travel Writing Contest. I find it to be a well-written essay with beautiful prose that is very striking. Nature's Music at Split Rock Rich talks about the … [Read more...] about One Music
Timber Rattlesnake: Fact, Fiction & Mystery
Our recent timber rattlesnake post generated a larger than anticipated stir, so I'm returning to the alternately awe-inspiring and anxiety inducing Adirondack rattlesnake to clear up a few misunderstandings and to offer up a mystery that you may be able to help … [Read more...] about Timber Rattlesnake: Fact, Fiction & Mystery