I Saw My Rattlesnake Trail Friend Again
The western diamondback I’ve seen five times in the last year
In May, I wrote a story about my western diamondback rattlesnake trail friend I named Curly, who I saw four times over two months in the same spot at roughly the same time. It was an experience I’ll never forget.
Given the last time I saw Curly was in September 2023, I didn’t believe I’d see him again. I wanted to, but the Sonoran Desert is harsh, and rattlesnakes have many predators, including kingsnakes, roadrunners, hawks, and bobcats. The desert is also incredibly vast and the chances of him reappearing after nine months seemed low. However, the probability of seeing the same snake four times over two months in 2023 was even lower, so I held out hope he would still be around.
I run the same trail often and time many of my runs to finish around sunset — when I’ve seen Curly the previous four times. Not only am I hoping he will be on the trail, but Arizona sunsets are magical as a running backdrop, especially when combined with monsoon season. It’s an activity…
