Copperheads at Northwest Branch

                                                                                            Photo: Paco Martinez

Despite the temperatures being in the 60s for the last couple days, winter will officially be here in just over three weeks.  We've come to the end of one of the more spectacular fall seasons in recent years, and the brilliant red and yellow foliage has transformed into a drab brown carpet.  While we may miss the color, the good news is that we've come to the part of the year when our boulders are actually visible from more than 100 feet away, and we don't need machetes to clear a path through the undergrowth.  But before we go charging haphazardly through the forest, do you see anything unusual in the photo above?  How about now?

                                                                                            Photo: Paco Martinez

Although I've always kept an eye out for copperheads as I walk through the leaves, I was a little shocked when Paco Martinez posted these photos from Northwest Branch yesterday.  I mean, despite the cautions in Indy's guide about possible copperheads at areas such as Rocks State Park and Sugarloaf, even he says he's never encountered one while climbing, and I certainly haven't seen any.  But there it is, right in the middle of a relatively urban climbing area.

Does this mean that we shouldn't climb at these areas?  No, it just means we should be careful and aware of our surroundings, which pretty much applies to any sort of outdoor activity.  Despite our fear of snakes, we're fortunate to only have two venomous varieties in our area, both of which will generally only strike when threatened.  So in addition to scanning the ground around and ahead of us, we can be aware of areas such as logs or rock piles where snakes are likely to hide, and try to avoid them or move carefully past.  For example, jumping forward off a log while stepping over it, rather than stepping straight down and startling a hidden snake into striking.  Or if you're about to climb a boulder that can be easily walked onto from another side, go up and check the top for snakes beforehand.  I'm sure it might sound a little paranoid, but I can only imagine pulling through an already sketchy topout only to find yourself staring down a copperhead.  But like I said, I have no firsthand experience with them, so rather than claiming any kind of expertise I'll suggest looking at this information from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.  Be safe, and have fun!