It's a Zoo Out There!

I went on an epic hike with Josh, Liz, Matt, and Paul today. We had planned to do Old Rag, but when we got there, the park ranger informed us that dogs aren't allowed on the hike for safety reasons. We ended up doing the White Oak Canyon/Cedar Run Hike instead, which had some spectacular views but was a pretty grueling trail overall. The weather was spectacular until about 4pm, when we were subjected to a scattered thunderstorm. We managed to survive, although not undamaged. Each of us took at least one fall during the hike, including Titan.

Luckily we had Matt, aka Mark Trail, along for the ride. He pointed out some pretty crazy wildlife during the hike. We encountered a salamander, a frog, some crazy insects, and even a water moccassin. The craziest part of the day was when Matt discovered a rattlesnake on the side of the trail. We took some pictures of it on Liz's camera, and I guess it didn't like the flash, because all of a sudden it started hissing at us and rattling its tail. It was my first time seeing a rattlesnake in the wild, and definitely my first time seeing one about to attack. I'm glad none of us got bitten, because hike was tough enough as it was, and it would not have been fun to carry someone back down the mountain.