Field herping Arizona, part 1

After getting up at the crack of dawn to head down to Tucson to attend the Biology of the Rattlesnakes Symposium, the last thing I wanted to do was be awake for 23 hours -- but herping called. I managed to invite myself along with a few guys who were going to look for Crotalus willardi and Crotalus lepidus klauberi, both Holy Grail finds to herpers.

For those who know me, you know I am not the most physically fit. I wasn’t really prepared for the walking we did or the vertical climbs we made on the hillsides. I am also not the most graceful, but I survived a long night hike, climbing dead trees, rocky hills and crossing barbed wire fences. We did a little mild road cruising on our way up and our first find was a fresh hit checkered garter snake. Several DOR garters and gopher snakes lay ahead but our first venomous find was a Mojave rattlesnake. YAY! There really ARE rattlesnakes in Arizona! Heading to an area where Chip, one of our guides, did a lot of his research, the road was pretty quiet. Although I was highly amused when we had to stop the truck to allow a heard of cattle to cross.

My new friend Ron loaned me his headlamp. While very useful, I was annoyed by the fact that it seemed to attract every single bug in the state of Arizona to my face. What was even more frustrating is that they would get underneath my glasses, effectively blinding me while I was trying to watch out for rattlesnakes and watch my footing.

Unfortunately, we may have spent a little too long cruising up to the spot, but we did manage both target species. Crotalus klauberi was first and we found the willardi not to long after. What was really kind of fun was watching Chip, our uber guide, do his research notations. We also came across some bales of marijuana and a rotting cow body. Other than that, the walk was pretty quiet. On the ride home a night snake and a DOR Crotalus atrox were our new finds -- or at least, the last things I remember before I fell asleep. Getting back to the hotel with four hours to sleep before I needed to be up, I am definitely hoping to have another successful night tonight as we head out for Gila Monsters. With Chip as my guide, I think it will rock.