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by T. Duren Jones
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Rattlesnake Country, Denver |
I was glad to see that no trail was named “Rattlesnake Gulch” or “Venom Valley.” |
 Close to home; another world away
"And watch out for rattlesnakes. Several were spotted on the trails this morning,” said the too-cheerful attendant behind the visitor center counter.
Several? I thought. There was hardly anyone here today at the state park … and there had been several rattlesnake sightings? Seriously? I had hiked hundreds of trails in Colorado, over 22 years, and had never seen a rattlesnake. Heard they were out there. Seen none. What exactly was I to watch out for? How? Seems like the rattlers were either on the hiking trails or not. What was I suppose to do? At least when in bear country you can wear bells on your shoes to announce your coming (although that always just seemed like a dinner bell to me). I guess I should have asked about it, but in my moment of thoughtful distraction, a young mother with two antsy kids stepped up to the counter asking for three bottles of water. I moved to the literature rack. This was my first visit to Roxborough State Park since moving to Colorado more than two decades ago, and I wanted a trail map to get the lay of the land. Hard to believe I’m still finding new trails to explore, and with this one so close to my home near Colorado Springs—right in Denver’s backyard, set up against the foothills of the Rockies. What a surprising find! Roxborough is a Colorado Natural Area and a National Natural Landmark park, with close to 4,000 acres. It is filled with dramatic red-rock formations, distinct ecological systems from forests to wetlands, and a host of wildlife, apparently including rattlesnakes. I scanned the pamphlet rack. Surely there would be something about rattlesnakes. Published by the Colorado Division of Wildlife, a wide range of helpful literature on display included “Don’t Feed the Wildlife” (wasn’t in my plans—I know better, now), “Living with Bears” (no intention to—no interest, and they make terrible house guests) and “Your Guide to Avoiding Human-Coyote Conflicts” (just don’t start arguments about religion, politics, and social issues, I guess). But no brochures on rattlesnake encounters, which seemed like quite an omission, given the disconcerting warning from the park representative. I did learn that visitors can take in all of Roxborough’s geological wonders via a network of interconnected trails for every level of hiker ability. I started out on the Willow Creek Trail, which would connect me to the South Rim Trail loop. I was glad to see that no trail was named “Rattlesnake Gulch” or “Venom Valley.” Fifty yards or so in, I stumbled upon some kind of youth corps worker lying on the ground, possibly the victim of a deadly snakebite. Just resting, she responded to my concerned inquiry by smiling, waving and saying she was okay. In about 50-yard intervals I rounded shady turns and discovered more young people along the side of the trail. I learned that they were volunteering their time for trail maintenance, and that they were simply taking it easy before their successive turn on a fireman bucket brigade of wheelbarrow loads of dirt. I thanked them for their work, although I wondered how much they were actually getting done in the heat of the mid-day. Roxborough State Park reminded me of the red-rock beauty of Garden of the Gods in the Springs, but not commercialized, not crowded, and carpeted with wildflowers and lush emerald green everywhere. The trails are easy to moderate in difficulty, are laid out with scenic viewpoints in mind, go from wet lands to prairie to mountain foothills, and weave around monolithic red sandstone formations that tilt at a 60-degree angle. And I had the place nearly all to myself. This day I saw deer, a rabbit, butterflies, a red fox and a fuzzy-wuzzy caterpillar, but no rattlesnakes. Perhaps that would have made a better story, one of survival in the wilderness (like some of those in my Tales from the Trails book), with me dragging my bloody, bitten, swollen leg for miles on newly repaired trails, only to find the visitor center closed for the day.… Still, I was glad for no snake encounter. See images of Roxborough State Park. More adventures |