Triple Crown Training Can be Dangerous for Marmots!
Earlier today I received an interesting birthday wish from Don Ellis (one of my compatriots in history, "The Three Dons", or as my cousin Lisa calls us "The Dons of History - we write history you can't refute". His wish included a finish line picture from the Pikes Peak Hill Climb.

As I was beginning my run this afternoon, I found myself walking from the car to where I usually start my run and contemplating whether the finish line theme suggested the end of my 57th year or just "the end". I was also looking up at Cheyenne Mountain and not paying attention to where I was going. Suddenly there was movement at my feet and a rattle kicked in. I jumped nearly out of my skin to the side of the trail. I had just come as close as I ever have to stepping on a rattlesnake. See the picture to the right. It was around 2.5' long and pretty stout. Don's birthday wish was darn near prophetic and I can only think his "jinx" was offset by everyone else's good birthday wishes. You'll notice that the snake wasn't overly happy being interrupted in his nice warm spot in the middle of the trail. After grumbling at me, he moved off to find somewhere less crowded to sun himself.

A ways into my run, a mountain biker going the opposite direction reported seeing a rattlesnake at another spot on the trail. Needless to say, I was now in heightened senses mode and concentrating on running smack dab in the middle of the trail so I wouldn't disturb any snakes that might be resting near the edge of the trail. I never saw the mountain biker's snake. Much like my new-found friend, it most likely moved off to a quieter spot. I did run up on a garter snake that took off before I could even think about taking his picture.

Between the bear in the G of G and the snakes today, it's looking like 2017 is shaping up as the summer when Mother Nature tried to kill me. Or it's just darn dangerous being a marmot!

A More Common Snake Encounter
It's not uncommon for us to run up on snakes. Typically we see them at least early enough to jump over them. They're pretty much always stretched across the trail enjoying the heat of the trail. They never even move if we jump over and keep running past them. If we return a bit later they've always vacated the "crowded" trail to find somewhere better to rest.

Non-Predatory Wildlife
Just to be clear, in the last week and a half I've seen more non-predatory animals than predators. I've seen the tiniest fawn with her mother, a turkey and a few young chicks (pictured to the right with one chick), yet another turkey and, finally, a bunch of rabbits. As I ran by rabbits today, I warned them all to watch out for rattlesnakes. I'm pretty sure I saved a few lives.

I hope I survive being a marmot!