Nothing tests athleticism quite like stumbling upon a rattlesnake.

I thought I had happened upon a cicada fluttering in sagebrush while heading up the Redgate’s Rock Canyon trail  last week with the dogs. Turned out I came within a foot from stepping on a rattlesnake. In an effort to avoid trampling the snake and getting bit, I backpedaled (which immediately became a teetering 10-yard backward stagger), cursed, and damn near fell over. Picture Martin Balsam’s flailing tumble down the stairs of the Bates house in “Psycho” and you’ll have a good idea of what my more-than-startled reaction to our encounter must have looked like.

Grace under pressure it was not.

A respectful, circuitous route through some Russian thistle allowed me to regain enough composure to shoot some video of our chance meeting. The snake, around three feet long, looked to be digesting a meal while basking in the morning sun before the dogs and I happened along. It would have been an interesting hike back to the truck if it had decided to open a can of whup-ass on me.