I dunno folks. True, I've been within inches of rattlers, twice - once I got the rattle (which, for those who haven't heard it, sounds a LOT like the sprinkler systems that pop up at dusk to do the 90 degree arc in spurts, before shooting back around to restart). The other time was about 5am and too cool for it to move much.

BUT... in Virginia I was blocked on a trail a good 20 minutes before I gave up, by some sort of snake. I'm a Cali boy, so who knows what it was, but given my environment, I figured a cottonmouth was the worst-case scenarion. I didn't find a convenient stick to clear the path. In all fairness, it didn't seem too ruffled or threatening, so in no way was I worried about it attacking.

My point? Not all snakes leave when given the chance.