Carry a walking staff that has some heft to it, and bang it on the ground as you walk. Snakes sense vibration and avoid it unless it sounds like food. A 100+ lb person is danger, not food, rodents are food.

Use the staff to poke around in the rocks until you know there aren't any snakes. Pay attention to what you're doing.

Wear knee-high socks and strap the plastic gaiters (think 'shin guards') over them, put your pants on over them.

The 'warning rattle' is fine for adults, but babies aren't born with rattles and can still bite, and their toxin is more dangerous.

About one-quarter of rattlesnake bites are 'dry', without venom. The snake can apparently control this.

Pay attention to what you're doing, and especially where you put your hands. Don't wear headphones, you need to hear.

Don't worry about making people laugh... the first time your group hears a rattler, your gaiters will immediately become a crucial fashion item. I think they come in denim, too, so match your pants to your gaiters and, as unobservant as most people are, they may not even notice.

And there's nothing so annoying as preparing for something and then not having the problem show up. Some people are born to suffer...

Sue