03-09-2019, 01:58 PM
They closed off access at Strawberry tunnel probably because the old concrete structure that forms that big pool is decaying. The fact that some brilliant ATVer peeled out on a corner of loose gravel above the stream and sent his ATV plunging 60 ft into the steep walled canyon and stream below didn’t help. I don’t think he went over himself as only Police and Forrest Rangers were up there that day. I didn’t see any flesh and blood on the rocky edges or demolished atv. Also no ambulances showed up. Stupid but he was probably lucky. Far worse today- many more snakes, burnt to the ground and teaming with lions lurking above. If you can think of anything else to scare people off please add it in. Funny how some people are so afraid of rattlesnakes. I was talking to a guy about 67 a month ago. He was fishing with some supposed famous fly fishermen that I never heard of on a ranch of Ted Turner’s in New Mexico. He found himself almost on top of a big old rattler and turned away. The snake went to strike but the fangs hit the bottom of his boot. I never worry about them as I doubt I’ll get envenomated through my waders. I just make sure I see where my hands are going if bushwhacking. I do worry about my dogs a bit. The first time I encountered a rattler with my dogs I was hiking upto Rays Valley Rd after fishing. My lab mix, Molly was hiking parallel to me about 30 yds away. I looked over and there was a big rattler right next to her. I instinctively called her name. She then jump over it and the snake headed back down the slope we were coming up. Never made that mistake again of calling the dog with snakes between us. Both of my dogs did instinctively leave all snakes alone. Once I was bushwhacking in a big steep wash I encountered a huge rattlesnake up there. I had to climb out of the steep ravine and go around. My dogs knew the route are were ahead of me to go cool of in the stream. I imagine they both went climbed out and went around as well. Anyways rattlesnakes aren’t generally as deadly as the myth. If you get bit you just have to cancel your fishing and hike out and go to an Emergency Department. Deaths in the US are quite rare other than people who are intoxicated and they or their friends think rattlesnakes make a good pets.
Now those lions are pretty reliable there. Molly would give a growl ever time she smelt one up above to remind them whodidn’t have a pack for protection. On 6 th Water we only once had a lion come down after me and the dogs had a snack of smoke salmon- which was pretty routine for us. Molly returned upstream a bit where she had already been before the snack. She smelt the lion approaching. She barked, stumped her paws and charged into the edge were the Forrest started on the steep hillside.
She knew that was all she needed to do to chase off a scaredy-cat and abruptly stopped. We continue to have our snack below that spot where we most commonly encountered the lion. It had a big square rock, I called the kitchen table and I kept a stick there for Molly to retrieve in the big pool below. I started calling that lion Molly’s pet kitty because she had trained it to understand we were going to have our snack there and no cats were invited.
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Now those lions are pretty reliable there. Molly would give a growl ever time she smelt one up above to remind them whodidn’t have a pack for protection. On 6 th Water we only once had a lion come down after me and the dogs had a snack of smoke salmon- which was pretty routine for us. Molly returned upstream a bit where she had already been before the snack. She smelt the lion approaching. She barked, stumped her paws and charged into the edge were the Forrest started on the steep hillside.
She knew that was all she needed to do to chase off a scaredy-cat and abruptly stopped. We continue to have our snack below that spot where we most commonly encountered the lion. It had a big square rock, I called the kitchen table and I kept a stick there for Molly to retrieve in the big pool below. I started calling that lion Molly’s pet kitty because she had trained it to understand we were going to have our snack there and no cats were invited.
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