Personal Account, Honorable Mention

Location: Just outside Boulder, Colorado.

When I was a young lad, maybe 3rd grade, my parents sent me off to YMCA day camps for the summer. Good way to take care of the kids. One outing on a particular day involved hauling 60 or 70 wild kids up by bus to a hike in the nearby Rocky Mountains. After about 2/3 of the hike up, we came to an abrupt stop. I was at the front of the long line, so I knew what was going on. There was a diamondback rattlesnake lying on a rock less than a foot off our trail. A smart camp counselor would have simply realized that the hike could not continue, and to turn the group back to the buses. Not the counselor in front with me. We all know that when ratlesnakes are angry, they shake their rattle-like tails to warn you they're going to bite you if you don't get away now. Either my counselor had not received this vital piece of knowledge if you live in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, or he didn't care. He grabbed a nearby stick, and started prodding the snake. It hissed louder, and slowly slithered up the stick. It was halfway up the stick after about 10 seconds. It took another 5 seconds for him to think about dropping the stick. We retreated back to the bus afterward.

Submitted on 06/20/2009

Submitted by: Anonymous
Reference: None

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Candi said:
Definitely Keep: Personal Account
LOL!! That counselor was trying for a Darwin Award! Lucky his survival instincts (belatedly) kicked in. Thanks, and submit again!

Bruce said:
Definitely Keep: Personal Account
Wow, he's lucky his instincts kicked in and he dropped the sick. Thanks for the story!

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