Quark Mini AA night Rattlesnake hike.

Woods Walker

The Wood is cut, The Bacon is cooked, Now it’s tim
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I have been using my Quark Mini AA Q3-5A neutral LED on the AT a bunch this year. It is UL and runs on a single AA battery which has some advantages. On this occasion it was strapped to my head with a Nitecore headband. We started late towards a primitive campsite so most of the 5-mile hike in was at night. We were about 1 hour into the hike and my uncle, 3rd in line yelled snake. We nearly trampled a large Timber without even seeing it. I guess perhaps using medium mode was a mistake though the snake's camo was rather effective. The snake moved a bit off trail and slithered along the side.


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The Timber crossed the trail a bit ahead of the group and rattled on the fly into the darkness

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We turned the lights on high and stopped maybe 20 minutes later. Granted the group was a bit on edge. I ran into snakes before and like them but not so much in the dark wearing shorts and hiking shoes.


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We dropped down to sub mile per hour to avoid any more issues. This skunk wasn't all that happy either.

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Darn thing made more of a fuss than the rattler. :laughing: We made camp around midnight. I loaned out the Quark and used my ZL.

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Walking slower at night was the right move as there was another snake about the next day.


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I needed to change out batteries a few times during the night hike to camp as high does burn though them. There are times when very low modes will just not cut it. The Mini AA has performed very well on the trail so recommend it as a UL backup/multi use light.

 
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Burgess

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to Woods_Walker --


Great thread !

:twothumbs


I'm really impressed with how Quickly you can manage
to grab yer' Camera, and snap a photo or two ! ! !


:wow::goodjob::kewlpics:


PS: do you have a Link for that NiteCore headlight strap ?

Edited to add: Nevermind -- i found it !
_
 
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Woods Walker

The Wood is cut, The Bacon is cooked, Now it’s tim
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New England woods.
to Woods_Walker --


Great thread !

:twothumbs


I'm really impressed with how Quickly you can manage
to grab yer' Camera, and snap a photo or two ! ! !


:wow::goodjob::kewlpics:


PS: do you have a Link for that NiteCore headlight strap ?

Edited to add: Nevermind -- i found it !
_

I was on the look out for stuff like this Luna moth found on the same hike so had the camera ready to go. Normally I would have been SOL as often pack the camera away for any night hikes.

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pjandyho

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Hi Woods Walker,

It's great to know you have decided to start a thread on your adventure. Great photos! I wish I had brought my camera along when trekking with my wife a few weeks back. We spotted a python but there's no camera for the record. I love real life stories of how lights was used and thanks so much for sharing.
 

entoptics

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Judging by the snake's position in the second daylight photo, I'm pretty sure there's someone nearby doing the...

"Poke it with a stick" routine. :poke:

In my experience, buzzworms don't like to pose for the camera unless you have someone who's got more balls than sense (and a long stick).

Great photos. Looks like a heck of a lot of fun.
 

mcnair55

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Great thread more please from other members,fantastic to see pictures and experience your lights in actual use.:twothumbs
 

BarryG

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Great story!!!!! I have been out in the woods most of my life and seen lots of snakes. This past year I saw my first timber rattler and got the Hell scared out of me! Not from seeing the snake but the fact that it swam across the creek to where my 5yr old was playing just moments before! I grabbed my son, threw him back up the bank and tried to scare him off but he wouldn't go away so we got outta town! He never rattled so i guess he didn't feel threatened. Had 8 or 9 buttons.

Barry
 

Woods Walker

The Wood is cut, The Bacon is cooked, Now it’s tim
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Messages
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Location
New England woods.
Judging by the snake's position in the second daylight photo, I'm pretty sure there's someone nearby doing the...

"Poke it with a stick" routine. :poke:

In my experience, buzzworms don't like to pose for the camera unless you have someone who's got more balls than sense (and a long stick).

Great photos. Looks like a heck of a lot of fun.

No.... Not with a 2 hour hike to the road. I do kinda like the name buzzworm though. :D

BarryG

Yea sometimes Timbers don't rattle. I found this little bundle of joy on Mount Race (on the AT) about a month ago.

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Some near shots.

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I was kinda near the snake and got nothing, no rattle and only a little motion so with a few hills more to go over left good enough alone. Top of Mount Race looking on to my next target for the day.

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kyhunter1.

At times I cover 15 miles in a day and even with shorts it was a hot summer. But gotta say would have paid a pile-o-cash for those chaps during that night hike. :grin2:

Quark Mini AA setup for the AT.

I use the ZL H501w with the Quark as both run off 1XAA. Granted I pack extra AAs for backups but 2 is more than enough given the low 2ish lumen modes for camp use. It fits the headband maybe a little loose however totally workable as not jumping/running with it and the lanyard is tied off just incase.

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I changed out the silly lanyard it came with, no offense to 4sevens. Used one of the 4sevens plastic hardwear sliders but not the crazy metal hook. I connected the light to orange paracord with yellow Kevlar line .

I setup the light with a DIY lantern attachment for in camp area light. Ok for outside but comes into its own inside a shelter during winter.

Hanging off my hammock rope.

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Used with a crazy poncho/stove cooking shelter.

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Why the neutral tint over cool white for my camping/trail work?

First inside my tent when used as lantern neutral white doesn't make my shelter feel like something out of close encounters of the third kind. I just like a warmer light. Secondly off trail Blue blazes can look like tree lichen to my eye and more so with cool white.

Tree lichen:

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Blue blaze:

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The warmer tint to my eye just makes it easier to distinguish at longer ranges. This won't make me get lost but have been turned around for a few seconds by this mistake and any edge is worth having in my view.

In any case this is the only 4sevens light I own and like it.
 
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bigfoot

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Looks like you got plenty close enough to the rattlers! Glad nobody stepped on it and you have some great pics!

:thumbsup:
 

cbxer55

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I sure hope you just let these guys just slither off, and do their thing. Myself, my wife and I have caught a baby rattler and a young cotton-mouth in our back yard in the last week. Both were picked up with barbeque tongs and put over the fence, to go on about their business of killing rodents.
 

Woods Walker

The Wood is cut, The Bacon is cooked, Now it’s tim
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New England woods.
I sure hope you just let these guys just slither off, and do their thing. Myself, my wife and I have caught a baby rattler and a young cotton-mouth in our back yard in the last week. Both were picked up with barbeque tongs and put over the fence, to go on about their business of killing rodents.
Within my AO Lyme disease is one of my biggest concerns. Some of my friends and family have come down with it. Rodents are carriers of the disease which is transmitted via ticks. Killing something within the environment which is helping me seems rather counterproductive. So I don't harm rodent eating snakes or any other for that matter. Also most people get hit when attempting to kill are handle them. Best not to risk that in the woods.
 
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edc3

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Great pics! Thanks for posting. It's cool to see pics of flashlights in action.
 

SuperTrouper

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wow maybe I'm a bit sheltered from these sorts of encounters living in the UK but I'm not so sure I'd like hiking at night with the chance of stepping on "buzzworms" or any venomous snake really!

Thanks for sharing the story and the pics.
 
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