I used to think they were garters myself when I was a kid. At least you got Garter right instead of calling it a garden snake
Exploring The Recent Burn
- Thread starter Teegate
- Start date
Today was a good day. We decided to explore an area we have never visited before so we headed out to do just that. At first it was a basic day finding three more game camera's and old dear stands from long ago. Circling the outside perimeter, as the place is almost fully inside of lowland or swamp, we eventually found the Centralia fire location of the Tea Time Hill fire. I am pretty certain there are other locations because I have learned that the FFS tried putting the fire out with a helicopter on Wednesday and when that did not work they then circled it with a dozer. But the area we were in is pretty remote and there was no evidence of anyone ever being there trying to put it out. This has been burning for 4 weeks.
Flames
Walking further we noticed it is all along this lowland area and not just in one location. The ground is smoldering all over the place and we constantly had to check to see if we were on hot ground.
Eventually, it was time to go and we had a long walk back to the car. On the way I noticed the highlight of the day.
Hognose. From photos online I am guessing it is a male. It was sunning itself right in an open area as we walked through it.
Here is a video of the snake. I did not edit it so it may have some blurry spots and other flaws.
Click Here For Hognose Snake Video
Flames
Walking further we noticed it is all along this lowland area and not just in one location. The ground is smoldering all over the place and we constantly had to check to see if we were on hot ground.
Eventually, it was time to go and we had a long walk back to the car. On the way I noticed the highlight of the day.
Hognose. From photos online I am guessing it is a male. It was sunning itself right in an open area as we walked through it.
Here is a video of the snake. I did not edit it so it may have some blurry spots and other flaws.
Click Here For Hognose Snake Video
I cant tell without the snake in hand but by a look at the tail,end I"d say your assessment that it is a male snake is correct.Females have a more pronounced tail defined by a pinching in.
Here is a little Hog Nose. It would easily fit in the palm of my hand. I would not have noticed it but for its aggressiveness. It was hissing and snapping.
Today we picked another area to explore and first visited the sawmill ruins that we found on 12/31/2005 on the PBX hike "Hiking The Featherbed." The fire cleared the area around it making it easier to see things.
And while exploring around it I noticed old shells and metal where they may have cooked their food.
And semi nearby is a Commissioner stone I have visited multiple times. This winter I will look for the next stone in the Atsion tract line that is located 45,200 feet away (8.56 miles). I will have to dig every inch of Sandy Causeway up in a short distance since it is underground. I have found that the surveyors distances are not perfectly exact so I have a beginning and an end to search along Sandy Causeway. The surveyors were good, but Google Earth measuring is better than the equipment they used back then.
The state monument and the stone.
Later we crossed this nice wetland area.
Then we hit the tracks and started back to the car. Along the way we again encountered the fire that has been burning out there for a month. It has now reached the JCRR. It is burning the pine needles from the earlier fire as well as roots.
The FFS came in recently and plowed a line to stop it. And someone from the FFS hand scraped a cleared line trying to force it towards the tracks. And unbelievably it appears to be working. The fire is not crossing it and is heading towards the tracks.
We passed a man and young boy along the tracks on our way back to the car. Later, on Carranza at the Skit Branch the B52 FFS truck passed us heading towards the fire. Not sure if the man called it in or they were just checking on the fire.
And while exploring around it I noticed old shells and metal where they may have cooked their food.
And semi nearby is a Commissioner stone I have visited multiple times. This winter I will look for the next stone in the Atsion tract line that is located 45,200 feet away (8.56 miles). I will have to dig every inch of Sandy Causeway up in a short distance since it is underground. I have found that the surveyors distances are not perfectly exact so I have a beginning and an end to search along Sandy Causeway. The surveyors were good, but Google Earth measuring is better than the equipment they used back then.
The state monument and the stone.
Later we crossed this nice wetland area.
Then we hit the tracks and started back to the car. Along the way we again encountered the fire that has been burning out there for a month. It has now reached the JCRR. It is burning the pine needles from the earlier fire as well as roots.
The FFS came in recently and plowed a line to stop it. And someone from the FFS hand scraped a cleared line trying to force it towards the tracks. And unbelievably it appears to be working. The fire is not crossing it and is heading towards the tracks.
We passed a man and young boy along the tracks on our way back to the car. Later, on Carranza at the Skit Branch the B52 FFS truck passed us heading towards the fire. Not sure if the man called it in or they were just checking on the fire.
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Found 3 baby hognose snakes today all in different spots. Also saw 5-6 nests in different areas. It’s dry now but the spring rains gave time for lots of fowlers toads which led to maybe an increase of hogs.
and just what is a hognose nest? an egg depository? Can you tell a hognose egg from other snake eggs?
Al, it’s sorta like a pine snake nest with less of a fan and smaller. The eggs look like smaller racer eggs without the sand paper look. They seem to be one of the first to hatch as well usually in late August or earlier.
I"ve probably been mistaking them for turtle nests or possibly pine snake nests. I"ve only seen two hognose snakes since adult hood.Used to find them more frequently as a kid.Possibly because i was always out looking as a kid and don't have that much time or energy as an adult or else the population as crashed?
Today was another location to explore between the Shane Branch and the Featherbed Branch. On the way down Carranza the smoke was as intense as last weekend, and I could see it in the bogs across from Sandy Ridge.
I turned off of Carrnaza fairly early this morning and on the way in I passed a truck parked along the edge of the road where we had parked last week. On the opposite side of the road a man and woman were carrying a metal tree stand heading into the woods to set it up. They seemed a little surprised to see me pass by. This is a reminder to start wearing orange. For the next three hours I wandered around enjoying my morning stroll, first along the Shane and then the Featherbed.
When I reached the Featherbed the fire was still going, and again there was evidence the FFS had been working on putting it out.
The fire is just burning over the old fire.
I visited the causeway and found the Featherbed completely dry.
The corduroy road shows up as early as 1931 but I suspect it was worked on sometime after that. But the evidence shows how long those logs last underwater. That is smoke in the air at the top of the photo.
I turned off of Carrnaza fairly early this morning and on the way in I passed a truck parked along the edge of the road where we had parked last week. On the opposite side of the road a man and woman were carrying a metal tree stand heading into the woods to set it up. They seemed a little surprised to see me pass by. This is a reminder to start wearing orange. For the next three hours I wandered around enjoying my morning stroll, first along the Shane and then the Featherbed.
When I reached the Featherbed the fire was still going, and again there was evidence the FFS had been working on putting it out.
The fire is just burning over the old fire.
I visited the causeway and found the Featherbed completely dry.
The corduroy road shows up as early as 1931 but I suspect it was worked on sometime after that. But the evidence shows how long those logs last underwater. That is smoke in the air at the top of the photo.
Guy since the wetlands are so dried out is the fire burning into cedar and other formerly wet areas? Or is it just burning the new duff that fell since July?
The first one we found was in a swamp area and it was burning new area's (Post 22). But since then each time it was burning new duff from the original fire. The Post 22 fire does not have vehicle access but all of the others do.
That's a nice photo on the Shane Guy. The smoke gave it some pizzaz too.
It was dark this morning on a tributary of the Skit. However, there was water at this point.
On my way across just a short distance upstream was a different story.
If there was a chair here I would have sat in it and let my mind wander. I love these places. This area and it's extended area is surrounded by streams usually filled with water. It is obvious people rarely go there.
I noticed this arc on the aerials and specifically went there to see what it was. Nothing was there. It shows up as far back as 1970 from what I can tell. I think it is an old motorcycle trail but after the fire I could not really see it. I will go back soon.
On my way across just a short distance upstream was a different story.
If there was a chair here I would have sat in it and let my mind wander. I love these places. This area and it's extended area is surrounded by streams usually filled with water. It is obvious people rarely go there.
I noticed this arc on the aerials and specifically went there to see what it was. Nothing was there. It shows up as far back as 1970 from what I can tell. I think it is an old motorcycle trail but after the fire I could not really see it. I will go back soon.