Great Basin Rattlesnake

In April 1995, while hiking in the Paria River in Southern Utah with John, Kevin and Matt Mirau, and Sam, we encountered a waterlogged Great Basin rattlesnake on a sandbar in the middle of the river. It was cold and the snake was sluggish.

I was concerned that it might not survive. So we put it in a container overnight inside of Sam's backpack, with the intent of letting it go the next day when it warmed up.

The next day was warmer and we let the snake go.

The Great Basin is a subspecies of the western rattlesnake. It is found in northwestern Arizona, western Utah, most of Nevada (except extreme southern), and parts of northern California, southern Oregon and southern Idaho.