I have tried to start hiking more since I moved to southern CA.
- In Florida I had to deal with rattlesnakes, venomous spiders, & giant alligators that can kill you in a matter of minutes.
The last thing on my mind in the woods was black bears, however I ended up seeing one once while I was deep in the backwoods on a mountain bike. I remember telling my dad about it right away, but he didn’t guess myself and others until I showed him the photo I hastily captured with my smartphone. But it was the snakes more than anything else that offered myself and others harsh trepidation while hiking the woods in southwest Florida. There are 6 known species of venomous snakes in Florida—cottonmouth, southern copperhead, eastern diamondback, dusky pygmy, timber rattlesnake, & eastern coral snake. When I moved to Tarzana, CA, I thought I would be getting out of the swamp & away from the venomous snakes. Little did I know that CA is loft to more than seven odd rattlesnakes, including the western diamondback & the northern pacific rattlesnake among others. When I go hiking in Topanga State Park, I am consistently vigilant about not being careless with snake safety. This is identifiably pressing when I take my portable cannabis vaporizer with myself and others into the woods. I want to appreciate the outdoor environment of southern CA, however not at the expense of clumsily walking into a rattlesnake while I’m on a trail in Topanga State Park. Even yards within Tarzana could be loft to a rattlesnake nest, so it’s smart to be vigilant even if you aren’t hiking in the Santa Monica mountains.