A man was airlifted out of Lake Del Valle Regional Park after being bit by a rattlesnake in the lake. Here's the article from the San Jose Mercury News:
www.mercurynews.com/.../man-bitten-by-rattlesnake-at-del-valle-regional
The article says (and I hope it's true) that the snakes avoid the busier sections of the park. There's a 10K race coming up in this very lake in 3 weeks - I'm still planning to swim, but not without some trepidation now.
Some consolation: I've never encountered any snakes at Lake Del Valle, and I have been out there for races at least once a summer for almost 10 years now. Plus, this guy was bit because he picked up the rattler, which is not an idea that would even cross my mind. To me it doesn't matter whether it appeared to be alive or dead, in the water or out of the water, venomous or non-venomous, etc...
Bears swim, too, and very well - probably faster than I can. This thought occurred to me while I was enjoying beautiful Bowman Lake in Glacier National Park and noticed I was several hundred yards from shore. The shadows were getting longer...
Circumspection is a good choice.
Interesting encounters occur where habitat extremes overlap, such as along the Ohio River: near the upper limit for southern species, near the lower limit for northern species. Everything crawling, flying, and swimming together.
:)
(Sorry, I know nothing about San Jose!)
Bears swim, too, and very well - probably faster than I can. This thought occurred to me while I was enjoying beautiful Bowman Lake in Glacier National Park and noticed I was several hundred yards from shore. The shadows were getting longer...
Circumspection is a good choice.
Interesting encounters occur where habitat extremes overlap, such as along the Ohio River: near the upper limit for southern species, near the lower limit for northern species. Everything crawling, flying, and swimming together.
:)
(Sorry, I know nothing about San Jose!)
