Clouds were building over the summit of Miller Peak as we began walking the trail. Prickly pears, agave and manzanita dominated the lower stretches, but like the previous day, this changed as we gained some altitude. Our little Mountain Spiny friends were back, and would provide pleasant company for as far as we wanted to go.

The trail ran alongside a small stream, and we walked through a cool, sloping forest of madrone, oaks, and big-tooth maples. There were plenty of rock piles to investigate along the way, but nothing of interest turned up, and the morning sun wasn't hitting this side of the canyon. I did find a beautiful green beetle, over an inch long; this was Plusiotis beyeri, and I'm glad I took pictures, for this was a thing of beauty hardly describable with words.

The trail dipped down and crossed the stream, and then began winding up the warmer, exposed southern slope.On this exposure there were fewer trees and more grasses, agaves, cacti and exposed rocks. Here, I thought, we would stand a better chance of finding a snake or two, where the sun warmed the ground. The trail went up, up, and away from the stream and the trees below, and now we were popping a sweat from our efforts.

Other than the pretty rock lizards we weren't having much luck with finding reptiles. We poked around rock piles and crevices with all due diligence, and kept six eyes at work scanning the sides of the trail. Our impatience at the lack of herps was tempered by our very surroundings, the stunning views and the remarkable beauty in any direction we looked. We were here to see everything the mountains had to offer.

It wasn't until we had finally turned around and headed back down the trail that our luck changed. My 'small, gray rattlesnake' search image found a match - there was a cute little buttontail, coiled up under an overhanging rock, just where the late afternoon sun could slide under and heat up its place of concealment.

Steve and Tracey were behind me on the steep trail, and still out of sight, but the rattlesnake had seen me; I knew we had to act fast if we wanted a closer look at the little serpent. I had learned my lesson - these little rattlers weren't about to lie still and rely on their protective coloration. Steve pulled my collapsible hook out of my pack for me, and I managed to lift the snake down to the trail and away from the crevice underneath the rock it called home.

This snake was a youngster, with one rattle segment plus the button on the end. The tail was a brilliant yellow, and the snake wiggles it to imitate a fat grub or caterpillar to attract a lizard. This snake was sporting a sizeable lump mid-body, and I was willing to bet there was a fair-sized Mountain Spiny Lizard inside this little rock rattler.