Hiking in snake country in Texas

Sometime ago, somebody suggested that I have terrible posture. It was a tactless comment, but she was right. When walk, I slump forward, my head tilted down.

It looks awful, and it is awful posture, but I realized I have unconsciously adopted this posture over the years because of my daily walks in the country where one has to constantly be aware to avoid stepping on a venomous snake. I think I've become habituated to the position because I find myself still slumped over otherwise where there are few, if any, snakes, venomous or otherwise.

I hike a lot in the country and have forced myself to look down while walking so as to see any snakes. I think this is normal for country people. I know we think of farmer Jones plodding along behind his mule bent over the furrow, but I think it's pretty normal behavior for people who live in snake country and have learned to be alert.

City people who visit the country infrequently are never going to walk with their head down looking at the trail. They come out to look at the scenery.
The city person always walks with his head up because the danger is from other people. A person from the country walking in the city with his head down is an oddity, and a city person walking in venomous snake country with his head up is naivete. You may think it's an accident when he gets bit by a snake, but it's more of an accident if he doesn't get bit, eventually. It's only the lack of consistent exposure that saves him.

I have had a little experience with venomous snake encounters in the wild, and two are worth repeating. The most vivid experience occurred as I walked off the trail, and because I was wearing shorts and was watching for poison ivy, I avoided stepping on a snake, barely. The snake I almost stepped on was a very large diamondback rattlesnake, but it was a laid back old thing in a very loose coil with his head forward on the ground. In two steps I would have been right on his head. I stopped and the snake pulled his head back but never rose up or rattled at all. It was laid back, as I said. We exchanged greetings and that was it.

Another time I was on a trail and a couple with a little child walking in front of them came towards me. About 30 seconds after I passed them, I saw a copperhead on the edge of the trail, and why the child didn't step on it is the question. It's a very bad idea to have a small child hike in front of you. I can understand that you want to watch it, but even a copperhead bite on a small child is dangerous and could even be life-threatening. This was naivete on behalf of the parents.

There should be a compromise, but nothing's going to change. People will always be at risk from stepping on a snake, and I will always look down at the sidewalk even when I'm downtown. Such interesting concrete!