Originally Posted by
Phaleron 
Out here we have an abundant population of diamondback rattlers. You're correct about the snakes not generally attacking unless they are provoked. The problem is when you're breaking trail in the tall sage you can't see very well and even with a walking stick it's easy to startle and provoke a rattlesnake. The freakiest aspect of these snakes is the sound!
Sounds like you had an adventure!
I love diamondback rattlers. Beautiful. I was walking through some scrubby brush in Arizona once and heard one rattle at me. Only slightly terrifying, right?
The copperhead sure thought he was being attacked yesterday, struck at me a couple times because I was moving the brush around to get a good picture of him. And he tried to mimic a rattler, actually. He wiggled his tail against the leaves on the ground so it kind of sounded like a rattlesnake. Nature's so cool.