RRC Archives

I am a new climber and I am learning about many things and there is no better teachers than the fellow climbers or locals to share their knowledge. So my questions are about couple thing that we encountered this weekend.

First question would be about a snake that came over my 6 year old son's foot, which was not a big deal, but as a precaution I ended up "helping" the snake to find the wooded area, I did noticed an orange belly and was interested what kind of snake it could have been and was it dangerous. The snake was tiny, maybe 6", so I am not sure it it was a baby that just hatched or it was an adult size. Either way I would like to know more about the topic if anyone has any info or advise.

My second question is about poop, yes, your read it right. LOL. As I was about 30 feet off the ground I noticed a pretty big pile of little droppings that looked like mice poop, but bigger. I would not enjoy encountering any nature creatures on the rock, so wanted to see if anyone knows what animal could have been that high on the rock?

The snake was probably a Northern Redbelly. They're fairly common and small and have either red or orange bellies. Lots of information about Kentucky snakes here: http://fw.ky.gov/pdf/kysnakebook.pdf

Not sure about the poop. Maybe possum or squirrel.

could have been flying squirrel poop. i've run into them up high before...(eye of the needle at funkrock, i think?). but, as with most cool biota, they're not likely to be found at heavily traveled crags.

f'ing wood rats! I had one almost fall on me at Fortress! nasty!

wood rat crap. watch out for snakes falling off the cliffs too. don't laugh I've seen it twice.

Thank you all for your responses. The snake was definitely the Northern Redbelly, glad to know they are not poisonous. As for rat poop, that just gross. I truly hope I won't encounter one while climbing. Falling snakes is a true story, I had one (6-7ft or so) falling right in front of me by the 27 years of climbing, I am sure entire crag heard my scream, for a split second I though it was a rope...LOL