Craziest Garter encounter ever

[infernalis]

This happened 2 summers ago out back, and has a happy ending, so enjoy..

We run a motorcycle track on our property, and must water the track on dry days to keep dust under control. There are hoses, water tanks and plumbing out in the open meadow. (We know how fond garters are of wet areas)

It was a sunny Saturday morning and it was time to fill up this large water tank, so I connected all the lines, and on the very end of the hose is a mesh basket to break up the water and keep the hose steady while it dumps very large amounts of water into the tank.

we turned on the pump and started filling, the pump is about 600 feet away back in the creek, so it was a hike back to the tank.

I looked into the top of the tank and was HORRIFIED to see a garter snake trapped in the basket, getting pounded with 200 gallons of water per minute!!!

Is it alive?? did I kill it?? 911 what next??

so I (without thinking) quickly uncoupled the hose, with the pump still running full power immediately the hose went wild, soaked me, and hit me. but it would have taken too long to run round trip to go shut it off first, and this snake was in danger!

We got things settled down, and found an absolutely gorgeous eastern female with nearly perfect olive colorations, unharmed yet very confused and under a lot of stress stuck in the strainer. she refused to come out.

She kept trying to exit through these little holes, and kept getting her head jammed in them trying, so I took off my shirt and wrapped it around the basket to cover the little holes, leaving only the big pipe hole, and after 10 minutes or so, she decided to leave.

I carried her to another nearby meadow and released her back where she belongs.

When I returned to the tank, I found a rather substantial lake, all that time, I never did go turn off that pump

Regards,
Wayne

[Stefan-A]

Sounds like a fun little adventure.

[Snake lover 3-25]

LOL too funny!!!!!! love the ending!!!

[infernalis]

wow that was quick....

[Snake lover 3-25]

lol yup i'm bored

[anji1971]

So now instead of bikes, you need boats??
Glad you saved the snake, Wayne. I'm sure it was worth having a temporary lake in your backyard!