I've heard that they can only strike about their own length, so as long as
you are outside of that range, you should be alright.  Being an astronomer,
I'd add a factor of two to that just to be safe.....  :-)  Speaking of
Lancer, it's also a very good idea to be aware of your hiking companions
surroundings as well as your own, especilly if your companion is a dog or a
child.

I've never seen a rattler while hiking either, amazingly.  My wife saw one
once, but by the time I got over to her, it had slithered away.  I have seen
them in the road.  The best view I had of one (outside of the Desert Museum)  
was on a dirt road on the way into Toroweap Overlook on the north rim.  The
rattler was in the middle of the road and I stopped about 10 or 15 feet short
of him and got out to take pictures, staying back about 6 or 8 feet (making
use of the zoom lens on my camera...).  Since I didn't want to run him over,
I tossed some pebbles at him to get him to move off the road before
continuing on.

Jim.

On Thu, 10 Mar 2005, Michelle Chelby Geiss wrote:

> > Its
> > cohort was about 50' away waiting in a bush as I jogged past, 
> > thankfully out
> > of reach (I hope) of striking.
> 
> That's a good question...what is the striking distance?  I was 
> pondering that as my legs shook under me, trying to decide whether to 
> turn around or try to slink by. He was about 4 feet off the trail.  I 
> decided to slink by...:)  I am just thankful Lancer (dog) decided to 
> totally ignore him...guess that snake breaking worked!
> 
> Chelby:)
> 
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Jim Scotti
Lunar & Planetary Laboratory
University of Arizona
Tucson, AZ 85721 USA                 http://www.lpl.arizona.edu/~jscotti/