The centennial visit to Big Thicket National preserve was my first. To economize time, I chose to hike in the unit nearest the visitor center, the Turkey Creek unit. After navigating the Kirby Nature Trail, some of the nearly 40 species of snakes indigenous to Big Thicket found me and kept me company for the remainder of my time in the preserve. This might have been alright and even interesting, except the Sandhill Loop where the snakes joined me lay covered in leaves, meaning I could hear the snakes but not see them. The first one I spotted when I felt something crawling across my shoes and looked down.
