002 Old Trapper and The Ornery Snake

This week’s Tale of the Old Trapper is titled "Old Trapper and The Ornery Snake" by Shawn Henninger.

About Tales of the Old Trapper:

When I was a young boy maybe 5 6 or 7 My Grandfather would sit me down and tell me Tales of The Old Trapper. The Old Trapper was a man who lived many years before my grandfather was even born. The Old Trapper lived on the Land my grandfather had owned that we called the Old Place.

But, Before it was the Old Place it was called Home by the Old Trapper. This land is where he went on many adventures. Working with the woods for all the things he needed to food, clothing and shelter. The Old Trapper was not one for lavish things as he only lived in a single room log cabin he built himself. Through his adventures he learned many values that he passed on to the community and anyone who crossed his path through his journeys.

So join me as I re-tell the Tales of the Old Trapper just as my Grandfather told them when I was just a child.

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This Weeks Tale:

The early morning rain filled the Air with the glorious scent of spring. The Old Trapper walked out of his Cabin looking up at the rising sun ready for another day outside. The Old Trapper had a busy day in front of him as he needed to fix the small dam he made down stream, His garden needed to be tended to in preparation for the planting season, and he needed to finish picking the fresh blueberries he had found the day before.

The Old Trapper finished his breakfast which consisted of his last sip of coffee and a bite of toast. The Old Trapper put on his moccasins and headed towards the creek. The Old Trapper didn’t have a chance to look over the conditions of the Dam since winter and was not sure what all he needed to fix. The Dam was a good way to keep a nice watering hole for fishing. The Old Trapper got the idea from some Bevers that built their own dam there a few seasons ago, but they moved further downstream which is a tale for another day.

The Sun was rising quickly and the air began to warm up as the Old Trapper made his way to the Dam. As he approached he could see his watering hole was much shallower than before. Not sure how this could be as the snow melting and rain surly would have kept the Water Hole full. When he was within throwing distance of the Dam he was able to see what had happened.

Sitting on the last piece of wood holding what was left of the dam together was a big snake all curled up resting. The Tail of the snake was sitting just in the water as the Snake slept peacefully on the log. The Old Trapper has seen some of the biggest snakes this side of the Mississippi, but none as big as this one. The Old Trapper was not even sure that a snake would be out this early in the year.

The Old Trapper needed to get the snake away from the dam so he could get to work as this was one of his main tasks for the day. Now the Old Trapper was just as close to an expert on identifying snakes as any person could be, but he always told children to never approach a snake as some can be poisonous and if bitten could cause a lot of harm. From his experience the old saying of They Are more Scared of you then you are of them was typically true. This Snake however did not want to leave it’s comfortable log.

The Old Trapper found a long stick that he would use to help pursue the Snake to move on down stream. The Old Trapper was wanting to do his best to ensure that neither he nor the snake would get hurt. Plus both could benefit from fixing the Dam. A water hole would work well for The Old Trapper and the snake. The Snake had other plans, as the Old Trapper nudged the snake it slowly opened its eyes and just stared right at The Old Trapper, flicking its tongue a few times and then going back to sleep.

The Old Trapper stepped back and was even more curious about this Snake. Never in his life has he had a snake not react when being nudged by a stick. Some snakes slither away, some get upset, but none just stay put. The Old Trapper had another idea and thought he could shake the log and try to let the snake fall in the water and swim downstream. The Old Trapper put his foot on the edge a safe distance from the snake and bounced it up and down. Each bounce the log would move higher and higher but the snake just opened its eyes and the Old Trapper swore he saw it smile.

Frustrated, the Old Trapper jumped as high as he could and landed on the log, but slipped and fell right into the creek. The Water barley came up to the Old Trappers hips, but now he was sitting in chilly creek water staring at this snake. As the two locked eyes the Old Trapper was pretty sure he heard the Snake Laughing at him, but the Snake did not move and closed its eyes.

The O...