I heard it clear as day.
A scream.
A scream that echoed through the mountains of Maine.
I knew my beloved wife was in danger, and I was the only one who could save her.
Charlene and I were passing through Maine on a warm afternoon. I planned a stop here at Daggett Rock so we could get out and stretch and get the blood flowing again after sitting in the car for so long.
We had just seen this 18,000-tonne glacial erratic on the side of a mountain, but we had to traverse up the incline first. Daggett Rock was brought to this remote location outside of Phillips, ME, during the last ice age. It had “recently” split in two, and walking between the two pieces is possible. We took our pictures and explored it for a bit. It was much larger than I expected for a rock, but it was the return trip that became a matter of life and death.
Charlene was leading the way down the mountainside road/trail, which was covered in loose rocks and lots of leaf debris covering even more loose rocks. A lot of attention had to be focused on the placement of our feet when I heard a blood-curdling scream.
Charlene and I were moving at a solid pace toward the car. She was starting to get ahead of me when the menace struck.
SCREAM!
Oh, the horror!
I had looked up at the very moment everything transpired. Charlene was stepping on a section we had passed by on our way up when she screamed and came to an abrupt halt.
My chest tightened. Its grip on me was crushing. I could feel the fear of the moment, constricting the breath out of my lungs. My wife screamed, and I could see why. With this scream, I knew she was in danger, and I was the only one who could save her.
But I was so far away.
Charlene was now involved with Maine’s most common venomous snake, the eastern garter. I could see my wife doing the Dance of Death—a sweet tango that always ends bitterly. The opportunistic predator eats anything it can swallow and was licking its lips as it stared, unblinking, at my soulmate.
It coiled as if to strike. Charlene danced to the side, avoiding the snake, albeit narrowly.
The snake moved.
Charlene twirled.
The Dance of Death can be beautiful to watch. The participants’ performances are of a level of elegance and grace. It is unfortunate that it has to have a sad conclusion.
But I could not stand by and watch my princess become snake poo. This knight in shining armour had to do something.
I charged toward the vile beast with energy and strength that I had never mustered before. The bellicose, cold-blooded, blood-thirsty serpent was fixated on the belle of my life until I locked my gaze into its soulless, empty eyes. Out of fear and the sight of my incredible manliness, it darted away like a snake with its tail between its legs.
Charlene was relieved—her Prince Charming had come to her rescue. But we were only halfway down the hill, and there were possibilities of more peril.
When we should have been talking about our experience of seeing Daggett Rock, we were instead running for our lives toward the safety of our car. Did the snake call for reinforcements? Were there other venomous creatures ahead, like the common garter snake? Or would we run into the giant of all snakes, the eastern ribbon snake?
We charged down the hill, fighting off bloodsucking vermin like mosquitoes, horseflies, deerflies, and blackflies. We ran, only stopping when we slammed our bodies into the side of the car. I fumbled for my keys. Like in every horror movie, the keys became entangled in my pants, then fell to the ground, and I remembered I didn’t need keys to open the door. All I had to do was touch the door handle, and we were in.
Inside the safety of our car.
Inside, safe from the snakes.
Inside, safe from the biting bugs.
Safe in each other’s arms.
Safe.
I plugged my phone into the car, drank some water, cranked the AC, and began driving to our next adventure. All the while, Charlene was praising me for my heroism.
- Daggett Rock is on a dead-end road. Look for the parking lot and a small sign on a tree indicating the path to take. We had to drive past the location that Google Maps had placed for the rock.
- There is only one way in and out by car. Google Maps might suggest a route, but this road ends at someone’s house and does not continue.
- Check All The Places We Have Been To Map for the location and direction for this interesting rock.
- There is some debate on how far the rock is from the road. Is it 2/10th of a mile or 1/5th? Either distance seemed the same to me.
- It is private property on either side of the trail.
- Good hiking shoes/boots are recommended but not necessary.
- Bug spray is necessary.
- Always travel in pairs when in snake country. Someone needs to be a hero, and that could be you.
