Most people believe that rattlesnakes, scorpions, Gila monsters, and other such dangers abound here. They do not. You can spend an entire year deep in the backcountry without coming across one instance of livid fauna. But the thought of them lingers constantly in the back of your mind. Certain sections of the Lost Canyon Trail run through dry grass and brush and are littered with fallen cottonwood leaves.
Lizards dart everywhere.
They seem to have the run of the place. When walking, they scatter from their resting spots on the cairns or trail, racing into the leaves just before you arrive, sounding much like a rattler. You don't know what to expect. You know that it's probably only a lizard, but perhaps it is a snake this time. It takes a little while to brush the anxiety aside.