Ted Zimnicki is encouraging hikers to leave their AirPods and other headphones at home while hiking this spring. Why? Because, sometimes, you need to hear what’s going on around the trail. Zimnicki experienced this first hand on a recent hike, when he suddenly heard a rattlesnake rattling just off trail. He reacted immediately to the sound, backing up and moving away from the spot where he heard the snake.
Videos by Outdoors
[RELATED: Second Person in a Month Dies From Rattlesnake Bite in California]
“Wait for it . . .” wrote Zimnicki in an Instagram post sharing footage of the startling moment. His video is also overlaid with the text, “We never hike with AirPods.”
In rattlesnake country, Zimnicki’s precautionary tale is an important reminder to other hikers to keep an eye (and an ear) out for this specific danger near trails.
Watch the video below or here (warning: language).
Header stock image by Aleksandar Mladenovic/Getty Images
