There is only one kind of venomous snake in California (other than a very rare sea snake that I don't think we have to worry about in this context). And that is the rattlesnake.
From my experience, rattlesnakes are slow.
The only time they are fast is within their striking range. Which I would guess is somewhere around 3/4 of their body length.
Well "one kind of snake". The bad news is that there are 7 species and a couple of subspecies, totalling 10. The Good news is that only one of these, the Western (crotalus viridis) is common to the Sierra, and it is not one of the largest and fiercest. The bad news is that the largest and fiercest, the Western Diamondback, crotalus atrox, is common to the Southern San Joaquin valley, and if snakes are creeping higher this year . . . . The good news is that Its still unlikey that this big guy would go as high as 6000 feet, the start of the HST. Too cold at night.
More good news is that striking range is only 1/3 to 1/2 body length on the flat and level for any of these guys, more only if they are striking downhill. So pass em on the uphill side if you can, and farther downhill if you can't.
Oh: and in six days on the hottest part of the trail last July, we saw zero snakes.
