A Near Copperhead/Child Collision

Four-Legged Encounters
Most animals can see clearer, hear further, run faster, and smell better than humans. But they're no match for the blinding light of a SureFire.

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I went on a hike with a friend and three of his kids in Belle Smith State Park in Illinois, home of a natural arch. Even though this was only a hike of few hours, I brought along my E1B Backup™, which I take with me pretty much wherever I go.

The arch forms a sort of a tunnel 10 or 15 feet long, strewn with boulders and smaller rocks. As we approached it, my friend's youngest went scrambling toward the entrance. I took out my Backup and scanned the rubble in the "tunnel" (although it was broad daylight, it was still quite dark inside), when my light's beam revealed a copperhead emerging from behind a boulder. The child was less than a yard from the snake and was heading right for it. The minute my Backup's beam hit the snake, my friend called out for his son to stop, and he halted in his tracks. I kept the beam on the snake, which quickly retreated back behind the rubble. My friend then said, "That light saved my son's life."

As we resumed our hike, my friend asked me several questions about my flashlight...he's since bought one for himself.

Alan B.
Urbana, IL