"The day I touched the snake " a Nationalpark Berchtesgaden Travel Page by christine.j

This is a wonderful area for hikers and lovers of nature. There are hikes for all levels of difficulty on usually well-marked trails.
We were lucky, as we started our first hike, up the Wimbachklamm to the mountains, on a sunny day after weeks of rain. The information in the National Park house had said there were crossed vipers in the park, but I didn't really expect to see one. I love snakes , but I know you have to be very lucky to see one.
However, we were early and there weren't too many other hikers, when I suddenly saw a viper enjoying the sun. I was so excited! and took lots of pictures. The snake, of course, disappeared into the grass very fast.

My husband was waiting patiently until I had taken the last picture of the last bit of the tail and then we walked on. I was talking excitely about seeing the snake, when my husband shouted:" Watch out.You're stepping on another one." And there was another viper, right in the middle of the trail. This one was pretty angry, quite understandably, as it had been enjoying the first sun in days when I had almost stepped on it. It hissed, but then crawled up a stone. I was taking pictures again and my husband had decided to walk on.(Stranglely enough, he was not as excited as I was).
I knew most probably I would never be so close to a crossed viper, so I just couldn't resist and touched its tail. It was warm,dry and somewhat scratchy, quite different from a snake I had once touched in a zoo.
The poor viper was shocked and quickly disappeared.

Even though I knew crossed vipers are not deadly venomous for adults, I realized touching it was not the most sensible thing to do. But it was the highlight of my stay in the area!
Oh yes, before I forget, apart from vipers there are also some beautiful mountains and lakes in the National Park.