Growing up, we owned some timberland in this area. My little brother, who was about 8 at the time, talked one of my friends into going with him so he could float down the creek and end up at this bridge. It wasn't very far, as the crow flies, but as geocachers know distance calculated this way can end up taking a lot longer than expected to reach. This is what happened with my brother, as I waited at this bridge for him for over four hours and was panicking by the time they showed up. As I was waiting for him to reach the bank I noticed a water snake heading for him. I yelled, SNAKE, of course coming from a sibling he didn't believe me. That quickly changed as he looked back and saw the snake right behind him. I still have never seen him move faster than he did that day. Definitely on of my favorite childhood memories, although it might not be his. 
The Northern Water Snake is one of the largest snakes to be found in North America, and the largest examples can grow up to a length of four and a half feet. The snake has quite a heavy body and has quite a large head which is in proportion with the body of the snake. The Northern Water Snake can be found in a variety of colors, but the majority will have bands of brown, black and dark green, although they can also have a sandy or reddish color on the body. As the snakes get older their color will darken, and the older adult snakes will actually have a body that is almost entirely black.