Gators, Bulls, and Snakes, OH MY!!

So this past weekend, my buddy Chad had an extra ticket for the Florida Gator's home opener against Hawaii and wow did they look amazing! At first it looked like it was gonna be close but then Florida's defense became stellar and their speed was untouchable. If you've never been to a Gator game, which this was my first, imagine 90 thousand plus fans packed into a stadium screaming so loud we can't even hear the whistle in the student section. Yes we were in a box on the student section side and I couldn't of had a better first experience at a gator game. Well let me just say the night before was just the opposite. Chad and I picked up his buddy Darrell and his son Conrad and drove up Friday night to Darrell's Ranch where he owns 1100 acres. So we get there and relax and eat and just hang out. Well it's around 1130 and Darrell then turns to us and says, lets go for a ride. So we hop on this Mule (basically a golfcart on steroids with Monster tires and its known for constuction and offroading), especially well known for going through the swamp areas. Anyways Darrell's driving, I'm in the front and Chad is in the back and it's pitch black, all we see is what the headlights can see. We start riding around and Chad starts to ask question cuz it's alot of woods.

Chad: Are there alot of gators around here?

Darrell: Oh yeah, but only in the swamp areas.

Chad: Are they big gators?

Darrell: Yep!

Meanwhile, just last week they found a gator head, a big one at that. So we keep driving as we go around and he shows us the barn, other lodging, as well as shooting range and everything else including a 400 acre deer farm. So we're driving around for about 30 mins now and we come to this gate, and all we have is a phone, so I take the phone, unlock the gate, open it and we go through. Then it starts to get marsh and we're trudging through in the mule and it's starting to get deep. We keep going for about 10 mins through this marshland and it gets deeper and deeper and at this point the marsh water is starting to overflow in the mule. At this point Darrell keeps driving and my feet are on the dash and Chad is now standing on the back seat holding on to the roll bars above. Well Darrell keeps driving until we go into a slump, so he then puts it in reverse and the mule dies. The engine goes and the lights turn off everything is done. At this point Chad and I begin to process in our mind the questions Chad asked before and we're thinking... Were in waste deep water...we've been driving in the marsh for a good 5 to 10 mins, and this is the same marsh the gators are in, the BIG gators.

Darrell then says: This isn't good.

Chad: Are you kidding me?! What do you mean this isn't good?!

Darrell: This really isn't good. This has never happened to me. Well boys... looks like we walking.

Chad: Are you freakin SERIOUS???!!!!

Darrell: Yep

At this point Darrell takes off and he's gone into the darkness when I realize he's serious so I start to walk. I get out and we're all in street clothes mind you, Chad's got shoes and Darrell and are in cargo shorts. So I get out and it's waste deep. I start slowly walking trying to follow

Darrell, who I can BARELY see and Chad finally steps in.

Chad:Are there gators?

Darrell: Yep

Chad: Big gators?

Darrell: Yep

Chad: Should we hurry?

Darrell: Yep

So as were walking I hear this.... WOOSH! WOOSH! WOOSH! Chad who was the last one out of the mule, sprints as fast as he can, quickly becoming second, splashing, getting me soaked cuz he in no way is gonna be in there long, well when he stirred the water I followed as quickly as I could to the shore. We get back to the shore and Darrell says we can go back the way we came, go through the woods and palmettos or go around. So Chad decides to go around and we get to this gate so we go through only with the light of Darrell's phone and this is the first thing he says...

Darrell: Uhh.. if I recall, this is where the bulls are kept...

My eye get wide now and my heart starts to pound.

Chad: Are you serious?

Darrell: Yep

Chad: Are they fast?

Darrell: Yep

And I don't think you realize, it's so dark, the only way we would see a bull is if we ran into or if we heard it grunt. So we pass through this field and finally are safe... We come to the next field and the grass is double in height cuz there getting ready to roll for hay. When all of a sudden...

Darrell: If you hear a rattle... Freeze.

Chad: Rattle? As in rattle snake?

Darrell: Yep

At this point I about wet my pants, my biggest fear is snakes. Both Chad and I are from the north, the most dangerous thing we come agross is deer. First gators, then bulls, now rattle snakes?!?! I think I wet my pants 4 different times. Well the order is Darrell, then Chad, then me cuz Chad passed me in the swamp.

Darrell: But just to let you know the second person always gets bit!

Chad: Are you serious?

Darrell: Yep

This is because the first person makes it coil and the second person gets bit. Well we finally get through the fields and back to the house after having for heart attacks and bladder issues. All when we thought it was done, Darrell tells Chad to move his jeep.

Darrell: We gotta go get the mule.

Chad: Tonight?!

Darrell: Yep

Chad: Don't you think it'd be better to do it in the morning?

Darrell: Yep, but we doin it tonight!

Chad: Got a rope?

Darrell: Yep!.... But it's not as long as I'd like...

It was 30 FEET! Well without a beat, Darrell got back in there hooked it up and we pulled it right out with his tahoe. You wanna talk about fear! I know what fear is now! Probably one of the scariest moments of my life EASILY!

Whats funny is, Chad's doing a series on all in, what does it take to go all in... That night we knew it was all or nothing! We went all in when we were stuck in the swamp. It's a great story to tell and Darrell couldn't of gotten stuck with 2 easier people but I pray I never have to experience that again. Thank God!