Ah yes, a copperhead. We've got a lot of those here in the Ozarks. They aren't very poisonous but apparently are more likely to bite than a rattlesnake. The thinking is that rattlesnakes have a warning (the rattle) but the copperhead doesn't and so tries to be aggressive to scare you off. That would have ruined your trip for sure.

That's a really gorgeous site you found! Makes me jealous because it's been a few weeks since I got out.