A Slippery Encounter

Today, morning rain gave way to warm temperatures and sunny skies. Faced with the choice of cleaning the bathroom or taking a short forest hike, I grabbed my shoes and headed out the door. I drove to Irishtown Nature Park, another new-to-me Moncton experience.
A treed trail follows along the Moncton water reservoir. It was quiet and peaceful. The hike, well walk really, could have proved to be quite lovely, if it hadn't been for one very terrifying and traumatic encounter. It happened not even 100 metres into the trail.
As the walking path was quite wide and even, I had no need to really watch where I was walking. So daydreaming and gazing out over the waters of the reservoir, while walking the path, I was brought back to reality as my foot slid out from under me as I stepped down. Thinking "Oh great, was that moose poop?" I took a glance back to see what I had trod in. Oh how I wish it had been moose poop. Shock and horror! A mere two steps away a snake was slithering and writhing on the ground. It was the snake I had stepped on! I have a complete and utter fear of snakes, so much so that I become absolutely irrational when faced with one. And I had stepped on one! I shrieked, leapt 50 feet in the air, and as I landed I waved my hands with an "oh my God, oh my God, oh my God" Homer Simpson style, and ran away as fast as I could.
I was so worried that the snake would lie in wait for me and get me as the trail looped me back around to my car. I did however make it back safely. I don't know where the snake went, and I hope to never find out.
The trailhead warns of bears, and to be honest I would much rather have enountered one of them.