Sharon is holding a harmless Garter snake found near the river.

Looks like a Mountain gartersnake (Thamnophis elegans elegans), a subspecies of Western Terrestrial Garter Snake (Thamnophis elegans).

For more information about this species, read en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garter_snake

Photo taken during a 3-day trek on the Pine Ridge trail to the Sykes Hot Springs in the Vantana Wilderness, near Big Sur (California)