Rob Shinn and a buddy spent 18 hours last weekend traipsing through the Everglades near Homestead, Fla. They drove, walked and kayaked over those 18 hours, covering so much area that Shinn couldn’t quite remember how far they trekked, but thinks it was several hundred miles.

They saw everything you’d expect to see in the Everglades: birds, alligators and snakes. Lots and lots of snakes. What they didn’t see was a Burmese python, which they were there to hunt.