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Location, Kennesaw Mountain Georgia. North of Atlanta, in the woods at the top of a mountain. Seen crossing the trail in a hurry in a straight line. Fortunately my dog didn't notice him.

Description.
3-4 feet long, black with faint diamond pattern along his (her?) back. When I approached to get a better look, the very tip of his tail "rattled", but no rattle sound. Head was narrow, no wider than the body, not diamond shaped. One of these days I'll learn to take a camera on hikes.

Sounds like it could have been an Eastern kingsnake.

>>Location, Kennesaw Mountain Georgia. North of Atlanta, in the woods at the top of a mountain. Seen crossing the trail in a hurry in a straight line. Fortunately my dog didn't notice him.
>>
>>Description.
>>3-4 feet long, black with faint diamond pattern along his (her?) back. When I approached to get a better look, the very tip of his tail "rattled", but no rattle sound. Head was narrow, no wider than the body, not diamond shaped. One of these days I'll learn to take a camera on hikes.
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...and I think to myself, "What a wonderful world."

sounds like a black rat snake, there harmless

A camera would have been nice, but from your description, that snake seemed to be heading for cover in a hurry, anyway. My guess – an eastern kingsnake. Ratsnakes also occur in that area, but I think more likely grey ratsnakes. But they can have a dark ground color also. Click here for a neat series of shots of an eastern king predating a turtle nest.

By the way, many harmless snakes including the two mentioned vibrate their tails when they feel threatened. If they happen to be crawling through something like dry leaves, for instance, the result can sound very much like a rattle. On the dirt of a trail, however, you’d likely hear nothing.

-Joan

99% sure it was a black rat snake, based on images google found for me. Eastern king snake has much more defined markings.
Thanks to all.