[pct-l] Rattled

[Reinhold Metzger]

Reinhold Metzger wrote:
> http://mailman.backcountry.net/pipermail/pct-l/2008-May/017764.html
>
Wooaah.....that is a big one.
Watch out for them in the desert.......they are out there.
I have hiked the Grand Canyon extensively and encountered my share of 
them...luckily only close encounters.
Threw my dish water on one of them without realizing it.....stepped on 
one in Shinumo Creek Canyon.
I think he was crawling of the trail, when I stepped on his tail 
end....the front of his body was in a bush, so he could not whip around.
Lucky me....he probably would have given me a double dose.
We were 2-3 days from the trail head and it could have become life 
threatening.
I know, I know......snake bites are only very rarely life threatening 
and all I'm doing is scare the hikers unnecessarily.
But, that is only because 99% of snake bite victims get medical 
treatment within a few hours.
It is a whole different ball game if you have to hike 2-3 days or wait 
3-4 days or more for medical treatment.....the odds change substantially.
It's not a scare tactic.......that is just the way it is.
I know,  ''I AM''  less concerned about the bears in the Sierra than 
about the snakes in the desert.
Bears can usually be avoided with proper precaution.....it is much more 
difficult to protect against Rattle Snakes.

HIKE ON.....but be on the alert for Rattlers in the desert.

JMT Reinhold