[pct-l] Snakes

[Noah Strycker]

Hi Dan,

Well, there are rattlers, then there are all the other (non-venomous)
snakes.

Seems like most thru-hikers encounter somewhere between 4 and 20
rattlesnakes in the course of hiking the entire trail, almost all in
southern California (I saw 6 total: 4 in SoCal, one in northern California,
and one in Stehekin in northern Washington). The chances of actually being
bitten are essentially negligible (and, even then, the chances of it doing
serious damage are miniscule), but most hikers do unintentionally get
pretty close to a rattler at some point.

Of course, you'll see others over the course of your trip - you can't
expect to hike 2,700 miles through the forest without encountering snakes!
I saw quite a few gopher snakes, a king snake, a rosy boa, a couple of
rubber boas, lots of garter snakes, and some others which went
unidentified. Cool creatures.

Noah

noahstrycker.com/pct


On Sat, Apr 7, 2012 at 11:40 AM, CHUCK CHELIN <steeleye at wildblue.net> wrote:

> Good afternoon, Dan
>
> On the average, you two are just right for PCT hiking.  I think ice and
> alpine climbing is a great activity for a snakeaphobic outdoorsperson,
> however thru-hiking isn’t a great activity for a serious herpophile.   In
> spite of some story-tellers who like to scare the puddin’ out of new
> hikers, there really aren’t many snakes – rattle or otherwise – on or near
> the trail.  They will be seen, preferably before they feel threatened, but
> they aren’t aggressive:  They mostly just want to be left alone.  They may
> be seen on the trail tread when it’s cool in early morning or evening, but
> in the heat of the day they will occupy shade.  Here's a big one sunning
> itself early on the trail south of Hauser Canyon
> http://www.trailjournals.com/photos.cfm?id=217197
>
> I always avoid flopping on the ground into shade, or standing near, or
> reaching around rocks or logs.
>
> Here’s one of my few snake-tails:
> http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=273103 with a photo at
> http://www.trailjournals.com/photos.cfm?id=446530  I showed the photo to a
> serious, professional herpetologist at Kennedy Meadows who said it wasn’t a
> Mojave -- it was a Mitchell's rattlesnake.
>
> Steel-Eye
>
> -Hiking the Pct since before it was the PCT – 1965
>
> http://www.trailjournals.com/steel-eye
>
> http://www.trailjournals.com/SteelEye09/
>
>
> On Sat, Apr 7, 2012 at 10:46 AM, Dan Cooper <dcooper at bigsky.net> wrote:
>
> > I have a climbing partner who really wants to do the PCT with me but he
> has
> > a snake phobia. a serious one, I know this sounds humorous but it's very
> > true.  He was one of the top ice and alpine climbers when he was younger
> > but
> > he has always had a problem with snakes. Me, I love snakes, I really do.
> > (spiders give me the creepies.lol) But here is the question to the
> seasoned
> > PCT hikers, Are snakes plentiful on the trail particularly CA and
> southern
> > OR?
> >
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