[pct-l] Rattlers?

[viveka1111 at yahoo.com (vivek)]

I got the following from a professor in San Diego who was an expert in snakes.
 
1st, In a study they found that 90 percent of people who get bite by rattles are:
male (not sure why), with tattoos (again not sure why), and finally playing with the snake, ie jumping over it, trying to get close etc.  so unless your a male with tattoos and like to play with snakes, you aren't likely to get bite, so relax and enjoy the hike.
 
The only poisonous snakes on the PCT are the rattles. All four types of rattlers are in Southern California: Green Mojave (smaller skinny but most poisonous), Diamondback- likely in chaparral, Timber , often in rocks, trees, bushes, and last one is a  Side(or Sand, I can't remember for sure, maybe someone can clarify). 
 
Bad news:  All are poisonous, first aid, is to rest and lie down and don't move, get someone else to get help and antidote from emergency ASAP.  Walking out, will circulate toxins faster through your body and will cause nerve and organ damage. Extraction kits or trying to suck the venom out is useless. If you bite by a Green Mojave- start praying.
 
Good news: Snakes aren't stupid.  They don't waste their venom on things they can't swallow.  Often they will give dry bites as a warning.  Most rattlers bite when surprised.  If you can hear them rattle, that's a good sign to go around. don't poke at the bushes to get a the Snake out for a good picture. Note there is a cricket that often sounds like a rattler - it doesn't bite.
 
Note, rock climbers is one group that often gets bitten because they put their hands on small ledges they can't see.
 
I've never been biten myself, but did happen to see a Green Mojave rattler by the wind mills just before the highway to Mojave. I also saw a large timber rattler near Deep Creek and a Diamondbacks near Mt. Laguna.
 
I hope this relieves your concerns about rattlers, but this is from memory, if anyone knows more, I can be corrected.

Mike Lissner <mlissner@pitzer.edu> wrote:
Here's a thought I had yesterday after leaping over a rattler that was lying across the trail. If I am hiking alone, should I carry a snake bite kit? This is a bold statement, but I think this hasn't been discussed here before. What I've been able to figure out is that:
Pros:
- Safety
- Better state of mind
- Etc.

Cons: 
- Do they actually work?
- How much do they actually weight?
- Can I just manage to hike out after being bitten if I taken enough pain killer?
- How bad (really) are rattler bites? 

Is there anybody on this list that has ACTUALLY been bitten by one? I'd really like to know what the experience was, if they had the kit, wish they did, etc. 

-moose
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