[pct-l] Snike bite Kit....!

[dsaufley at sprynet.com (dsaufley@sprynet.com)]

I've encountered numerous rattlers while mountain biking our local hills -- especially in the late afternoon in the summer, when they're soaking up the warmth in the center of the dirt roads I ride.  I've seen most of them at 5,000+ elevations.  Perhaps the bike is a frightening thing to them, but none has ever acted threatening to me.  I give them a wide berth and pass them with steady quickness.  In fact, the frequent encounters I've had with them are one reason I don't ride single track or foot trails, and stick to nice, wide fire roads instead (I'm also less likely to upset hikers that way :o).  I've yet to see a Mojave Green, though.  

My husband actually was struck at while running up the Pima Canyon Trail in the foohills of Tuscon -- it almost got him.  I was also there to witness when same hubby sat on a rock shelf by the water tank on Indian Canyon (north side of the San Gabriels below the Bear Divide).  There was a large, coiled rattler under the rock that we observed after sitting down to rest.  It was behind Jeff's bare legs, which dangled tantilizingly in front of the snake.  Ooo-baby, did he move fast once we saw that snake!  Thankfully the snake, probably sluggish from the coolness of the shade, or perhaps digesting a meal, didn't strike.

We've had a number of snake species show up in our yard, including two rattlers. Others include Gopher and King snakes, and a Red Racer too.  That is the only aggressive one we've observed -- the Red Racer will chase after people, but I'm not sure if they bite, because I ran (fast!) when it chased me and it thankfully gave up and slithered off.   I think the reason we're not plagued with rattlers here at our place is that King snakes are a natural enemy of the rattlers and will and eat them.  We have a Road Runner that patrols daily, and they also hunt for them.

Austraila has us beat for poisonous snakes (poisonous everything, really). 



-----Original Message-----
From: Brick Robbins <brick@fastpack.com>
Sent: Mar 19, 2005 2:13 AM
To: pct-l@mailman.backcountry.net
Subject: Re: [pct-l] Snike bite Kit....!

At 08:48 PM 3/18/05, Bighummel@aol.com wrote:
>In 45 years of camping, hiking, climbing, doing geologic field work over a
>huge amount of the southwestern U.S. I have NEVER been even struck at by a
>rattler and NEVER been bit.
>
>Have ANY of you?

I was struck at, an barely missed while running on the California Riding 
And Hiking Trail, on the Lake Cuyamacca water detour, just off the PCT.

I was the third runner in the line. The guys behind me all thought I was 
struck: the snake came that close.


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