Snakes scare me!!!

[PacMan]

I had a pretty scary run-in with a rattle snake on my ride today. As I was flying through an "S" curve, I saw some fresh snake tracks and just as I was processing the fact that the tracks looked pretty new, I came upon the snake that left them--a rather large 3' adult rattle snake. He was making his way down the trail in the same direction I was heading.

It was quite possibly the worst place to encounter a snake, since the curve made it so I couldn't scan ahead. He heard me coming and started to coil, just as I realized I wouldn't be able to stop in time. I decided to try to "bunny hop" him, but didn't pull it off completely and my rear tire came down on top of him. I heard the destinct sound of him getting caught up in my rear tire so I decided to abandon ship and I bailed off the bike onto the side of the trail.

When the dust settled, I saw he was wrapped up in my rear tire and around my bike frame, but still alive. He immediately began to untangle himself and began to crawl away.

I was so jacked up on adrenaline, I had to walk around for a good 5-10 minutes just to calm down enough to pedal home. And that is why I hate riding solos!!

[Jordansrealm]

Glad that you came out okay! I hate riding solo as well but forced to do it all too often. I guess thats why I keep sticking to the trails around my place. Still, anything can sneak up on ya... be safe

[lukewiens]

wow man....that's a pretty awesome story. wasn't so awesome for the snake i suppose. better then running into a mountain lion, which i am always freaked about. i gotta quit riding solo too.

[Bergsteiger]

I saw a beast of a rattle snake on Cholla in Aliso Woods a couple of months back. He was not happy, and I wasn't about to ride past him. Snakes, cats, bees, and ticks, all out there, we just gotta accept it and be ready.
I agree solo rides are asking for trouble, in alot of ways.

[SAR_boats]

I know that typically my posts are smart-a$$ but allow me to bring a moment of graveness.

The last time I went biking off road was on the easiest of trails (fully loop), on my (now sold to SoCalLife) tricked out Enduro expert. I have 12 years of mountain biking experience.
It was on that day, considering the easiness of the trail, my equipment and my skill that I decided to bike alone. I met a guy who was more familiar with the trail than I and hooked up with him for a while. We got to a downhill section that was short and steep enough to get good speed up, but not steep enough to cause a lack in confidance. It was here that I took the lead and flew down the hill in the big ring and little cog, missing the slight right hander at the bottom and plowing into an oak tree at 40mph
The guy I was riding with stopped, used my cell phone to call 911 and I was rushed to UCI trauma center. The ambulance was there within 3 minutes and I was at the ER 5 minutes later. When I was wheeled into the ER I had already lost 4 pints of blood from a ripped artery in my left shoulder. My blood pressure was 60/20 and my pulse was 210. If I had been 2 minutes later getting into the ER I would have been DOA. Basically if I hadn't met this random guy on the trail, I would have bled out.

That was the 3rd time I've ever been biking off-road alone.

Consider this the next time you ride alone. The outcome can be less than your expectations.

And now back to smart-a$$ comments...

[mazer75]

Yeah I've only been riding for a little while, but I haven't ridden alone yet for these very reasons. You hope nothing bad happens but if it does, it's going to be tough for you to get help on your own... glad you guys are here to tell the tale..

[tkblazer]

it seems as though the more weight you lose Doug, the less of a man you become

jK man, i've had a few run ins with snakes on the trail but they haven't been aggressive at all. the best is the dusk rides in the summer when the tarantulas come out... i was on a ride a while back when i came across 3 hot chicks that were screaming because they saw one... was so funny

[bobzrag]

Holey crap, I've been only mtb for about a year, but since I've had some time during the day lately I go out to the hills solo. You just scared the crap out of me, I mean I take it easy on the technical sections when I'm by myself and usually take my cell phone, but that might not be enough.

From now on stick to your smart-a$$ comments and stop scaring the boys and girls!

[Waldo]

Well, tomorrow morning I'll be going for a solo ride, and now I'll be completely freaked out about snakes, tarantulas, hot chicks, and torn arteries (my next metal album will be titled "Hot Chicks and Torn Arteries).

I'm not real fond of slithery things either. Last spring I ran into rattlers on 4 out of 5 rides, and two of them were way too close for comfort. So far this spring - nada. Hope that doesn't mean it's gonna happen in one big way.

PacMan & SAR - those are both gnarly stories. I don't like riding alone and avoid it as much as possible. When I do ride solo, I definitely err on the side of caution, sticking to trails I know well, not going deep into the wilderness, and not taking chances. Of course, even the little things can get you sometimes. This morning a deer jumped in front of me and almost sent me off into the brush. A few more inches and it would have been Bambi's Revenge (which will be the title of the first single from "Hot Chicks and Torn Arteries")

[PacMan]

The worst part of it is, this all happened on my home trail, less than 2 miles from my house.

If I want to continue to ride, I will have to start doing more solos too. The 2 main friends of mine that I ride with had changes to their schedules/commitments and are no longer able to ride with me during the week. So, the 3-4 rides I get in on the weekdays on my home trail will now all be solos

I always ride with a cell phone in case I get injured or bit by a snake, but I'm wondering how much good that would do if I realistically needed medical help.

[Chopper]

Originally Posted by PacMan

I was so jacked up on adrenaline, I had to walk around for a good 5-10 minutes just to calm down enough to pedal home. And that is why I hate riding solos!!

Imagine how he must have felt.

BTW - In the last wilderness first aid class I attended, we were told that if bitten, don't bother trying to get help, just head out to your car and drive to the hospital. As long as you can get to an ER within an hour or so you should be fine. Most of the time they won't waste a lot juice on you because they know you are too big to eat. They'll just give you a dry bite or a slight dose. The exception to that is the baby rattler. They are more dangerous because they haven't learned to reserve their venom. They'll give you a full load if they can.
A few years ago, I was bitten in the belly when I fell on a rattler on the Chiquito Falls trail. Ended up with huge blue and green bruise but no other symtoms.

[Innes]

I usually end up riding solo. About two years ago, I was riding in Marshall Canyon at night (I know, I know) and I came around a bend only to stop about 4 feet from a bear. It turned and ran and I turned and ran. That was scary. I swore off riding alone at night. That lasted for about 2 months.

[Kid A]

pretty crazy. you were so close to a pair of snake skin riding shoes or even this.

Used to ride alone quite a bit. Seen rattlers before but never spooked me too much although i have had an experiences where i decided to backtack a bit to not have to pass 'em. mostly "spooked" by the unseen as in wondering if a big cat is watching me and i didn't see it

[Fired Yo Momma]

You know I ride alone proberly 75% of the time just because my schedule is crazy and I don't want to slow anybody down. I know when I ride alone I am super cautious going downhill compared to when I ride with friends. When I am with friends I charge as best I can. I get more pumped up riding with other people. I always carry a knife attached to my camelback, just in case. I figure if a mountain lion did get me the cat would be shanked pretty good. Its funny I rode the Fully loop last week and it was the first time riding it and I thought overall this trail is pretty easy, well it happened I ate it going down the last down hill section of the trail. I guess I underestimated it or maybe I am just a bad rider, ha ha.

[kentonn]

Originally Posted by SAR_boats

We got to a downhill section that was short and steep enough to get good speed up, but not steep enough to cause a lack in confidance. It was here that I took the lead and flew down the hill in the big ring and little cog, missing the slight right hander at the bottom and plowing into an oak tree at 40mph

I had a mishap on this same section. This probably wouldn't have happened if I was riding solo. My group took the lower trail. Just as I got to the bottom of the steep section, one member of our group suddenly appeared before me. When I woke up (10 minutes later and 1/2 mile down the road) I began to realize that I had crashed and probably had a concussion.

[bobzrag]

here is then answer solo riders need: Life Alert

[nappyt]

Not sure if you (PacMan) ever saw the yellow box in my CamelBak

but I carry one of these with me all the time. I bought it at REI $15 a few years ago. I honestly don't know what good if any it will do. But it might buy me a little time and help me focus on getting help and not freaking out if I ever got bit. Between you and snakes and Spec-Ed and bee's I figured it was a good investment.

[dstepper]

Doug great story...but I want to see pictures. And maybe you need to work on your bunny hopping skills...J/K.

Dean

[BeantownRider]

Had my first run in with a rattlesnake this past weekend. Similar situation as Pacman's only I was riding second behind a friend of mine. He was going around a corner and was able to stop just in time and jump backwards off his bike. I now have a better appreciation for those creatures and will be keeping a sharp eye out from now on.

I got used to doing solo rides a long time ago and just try to be smart and not push too hard. Of course most of time all I'd have to worry about was the rocks and trees. Having snakes and big kitties around will make me rethink some of my solo rides, particularly at night.

[Red Ryder]

I really enjoy riding with others, but there is nothing like being out on a trail for a solo ride.

As for the dangers of solo riding, I accept them, whatever happens, happens and I'll deal with it. I'm prepared for most problems, except for killer bees. They scare me.

PacMan and SAR boats: cool stories, I'm glad you both can talk about it.