SsssNAKE SeasoN ......,(merged threads)

baby snakes are the most dangerous once thay bite they dont stop pumping venom in u ,they stay attatched to u til u pull them off......be carfull u all snakes are no joke i learned alot about them growing up in the high desert

 

Cell phone and hope it is a downhill ride to get out.

Some of our local singletracks that are closed in by mustard grass this time of the year concerns me. I don't like sticks laying across the trail either my first reaction is rattler in the trail. Locally our rattlers seems to be very docile unlike some of the very pissed off ones I have come across in Utah.

Dean

 

Saw two rattlers next to each other in MTRP last Friday. One had a little rabbit in its mouth.

 

All you need to know:

#1. Snakes are your friends. Treat them with respect, leave them be, and they'll act in kind. ...mess with them, and you'll wish you hadn't. Easy.

#2. Pin them down. If not, grab for the slow to react tail, tug them backward fast, anticipate their sideways move, and surprise them with a hold behind the neck before they can strike. If you can't pull this off, refer to #1.

 

I have seen dozens of rattlers over the years in El Moro, Aliso and Whiting and I expect to start seeing them again this spring. I don't mind if I see them first and they are stretched out - I just hate seeing one at the last second. BTW - to get one to move off the trail, I have been successful with "The Simpsons" method - that is, creating vibrations by stomping my feet on the ground a safe distance away. I stomp and stomp until the critter moves off the trail - astonishingly, this has worked every time - and usually only takes a minute.

At first, I tried throwing handfuls of dirt - that did nothing. I tried reasoning with it - and that didn't work. I wasn't bold enough to try the "grab him by the tail, anticipate sideways movement and surprise him with a hold behind the head" move suggested above - and I never intend to.

Good luck out there!

Uhhhh - then what? Put him in your camelback? :?:

 

I had 3 memorable snake encounters last summer.

(1) A rattle snake at Blackstar in the MIDDLE of the trail. I stopped and the guy behind us that wasn't in our group started to throw rocks at it and pissed it off BIG TIME! We waited for maybe 5 minutes and the snake kept it's ground. We turned around and road Peter's instead, lol.

(2) I was hauling ass down a hill at Crystal Cove and litterially missed running over a snake by maybe 1 inch!!! When it happened my brain went into slow motion and i remember staring at it and hoping to god that it wont bite me!!!

(3) I was riding in the Santa Monica mountains and actually RAN over a snake... was it dead already... possibly... but when i came around to check on it, it was definitely dead then... I probably should've kicked it to the side but I wasn't thinking at the time and just left it there....

 

The only thing to do is get to a hosp asap, within 4 hours. DO NOT put on a tourniquet (which would isolate the venom in the limb, which is actually not good), use a "snakebite kit" or mutilate yourself. Before you leave, try to take a good look at the snake and identify it. There are 2 species locally in OC, the Southern pacific (crotalus viridus helleri) and the red diamond (Crotalus ruber, less common but more toxic). Red Diamond has reddish-brown diamonds with tan in between, shorter (3-4') and thicker than the pacific, and has a few balck and tan stripes just before the rattle. the Southern Pacific is longer and thinner (4-5 1/2') and lackks the rust color, has dark brown diamonds with a yellowish ring around them and usually lacks the tail stripes. Google a good photo of each, print out and carry with you to help identify. This will help the doc give you the right antivenom. Also, dont panic, keep your HR and breathing mellow. Walk, pedal slowly, or coast, DONT run or pedal hard back to your car. As long as u get to a hosp within 4 hours you should be fine.

 

we were at lcwp/elmo for 3 hours yesterday. i was hoping to see some snakes, but not so much as a track.

as for treatment- see above ^^ and gray's post. it's really not that big of a deal for most people, as long as you get to a dr. relatively quickly. cutting/tourniquets are from the 1950 boy scout manual, and sucking the venom is completely useless--unless you just need sucking practice...

 

I was at the vet hospital in Thousand Oaks 2 weeks ago and they said that they have already had 3 dogs come in over the past 3 weeks with rattlesnake bites. Mind you, this was when it was still pretty damn cold and the rattlers were already out.

 

?

ok, say you pull off #2. now what do you do?

 

Whatever it was you had in mind that made you choose #2 instead of #1.

Presumably you'd have some good reason for choosing #2.

 

Give it a kiss.

 

Saw a good 4-footer this weekend at Daley Ranch (SD) Just cruising across the trail. Here's a not-so-great photo of him or her. I'm sure they can sense the vibration of footfalls but I wonder how much vibration they pick up from bike tires. Also don't know if a bell warns them of your approach, either. The ones I've seen are more than happy to get out of your way (as long as they know you're there).

 

...

This seems to relate to the other thread: http://www.socaltrailriders.org/for...on-why-ipods-outdoor-activities-dont-mix.html

 

Saw a baby snake on Lynx this morning.

Not sure what kind - it was black with yellow stripes. Anyone know?

 

California Striped Racer?

 

No, the stripes went the other way - around the circumfrence of its body and was more of a jet black.

 

Cal King!

 

That is. Very cool looking snake.

Wanted to snap a quick picture with my BB, but I could not get it out fast enough.

 

A cell phone. :lol: Snake bite kits are worthless. Your best course is to get help as quickly as possible. I would not start cutting and trying to suck the venom out (the old theory).