View Full Version : Footware and snakes
couscous
07-06-2010, 14:26
I'm currently reading the "Barefoot Sisters" book - Southbound (http://www.amazon.com/Barefoot-Sisters-Southbound-Lucy-Letcher/dp/0811735303). I'm wondering if there are any stats on where most hikers get bit by snakes. If it's on the hands (climbing up rocks) or between the ankle and knee, then they weren't taking much more risk than if they had been wearing shoes/boots.
I believe the stats from emergency room say that most people are bitten on the hands and have alcohol on their breath. I'll let your imagination fill in the blanks.
BlazeWalker
07-07-2010, 16:06
True!
somewhere around half of snakebite victims are under the influence of alcohol. Just watch where you put your hands and feet and you'll be OK
You don't hear much about snakebites on the AT but you do hear a lot of stories about close calls.
Last year I was hiking south of Pearisburg and planted my boot down about 2" from a copperhead stretched out on the trail. He coiled up and had his mouth open in a nanosecond getting ready to strike. I eased my leg away (bare calf, wearing shorts) very slowly and he relaxed.
I hate to think what would have happened had my boot been a few inches to the right....still gives me shivers to think about it.
On the other hand, I think I might be the only person never to have seen a rattlesnake on or near the trail - yet.
Blue Jay
07-07-2010, 16:10
I'm currently reading the "Barefoot Sisters" book - Southbound (http://www.amazon.com/Barefoot-Sisters-Southbound-Lucy-Letcher/dp/0811735303). I'm wondering if there are any stats on where most hikers get bit by snakes.
Yes snakes are biting people all the time. Where? In tents, they love tents.
Jack Tarlin
07-07-2010, 16:22
Couscous:
The vast majority of folks treated for snakebite (both venemous and harmless) are bitten on the hand.
This almost invariably follows the statement "Hey, Virgil, check THIS out!!"
The person most responsible for this phenomenon is probably the late Steve Irwin, tho truth be told, people do this to themselves.
http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/168828-overview (http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/168828-overview)
The information most pertinent to the question is toward the bottom. Pennsylvania DCNR recommends boots.
couscous
07-07-2010, 17:49
This almost invariably follows the statement "Hey, Virgil, check THIS out!!"
Great post! That might explain why National studies report a 9:1 male-to-female ratio among bite victims. :D
I don't tell people they need to wear sturdy boots, snake-proof gaiters, and blue jeans even though The Annals of Emergency Medicine suggests: "Wearing long denim pants as an alternative to shorts may provide a simple, low-cost means of reducing the severity of snakebites." It seems easier to stay sober and watch for people who stop suddenly and ease their leg away very slowly.
fiddlehead
07-07-2010, 18:00
I only know one person who has ever been bitten by a snake.
He had 8 pet snakes.
So the chances of being bitten on the hand or arm are VERY rare as long as you are not trying to hold it and look like a hero. Even stepping on one and being bitten is very rare. I suggest a nice lightweight hiking boot. I have some timberlands that are more comfortable than my hiking sneakers. So if you have a low boot the chances of a snake biting through them are almost zero. The snake would have to be pretty long to bite you above the boot. Wearing a nice light boot is the way to go. Just watch were you are putting your hands when you are pulling your way up some southern exposed rock faces. I hike the AT looking for snake and there are a few places where they will hang out on the trail but not many. Stay on the trail and when you are in a very rocky area keep your wits about you.
Good luck and enjoy your hike!
Chuck Annicelli
Herpetological Surveys, LLC.
PS: Take a look at my images I have on here, you should atleast know what the 2 venomous snakes in the North East look like...
BAG "o" TRICKS
07-07-2010, 18:28
I only know one person who has ever been bitten by a snake.
He had 8 pet snakes.
Had not heard of any thru-hikers bitten (but many close call stories) by poisonous snakes until a few years back when a hiker named Allegheny was bitten by a poisonous snake (wasn't sure if it was rattler or copperhead) on Bear Mountain in CT. Choppered him out to Hartford and he lived to tell his tale. I felt sorry for him until I heard from many of those hiking around him that he was screwing with every snake he saw on the trail. Serves him and anyone else that does this right.
Slack-jawed Trog
07-07-2010, 20:26
Jack, I thought it was: "Hold my beer. Hey everybody, watch this..."
I believe that was the case when some besotted dumb a** got bit at a backyard BBQ in CT last July.
FWIW, I saw 4 in CT last summer, 2 in one weekend on the A-T. Pix in my gallery. :D
Sierra Echo
07-07-2010, 20:29
Jack, I thought it was: "Hold my beer. Hey everybody, watch this..."
I believe that was the case when some besotted dumb a** got bit at a backyard BBQ in CT last July.
FWIW, I saw 4 in CT last summer, 2 in one weekend on the A-T. Pix in my gallery. :D
Nice pics!
I only find nonvenomous snakes. My luck sucks! :cool:
Slack-jawed Trog
07-07-2010, 20:45
Nice pics!
I only find nonvenomous snakes. My luck sucks! :cool:
Thanx, SE! Just lucky, I guess.