Worst part of the trail for snakes?

[stranger]

Couple things about snakes:

1. Snakes don't know they are snakes, meaning they don't know they are poisonous to you, they don't know you are afraid of them, and they aren't the brightest, so while they may lay in the trail, they could in fact think they are hiding!

2. Only two types of snakes bite people...scared snakes and angry snakes

3. 80% of snake bites are dry, no venom is injected, this is nearly 95% of all 'surprise' snake bites, when you startle them or step on them

I've seen snakes as far south as Hot Springs, and as far north as Vermont, I would agree that Pennsylvania is probably the state you will encounter the most snakes due to the likely time of year a nobo thru-hiker will be there (June/July) and the amount of rocks for sunbathing.

Strangely, I've hiked PA twice, in summer and only seen one Timber Rattler that I recall, and that might have been northern Virginia, not really sure.

To use any type of precaution towards snakes along the AT is a bit silly in my opinion, we don't even do that here in Australia, and we have dozens of deadly snakes here, snakes that do kill people, and are on the trails in abundance...some people might wear long pants with high gaiters, but that's about it.

Snakes are not your problem...Lyme Disease and Ticks are a real concern, you can't even seem the damn things

[hikerhobs]

I saw a yellow phase timber rattlesnake on the trail in caladonia, Copperheads at the pinnacle. And two rattlesnakes on rattlesnake mnt in new jersey. I also saw black snakes 6 feet long at rauch gap. Not one but five of them, I dont mess with em.

[bronconite]

I know I gotta stop being such a wuss about it, but they freak me out man.

Yes you do. You are more of a wuss than some little girls.

[Rain Man]

Yes you do. You are more of a wuss than some little girls.

And some other girls, too. I have lots of these kinds of pics. My youngest daughter bred snakes and sold the babies back to the pet store. She got a male-female pair of "African house snakes" for Christmas one year. Pic below. Also we have found several snakes on the AT. Here's one (garter snake) as we hiked into Damascus one morning, which she found.

If you'd like pics of her tarantula, I have those too.

RainMan

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[Hoofit]

In answer to your question, Jthue, it seems like Pennsylvania has a lot of snakes but hey, by the time most NO's get there, it is real hot so you're more likely to see them.
My snake experience: One night in Sri Lanka I was resting up in bed and a big ass snake crawled up onto me and stared me straight in the face.....
Not knowing snakes too well but definitely having a healthy fear of the unknown, my wife called out to the owner of the house, a local, who saw the snake and proceeded to remove it by means of a loop of string over his body, close to the head.
He took it to the end of the yard and set it free over the fence, then told us it was a deadly snake so we did well not to panic..
His Buddhist beliefs held strong as did his grip on the loop!
Moral is: Treat them with dignity and respect and give them space and they will do the same for you...(hopefully!)
Enjoy your hike!

[jersey joe]

I ran into a timber rattlesnake on, of all places, Rattlesnake Mtn in NJ. A cool summer morning, it was sunning itself right on the trail. It gave fair warning when I got within a few feet of it.

This is north of Catfish Fire Tower. Strange, I never did see any catfish on the trail!

This summer while on a backpacking trip I ran into rattlesnakes on either side of rattlesnake mountain in NJ. The mountain was well named.

[Harrison Bergeron]

Have y'all read "300 Zeros" yet? There's a hilarious story where everyone is bedding down for the night, right after a rattlesnake encounter, and all of a sudden one of the guys levitates out of his bag screaming like a girl. A milksnake had snuck into his bag to get warm. So he calms down, carefully removes the snake, and gets back to bed. A few minutes later the same thing happens. SAME SNAKE! K1 (the author) tells him he ought to keep it for mouse control!

I sure would have!

In fact, I think this positively answers a question I've often heard discussed here -- what's the best trail pet? A snake, obviously!

[modiyooch]

It comes down to this -- there's million ways to die. Why worry about ones that hardly ever happen?

My uneasiness with snakes has nothing to do with the fear of dying and it is NOT a mental illness. Counseling is not going to help me. I have a fear of heights as well. I tried rock climbing, and that only made it worse. Rainman, have you no phobias?

[modiyooch]

Also, is it true you can't hike at night and make up some ground cause snakes are all over the trail waiting for food to run by?

snakes generally aren't near the trail because of the traffic. You are more inclined to encounter a snake when you get off the beaten path. You just have to watch where you are walking. IMO, night hiking has risks regardless.

[chrisoc]

The worst part of the trail for snakes is anywhere it's snow covered. Snakes hate snow.

[harryfred]

I like snakes. Please don't hurt them.

[FarmRookie 2015]

Be careful with them. Most snakes go directly for the eyes first with little or no warning. By the time you'll see one all you'll see is his tonsils.

[The Counselor]

I would imagine the worst part of the trail for snakes is the middle where it is easier to get stepped on.

[harbohiker]

I really like coming across snakes on the trail i think they're really fun to watch, but i will admit when i first spot one it can startle me. Unlike other animals it's almost never hey look at that snake way off in the distance. It's usually more like WOW! whys that branch under my foot slithering so fast!

[emerald]

I would imagine the worst part of the trail for snakes is the middle where it is easier to get stepped on.

The rocks in the treadway are so people will watch where they put their feet and see the snakes before stepping on them.

[Jim Adams]

In 1990 I was hiking fast and late to try and meet my family on a certain date in PA. When I got to PA, I stopped night hiking because I was seeing at least 2 rattle snakes per night lying on or right beside the trail. I found that they would lay there at night in the summer because rodents would run up and down the trail. Only had a MiniMag flashlight back then and I ended up very close to a few of them before I saw them. None struck at me or even coiled but I hated the surprise.....still today!

geek

[jthue]

Thank you Jim, I knew that rumor had to be true. I wish the evil things never existed. No offense to those who enjoy them.

[Rain Man]

I wish the evil things never existed.

THAT is evil. Snakes don't even know "evil." Only Hollywood and numbskulls do.

...I ended up very close to a few of them before I saw them. None struck at me or even coiled ....

THAT is the operative fact. Snakes are not evil,nor do they go out of their way to bite humans stumbling along (in fact, they go out of their way NOT to bite humans).

RainMan

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[Papa D]

I would say GA,NC,TN,VA, and PA - but the chances of you getting a bit and injected with venom - unless you are intentionally bothering a poisonous snake is very, very low - just look before you stick a body part somewhere new - shine your headlamp around and under shelters, keep your tent zipped up and be generally cautious - especially when off of the trail. I actually stepped ON a timber rattler one time (at the top of a rock climb) - he/she gave me a nice loud high pitched rattle but no strike. Folks tend to be concerned about snakes (and bears) way more than more dangerous things. Here are a few dangers - snakes are lower on my list than these:

1) Rednecks, drunks, and really all suspect, non backpacker people
2) Ticks - you should check for ticks daily
3) Personal hygiene - hand washing (away from water source) avoids sickness
4) Widow-makers - dead branches above - can fall in the night and kill
5) Lightening - so many people just shrug off - not smart
6) Hypothermia or Heat Challenge Issues
7) Medical conditions not addressed
9) Stupidity - scaling cliffs without ropes, diving into shallow creeks, eating unknown plants, etc.
10) Burns - by stove or campfire

There are many more, but you get the idea - snakes make the list for sure, but they are pretty low.

[mikec]

THAT is evil. Snakes don't even know "evil." Only Hollywood and numbskulls do.

Actually, the Bible is where snakes first got a bad rap.

Anyway, I found in my travels that the worst area on the AT for snakes was between the Delaware and Hudson Rivers. It seemed like I saw one 2 or 3 times a day. I also nearly stepped on a rattler just south of Culvers Gap, NJ.

Also, just north of the Susquehanna River and south of Rauch Gap, PA seems to have a lot of snakes.