Snakes and bites
What did you do when you got bit ?
You more or less won't get bit unless you mess with them. The statistics on rattlesnake bites are something like 90% of people bitten are bitten on the hands and arms and occur when people handle them or attempt to handle them. In something something like 70% of snake bites cases, the "victim" is under the influence of alcohol.
Colorless green ideas sleep furiously.
You need to worry more about tick bites.
Remote for detachment, narrow for chosen company, winding for leisure, lonely for contemplation, the Trail beckons not merely north and south, but upward to the body, mind, and soul of man.
I have stepped on a rattlesnake 3 times in my life. Not beside or near. ON.
None of the three tried to strike me. I was able to get off the snake in such a way as to immediately distance myself just in case but no attack was forthcoming.
I have had a dog killed by a rattlesnake which I then killed by stomping with no injury to myself. I simply presented the snake nothing to bite but the flat bottom of my shoe on the way in each time. I'm generally not violent, but I'd do the same to a person that killed my dog and no apologies.
Snake danger is overblown. Stay away from them and you'll have no issues. Encounter one and use your superior hominid capabilities and you'll come out on top. Stick or rock vs no legs, no arms and a possibly poisonous bite - snake loses.
Yeah I have hiked a lot and never had a issues but what if you do get bitten what should a person do ? thanks everyone for comments
Assuming that you manage to get bitten, keep the wound below heart level, keep heart rate as low as possible in circumstances, cover with a loose bandage and get medical treatment immediately. 911 may not always be an option on the trail but when possible it's the best you can do to get the victim to medical treatment in most cases.
A description of the snake is useful in determining necessary antivenin.
Here's what the experts say:Originally Posted by tim.hiker
http://www.mayoclinic.org/first-aid/...s/art-20056681
Here is my own meandering opinion:
1) Remain calm. Know that Pit viper venom (rattlesnake) venom kills tissue, but is not a neurotoxin and won't shut down your body, so death is not an immediate threat to an otherwise healthy person. Plus about 1/4 of pit viper bites are "dry" so there is a one in four chance you didn't get hit with venom.
2) Remove all clothing and jewelry that is on the limb that was bit. Serious swelling is going to occur and you need to make sure that you don't have anything that will constrict the limb or further reduce circulation.
3) DO NOT use a snake bite kit. They were proven useless years ago and they can actually make things worse. It amazes me that they haven't been forced to take them off the market by now.
4) Get medical help. Call 911 if you have cell service, send someone else to get help, or if no other option is available, slowly ahd calmly get yourself off trail and to the nearest road, then flag someone down for rescue.
Colorless green ideas sleep furiously.
Here in AZ we have 13 species of them. I see them out here quite a bit.
They like to lay out and bask in the sun in the cooler months then when it warms up seek shade and cooler areas. Never been bitten but have stepped on one while out hunting as I was stepping over a small bush while trying to be quiet and not looking down.
Most times they warn you way ahead of you getting to close then just give them a wide path way.
Usually get our dogs the rattlesnake shots every year just incase.
What Sarcasm/Elf said. Don't try and pick them up.
I also take some comfort that many rattlesnake bits are "dry" and they don't always inject venom.
I walked within 6" of a rattlesnake and accidentally (and lightly) knocked it with my trekking pole. It immediately attempted to coil up, but it was an uncoordinated snake and tumbled downhill towards me - landing on my shoe. I jumped out of the way and it managed to coil up and show me its fangs and do its rattlesnake thing. It scared the krap out of both me and the snake, but it didn't bite me. S/he could have.
Rattlesnakes are very well camouflaged and are pretty much invisible... until they are not. Most of the snakes I have walked past and have seen, have not perceived me to be a threat and they usually continue sunning/sleeping and don't even rattle. I walked to/from work for 3 years in rattlesnake country. I'll guess that I've walked past dozens of snakes and didn't even know they were there.
Another ditto on Sarcasm the elf's post.
About the only thing I can think to add is a bit of trivia that will help put the matter into perspective:
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the country's most visited park, and it's been in existence for over 75 years. In that time, there has never been a recorded death due to snake bite.
The recommended treatments presented are those published in the current edition of Brady's Emergency Care for the Sick and Injured, the standard training and procedures manual for Emergency Medical Technicians.
There have been many snake bite remedies offered over the years. Recent studies have concluded that the following protocols are best:
Stay calm, get safely away from the snake, and have someone call 9-1-1 (or the emergency number in your area). The less the victim moves the bitten site, the less likely the venom will be spread through the body and cause damage.
Have the victim lie down with the affected limb lower than the heart. Keep the limb immobilized. If practical, splint the limb.
Treat for shock and preserve body heat.
Remove any rings, bracelets, boots, or other restricting items from the bitten extremity. (It WILL swell.)
Apply a light constricting band about 2" above and below the bite, however never place the bands on either side of a joint (such as above and below the knee or elbow). This band should be made up of wide, soft material, which could be a handkerchief or shredded clothing. The band should only be as tight as the band the nurse applies when taking a blood test.
NOTE: The purpose of constricting bands is to restrict lymphatic flow, not blood, so they should not be too tight. Check pulses below the bands and readjust the bands as necessary when they tighten due to swelling.
Wash the bite with soap and water (if available).
If the victim has to walk out, sit calmly for 20-30 minutes to let the venom localize at the site, then proceed calmly to the nearest source of help and try to avoid unnecessary exertion which will stimulate circulation of the venom.
Get the victim to definitive medical care for antivenin, which will provide the greatest relief from the toxic effects of the bite.
ACTIONS TO AVOID:
DO NOT cut the bite. The additional tissue damage may actually increase the diffusion of the toxins throughout the body.
DO NOT apply a tourniquet. Such action can result in the loss of the limb.
NEVER try to suck out the venom by mouth. You can try the suction cup in a snakebite kit if it doesn't delay other needed treatment. Suctioning seldom provides any measurable advantages, however.
Do not apply cold and/or ice packs. Recent studies indicate that application of cold or ice makes the injury much worse.
The trouble I have with campfires are the folks that carry a bottle in one hand and a Bible in the other.
You never know which one is talking.
If you actually knew the # of snakes you pass near, but never see, you might not go in the woods
Aren't you supposed to make a tourniquet and suck on the bight mark until you get all the venom out?
Was that Rambow?
I wouldn't worry about it. I walked by a rattle snake in Canyonlands and he could have cared less that I was even there.
Up to 80% of all snake bites are "dry" bites. Venom is an extremely precious resource to snakes. They don't choose to waste it.
I've never been bitten and have never personally known of anyone being bitten by a venomous snake.
Now, ticks and mosquitoes and microbes in water are a whole different matter. Those you need to fret over.
[I]ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are: ... Defile not therefore the land which ye shall inhabit....[/I]. Numbers 35
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Don't forget the Tatoo/tooth ratio- If # of tatoos / # of teeth = 1 or greater there is an extreme chance you will suffer a venomous snake bite to the face or hands.
Personall I have never been bitten. I did meet one hiker who said he cut his thru hike short due to a copperhead bit. We were just passing by each other so I did not get details. I did have a snake strike at me during a hike. At dusk I was looking for a sutable campsite south of Brown's Creek in Virgina when a thick bodied snake made what I think was a warning strike at my calf. There had been a lot of small frogs hopping in the weeds beside the trail so I think it was hunting them. Had it wanted to bite it easy could have done so. My headlamp was off so not to disturb my night vision so I did not get a good look and did not go back to look.
The snake pictured crossed Baxter Creek trail in the Smokey's just in front of me. I did not see it but heard the leaves rustle. It laid still beside the trail, almost invisible. I belive it to be a copperhead.
As previously posted, don't try to pick it up. Be alert when gathering firewood.
There is more danger from insects. I recall a fatality in the Smokies a couple of years ago from yellow jacket stings.
BigCreekLoop9.2014 159.jpg
I heard somewhere the mosquito is the most dangerous animal in the world.
One very experienced hiker I know got bit a few years ago. She did everything exactly right, being a trained medic as well. It was a fairly serious bite, requiring an evacuation (she said the pain was unbelievable and I know she'd dealt with serious pain before), a two-day hospital stay to counter the venom, and still pretty serious tissue damage--several months to recover. Sure, it's a very unlikely scenario, but it happens and it's good to have the plan in place in case it does. A cool head and some training are the best things you can take along.
An MD friend of mine confirms the facts above, that most snake bites happen on weekend afternoons, on the hand, and the victims are usually male and inebriated. A snake has to be pretty annoyed to strike in defense.
By the way, there is a US rattlesnake that carries a neurotoxin, the Mojave Green. It's very rare (I've only seen them in zoos).
"Throw a loaf of bread and a pound of tea in an old sack and jump over the back fence." John Muir on expedition planning
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-...951272/?no-ist
Excerpt:
"No other species, including our own, is responsible for the loss of as many human lives each year as mosquitoes are, Gates continues. Humans murder around 475,000 other people each year. Snakes kill around 50,000, while dogs (mainly from rabies transmission) claim another 25,000 lives. Some of the most feared animals (sharks, wolves) kill fewer than 10.
The diseases that mosquitos carry and transmit to people they bite, on the other hand, kill 725,000."
So see this is usable information . I now know that if caught between a swarm of mosquitoes or a venomous snake to run towards the snake. Your chances of survival are dramatically higher.... LOL
IIRC the number of people known to have been killed by snakebite in New York (a fairly snakey state) is zero.
"It's fun to have fun, but you have to know how." ---Dr. Seuss
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