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Thread: Snakes

  1. #1

    Question Snakes

    I am just curious about the level of concern there are for snakes on A.T. and what kind of stories there are out there. I am a big hiker and I see snakes all the time but I've only recently been focusing on the long distance hikes. Here in lies the problem. I solo'd the foothills trail in SC last week and I almost stepped on a copper head. I was far away from help with no phone reception. The rest of the hike I was torn with fear from almost stepping on that thing. What stories are out there? I can read the net all day about what these snakes are like but I am having a hard time getting over that mishap, it shook me like never before and as crazy as it may seem. . In my belief I have seen a bigfoot and it doesnt scare me no where near like the snake did. I couldnt see it on the ground! It haunts my dreams.

  2. #2
    Registered User Wise Old Owl's Avatar
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    We have all talked about this before you are welcome to use the search feature at the top of the page. In all honestly the poisonous ones are rare and sunning themselves among the rocks. You really have little to worry about on the AT. I have seen plenty of snakes, lots of close calls - not an issue.
    Dogs are excellent judges of character, this fact goes a long way toward explaining why some people don't like being around them.

    Woo

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    Registered User le loupe's Avatar
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    More importantly - You saw a bigfoot?

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    More people have been killed by Bigfoots than copperheads. However, more Bigfoots have been killed by cotton mouths than timber rattlers. But diamond backs kill more bigfoots than timber rattlers.


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    Default WB thread recommendation

    CarolinaJP, you may want to click on Getting over the fear of rattlesnakes to read what I've always thought is one of our better efforts on venomous snakes. I'll check this thread tomorrow to see if you have any questions with which I can help.

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    Today me,the wife & kids were hiking up around Wayah.In the meantime we picker up a hiker that was an attorney from Houston.When we were coming home we decided to take a drive up board tree rd.This is where the Rufus Morgan Trail goes upward toward Siler Bald.

    On this crooked forest service rd about 5 miles in my son got car sick.I stopped by a water Fall to get some water and just opened the car door.There only 2ft from me was one of the biggest rattlers I have ever seen in these parts.I screemed don't get out and this thing wouldn't move.He stayed coiled up right under the drivers side door.Finally the hiker got under the steering wheel and drove forward about 50 ft til I could get in.The snake wasn't agressive but he was holding his ground firm.

    When I got home I checked my drawers for skid marks.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Ron Haven View Post
    ...The snake wasn't agressive but he was holding his ground firm....
    This is absolutely true and the important point. Snakes, especially rattlers, are NOT "aggressive."

    Fear of snakes is just that... fear. Some folks have irrational phobias about this or that. It's only that one of the most widely shared phobias is about snakes.

    Enjoy your hike. Worry about mosquitoes and gnats and black flies and ticks if you like. Don't worry about snakes.

    RainMan

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    [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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    13-45 Section Hiker Trash
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rain Man View Post
    This is absolutely true and the important point. Snakes, especially rattlers, are NOT "aggressive."

    Fear of snakes is just that... fear. Some folks have irrational phobias about this or that. It's only that one of the most widely shared phobias is about snakes.

    Enjoy your hike. Worry about mosquitoes and gnats and black flies and ticks if you like. Don't worry about snakes.

    RainMan

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    Just like Rain Man said I wouldn't worry too much about poisonous snakes. They are fairly uncommon up in the mountains, and typically are not going to become aggressive unless provoked. I'm not a snake expert, but I like reading about them and have some experience running into them in the field. I would say that 99 times out of 100 you will never know they are there, or they will promptly slither off. I have only a couple of times actually seen a rattler use its rattle. Then it needs to be provoked further to actually strike. Copperheads are typically even more passive. Snakes just like any other animal will usually flee before becoming aggressive unless cornered with the caveat that there can always be a "bad apple" in the group.

    I am actually more concerned about ticks. Those little b#$%&ds are hard to find on your body, and they can carry some nasty diseases.

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    Registered User LIhikers's Avatar
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    A few years back, while my wife and I were doing a section hike in PA, I came within inches of stepping on a rattler that I didn't see. It was only the snakes movement, as it sprank away, that caught my attention. Only after the snake was out of danger of being stepped on did it rattle and warn me to keep away, which I gladly did.

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    Mudsnakes can be vicious in the Smokies. They like to hang out behind the shelters.


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    Quote Originally Posted by CarolinaJP View Post
    I am just curious about the level of concern there are for snakes on A.T. and what kind of stories there are out there. I am a big hiker and I see snakes all the time but I've only recently been focusing on the long distance hikes. Here in lies the problem. I solo'd the foothills trail in SC last week and I almost stepped on a copper head. I was far away from help with no phone reception. The rest of the hike I was torn with fear from almost stepping on that thing. What stories are out there? I can read the net all day about what these snakes are like but I am having a hard time getting over that mishap, it shook me like never before and as crazy as it may seem. . In my belief I have seen a bigfoot and it doesnt scare me no where near like the snake did. I couldnt see it on the ground! It haunts my dreams.
    There are lots of copperheads on the Foothills Trail. I almost stepped on one between Bad Creek and Sloan Bridge. My hiking partner and I continuously trade the leed and after that,every stick he saw brought him up short.
    The pine and leaf litter allow them to blend perfectly.
    Pay attention.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Flush2wice View Post
    Mudsnakes can be vicious in the Smokies. They like to hang out behind the shelters.
    They are usually easy to spot though. Just look for the telltale white paper that usually accompanies them. They are only dangerous if stepped on.
    If you don't make waves, it means you ain't paddling

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