Snake bites - Appalachian Trail

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#1

I know, the chances of getting bit by a snake on the AT are so small it is almost not even worth worrying about. And to be honest, I’m fascinated by snakes and don’t really have a fear of them. But what if you DID get bit by a rattler or a copperhead on the AT(or any trail for that matter)? I’ve heard that the best thing to do is to get to medical attention as quick as possible. But what if you are a day or more away from medical attention? I’ve hiked half of the AT, so I know that most places on the trail, you are usually not that far away from medical help. Is it possible to carry snake anti-venom on the trail? If it is, where would you get it from? Also, I would assume you would have to know what species of snake bit you in order to administer the correct anti-venom, right?

Demon Deac

#2

I think that antivenom can only be administered by a doctor. And you cannot carry emergency supplies for every contingency, unless you have superhuman strength. I have yet to read a journal where anyone got bitten by a snake. Giardia, Lyme Disease, blisters, chafing, bone contusions, broken bones, sunburn and dehydration seem to be the major problems that hikers suffer. There was a recent discussion of snake bites on the NYNJTC.org page. The answer seemed to be using a cell phone to have someone meet you at the nearest road crossing. :smokin

Harry Dolphin

#3

I just finished reading an excellent survival book by Xavier Maniguet (sp?). Anti-venom can easily be self-administered, but you must have the right antivenom, and many vials of antivenom may be required.
Broad spectrum antivenoms are sometimes available, but you might need to carry different antivenoms for each poisonous snake you may encounter.
The book suggests applying a loose tourniquet above the wound and immobilizing the victim until help arrives. Increased heart rate accelerates the effects of the venom. According to the book, about half of all venomous snake bites do not inject enough venom to pose a serious threat to a human. Also rattlesnake and copperhead venom is not as fast-acting as some snake venoms. Don’t quote me, but I think I read that one has about 6-8 hours after recieving a toxic dose of venom (rattler or copperhead) before death.

DirtNap

#4

A hiker this year in PA got bite by a Rattlesnake and died.

A three time AT thru hiker, who lives in the Roanoke, VA area got bite this year and spent 12 days in the hospital as a result. There was a big write up about it in the Roanoke Times (go to their website and do a search of their archives and you can pull it up and read it). I sent Zipdrive an electronic copy of the writeup, don’t know if they still have it or not.

So uncommon yes, but more common than getting hit by a lightening bolt. So be aware of the danger and use a few precautions and you should be okay. Here are a few things I recommend to help you stay out of harms way as much as possible: 1) if you can avoid high weeds and grass, do so 2) if you can’t, wear high boots in those areas or whatever you have (i.e. gators, pants, etc)----you never know they just might be enough to deflect or prevent a bite. 3) stay away from rocky cliffs as much as possible, snakes live under them for to get out of the heat and hide from predators and also hunt around them for rats, mice and other critters.

You might also want to get a venom extractor and carry it with you on the trail. It is a new suction device that sucks the venom out once you have been bitten. It is the venom that kills, destoys tissue and maims you—so get most of it or all of it out with a venom extractor and you should be okay----yes, you’ll get a little sick, but you will/should be okay if most/all of the venom is extracted. You can buy one at Wal Mart for a few bucks and the weight of the kit is 3.6 ounces (a small weight and dollar price to pay for the protection of possibly saving your or someone else’s life). I carry mine in my first aid kit along with matches, iodine tablets, bandaids, hand sanitizer, insect repellent, etc. Yes, my first aid kit is not only a first aid kit, it is sort of a survival kit also.

There are a number of people that die each year in the US from snake bite. So a little/few precautions and keeping that kit handy may keep you safe and alive.

Good luck. See you out there. :cheers

Maintain

#5

Maintain is right, you should remove as much of the venome as possible from the wound. However, I don’t see why you would use a suction device weighing 3.6 oz when you can use your mouth. The snakes along the AT are not of the type whose venom is absorbed through the skin, and the stomach acids neutralize snake venoms. Plus, I bet it is much faster to use your mouth than to unpack and use another device.
Also, tincure of iodine may help to neutralize some venom at the wound site - one of the reasons I plan to use polar pure instead of bleach.
By the way, insect repellants are highly toxic to snakes. or so the theory goes. Does that mean DEET should keep snakes away (at night for example, not while hiking)?

DirtNap

#6

More folks have been murdered and raped on the trail than have been snake bit, attacked by bears or hit by lightening combined. Snakes are pretty much a non issue.

Wolf

#7

I’m no snake expert, but I do remember one telling me that copperheads are poisonous, but their bite is rarely fatal. Most full-grown adults will not be in danger of dying if bitten, but children and animals are another story. You will, however, be in a fair amount of pain.

Jonna

#8

Jonna, Wolf and DirtNap are all right. Snakes are pretty much a non issue, that is until you are bitten. Then it’s a real big issue. Copperhead bites are rarely fatal, but will make you real sick. On the other hand, a rattlesnake bite can kill you and has killed many people.

The new suction device snake kits on the market are highly effective and have been tested on dogs, which have been bitten by snakes (on purpose by the makers/manufacturers of the device for testing purposes----cruel I know, but it supposedly happened for testing purposes) and video’s show the venom actually being sucked out of the fang hole by these devices. The mouth is no where near as effective as these devices as they fit snugly around each fang hole. Suggest you take the Wilderness First Aid course, it has a lot of good info in it and some regarding snake bites. Also might want to look this up on the www and get some info on it.

Many things on the AT and also in life are for the most part non issues, that is until it happens to you. So I suppose the best motto is the old Boy Scout motto of “being prepared”. And if you do this and use some common sense, then you can if you’re lucky keep yourself out of harm’s way and in good health.

See you out there. I’ll be the one with the snake bite kit.

:cheers

Maintain

#9

According to Backcountry First Aid by Buck Tilton, Death from a pit viper (rattlesnake, water moccasin, or copperhead) is rare.

The best thing to take with you is knowledge. Attend a Wilderness First Aid course.

Peaks

#10

personally i dont care bout snakes… what Iworry bout is spiders!! is there many poisonous spiders along the AT corridor?

BC, paranoid aussie, afraid of spiders!
(in australia, if it moves, it WILL kill you…)

Bloody Cactus

#11

:lol Now I know why you live in the UK, Cactus, must be to get away from those huge Huntsmen spiders that come inside the house in OZ. I know they aren’t dangerous, but they sure scare the @?): out of me. I’m the same way, love snakes, hate spiders. I’m already getting paranoid about who might crawl in and visit under the unsealed front mesh of my new tarptent. I’m hoping the second trekking pole will be strong enough to hold it down…

Rick Bayley

#12

You shouldn’t suck out the venom from a snake bit with your mouth. some poisons can enter through the skin or if you have small cuts; sores; just flossed; swallow some venom in error it could enter through your GI tract. I know westerns always show the cowboys taking their bowie knives and making cuts and sucking out the venom and spitting it out; but its not the good choice.
Make a tourniquet; attach it above the snake bite area about 6 inches above the bites; and try to get medical attention as soon as possible. if your with some people; they can possibly rig a litter from some tree branches or hike poles and a sleeping bag; or 1 other person can make a travois with a sleeping bag and some tree branches. Don’t move around too much; and don’t make the tourniquet tight enough to stop blood flow. the idea is just to keep the venom from getting quickly into the blood stream. you want to keep it away from the heart and brain and lungs as long as possible.

Luckily; the eastern diamond back rattlesnake and copperhead are not super aggressive snakes. If you see them; give them proper respect and ground; and they will probably go away. A healthy grown adult should not die from a bite from either of these snakes (statistics say) but they will make u very sick. However; that doesn’t mean that some people aren’t more succeptible to the venom than others; just like some people get bigger bumps from mosquito bites or bee stings or spider bites.

Actually; its the non-poisonous snakes I worry about. I’ve been bitten by a gardner snake a couple times; and they actually have very sharp teeth for being such small creatures. Boys will be boys i guess.

Big Boy

#13

the only spiders i think you’d have to worry about would be the black widow in the north and the brown recluse in the south. most of the shelters actually didnt have much in the way of bugs; i guess the mice ate them. brown recluse i think like hiding in woodpiles if i remember reading correctly. their bite will start to decompose tissue around the bite area. not pretty but can be treated.

Black widows can be deadly to people; but generally have to be big big spiders and children. Again; those are just general statistics. As long as you dont go bushwaking or trailbreaking too much; shouldnt run into to many spiders

Big Boy

#14

I knew a guy that got bit by a brown recluse spider around Fonatana, had to go to hospital and take at least a week off the trail. Nasty suckers, a most unpleasant experience I am told. There are horror stories (urban legends?) about getting bit you-know-where while on the privy. I read a lot about them in libraries but unfortunately they are VERY hard to identify correctly, and there are many spiders that look like them but are harmless. Again, bites by recluses apparently are rare, so its probably not really worth your worry to avoid them, but maybe you should know the symtoms, treatment etc, in case you are the unlucky one.

Jitterbug