One of my concerns while on the A.T. is snake bites. What do you do when you are bitten by rattler or coperhead when you are a day or twos from a town or road?..just sit there do nothing? will I die?..will i just get sick and should jsut wait it out?..i imagin the odds are pretty slim of this happening but, what do you do?
Anthony
While your chances of getting bitten by a snake are slim to none, your fear of snakebite is a natural one. Many folks are deathly afraid of snakes.
Lets talk about Copperheads first. They are usually more agressive than Timber Rattlesnakes, but their venom is less potent. A bite from a Copperhead would make you sick, perhaps quite sick, but unless you have an allergy, or an unusual sensitivity to Copperhead venom, you will probably not die.
Timber Rattlesnakes. These guys are less agressive than Copperheads, but their venom is significantly stronger than a Copperhead’s. Still, your chances of dying are not that great. You almost have to step on one of these snakes in order to get bitten. We are not their prey, and most snakes would prefer to get away than try to fight it out. Sometimes you’ll come across a particularly ornery Rattler, and they won’t move out of the trail. You can either walk around them, or move them with a stick or hiking pole.
Best to simply leave them alone rather tahn piss them off.
What do you do if you get bit? Do not run. Do not cut yourself with a snakebite kit. Do not elevate the bitten limb. Best to move calmly & slowly for help, or send someone for help. You’ll need medical treatment, and will feel poorly within a short time after being bitten. Occasionally, venemous snakes will give you a dry bite - a bite without envenomating you. In that case, you will not feel ill, just feel the pain at the location of the bite.
Bottom line - your chances of being bitten are really teeny tiny. Don’t sweat it!
Little Bear
Although the chances are slim, keep your eyes open. While in PA (I think, it’s been a while) during my hike Flare had a copperhead strike out at her foot totally unknown to her. She was maybe 15 feet in front of me with her walkman on just cruising along. I noticed a quick movement near her foot and upon approaching the spot there was a copperhead in the weeds just off the worn path ready for another try. After I called to her she came back to see and was rather amazed and dumbfounded at what happened without her even knowing. Little Bear has good advice, don’t sweat it but do keep your eyes open just in case.
Bohemian
I’m guessing that some simple things, such as not wearing shorts, may also help. Long pants or high gaiters may reduce the likelihood of snake bite (or deflect/reduce the severity of the bite to some degree), at least if you’re standing up. Other obvious things, Looking where you’re walking (all the time) and not wearing headphones (rattlers do make noise)may help as well.
Sky Rider
I received an email today from the Great Smoky Mtn National Institute at Tremont. There was blurb on snakes. It contradicts with some of what I wrote, and I will defer to the expert regarding the aggressive nature of Copperheads.
Here tis;
DON’T FEAR SNAKES. RESPECT THEM!
Charlie Muise says there’s no need to fear snakes. And he should know. He says he’s been bitten hundreds of times and has lived to tell about it. That’s right. HUNDREDS of times.
“Almost every time I’ve picked one up,” he says. “And I pick them up very regularly. I keep my tetanus up to date,” he says. “That’s the key to not being bitten – don’t mess with them. I’ve never been bitten by a snake that I wasn’t handling.”
Charlie is a Senior Teacher/Naturalist with Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont and his job frequently takes him out into the wilderness where, when he’s “lucky,” he finds snakes. His job is to help others learn about the wonders of nature. Snakes are wonders of nature. Charlie is not afraid of them, but he is careful to respect them in their natural habitat, where we are visitors. He believes much of the fear we have of snakes is based on myths we learned in childhood.
“ If you put down all your biases and things you learned as a kid and just watch one from a safe distance, they’re fascinating. The way they move is fascinating. But it’s so strange and so foreign to us that people often greatly exaggerate the speed of a snake. Most snakes cannot move any faster than what you or I could walk across the parking lot at a normal speed. They can’t strike more than about 2/3 their body length, so if you’re 6 feet away, and the snake has an escape route, you are safe.”
“More people are hurt RUNNING FROM snakes than get bitten by snakes. East Tennessee is home to more than 30 species of snakes, but only two of them are venomous. The Eastern Timber Rattlesnake is rare and hard to find. The copperhead is extremely common but very non-aggressive (the Cottonmouth is not found near here). Lots of people walk right by copperheads and never know a snake is there. They seldom strike.”
The other snakes species most commonly encountered in Great Smoky Mountains National Park are Black Rat, Garter, and Northern Water Snake. The Northern Water Snake (Nerodia sipedon) accounts for about two-thirds of the snake sightings in the Tremont area.
Charlie’s best advice for avoiding snakebites is not to harass snakes that you see and not to stick your hands or feet into places that you can’t see. He says if you do those two things you’ll almost certainly never be bitten by a snake. Charlie has never been bitten by a venomous snake because he practices what he preaches.
“I always identify a snake before I mess with it and if it’s venomous, I keep my distance. I take some pictures and I walk away.”
“Contrary to popular belief, snakes don’t want to confront humans. Most people have a snake living in their homes at some time during the year and the landowners never know it. If you have a Black Rat snake in your house in the summer, you’ll probably have fewer rodents in the winter, because the snake can eat 200 mice and rats per year. Snakes are also a vital part of the food chain. Lots of things eat them. Things like raccoons, bears, birds of prey, coyotes, foxes, and bigger snakes, for example.
If you do get bitten by a snake, Charlie says the most important thing to remember is NOT TO GET BITTEN A SECOND TIME.
“30-40% of the time when you’re bitten by a venomous snake, it doesn’t actually inject any venom. However, on the second bite, they almost always inject venom. So you can be bitten, not have any venom injected and because you decided to kill it, or catch it, or identify it or whatever, the second bite could actually do you harm.”
So, if you see a snake on the trail, at your picnic in the park, or even in your back yard, remember that it’s probably not going to be dangerous to you at all. If it’s a venomous snake, just keep your distance.
“Snakes don’t want to mess with us because we’re dangerous to them,” says Charlie.
“We inadvertently kill or injure snakes all the time. If you step on a snake and it bites you, the fact that you’re hurt doesn’t help the injured snake any. You’re both hurt. That’s a bad thing for both of you. That’s why the rattle’s there, so you don’t step on it.”
Little Bear
Thanks for all the helpful info, i feel 90% better about this issue now…im going to fo some more reading on them, the more i kow…the better off ill be…any good readings on this subject?..thanks again
Anthony
Little Bear. When I read where you wrote that copperheads were aggressive I thought you made mistake. The copperheads that I’ve encountered would rather you step on them than to get out of the way. And then just lay there, waiting on the next hiker to see if maybe they would step on them. I’ve yet to see a rattlesnake. I did happen to have two snakes fall off a rock ledge and land at my feet one time. One was the biggest black snake that I’ve ever seen. I think now it was a king snake. It was trying to eat a copperhead. It was quite a show.
Buster
Is it at all wise to have an intense fear, I mean serious fear of bears and snakes and attempt a thru-hike? I know they are around but are they that much of a problem?
Hopeful hiker just wondering.
MB
Snakes and bears are not much of a problem. Bear populations are on the rise however, as are human populations. Conflict is inevitable. It is rare however. Black Bears don’t view humans as food, and will VERY rarely go through a human to get their food. Leave your pack at a trail junction in the Smokys, or leave food in a bag outside your tent, and you might get it swiped.
Encounters with snakes are inevitable on the trail. During the hotter summer months, encounters will be almost a daily experience for thru-hikers. The vast majority of these snakes will be non-venemous, with Black Rat Snakes probably the most common snake you’ll see.
If you have a fear of snakes & bears that is near phobic, maybe you shouldn’t be thru-hiking. Only you can answer that question though.
I read once that human babies that had never seen a snake recoiled in fear when shown one. The theory behind the test was that humans have an instinctive fear of snakes. IMO, its normal to fear snakes. To run & scream in horror when encountering one is probably not all that normal.
Little Bear
Little Bear,
Interesting about the babies…I guess part of my reason for wanting to thru-hike is to face these fears…I have no idea how I will respond when I encounter the creatures…have you ever heard of people leaving the trail after a scary animal encounter?
MB
No, in all seriousness. I have a big fear of snakes and lightening. Both things I had to confront and encounter and live with on my hike. I wouldn’t say I got over either of them, but I learned to live with them. I wasn’t really that worried about the snakes, as with any wild animal we are in their home and they just want to be left alone. It is disconcerting to come across them on the trail and I admit to a scream now and then, same with lightening. I shrieked several times coming from Tinker Cliffs into Daleville in a wicked storm, but I do find now that I’m home, I’m not so phobic about them. It’s nature at its best and the rawness of that is worth the temporary discomfort.
Bluebearee
I have collected snakes for over 30 years and have encountered many in the woods. Here’s a helpful observation. If while walking in the woods you hear a snake “running” beneath your feet, stay still. Other than coral snakes (which are uncommon), all snakes in the South that slither hurredly away are non-poisonous. Rat snakes, king snakes, etc will try their best to get away from you as fast as possible. If yopu come close enough to a pit viper (cottonmouth, copperhead, rattler), he will strike at you. He can only strike half the length of his body. For a 2 foot long copperhead (big one), you’d have to pass within 1 foot of him for him to be able to “hit” you. Most of the time, you’ll walk right past them and never ever know! As my Dad always told me, “there a lot more afraid of you than you are of them”. Hike, have fun, and forget about the snakes.
Zydecajun
Blubearee-it must feel good to learn to adapt to things that you are fearful of. I think hiking has so many psychological benefits like that. I hate being afraid of things and am so envious of people who aren’t. I too was caught in a lightening storm once and there is not much that can scare you more than a lightening strike 2 feet away from you! I thought my eardrums burst from the crack of thunder at exactly the same time.
I really have to think about my thru-hike and decide if I can handle my fear. Thanks.
MB
Most wild animals will leave you alone, if you leave them alone, even snakes. But there are always exceptions, like
a bear with cubs, or a nasty snake.
I’m a heavy tredder when hiking, and my footsteps give snakes
plenty of time to move on, before I get near them. I only saw
2 or 3 small snakes last year, in over 600 miles of AT hiking.
They were so small, and many yards off the trail, that I don’t
even know what kind they were. Two were hanging near downed
trees.
I saw as many lizards as snakes, and lizards are much quicker! If you catch a lizard, turn him over and pet his
belly. He’ll fall asleep. Really!
I actually saw a blue lizard, with white stripes, in the MD
hills. Probably fell from the treetops, where blue would
be his camo color.
Scamp
Scamp
I hiked the AT in 1973 and began with a fear of venemous snakes that quickly disappeared. In 4 months, I only saw 2 rattlesnakes and one copperhead. The first one I encountered was a large timber rattler near Roanoke, VA, which I stepped over before realizing he was there. I figured if I could walk right over a large snake without getting bit, the odds of getting bit while hiking are rare.
Since that time I have hiked and backpacked throughout the west and on numerous occassions have walked right past rattlesnakes with no reaction from the snake. Most haven’t even used their rattles. The only people I have personally known that have been snake bit, had unwittingly placed their hands near a snake.
DDD