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scubasnyder
Nov 8, 2003, 4:38 AM
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Does anyone else run into snakes when there climbing, in the summer ive almost gotten bitten by a few copper heads. i went to place a cam and i see 2 copperheads just chilling in there, how cool is that, if it was on land i would have had to catch them. I always take my snake stick climbing, it works as a good stick clip too.
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dino
Nov 8, 2003, 5:22 AM
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My buddy almost stepped on a prarrie rattler a couple of years ago at Lookout Mtn. in Golden, Co. A week later we ran into his pal across the valley on Golden Cliffs. I took off on a lead in Little Cottonwood Canyon in Utah and when I was well on my way a little rattler crawled out of the crack I started from. I climbed with a guy in Pa. who stepped on a Copperhead but didn't get bit. I saw a snake of some kind at Vedauwoo on the trail hauling ass away from me. Snakes are awesome and they like rocks; just don't get bit. Its also bad luck to mess with them.
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scubasnyder
Nov 8, 2003, 5:24 AM
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There only dangerous if you make them that way, usually they just let u alone, but i always try to catch them and move them so others dont get bit
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phaedrus
Nov 8, 2003, 5:25 AM
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Saw 4... count 'em... FOUR prairie rattlesnakes in Castlewood Canyon this summer. They were as happy to see me as I was to see them. Definitely learned to keep my ears and eyes a bit more open.
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micahmcguire
Nov 8, 2003, 5:57 AM
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fact-the majority of snakes on all the continents except australia (and obviously antarctica) are non-venemous
fact-snakes fear man, if they don't have a good reason they won't bite.
fact-most snake do not have much of a striking range, that is to say that unless you are within about a foot of most snakes you won't get bitten.
fact-the best way to get bitten by a snake is to try and catch it. Scubasnyder-"if it was on land i would have had to catch them." What do you mean? This sounds like a terrible idea. Why would you have to catch them if they are in the wild? Wouldn't it be a better idea to leave them alone?
Snakes don't go looking for trouble. That's something we humans tend to do. then we blame snakes simply for their existance.
anyhow, sorry for the shpeel. I'm sure most of you guys are cool to animals when you find them. A few buggers out there really piss me off though, and you know who you are!
well that said, I'm gonna go feed my pet snake now (ok, so I'm a tad biased here) 'night all
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nonick
Nov 8, 2003, 8:31 AM
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a few years ago i ran into a cobra while doing some work in a forest.
poor cobra was petrified as much as i was
just tapped my umbrella on the ground and it vanished under a tree..
id rather run into a snake than a bear anyday..or for that matter elephant...
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grabngrip
Nov 8, 2003, 8:41 AM
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i have owned several snakes in my 20 years of life and a few poisonous ones as well and have never been bitten by non poisonous or poisonous snakes. Your really have to be asking to be bit before a snake will bite you. If you leave them alone they will leave you alone and everyone stays happy. Once you corner a snake and give it no option but to strike, it will. But snakes are so no trigger happy with there venom. They rather conserve it for when they really need it
Daniel :)
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scubasnyder
Nov 8, 2003, 12:32 PM
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Most non venemous snakes dont mine biting, but venemous snakes will bite if cornered, if they are all coiled up i dont bother too much, cause there probably pretty pissed off and dont want to be handled. anyways for anyone whos afraid of snakes, YOUR BIGGER you can kill a snake some snakes can kill u, why be afraid its a mutual thing, to me there just beautiful, but who knows
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rokshoxbkr19
Nov 8, 2003, 3:51 PM
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Yeah, a bunch. Some with venomous some not, at Chickies we ran into 3 in one day, one was a copperhead I think. I was almost bit by a rattler that struck at me in Zion. I also woke up next to a tarantula in Zion once.
It's there world too, :lol:
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ginerbiner
Nov 8, 2003, 4:09 PM
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It's funny... as often as I've been at the crag or just hiking around the deep south, I've only seen baby snakes. I've had various boyfriends keep the locale of a grown snake from me, "Ya know g, a bit back there you stepped over a snake between those rocks. I didn't want to alarm you..." I heard a story about a girl who was climbing at T-Wall, TN: She placed a piece of gear and a move or two later encountered a snake in a big horizontal. She grabbed the snake just behind its head, plum plucked it from it's perch, swung it around as she took a bit of a fall, and flung it down and over the heads of those standing below and into the woods -- the whole time screaching and screaming continuously, hysterically, loudly, horror-film like SNAKESNAKESNAKE-AHHHHHHHHHH. No one was harmed - well, I don't know 'bout the snake. smiles, gina
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grabngrip
Nov 8, 2003, 7:34 PM
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now thats a great snake story... I remember the first time i had gotten a snake. my mother came into my room totally not kowing that i had the snake and as soon as she saw it she ran out of my room screaming that somehow a snake had gotten in my room. when i then explained it to her she said she wanted me to get rid of it cus it was gonna bite her and kill her. she wouldnt listen to the fact that it was a cornsnake an it wasnt poisonous, and that perticular one was soo lazy! the only time it would move around is when i would handle her or feed her............i've never ran into a snake outside though...
Daniel :)
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gblauer
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Nov 8, 2003, 10:40 PM
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we saw a baby diamond back rattle snake on the trail at the Gunks last weekend. One our mates picked it up with a stick and moved it off the trail.
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far_east_climber
Nov 10, 2003, 2:25 PM
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yeah almost stepped on a snake once after hopping off a boulder... aren't copperheads pretty damn poisonous?
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mattdog
Nov 10, 2003, 2:34 PM
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In reply to: fact-snakes fear man, if they don't have a good reason they won't bite. fact-most snake do not have much of a striking range, that is to say that unless you are within about a foot of most snakes you won't get bitten.
Just wondering, but if a snake is resting itself in a crevass you're about to hand jam, isn't that a pretty good reason to bite? Regarding the striking distance, doesn't a fully coiled snake have a striking distance of closer to half its body length... say 2 feet if its a 4 ft snake?
Not saying snakes are bad by any stretch, but the venomous ones are aware that they are venomous, and certainly aren't harmless. Not arguing your point, just a few of the finer details...
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jman
Nov 10, 2003, 3:47 PM
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While belaying a friend down at the New River a small copperhead decided to curl itself into our flaked out rope. There is a small pic of the snake in the photos under my profile.
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dontfall
Nov 10, 2003, 4:48 PM
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dontfall moved this thread from Beginners to Community.
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capn_morgan
Nov 11, 2003, 8:40 PM
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it looks like your little friend thought he found his long lost brother....his really long, purpl, long lost brother :P , great pic. I am alot more worried about the darwin award contenders at the crags than the snakes. but then again I make a point of saying hi when i run across a bear in the woods.
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bumblie
Nov 11, 2003, 8:49 PM
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I don't know if someone already mentioned this, but the majority of snake bites in the US are the result of some moron trying to pick up the snake or mess with it. :roll:
Move 'em with a long stick or leave 'em alone.
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josephine
Nov 11, 2003, 9:15 PM
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oooooooooooooooooooh nooooooooooooooooooooooooo
not snakes...eewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
*jo hates snakes* ouchhhhhhhhhhh :cry: :evil:
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exposed
Nov 14, 2003, 7:58 PM
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I spent a week at Red River Gorge last summer. As I was leading a climb I dynoed up to nice jug with a deep hole in the back of it. Without much thought I began to continue the climb. Then I heard the infamous rattle sound of a timber rattler. As I looked at my hand perched on the jug I saw the snake draw back and strike at me. Luckily I had fast reflexes and took a fall before the snake made contact, but it was a close and scary moment. We ended up doing a pendulum swing and bypassed the snake by climbing a sister route to different anchors.
I have seen probably hundreds of snakes while climbing or some other outdoor activity, but it's true respect them and they will respect you.
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enanubis
Nov 15, 2003, 4:06 AM
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In late summer, I will run into a snake once a trip. On time, I saw a good boulder, with some brush around it, I was talking and looking at the rock and missed stepping on a snake by an inch. I must have looked very silly, jump and cursing. hahaha
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jaylaka
Nov 15, 2003, 5:35 PM
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i was leading a sport route at new river gorge last summer, and my four year old son was less than 15 feet from my belayer. (he's awesome when i'm climbing, generally, and keeps himself occupied with coloring, playing in the dirt, swinging on something we rigged up, or attacking a small tree with slings, draws, and biners...)
anyway, he suddenly screamed in pure terror, and ran at my belayer. i had just made it to the second bolt, so i was in a good spot to stop and see what the hell was going on. he had come within a couple inches of a copperhead, and scared both of us half to death. :cry: not a good moment there. and as a mom, i hate to imagine the "what ifs."
jen
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triptothesun
Nov 17, 2003, 1:47 AM
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ALL THE TIME!! I live in Costa Rica, it is the most common thing here!!!
Actually today while climbing I saw a snake skin.... while coming down from the route (very nice by the way) took it down, now we will put it in the climbing gym
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micahmcguire
Nov 17, 2003, 5:50 PM
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mattdog-as far as that handjam goes, yeah a snake would have a good reason to bite since its hiding spot is being invaded by some giant creature. Unfortunately, the conundrum becomes wheather it is better to climb or to leave the sanctity of nature undesturbed and back off a route if you find a snake. I realize some people do get bit accidentally and that cannot be helped, but as was mentioned here before, it is almost always caused by some meddling with the snake by the victim.
As far as the "half their body length" bit, it depends, but usually not that long; although it is a good, safe, overestimation. It depends a lot on the thickness of the animal, how it coils before the strike, if it is actually trying to connect or just bluff, etc. Its usually somewhere closer to 1/3 with the somewhat heavier-bodied North American poisonous snakes such as the copperhead and larger rattlesnakes. Other, more nimble species need to be treated with a greater degree of respect.
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