[Closed] Snakes on the trail

MTFU ya flamin' gullah!

Saw a couple of snakes on the trail in Texas, think they were Rat/Corn snakes.

The one with the most attitude on the trail was a young Adder, here in the UK.

What would Steve Irwin have done?

This came up sometime ago, someone posted a video of a cobra taking a swipe in Kerala at a bike...

gives me the heebie jeebies..

[url= http://bicyclingaustralia.com.au/content/2010/03/michael-hanslip/snake-safety ]Snake Safety Oz[/url]

Laid my bike down against a dry-stone wall a few summers ago, while I took some photos. Picked it up again and there was an adder coiled around the grip.

I put it down again. Calmly and smoothly. 😯

Day two of a multiday hike on the very wild and remote Wilson Prom in Australia and I nearly stepped on an Eastern Tiger Snake on the trail, would have been ****ed if it had took a bite, no roads for at least a days hike.

I remember riding one of the more remote routes at Forrest in Vic and wondering what all the S-like slithery marks in the sand were. Then, oh. That was when I invented the 'snake or stick' game. Simple rules: when you see something suspicious ahead you say 'snake' or 'stick' (to yourself if you're alone, as I usually was). If you're correct you get a point. If you say 'snake' and it's a stick you lose a point; if you say 'stick' and it's a snake you have to run away going 'aaargh'.

What [s]would[/s]should Steve Irwin have done?

EFA

Stayed out of the water.

Saw a lovely coloured adder locally to home this year, which the only other one I had seen was in the road squashed. Decent size, about 1 mtr long and just watched it meander back into the undergrowth.

Seen adders a number of times at the bottom of the labyrinth run in Swinley

About 6 tiger snakes in my first 2 months in Tassie, 1st one of the season couple of weeks ago, brown snake in eagle park in Adelaide which reared up and me, couple on Maria Island including one about 2m across the trail. The locals will tell you how lucky you were to see them....

You will also become scared of sticks.

Read the safety advice, don't provoke them they mostly run away.

Welcome anyway which part of the colony are you in?

You will also become scared of sticks.

This, and the ones the size of branches/logs.

Used to see loads of red bellied blacks and the occasional brown snake in my ex's mums place in Logan Village in QLD. I'd find them hiding under the ride-on mower's cutting deck, in the loft or in bits on the car port, having been torn to shreds by the cat.

Didn't see so many out on the trail as they're pretty shy and like to scarper off - think my bear bell helped here. Much more scary than the snakes were the spiders - particularly the white tails which were supposedly not dangerous*, but liked to jump at you.

*My ex's dad, will at some point have his left leg removed thanks to a gone wrong white tail bite that keeps ulcerating.

I have had it with these mutha.....

repost but just a baby one - only one I have caught on film

Not many rides go by here in New Mexico that I don't see a snake on or crossing the trails. Mostly Western Diamondbacks and bullsnakes. The largest diamondback I have seen was about 6 ft and a body girth about the size of my forearm. I have ran over a couple of bull snakes, but fortunately haven't hit a rattler yet.

Out is Spain years ago, road riding, I was doing about 40mph on a lovely descent in the mountains, dead smooth tarmac.
Then ahead of me I saw what I thought was a crack in the road so I moved right to avoid it then realised the crack was also moving right. It was a big grey-black snake, about 1m long. No idea what it was/if it was poisonous but fortunately it was making a dash for the undergrowth and I was swerving back over to the left.

Mandatory image for snake threads...

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Of course you wouldn't have this problem tubeless.

I've had encounters while visiting Australia - which is funny as I know people who live there and have never seen one.

Scariest was at Mt Stromlo at the end of a 24hr race, the guy riding just ahead of me rode over a massive 2m+ brown snake (he didn't see it?!) which pissed the snake off somewhat and he went to strike just as I was passing by with no time to stop. Poo'd myself.

Also rode over a red belly black, but only a tiddler and startled another big brown at about 3-4m distance - thankfully while I was going uphill.

I hate snakes.

[img] [/img]
I have one of these in the house as we get a few snakes in our garden,you simply push the plunger in then hold it tightly over the puncture hole and the plunger moves out on it's own then a lump of skin gets sucked up hopefully removeing the poison.
Very light to carry and could save your life.

I thought you were not supposed to suck anything out?

Thanks for the replies everyone. It seems that I'm not alone, but none of you sound too dead, so perhaps MTFU is the right thing to do -- as my wife told me when I came home (not the response I was expecting!)

corroded - I'd have ended up with a 'snake or stick' score well into the negative 100s by the time I made it back to the car. Snake, argh! Oh, just a stick. Over and over and over.

mikewsmith - am in Canberra, which only seems to make sense to live in if you have kids and ride a bike. result!

Actually very jealous of you living in Canberra. Such a great place to live.
Quite possibly the best place in the World to be a XC mountain biker - except for all the snakes!

If you are near Fyshwick, the guys in Pushys are ace. Shane the owner is a top guy.

fangin - Member
...Anyway, there seem to be a few Australian-based folks on here. Do you guys come across snakes often, and what do you do?...

Used to come across lots of snakes, mainly browns, the odd death adder, and once memorably a cranky Fierce snake* on the edge of the Simpson Desert.

We used to regularly get browns in the house which always guaranteed wifely hysterics because of our foolhardy children who wanted to follow me while I was catching it. (Nothing spectacular, just the usual pin the head, catch the tail, trying not to hurt it, and then chuck it back into the neighbour's long grass from whence it came.)

The golden rule is don't hassle a snake unless you have to. There's two reasons
1. It might not be poisonous
2. It might be poisonous.

Took me years living here to stop scrutinising every twig on the tracks. Never liked running over them, it doesn't do them any good.

*Like a Taipan on steroids.

Suffolk UK these are about a metre long and seen quite often.
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My advice give the snake a wide berth in the first place mate but if you do get eaten alive well....born a biking warrior, die a biking warrior!!

Seen a Adder years ago. But was walking rather than riding. Got 12 snakes in our house 10 Royal Pythons a corn snake and a BCI Boa.

Seen two out on the trails, what I think was a tiger snake and more recently had an spd moment right next to a sunbathing dugite. Seen a few at work as well up in the pilbara. Its all the ones I don't see that give me the heeby jeebies as I know they're really common around Perth. We had a girl at work nearly get bitten by a king brown which was pretty scary.

Its cool having them around but when i'm walking through long grass or scrub at work its always at the back of your mind.

it's only a problem in the morning when they are dopey and can't get out of your way.

other than that, bunny hop.

Do enjoy riding in Canberra, my biggest problem was the families of roo's on the trails early morning at stromlo.

Saw a black snake last weekend while hiking the Great ocean walk (along the coast in Victoria). I've seen brown snakes swimming in the Yarra just near our place, worrying when you are also swimming, and had a snake go for me while riding, think it connected with the back tire, I didn't stop to look.

Pretty much my first ride in Denver, I saw a snake, I think it was a bull snake but there are signs in the area warning about rattlesnakes so I bid a retreat. Not seen one since nor could say for certain which snake it was after looking at pictures.

Very timely thread! Am currently on holiday in Oz with the bike and had a close encounter with a brown snake whilst riding in the You Yangs yesterday.

First and hopefully last one I've seen. Snake wasn't the only thing that was brown when I realised I'd ridden within a foot of it!

[IMG] [/IMG]

Looks like a good one, where you off to next? Hope you got the stockyards side of the You Yangs done. Forrest is worth a look too.

Thanks for the tip, be happy for any other recommendations within a reasonable drive of Melbourne.

So far I've ridden:
Gap Creek / Mount Coot-tha (QLD)
Bunyaville Forest (QLD)
Eagle Park (SA)
Belair NP (SA)
Lysterfield Park and Commonwealth Games track (VIC)
You Yang's - Stockyards (VIC)
Wombat at Woodend (VIC)

Highlights were YY stockyards (photo is the climb back up no.4), Eagle Park and Gap Creek.

Cheers

Forrest is worth the trip, plenty of cheap accommodation there for the night, going out to race it at the end of the month.
Buller, Beauty, Bright, Beechworth and Mansfield. More than a 1 day trip but worth it. Kilngsporn at Buller is good.

Tassie has lots

http://flowmountainbike.com/flownation/
trail Guide

Great thanks, will check them out. I've been using the Flow website and Trailmate.com.au which have both been really helpful for info, maps etc.

I'm a little restricted as am travelling with young family but would be very keen to get to Buller if I can wangle it! Can you ride there anytime (conditions permitting) or do you have to wait for the opening of the season?

[edit] conscious I'm hijacking this thread about snakes but guess most people are asleep right now!

It's open now but Stonefly and Klingsporn are not cleared yet I think.
http://www.thedirtydozen.com.au/
http://www.mtbuller.com.au/Utilities2/Utilities/Site-Map/Summer2

There is a bunch of stuff up from Newcastle near the Hunter in NSW, Awaba and something else.
ACT Stromlo and Kowen are great (stromlo has a more UK feel)
Tas has the Mehan Range in Hobart & North South on the mountain, lots of stuff that you can ride from hobart CBD.
North Tassie has a great new spot at Hollybank 30 mins from Launceston and some other trails along with some more out there stuff in the NE and NW.

Edit - Snakes available in all locations

Won't make it to Taz this time unfortunately but plenty of other food for thought there so thanks. To be honest it's just great to ride new places, get out into the countryside and enjoy the scenery.
Better get the kids to bed early and do some route planning!

Looking at some of those links has made me really want to take the bike over east. Especially to play on some real hills! Perths just a little flat sometimes.

Bring a 6 pack, or a case if you want guiding

@warns74 I'd second Forrest over the other options. There's plenty of other things to do if you're with the family (well, there's a brewery and walks to the lake) or you could drop them at the beach in Apollo Bay and head up for a ride. Everything is very clearly mapped. Impressive snake btw.

@fangin Never said it was an easy game to master. Experienced players will go for stick most of the time... Because it usually is. I saw echidnas and koalas far more frequently, which was fine with me!

I was riding out in the Blue Mountains somewhere when I lived there (can't remember where- it was a cool ride, we descended in a sort of gulley into a gorge) and came across a huge snake sunning itself on the fireroad- it went from one side all the way to the other and had to be bunnyhopped. Not sure what sort it was but the locals I was with weren't too bothered.

I thought you were not supposed to suck anything out?

I wasn't sure what the current recomendations are so googled it ,turns out the not sucking with your mouth is because of your mouths bacteria going into the wound or the venom entering via a cut in your mouth which could be a bigger problem than the bite victims.
The little sucky device gets around these problems and is advised to use although older types which suggest opening the wound with a knife are no longer recomended.
A friend of my FIL was bitten on the lower leg whilst gardening ,he tried to find the snake for proper identifaction and was bitten a second time , after much treatment he had to be amputated.

General advice, stay calm get help, DO NOT CATCH THE SNAKE, they do not need to see it and if you get bitten when it's pissed off things are getting much worse, also nobody in the hospital is going to appreciate you turning up with a snake in a box. Compression bandage/snake bandage and get help, I think most of the anti venom is the same (is in tassie) some people don't even get it these days.

If it's for dogs etc. it's about $1000/vial, most need 2 at least.

Here's the what to do list.

1 Keep the snakebite victim calm. Restrict movement and keep the affected area below the heart level to reduce the flow of venom.
2 If you have a pump suction device, follow the manufacturer's directions.
3 Remove any rings or constricting items from the affected area in case it swells. Create a loose splint to help restrict movement of the area.
4 If the bite area begins to swell and change color, the snake was probably venomous.
5 Monitor the person's vital signs. If there are signs of shock, lay the person flat, raise the feet about a foot, and cover the person with a blanket.
6 Get medical help right away.
7 Bring the dead snake to the hospital only if it's safe to do so. Don't waste time hunting for the snake, and don't risk another bite if it's not easy to kill the snake. Be careful -- due to reflex, a snake can actually bite for up to an hour after it's dead.

the best non-trail center places to ride around Melbourne (1hr or so):

Plenty gorge
Smith's Gully
Anglesea
Silvain
Castlemaine
red hill

trail centers:

Buxton and Lake Mountain
warrandyte
forrest is ok, but patchy.

buller is good for a day trip, bright is better for a weekend, and the beer is very, very good.

This is why I don't live in Australia. The wildlife there is just obsessed with killing you.

forrest is ok, but patchy.

I liked it but more in an XC way.

some bits are excellent (red carpet, mariners) others are weak.

world class

nah.

yep ridden it all and some twice, all of it again at the end of the month

yep ridden it all and some twice, all of it again at the end of the month

I used to ride there at lunchtime. I pick and choose.

top tip - camp at lake elizabeth, get up at dawn and go watch the platypus feeding. they're poisonous too, natch.

NO WAY!!! We did the paddle round the lake before they built the trails, never camping down there ever again, perpetual fear of being murdered and that was before the screaming flying marsupial things got going. Out Out and really OUT!

Though the glow worms on the corner were cool

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I'd [s]second[/s] third Forrest but not done all the over the other options. ......... you could drop them at the beach in Apollo Bay and head up for a ride. Everything is very clearly mapped. I'd second this as well... Impressive snake btw

from a local park

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teaching kids to play with snakes....not sure about the mushrooms!

Yarra trail here in suburban Melbourne - see these quite often

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I forgot Warburton!

Bluddy 'ell! Brits are waaay outnumbered by Aussies on this thread. I didn't know STW was so international.

Glad there's some sensible advice re treatment up there ^^^ !

Have been looking at snake bite treatment recently as a bloke got bitten 3 times by an adder locally (he tried to pick it up) which made him quite poorly, but nowhere near as poorly as some of them aussie ones could do! And coincidentally there's been some chat in mountain rescue circles about it too this summer. But treating adder bites is pretty small change - do nothing but immobilise the limb and get them to hospital asap.

With scarier snakes there's disagreement over the sucking out of venom as there's kit to identify the snake via the venom DNA now, which isn't going to be easy if you've washed the wound or sucked a lot of the "loose" venom out. There's disagreement over how useful it is as well. I'm think that if you're a long way from help then you'll do whatever you can. Similarly with more vulnerable people (kids especially) you might act first in that respect.

Tourniquets have to be a last resort - if you know what bit you and how venomous it is and you're a long way from help then you might seriously consider it, but in the knowledge that you may loose the affected limb. That's the sort of decision point you'd be at though.

Found a couple of big adders (60cm+) in the forest locally, and nearly ran over one of them - it wasn't best pleased. Having a snake at home now (harmless corn snake) has made me very aware of how quickly they can move and the sort of distance that might be "safe" - that bugger can make me jump 😉

My record in Hobart is seeing 3 Tiger snakes in 100m. Mating season.
Otherwise i won't see one for years.
Now I just need to keep the scorpions out of my house.

I won't mention the TMTBR rider who stopped to pick up an adder in Thetford Forest and got bitten then. Nor the fact that he carried on riding and didn't got to hospital for >24 hours when it got a bit painful!

Silly Billy!

jonathan - Member
...Having a snake at home now (harmless corn snake) has made me very aware of how quickly they can move and the sort of distance that might be "safe" - that bugger can make me jump

Too true. Some folk think a snake has to rear back before striking.

Not so. They simply straighten out like an iron bar and whack their target in a millisecond. I learned that lesson from the Fierce snake I mentioned earlier. They are right cranky buggers. Luckily it was my brother who was the target. 🙂

But the reality is very few snakes will attack a human unless they feel threatened, otherwise Australia would be littered with corpses - especially when you consider how casual Aussies are about legless lizards.

Well as far as I know with an adult with a single adder bite a hospital isn't likely to do much other than monitor them and I guess maybe give some antihistamines. They'll just let the body deal with it. Their are antivenom stocks (I know Scarborough has some), but the side effects aren't nice and they're unlikely to give if they can avoid it.

Oooh - I've found the article that was in Mountain Rescue mag this summer [url= http://micronavigation.com/wp-content/uploads/Mountain-Rescue-Magazine-July-2014.pdf ]here[/url] - well worth a read if you're in adder areas!

See loads of tigers, some pretty huge ones just lying on the paths around bushland and lakes. Over in Rottnest there's plenty of king browns and dugites. They don't mess about.

Snakes not so bad really but I did have a redback on my face yesterday - walking through the ward, one had lowered itself down from the ceiling at face height, I just walked into it. It hit my glasses and fell. Thank ****!!!

edit: argh dugites...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dugite

One of the most venomous snakes in the world, bit causes coagulation. Only in WA and SA. More aggressive in Oct/Nov (mating season) last person to die was 1993 in Spearwood, WA (that's where I frickin live!!!)

The Aspivenin was designed for dealing with snake bites but can be used for wasp,hornet or any other type of sting the only time i have used mine was after being stung on the jugular by a wasp . The pain was severe and reduced by 50% immediatly, i could see a tiny speck of wasp venom in the suction cup . I am told that enough hornet stings can be fatal , we get them in large numbers each summer.

Now I just need to keep the scorpions out of my house.

Tell me about it every time i open the shed door all i can hear is "winds of change".

I saw the Aspivenin in use in South Africa for a bee sting so when my son aged 5 got stung by a wasp and was distressed I grabbed an old syringe and placed the nozzle over the tiny puncture and withdrew the plunger. The effect was miraculous; a small bead of clear venom appreared inside the syringe and the pain stopped immediately. Within a minute the small white blister with red surrounding had vanished. Result: one happy child.

When I was a walking leader for Ramblers Holidays in Savoie an elderly bloke got bitten by a sand viper on the first day of the first holiday. He was a herpatologist who had been the British government's chief vet in Kenya all his life so he had seen plenty of Africans bitten by snakes but never been bitten himself. He knew it was important to stay calm so he popped the viper in a catch bag in his rucsac and headed off to the hotel to sleep it off. Hotel manager saw him coming in alone looking a bit pale and called an ambulance, which carted him off to hospital. He stayed the night on a drip, taking detailed notes of the symptoms he was feeling, and was back the next day turning over boulders and shaking saplings. The chambermaid refused to go into his room for the rest of the fortnight because the snake was in his wardrobe along with several other reptiles he caught.

Have we done [url= http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/11/06/anaconda-eaten-alive-newser/18589551/ ]this[/url] yet? 😯

So we going to manage a stw down under beer some time?

I'm keen.

Thanks you lot. I got bitten by a snake in my dreams last night. It struck without warning and without rearing back first. Until yesterday I didn't know they could do that.

Here's a snake skeleton that I found earlier this year whilst riding on the Aldershot military land.

[img] [/img]

Incidentally, if anybody sees a snake or lizard in the Surrey, Hampshire, Berkshire area it would be great if you could report it here:
http://www.surrey-arg.org.uk/SARG/12000-Sightings/SARG2SightingsSite.asp