ANTIOCH PRESS (California) 02 May 08 The hiss of hazardous materials (Ger Erickson)

It’s May. The preheat switch has been flipped, and East County adventurers will soon be baking with the rest of the muffins in our convection-free oven known as Central Valley. Smart hikers are packing increasingly more fluids for the trail. They’re also packing more caution. They round a bend and scan the trail ahead. When rock climbing, they don’t grab a handhold until they’re certain what’s up there. Why all the caution? What are they looking for? You guessed it: rattlers.

Popular mythology puts the Northern Pacific rattlesnake on the ornery quotient somewhere between James Carville and Attila the Hun. The reality is more prosaic. Sure, the rattler wields a fearsome set of fangs, but it’ll use those fangs on a human only if it senses a threat, and only at close range. The overriding principles in dealing with a rattlesnake: be aware and remain calm. And by all means, do not go up and try to pet it.

First you need to spot the snake and identify it as a rattler. A rattler’s cunning camouflage patterns and colors make it hard to spot even at close range. As you round a bend or crest a hill, make a visual sweep of the stretch of trail ahead before diverting your attention to scenic splendor. And watch where you sit. You might have company.

Chances are you’ll run across another slithering creature out on the trail, a creature that has paid a heavy price for its resemblance to the rattler: the non-venomous gopher snake. The key to distinguishing it from the rattler lies in the head and tail. The rattlesnake’s head is a large, triangular wedge, and its tail ends in the rattle. The gopher snake’s head is smaller, rounded and tapered, and its tail is pointed.

Should you find a snake commandeering your picnic area or campsite, keep your cool and get the creature’s ID first. If it’s a rattlesnake, don’t chase it off. It might return. And don’t try to kill it. You’re putting yourself in danger – and breaking the law. Notify park staffers; they have the expertise to remove it.

Be especially wary of a coiled rattlesnake. It’s ready to rock and roll, and can strike in a heartbeat at a distance of at least half its length. (Rattlesnakes can measure over 60 inches long.) And don’t assume an uncoiled rattler is giving you a pass. Its striking distance is its full length, and it can cover that ground in a big hurry.

What if you suddenly join that rare class of humans who run afoul of the rattler’s fangs? Again, don’t panic. Send someone for help and sit down, keeping the bitten area below heart level. If you’re on a solo hike, you should walk – not run – back to civilization. The puncture marks of a rattlesnake bite will feel like they’re burning. No burning sensation suggests that a different snake has bitten you, or that the rattler (as often happens) didn’t inject any venom.

There are two misconceptions about rattler bites. The first is that a snakebite kit will save you. Wrong. If you own a snakebite kit, toss it into the garbage immediately. Applying tourniquets, cutting around the puncture marks and sucking out the venom – these can cause more harm (such as nasty infections) than the venom itself. A rattler will rarely inject a human with a large enough dose of venom to cause death. It’s a skilled hunter. It knows it can’t swallow you, so it doesn’t waste precious venom warding you off.

This relates to our second misconception, that a young rattlesnake packs more potent venom than its elder. It doesn’t. But it can be more dangerous precisely because it’s young. Lacking expertise as a hunter, the young rattler will prolong the injection of venom into its victim. A small rattler looks less menacing than a large one, but don’t be fooled. Don’t get cute and try to pick it up. If it sinks its fangs into you, it could give you a full dose.

And don’t let these dire scenarios deter you from getting out onto the trail. I’ve run across rattlesnakes in my wanderings, and they’ve all left me alone. That’s because I left them alone. Armed with knowledge, proceeding with caution, relax and enjoy your hike. You’re out there for the scenery, right? You’re out there to look for things. Well, now you have one more thing to look for.
The hiss of hazardous materials

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