Watch out for the snakes!

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rdpoints
Posts: 20
Joined: Wed Apr 20, 2005 3:18 pm

Watch out for the snakes!

Post by rdpoints »

My buddy got nailed in the toe last week at Funk Rock. Lucky for him the small copperhead didn't inject anything. He was wearing Tevas and walking on the main trail near Eye Of The Needle.
Also, 3 days later, at The Playground, there was a pretty good size copperhead right under the two 5.10s. We moved it but heard it was back at the same place the next day.

It's getting colder and I think more are out in the sun to get warm.

Here's a picture from the playground:

http://www.redriverclimbing.com/album_p ... ic_id=2134

BE CAREFUL!
dmw
Posts: 2104
Joined: Sun Mar 12, 2006 1:48 pm

Post by dmw »

damn, but that's my favorite "I have a hangover" napping spot there at the playground..... I guess I will have to stop drinking so much...... keep hearing about them being everywhere... solar collector and sky bridge too, if these places haven't been mentioned yet. Soon it'll be too cold for them to be real active, right? right? ugh.
gunslnga
Posts: 798
Joined: Wed Aug 24, 2005 12:31 am

Post by gunslnga »

The snake Expert at the slade reptile farm said that they sun themselves on the eastern facing rocks mostly this time of year. so I guess climb the cold dark cags facing west??? :shock:
The enemy of my enemy is my friend.....
jamlawyer
Posts: 56
Joined: Tue Aug 17, 2004 11:54 pm

Post by jamlawyer »

Yikes! It certainly seems more snakey this year than in previous years! I have seen copperheads at several crags this summer. Of course, it's the ones I don't see that I'm really worry about. Mostly those lying on the top of ledges sunning themselves... :shock:
rhunt
Posts: 3202
Joined: Thu May 29, 2003 12:02 pm

Post by rhunt »

I was hiking Sunday at Auxier Ridge with some Cbus friends and we saw the coolest timber rattle snake right on the trail! It was so awesome and so beautiful! I could not believe how lucky we were to see a timber in KY, they are pretty rare and usually very shy. They are on the move right now in sunny places so beware. The timber at first glance looked like a colorful copper head but when i check out its tail, then encouraged it to move off the trail with a stick...the rattle was incredible! This guy was very gumpy but moved quicly once I moved it off the trail with the long stick. What a treat, I have never seem a rattle snake in the wild and never imagined I would see one in KY! I'll post pics when I get them...if I can figure out how.
"Climbing is the spice, not the meal." ~ Lurkist
Power2U
Posts: 562
Joined: Wed Apr 09, 2003 1:18 pm

Post by Power2U »

I was at the Gallery today with a friend and there was a slithery little guy on the ledge at the start of Mosaic when my partner started to pull up on to it. He backed off and the snake moved on so no harm.

We didn't think it was a copperhead as it was mostly black, but we didn't want to find out for sure :)

Keep your :shock: peeled.
Lest we all forget... climbing is a mostly meaningless pursuit that we do for fun.
Huggybone
Posts: 976
Joined: Tue Nov 05, 2002 12:08 am

Post by Huggybone »

geez man, I don't think I'd be fucking with a rattler with a stick. Bad karma! Walk around.

Alexis and I saw a rattler at Jailhouse a few years ago. Beautiful.
My fist thought was, "shit, get the dog."
Second thought, "whoa, cool!"
My third thought was not, "hey, I'll get a stick and fuck with it!"
:shock:

I'm suprised at y'all.
"Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water."
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Ascentionist
Posts: 1081
Joined: Mon Mar 07, 2005 9:23 pm

Re: Watch out for the snakes!

Post by Ascentionist »

rdpoints wrote:He was wearing Tevas...

BE CAREFUL!
This is not careful behavior.

Every person I know that has been bitten has been bitten on either the toe because they were wearing Tevas (all climbers) or the hand (local getting firewood from a woodpile).

This is perfect weather for the snakes to be active. If you don't want to get bit, don't wear Tevas.
There is no TEAM in I
rdpoints
Posts: 20
Joined: Wed Apr 20, 2005 3:18 pm

Post by rdpoints »

Huggybone wrote:geez man, I don't think I'd be fucking with a rattler with a stick. Bad karma! Walk around.


My third thought was not, "hey, I'll get a stick and fuck with it!"
:shock:

I'm suprised at y'all.
Well, IMO we were not "fucking" with it. We had a very long clip-stick and gently moved it off the ledge......I guess some people would still see it that way.....oh well.
And as far as Tevas being "not careful", maybe so, I've seen probably 3 copperheads in 10 years........will I wear my Tevas alot less......yes.
rhunt
Posts: 3202
Joined: Thu May 29, 2003 12:02 pm

Post by rhunt »

I think he was refering to me.

Well the way I see it. The rattler was in the middle of a narrow trail that had LOTS of traffic that day, many dogs were off their leashes and such. I was concerned the snake would bite a person or a dog or that someone might kill the snake. So with a long stick I moved off the trail. I kinda know my way around snakes(I have four at home) and I was not in any danger.

Snake saved, people out of danger, dogs out of danger.....Good Karma.
"Climbing is the spice, not the meal." ~ Lurkist
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