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Watch out for the snakes!

Posted: Tue Oct 10, 2006 1:25 am
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!

Posted: Tue Oct 10, 2006 1:49 am
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.

Posted: Tue Oct 10, 2006 2:09 am
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:

Posted: Tue Oct 10, 2006 2:19 am
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:

Posted: Tue Oct 10, 2006 3:43 am
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.

Posted: Tue Oct 10, 2006 3:44 am
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.

Posted: Tue Oct 10, 2006 10:36 am
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.

Re: Watch out for the snakes!

Posted: Tue Oct 10, 2006 12:36 pm
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.

Posted: Tue Oct 10, 2006 1:12 pm
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.

Posted: Tue Oct 10, 2006 1:25 pm
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.