Desert sleeping and such

snor

snor

New member
So everywhere i travel to, i always just throw my shit on the ground and sleep in the woods. Never really worried or bothered by wildlife. So early one morning inside of Portlands Lake yd, i was roling a cigarette on my pack. And to my surprise a fucking 6 foot rattle snake struck at me 3 times real damn close to my face. Trembling and surrounded by chest high brush, I just bolt outta there. I've never been afraid of snakes before but never had to deal with them also. Honestly ive had some fucked up things happened to me in my life, but can recall that as one of my more frightning experiences. ( i know it sounds lame)
So my question to you is.... When sleeping in more western and rocky setting how do you avoid that shit? That was my first time out west and i'm going to be leaving soon from Boston via bike to Seattle and down to AZ. Is there a trick to just sleeping anywhere in the desert? Or should i not be that worried? I'd like to avoid hospital trips.

-snor
 
How do you suppose the snake gets onto the train? Seems like they wouldn't be smart enough not to just settle for the rail if they're looking for warm stuff right?
 
I was sleeping in a big storm drain in New Mexico when I heard light foot steps. I sat up and was face to face with a coyote. We both sat there stunned and looked at each other for a few seconds before he ran off. If I had a dog, I would have been warned.
 
macks said:
How do you suppose the snake gets onto the train? Seems like they wouldn't be smart enough not to just settle for the rail if they're looking for warm stuff right?
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I'm guessing the snake would lie on the ballast to sun itself, and when the train goes over and shades the snake, it decides to get back in the sun by climbing on top. Snakes can climb trees, you know.
 
i was on a wilderness survival camping trip in arizona near the verde river..we slept in shelters out of debris and had sleeping bags..but we never came across any snakes...my friend tried to eat a scorpion though..but mainly we didnt have to worry about anything...this was in march..though..but yeah i guess just shake out ur sleeping bag everytime,check ur shoes,im pretty sure using creosote as a smudge also keeps bugs out,smoke in general works too.the verde river is an awesome area...and if ur deep in the desert like two hours away from phoenix like i was theres some springs that wer safe to drink from if you boil the water
 
snakes like warm places. it is not uncommon for them to be attracted to the warmth of a person sleeping on the ground. they will crall under the bag, or next to it. i have found several rattlers under the edges of my tent. not all at once, but at different times. ratlers will generally try to first warn (with the rattle) then try to intimidate (hissing and fake strikes) before actually striking. unless they really feel threatened, or you step , sit or the like to them. their striking distance is half of their length, and that only if the whole snake is coiled up. if you toss pebbles and twigs at them they will uncoil and try to get away from the barrage. then they are really easy to kill all you need is a long stik and a good aim. they are very easy to gut and clean, cook very well and don't really taste like chicken, but close. a 6 footer would be a good meal, plus you get a cool rattle!
 
shaking out your shoes is always a good idea. it is surprising what can get in there!
 
It was totally unexpected. Now i'm headed down to Mexico, so i can only hope that i don't have any more encounters. Nothing would be more inconvenient than getting bit down there and having to worry about getting help somewhere. Seems like a petty thing to have to deal with, but when you have nowhere to sleep but the desert and jungles at night, you kinda get paranoid. Oh well, we'll see
 
Pack a mosquito net. You could even just pack some mesh and rig it up creatively. Hang it under your tarp at a few points, then tuck the edges under your bag/sleeping pad/ground cloth/hammock/whatever. There are lightweight convenient options to help provide you a little more protection.

It all doesn't matter anyways though, cause you're going to Mexico, and nothing will protect you from the chupacabra, nothing.
 
I've camped out without a shelter in many a desert over the years, in prime rattlesnake country, and have never had an experience like that. The debate about snakes and other "cold blooded" reptiles searching out warmth from sleeping humans isn't convincing. If it were true, every house in the desert would have snakes up to their knees since a house generally puts off warmth from residential heating. Snakes know where to regulate their temperature; they aren't waiting in the brush for some tramp to provide the BTUs. And bats, along the same fear line, aren't plotting to fly into your hair.
Animals aren't looking to fuck with you. Self preservation keeps them away from the most dangerous animal on the planet (us) most of the time. Unfortunate run ins happen, but so do traffic accidents. If you're really paranoid, bring an enclosed shelter. Otherwise chalk it up as a close call and tramp on in the desert.

An interesting side note! The rattlesnake's primary warning, that infamous rattle, is being bred out of their species. Rattling snakes are easily located by humans, and we kill them. Non-rattling snakes go undetected...and survive. So the non-rattlers get to breed more, increasing the odds of stumbling upon one of their kind, and more people get bit (still unlikely). I'm just pointing out how rattlesnake extermination by audio detection is going to one day breed the warning out of these beautiful creatures. So don't kill 'em.

Don't pet 'em either.
 
macks said:
How do you suppose the snake gets onto the train? Seems like they wouldn't be smart enough not to just settle for the rail if they're looking for warm stuff right?
Click to expand...

Well, one of them throws their packs on first and hops on. The second one runs along, keeping an eye out for the bull, while the first one lifts 'em up with his tail. Those rattlers are notorious drunks and are usually heard shouting belligerently by the crew within an hour after departure and kicked off. Shame....
 
i recall the first hop out spot i waited for in colorado, there was a baby rattle snake right at the side of our bridge where we pissed and such, but one of my friends was vegan and was against me killing it, so i had to leave it there. i bet she has changed her mind about rattle snakes, she got bitten last year and almost died... can you say $50K in hospital bills?

only a few days later we were at a different spot with a squat, waiting again, and this really large yellowish orangeish brownish tannish snake (i cant really remember) was trying to come into a our squat, and the vegan let me go at it since it was so close and i picked it up and threw it out at first (it was around 4 ft) and it came back so i tried to kill it. i took a picture when i was done, and set it out in the sun, but it continued to writhe and squirm and wasnt there later.... does anyone know whether this snake sounds harmless or not?
 
seems like anywhere I sleep in the desert, im always gettin torn up by huge red ants, it got to the point where them biting me just stopped botherin me. Never had any problems with snakes, playing paintball once I dove into bunker fox hole thing and there was a rattler a couple feet from me I just shot it with the paintball gun a bunch.
 
Labea said:
i recall the first hop out spot i waited for in colorado, there was a baby rattle snake right at the side of our bridge where we pissed and such, but one of my friends was vegan and was against me killing it, so i had to leave it there. i bet she has changed her mind about rattle snakes, she got bitten last year and almost died... can you say $50K in hospital bills?

only a few days later we were at a different spot with a squat, waiting again, and this really large yellowish orangeish brownish tannish snake (i cant really remember) was trying to come into a our squat, and the vegan let me go at it since it was so close and i picked it up and threw it out at first (it was around 4 ft) and it came back so i tried to kill it. i took a picture when i was done, and set it out in the sun, but it continued to writhe and squirm and wasnt there later.... does anyone know whether this snake sounds harmless or not?
Click to expand...

ahha i love you, snake slayer.
 
Labea said:
i recall the first hop out spot i waited for in colorado, there was a baby rattle snake right at the side of our bridge where we pissed and such, but one of my friends was vegan and was against me killing it, so i had to leave it there. i bet she has changed her mind about rattle snakes, she got bitten last year and almost died... can you say $50K in hospital bills?

only a few days later we were at a different spot with a squat, waiting again, and this really large yellowish orangeish brownish tannish snake (i cant really remember) was trying to come into a our squat, and the vegan let me go at it since it was so close and i picked it up and threw it out at first (it was around 4 ft) and it came back so i tried to kill it. i took a picture when i was done, and set it out in the sun, but it continued to writhe and squirm and wasnt there later.... does anyone know whether this snake sounds harmless or not?
Click to expand...

bright colors usuallly means danger!
 
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