[jonolover]

I am thinking of going to umtanum this weekend. From the various snakes-related messages, should I be afraid and not go there? Please help. Thanks!

[-florida]

I went Thursday started in Rattlesnake Alley, Had four separate meetings with Rattlers in the first mile. 2 ran, 2 rattled and ran then I ran all the way back to the parking lot. It all depends on whether you have nerves of steel. I only made it just across the creek before I said forget it! (Also saw a Racer on the way in and one more Rattler on the way back out. Heard that I had "just missed" a big one (rattler) on the RR Tracks when I got back to the Parking Lot. Too bad!) Good Luck if you go. Be Careful!

[Alan Bauer]

Florida said as it is...you shouldn't be afraid of them, but you also should know how to hike in such habitat, know what to expect, how to react, and if you are camping you have extra precautions to take regarding things. Umtanum is beautiful, and also happens to be one of the thickest concentrations of rattlesnakes in the region. Go up high on the ridges and you'll see far fewer (but they can still be up there high as well, just not likely as many).

[tk-421]

So... what is the current wisdom concerning the treatment of snake bites? Cut and suck? Tourniquet? Helicopter? Kill the snake and bring it with you for antivenin ID? We didn't have to deal with snakes in Alaska.

[salish]

I think the conventional wisdom is to not cut anything, but possibly tie a tourniquet above the bite (not tightly) and walk calmly back to your rig and head to the nearest hospital. Like veterinarians in the region, ER staff and paramedics in central & eastern Washington are not unfamiliar with rattlesnake bites and know what to do. I wouldn't bother wasting the energy and stress killing one, unless you want a trophy of the critter that bit you. I don't think you need to bring a dead rattler in for antivenin. If you plan to hike these areas from spring into late fall, I would suggest investing in snakeproof boots or leggings. I hunt this area frequently in the winter months and we still encounter rattlers as late as late October and early November. My hunting partner was bitten by a rattler a few miles away in the Quilomene Wildlife Area in October of last year and his brush chaps took the hit and the fangs never penetrated skin. The snake struck him on the upper thigh (near the femoral artery) as he was climbing over some sagebrush. Pretty scary for him, since he was a few miles away from his truck, in rough terrain, off trail. Just be aware of everything around you and stay away from likely areas and enjoy the Umtanum. Like Alan says it's one of our beautiful treasures.

[MCaver]

Looks like I'll only be going to Umtanum from December to February!

[-florida]

I wholeheartedly agree with Salish on the treatment issue. The whole idea is to slow the venom from circulating in the blood stream. If you don't know what your doing with a snake bite kit or knife you could just make matters worse. Also just to clarify on my part, IT IS a fabulous place no doubt. I love the Yakima Canyon and I will go back! I just found myself spending more time looking down than around. Now this is just me, I came across quite a few others that seemed quite comfortable. My plan was to come back in the winter so thanks for the heads up on how long they hang around. I knew snakes were there but I still drove 6 hours to try it. What can I say, I tried but chickened out. ANY snakes give me the heebie jeebies so I give myself an A for attempt. Funny though, I ended up hiking in the Columbia Gorge today at a place close to the Eastern border that warns to watch out for rattlesnakes. Those warnings seem humorous now!

[-florida]

Oh, and just one more thing comes to mind for precautions sake.... If you don't know what the rattle sounds like (like I didn't) and you hear something that sounds like a REALLY loud bee buzzing (What IS that loud buzzing sound I say to myself) It is Mr. Rattler warning you to move.

[salish]

Thanks for the tips Florida. I'm kind of like you, too. If I'm in a snake infested area I don't enjoy it as much as other areas because I'm always looking around, too. In regard to snakes around here, the big kingpin area for snakes (as far as I know) used to be the Vantage area. The old highway (before the current bridge was built) went down to the river north of the main Vantage area and there were lot's snakes there. You can still see where the old highway intersects the river from across the river, when you're driving up around those wild horse sculptures. I once met a big tough construction worker type who worked at a rock quarry near there in the 1960s and he left his job because of rattlers. He drove a caterpillar or something and encountered rattlesnakes all day long. One day he got off his tractor and walked to an open shed where he kept his lunchbox and there was a rattler slithering around his lunch pail. He said that was enough and left his lunch pail there and walked to his truck and drove away, never to return. What I'm curious about is the venom put out by these snakes. Since the Mojave rattler in southern California is a smaller sized snake, yet puts out really strong and dangerous venom, lot's of people are saying that smaller rattlers in general have stronger venom than larger snakes. I think I'll try to find a herpetologist to ask about that, but I don't think that's true of "our" snakes, or else we would have heard about it.

[Alan Bauer]

Another sound that I humoursly found out sounds just like a rattlesnake's warning is the sound of air rushing out of your now flat rear tire. Last year in Douglas Creek Canyon I accidentally backed into a huge rock and burst my rear tire...went flat in about two minutes. After dealing with that we then went on and encountered two rattlesnakes and by golly their rattles sounded identical to my tire! I even commented to my hiking partner that day "Hey Gary, that rascal sounded JUST LIKE my flat tire!". Treatments--- I would only even think about applying any pressure around the area of a snake bite if I knew it was going to be a long time before getting any help. Medical people I have spoken to said that so many more long term effects from a bite are seen each year from people mistreating a bite than from any bites themselves, and this is one of them. One doctor had to amputate the leg of a woman who did this and of course you know the story from here...too tight, no blood, leg was blue and black when she came in, etc.... The most important thing is to watch for signs of shock and treat accordingly as you would for any serious injury and need to treat for shock. So like with many other risks of the outdoors, the worst threat could be from a snake bite when you are alone AND in a very isolated area where no one is likely to stumble across to help you. In those cases you need to take care of yourself. Wear leg chaps and good boots if you consider beating the brush, or minimumly hike with someone so should something happen you have help. I spend too much time watching for snakes too, but I won't allow it to make me miss the experience out there. I just go slower than my already slow pace so I can watch for snakes and still enjoy the place. I can't fully recall what I read once, but seem to think that younger snakes might be more of a problem because they also "are not as experienced" as old grandpa snake and tend to react differently than an old fella by striking. I sure haven't seen this to be the case at all. Three of the last four rattlesnakes I saw were <4 feet (one only 2' max) and they didn't move until they almost had to shoot across my boots to get away! But that they did...they just blasted away from me and didn't rattle until they were well away from me and hiding. Damn things...scares the heck out of you when you are watching for them too but still don't see them! Now...imagine the case of being on high snake alert...and BOOM a flock of grouse launch out of the brush not three feet away! I had to kick-start my heart again two weeks ago when that happened...