Mountain Biking - Any snake bite, or near snake bite stories out there?

Whoops...I did a search, after this post. I am attaching the little paper aimpoint over my heart and having a blindfold fitted at this time.....

Heading says it all. Since I've left my roadbike behind and gone to the mountains, was just wondering, about these critters laying out on the trails. I hike alot, and don't really have much problem, but I was curious about the increased speed coming down some of these trails. Perhaps, there is not as much time for the critters to get out of the way? I wouldn't think that they would be as much of a threat to us onboard the bike as we are to them, but then again, I'm new.

Thanks

Neun

Nope, no bites, but I have seen my share of snakes. My wife and I were loping along the C&O Canal Trail, near Great Falls, when some kind of small snake started slithering parallel to her, and was trying to bite at her ankle. Had to toss a rock toward a large snake (don't know what it was) once, to get it to move out of the middle of a trail, appeared to be taking in the sun there. Saw lots of people bagging rattlesnakes in Pa. once, to extract venom for use in snakebite serum. But no bites, and no close calls (at least that I am aware of).

Nope, no bites, but I have seen my share of snakes. My wife and I were loping along the C&O Canal Trail, near Great Falls, when some kind of small snake started slithering parallel to her, and was trying to bite at her ankle. Had to toss a rock toward a large snake (don't know what it was) once, to get it to move out of the middle of a trail, appeared to be taking in the sun there. Saw lots of people bagging rattlesnakes in Pa. once, to extract venom for use in snakebite serum. But no bites, and no close calls (at least that I am aware of).

most snakes will leave you alone as long as youre not harrassing them or right on top of them...

As the sun goes down they like to come out and sit on the asphalt bike trails to keep warm. I recall coming down a hill moving at about 25mph and seeing a 12ft rattler enjoying sundown. I was able to miss him but I was sure nervous that he wouldn't miss me. That and mountain lions were always worth keeping an eye out for when I use to ride in the CA hills. Getting caught in a grass fire was also a worry, although they usually will close the trails when fire danger get to a 10. Now in FL I just road ride and watch out for blue haired older ladies.

When I was a dumb kid (yeah, not too long ago LOL), I was at a MTB race.
I saw a little snake right off the trail, near the parking area. I thought snakes were cool, so I walked over to it and stepped on its tail, lightly, because I was going to pick it up. Little did I know that I stepped on its rattler. I reached down and it BARELY missed a finger, so I jumped back. Then it started rattling like crazy.
oops.

Ok, here's a nasty snake bite story: my sister was walking near Lake Folsom (Sacramento area) and was hit on the thigh by a big rattler that DID NOT RATTLE! She said it felt like she had been slapped hard with a fishing rod across her leg. After getting into their small fishing boat, they flagged down a CHP officer and got a high speed ride to the hospital (ironically where she works) and spent 3 days there. She said 1-2 minutes after the bite, she had a strong metallic taste and 15 minutes later her chest was tight. Her leg looked like a over ripe banana in color with a weird green too. It took close to 2 years before that area completely healed back to normal.
I know this is not PC, but when I hunt the foothills in the Central Valley (dove or wild pig), I blast every rattler I come across. I may be upsetting the balance of nature, but a few more gophers I can live with. We have also lost 2 dogs over the last 5-10 years to bites in the Three Rivers area (below Sequoia National Park on Hwy 198). I hate rattlers.

I recall coming down a hill moving at about 25mph and seeing a 12ft rattler enjoying sundown.

If only there were such a Rattle Snake that was that big, Rattle snakes rarely get over 6 feet long.

Last summer I ran over the tail of a Copperhead that struck the frame right behind my foot.

Now in FL I just road ride and watch out for blue haired older ladies.

The blue hairs are far...far...far...more dangerous on the road behind the wheels of their Caddy-wompi than Mr. Rattlesnake is out in the woods :D

Was on a trail last spring, got off the bike to get to a patch of timber where I had found mushrooms before. Working my way along a creek bottom on some big slabs of concrete that had been dumped there, after about forty yards a saw a cottonmouth sunning itself about two slabs below the one I was standing on. As I looked around I realized in horror that I had walked into a colony of them and they were all around me. It was Mid day, Mid to late April and they were trying to warm up in the sunshine. Didn't pay too much attention to me, so I started out the same way I came in. I got out safely, but my leggs were heavy for the rest of the ride.

I was bitten by a copperhead once, on the outside of my calf, but it was a mostly dry bite and only hurt like hell. The area swelled up and I got really nauseous in the couple of hours right after the bite. I remember it taking several months to heal and it itched about as bad during that process as anything I can remember.