Caching and snakes!

[+PopUpPirate]

Anyone come across any whilst caching? Wish I would! Never seen a snake in the wild!

 

I've been wary whilst tramping through heather that perhaps if there was going to be a snake anywhere then it would be here. I'd love to see one though!

[+Tizzie]

I spotted one within feet of the HavaStash cache in Northants. It was the first one I had seen not in a reptile house, and I wasn't sure what it was so I was wary when I put my hand in to do the retrieve. I think it must have been well gone though. It was proabably more scared than I was.

[Vanya1]

OMG OMG OMG

[Vanya1]

If I ever saw anything that looked remotely like a snake I would not just poo myself but I would give up caching.

[+studlyone]

Not seen any snakes but we have seen two slow-worms when out and about - the kids are conviced that they were king cobras albeit it very small ones (bless em LOL).

 

Ian

[The Washers UK]

Not seen any snakes but we have seen two slow-worms when out and about - the kids are conviced that they were king cobras albeit it very small ones (bless em LOL).

 

Ian

 

Was this a slow worm ?

 

http://img.geocaching.com/cache/log/096338...67a4a77b304.jpg

[+Us 4 and Jess]

We saw a grass snake in Hamsterley Forrest last year while we were caching, myself and Daniel saw it, Graham was ahead of us and by the time he had turned around it had crossed the path and gone back into the grass on the other side.

It was maybe 12 inches long and an inch or so wide, and they can fairly shift.

 

I think I am right in saying nothing in the UK is poisonous

 

Mandy

[nobby.nobbs]

Not seen any snakes but we have seen two slow-worms when out and about - the kids are conviced that they were king cobras albeit it very small ones (bless em LOL).

 

Ian

 

Was this a slow worm ?

 

http://img.geocaching.com/cache/log/096338...67a4a77b304.jpg

 

yeah that's a slow worm.

 

an adder is slightly poisonous and like anything some people are more sensitive than others.

[+Duncan!]

Anyone come across any whilst caching? Wish I would! Never seen a snake in the wild!

 

I've been wary whilst tramping through heather that perhaps if there was going to be a snake anywhere then it would be here. I'd love to see one though!

 

Hope you don't mind a post by an American (Californian) lurker...

I come across about three or four snakes a year while caching, mostly rattlers.

Here's one of the largest Western Red Diamondbacks I've encountered, almost 4 feet long.

 

 

A desert Sidewinder:

 

 

Cheers!

[+The Bolas Heathens]

We've done a few caches in the UK with pretend snakes in them which was good fun.

 

When we were caching in the US over the summer we saw quite a few snakes but usually just a blur as they slithered away when they heard us coming. The only one we managed to get a picture of was this one:

 

Edited October 2, 2006 by The Bolas Heathens

[+LollyBob]

Anyone come across any whilst caching? Wish I would! Never seen a snake in the wild!

 

I've been wary whilst tramping through heather that perhaps if there was going to be a snake anywhere then it would be here. I'd love to see one though!

 

We have never seen one, in fact, I prefer not to bump into one while out caching.

I did hear that TWD saw an adder while out caching earlier this year.

[+Munkeh]

We saw a grass snake in Hamsterley Forrest last year while we were caching, myself and Daniel saw it, Graham was ahead of us and by the time he had turned around it had crossed the path and gone back into the grass on the other side.

It was maybe 12 inches long and an inch or so wide, and they can fairly shift.

 

I think I am right in saying nothing in the UK is poisonous

 

Mandy

 

wrong adders are poisonous

[+The Flying Boots]

Mr F.B. has seen an adder whilst we were out caching in the Forest of Dean. I'm too heavy footed and it had gone by the time I'd stomped over to see where he was pointing.

 

Also saw snakes out caching in the US recently. Made sure we poked around with our walking poles before delving in any where with our hands.

[+The Hancock Clan]

We've had a few encounters whilst caching in Florida, the funniest being during the Easy Series when Mr H peered around the back of a tree coming face to face with a Florida Black Racer. Both him and the snake jumped out their skins and shot off in opposite directions like something out of a cartoon!

 

Also, whilst out there we were fortunate enough to get close enough to a rather angry Cottonmouth for a cracking photo! It was taken at the now archived Conservazen cache...

 

[+Haggis Hunter]

an adder is slightly poisonous and like anything some people are more sensitive than others.

Some people more so than others, as a person died in Wales recently from an adder bite. Small dogs are more vulnerable than people though.

Be warned when searching in gorse as they quite like to hide out in it!!

[+spannerman]

Adders are very common on Dartmoor, we've seen several when out walking with the dogs. There are some excellent pictures taken by a cacher at this cache. Poko 1

 

This one is a beauty

[+Kryten]

 

Here's a black adder

[+Geo-Kate]

Seen 3 caching snakes, all grass snakes. The first was at some meadows locally. Well I say meadows, it's a park with a stream running through and some wooded areas. We watched the grass snake slither off into the stream and swim down it fo a while!

 

And we have seen 2 snakes near Leeds Castle caching, on different days.

 

We also saw a two-dimensional snake on a road once near a cache

Edited October 2, 2006 by Geo-Kate

[+Geo-Gophers]

Haven't came across any yet....... but always have that feeling of dread when you lift up a stone or whatever on moorland in Scotland lol.......I usually let the other half have a go first

[+Mad H@ter]

Haven't came across any yet....... but always have that feeling of dread when you lift up a stone or whatever on moorland in Scotland lol.......I usually let the other half have a go first

We found one that had eaten the micro cache

.

.

.

It was a rubber one though, realistic enogh for me to nearly require a change of trousers, does this count?

[+Us 4 and Jess]

We saw a grass snake in Hamsterley Forrest last year while we were caching, myself and Daniel saw it, Graham was ahead of us and by the time he had turned around it had crossed the path and gone back into the grass on the other side.

It was maybe 12 inches long and an inch or so wide, and they can fairly shift.

 

I think I am right in saying nothing in the UK is poisonous

 

Mandy

 

wrong adders are poisonous

 

I stand corrected

 

Mandy

[Vanya1]

I had to go past the pictures very fast

 

I wouldn't be impressed if a toy snake was put in a cache that I was doing. I don't see things like that as funny.

[+Stuey]

I've had a look through the San Diego thread "Critters found while caching" and oh my god.... it makes you realise how lucky we are in Britain.

[+Dorsetgal & GeoDog]

Adders, smooth snakes and grass snakes are all to be found on Dorset heathlands. In the warmer summer months they can be seen basking on sandy slopes.

 

Like HH says, they like gorse bushes so take care when hiding and seeking caches there.

 

There was a long and informative discussion about snake bites etc on this forum quite recently so I wonlt repeat any of that here.

[+Team S-J]

Saw one a few years ago.

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/log.aspx?LU...da-c3e484728d22

A debate raged over whether or not the cache was accessable with a snake on the rock but it slithered off in the opposite direction. So we were safe to stick our hand in the hidey hole. ;-)

[+Son Of Windswept]

The only "nasty" snakes you are likely to bump into in the UK are adders. They are easily recognizable with the diamond pattern down their backs. However they are likely to be just as scared of you as you are of them. So unless you stand on one, or beat it up with a stick. You should be OK. In Touraine (France - Loire) there are a number of species of adder running around in the wild - and its fairly common for someone to get bitten by them. Usually farmers, people tidying up hedges, cutting down wood in the forest etc. We have seen a few slither across footpaths while out walking. On all of my caches here - there is a snake warning. i.e. it is gently suggested that if you go out caching, you take along Mrs. Pointy Stick :-)

[+studlyone]

Not seen any snakes but we have seen two slow-worms when out and about - the kids are conviced that they were king cobras albeit it very small ones (bless em LOL).

 

Ian

 

Was this a slow worm ?

 

http://img.geocaching.com/cache/log/096338...67a4a77b304.jpg

Yes thats the little critter - definitely not a King Cobra by any stretch of the imagination.

 

Ian

[+Boardslider]

Nearly put my hand on a young adder when retrieving a cache box back in the spring at one of our local caches but he moved out of harms way pretty quickly. Also someone logged seeing an adder at one of my caches a couple of weeks back.

 

Round here we don't hear to much about people being tagged by adders, but quite a few dogs make it into the local paper each year (sometime posthumously).

 

Good news is they will soon be going into hibernation for the winter - wish I could....

[+t.a.folk]

Adders are very common on Dartmoor, we've seen several when out walking with the dogs.

 

We were very lucky to see a couple of male adders "dancing "near Scarey Tor ...

alas we didn't have a camera with us .

[+Alibags]

Seen both grass snakes and adders when caching, including a beauty up on Froggat Edge this summer, which had a hissy fit because it was disturbed when having an innocent bask in the middle of the path, by a couple of clumping cachers. We spotted another adder at a cache and that cache I admit we DNFd because there was NO WAY I was sticking my hand into various holes just where we had seen an adder!!

[+The Gecko's]

I found three adders while completing GC63D5 - Leckhampton Ridge The largest was about 18 inches long and I managed to get a photo of one of them. I found the cache at the end of March this year and they did appear very sleepy. I almost stepped on one of them as they were just sunning themselves on the footpath and were not keen to move out of the way. In the end I had to take a different footpath to avoid them.

 

 

The following image is borrowed from Hard Oilers log for the same cache. I wish I had seen the sign before going up onto the ridge

 

 

Dave - The Gecko's

Edited October 2, 2006 by The Gecko's

[+alma]

i saw a snake when i was caching in derbyshire.it just slide across the path really slow and we had areally good look at it .i dont know what kind of snake it was but it was the only one i have seen in the wild.

[+Bambi&Thumper]

I saw a slithery thing when we were out caching in Northumberland. It just crossed my path, but I was so suprised and keen to share it with Thumper (who was miles ahead) that I forgot to look at it properly and decide what it was.

 

People always say they are far more scared of you than you are of them. Having encountered a couple slithery things (slow-worms are not snakes, but they are often killed in error), I'd say I was always so suprised and they were in such a hurry that I've never got a really good look, so they really are no problem. The only exceptions are if you step on it; stick your hand into a hole and grab it rather than a cache, or if you poke it with a big stick!

 

B.

[+macroderma]

Found this one

 

 

on the way to the Evolve Waterfall cache in Nova Scotia last year. I was on the way from Halifax to Cape Breton to do the Cabot Trail.

 

Never did find out what it was - garter snake?

 

Gave it a wide berth anyway

[+macroderma]

 

Here's a black adder

 

 

[+zensunni]

Whilst caching in Western Ausralia in December 2004 we saw a large Dugite - a species of venomous brown snake. He was sunbathing within 1 metre of the cache - Paddington's Quokka magazine - which is on the offshore Rottnest Island. He left when we arrived. Fortunately the cache was exposed so we didn't have to prod arround

Earlier this year we passed an Adder, again sunbathing, on the way to a cache.

Anne & Ken

[+Duncan!]

Almost forgot about this one. Talk about a cache guardian.

 

 

D!

[+currykev]

 

Here's a black adder

 

 

 

I think its more likely to be a Slack Bladder!..WOOF!!!

[+JustAlan]

Just to add that I've not seen a snake/slow-worm while I've been out caching in the midlands and Derbyshire - and long may it remain that way. Not that I'm frightened of snakes you understand.... more a fear of being bitten by anything (including dogs).

[+mumbo jumbo]

This is my log from Le Barrage, near Bergerac in France of 26 July:

 

"This cache represents a few firsts for me. It's my first cahce outside the UK; the first tiume I've written a log in a foreign language my first cache with East co-ordinates; and the first time I've met a snake at a cache location!!! I enjoyed the walk on a sultry afternoon and found the cache easily. I left The County Air ambulance TB and although my log says I took nothing I actually had to take something out to get the TB to fit in! TFTC . MJ"

 

It wasn't a particularly big snake but as the cache was hidden under roots in a steep bank we were pretty much eye to eye for a few seconds. Then he just slithered off. Mrs MJ freaked when I told her (some things are better left unsaid!)

[+tteggod trackers]

Came across a snake under a rock i lifted whilst caching in a Madrid park last summer. I did not hang around long enough to see what it was! Put the woolies up me and i went back to hotel without finding the cache!!!!! Saw a very small grass snake last week doing new local cache.

[+currykev]

I stumbled upon a smooth snake,I believe,in Epping Forest last Saturday.He slithered away before I could get a pic.I have no problems with any snake,its the SPIDERS that worry me.Especially at this time of year,all those webs across paths etc. YUK!!

[+Eckington]

About a year or so ago I was caching on Hayling Island, The Kench was the cache:

 

 

Was virtually at the cache, had searched several possibles and was heading for what I thought was the last when the Adder I almost trod on went just where I was going.

 

Now I like geocaching, I love it, but........DNAF (did not attempt to find)

 

[+Dorsetgal & GeoDog]

Well they are out already!

 

Just under an hour ago, I came across this is my driveway!

 

 

 

 

[+The Cache Hoppers]

Well they are out already!

 

Just under an hour ago, I came across this is my driveway!

 

 

Flamin' Nora!!!

[+hiho9]

and id be off in the other direction slowly but sharpish

[+TheWhoUK]

I found this in Neath's Knoll park, Honest luckly there were a bunch of holidaying snake catchers so thay took care of it, I swear Guv

 

TheWhoUK

 

http://www.infotechart.com/jalbum/records/anaconda.jpg

[+angel_nix]

Never seen one, but am always very wary and tend to poke around with a stick first before putting my hand into hidey holes! Not just for snakes, but for spider, frogs, toads etc etc!

 

Would definatly need a change of underwear if I came across some of them!

[+Gushoneybun]

I found this in Neath's Knoll park, Honest luckly there were a bunch of holidaying snake catchers so thay took care of it, I swear Guv

 

TheWhoUK

 

http://www.infotechart.com/jalbum/records/anaconda.jpg

 

 

I hope you got its tracking number and logged it.

[+FollowMeChaps]

Nice photos Wendy. I however have the honour to have been bitten by an adder last October whilst out doing maintenance on one of my caches. It was my own fault as I was trying to pick it up to show my wife and kids.

 

I should explain that I knew what I was doing as I was taught how to handle snakes on a marine biology course of all things many years ago. I was bitten because its 30+ years since I last did it and being a small adder I was being very gentle so as not to hurt it - unfortunately I was being too gentle.

 

The bite had me in hospital for 2 days, off work and in extreme pain from a swollen arm and upper torso for 4 weeks and I still have some slight effects even now 6 month later.

 

Just in case you need the information see the BMJ website for treatment information - most hospitals A&E departments are not experienced in them.

 

I used to always carry gardening gloves in my caching bag before but now I ALWAYS wear them before poking into holes, etc. when seeking the cache - lesson learned!!! Now, does anyone fancy doing my geocache.....!!!