A little question about Carolina caching.... (applies to other areas too)

[IntrepidDreamer]

To Southern Geocachers:

 

I'm going to be visiting North and South Carolina next month...and i'm a little scared when it comes to snakes.

 

1. Will I find any while caching?

2. If so, what should I wear to protect myself?

3. What do you normally wear while geocaching?

4. Could you recommend any caches in and around Charlotte?

 

Thanks!

 

MusicalJacob

 

____-_

 

'A little brains, a little talent, with an emphasis on the latter...'

-dadgum Yankees

[+Number 6]

I've lived in the Triangle area for more than three years. The only ones I've seen here were the ones in the Natural History Museum and one in the woods across the street from where I live. Haven't seen any biking, hiking, or geocaching.

 

Be Seeing You!

[JeffersonStone]

Wear pants. Bring a walking stick. Contact someone near Charlotte like The Mariner or adventuretom. Snakes don't like the hot heat much, but you may find one basking in the sun on a log. I haven't seen many this year, and I work outside all the time. Also, there are some good caches in the Charleston, SC area. Whatever you do, have plenty of fun and stay cool!!!!!

 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If a had a nickel for every sewerline near rivers and lakes, I'd be RICH!!

[IntrepidDreamer]

Thank you so much for the answer...I was getting scared...

 

Another question...what are your favorite caches in the Charlotte area?

 

Thanks again,

MusicalJacob

 

'A little brains, a little talent, with an emphasis on the latter...'

-dadgum Yankees

[+JoeyBob]

Look up their caches. Two great guys who do a lot for geocaching. Worth a trip from Raleigh, actually!

Haven't seen many snakes this year, but I carry a hiking stick for poking around, you never know....

[+JoeyBob]

Look up their caches. Two great guys who do a lot for geocaching. Worth a trip from Raleigh, actually!

Haven't seen many snakes this year, but I carry a hiking stick for poking around, you never know....

[+squishy]

As others have said, wear long pants and carry a stick. Further, be alert and keep your eyes on the trail, not your GPSr. I was returning from a cache in Raleigh and was fiddling with the GPSr while walking and almost stepped on a large black snake. (Non-threatening, beneficial snake, but still would dislike being trod upon.)

 

So simply be aware and poke around the underbrush before stepping or reaching and you'll be ok.

 

--Squishy

[+Snowtrail]

There are only 4 poisonous snakes in NC, cottonmouth (usually found in Eastern NC in swamps), coral snake (which I've never seen in the wild), Eastern Diamondback rattlesnakes and copperheads. The copperheads are found in wood piles, as are rattlesnakes. Copperheads are becoming rare because people kill them when they find them.

 

With all that said, I haven't seen any snakes in the Charlotte area. Poison ivy, yes, snakes no. Wear long pants and bug spray. A stick is nice, use it to poke around in things instead of getting your hand in places that spiders and others hang out. I usually can find one on the spot, but a walking stick can be useful as well.

 

Favorite caches in the Charlotte area... well how much time do you have? There are several multi-caches that are nice, but they'll take at least 2 hours each. If you're just popping in, there are several easy ones within a short distance of each other that you can hit.

 

I have been in a very snake infested area (not in Charlotte) where I "walked loudly" by stomping my feet on the ground. The vibrations were enough to scare them away. They were brown snakes, non-poisonous, and hang out around still-water.

 

I'd be more concerned with the ivy than snakes.

[IntrepidDreamer]

Snowtrail, Squishy: Thanks so much.

 

I will be doubly blessed because I won't be alone when caching, (and my dad is a GPS hog), so I'll keep an eye open. I'm SO excited about my trip in a month, it makes me wanna just quit my show and catch a plane!

 

MusicalJacob

 

____

 

'A little brains, a little talent, with an emphasis on the latter...'

-dadgum Yankees

[+helixblue]

Supposedly Falls lake, North of Raleigh, is a great place to find cottonmouth snakes. I've only seen one myself on a cache, and it was Beaver's Playground:

 

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.asp?ID=379

 

If you don't mess with them, they won't mess with you. Of course, I really wanted it's photo after it struck at me for nearly stepping on it.. so like the herpin' dumbass I am tried to get it back out with a stick. It was gone

[+helixblue]

Supposedly Falls lake, North of Raleigh, is a great place to find cottonmouth snakes. I've only seen one myself on a cache, and it was Beaver's Playground:

 

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.asp?ID=379

 

If you don't mess with them, they won't mess with you. Of course, I really wanted it's photo after it struck at me for nearly stepping on it.. so like the herpin' dumbass I am tried to get it back out with a stick. It was gone

[JeffersonStone]

I heard the same thing about cottonmouths. Not to say there isn't any around here, but I've been told by wetlands biologists and other biologists that cottonmouths are rare around here. I work outside and see snakes all the time. The ones around the water look like they might be a copperhead. Me not sure though. All in all, I don't like snakes, so my suggestion is WAIT TIL WINTER! Just kidding. May wanna try some snake chaps???

 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If I had a nickel for every sewerline near rivers and lakes, I'd be RICH!!

[JeffersonStone]

I heard the same thing about cottonmouths. Not to say there isn't any around here, but I've been told by wetlands biologists and other biologists that cottonmouths are rare around here. I work outside and see snakes all the time. The ones around the water look like they might be a copperhead. Me not sure though. All in all, I don't like snakes, so my suggestion is WAIT TIL WINTER! Just kidding. May wanna try some snake chaps???

 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If I had a nickel for every sewerline near rivers and lakes, I'd be RICH!!

[+Sea_Dog]

quote:

---

Despite the above-average snakebite numbers, officials warn against unnecessary panic. Only 5 percent of the snakes sighted end up being venomous, Stine said, adding that snakes are a great controller of rodents and insects.

 

---

 

Article in local paper yesterday.

http://www.pilotonline.com/news/nw0719sna.html

[+JoeyBob]

We have had about 3 times as many snake bites as normal this year. For some reason, Poison Control is wild on giving antivenom this year. We have already run short of antivenom once. Mostly copperheads, but the last one wasn't able to bring in the snake with him.

BTW, I am in a trauma center in Wake County, NC

[+JoeyBob]

We have had about 3 times as many snake bites as normal this year. For some reason, Poison Control is wild on giving antivenom this year. We have already run short of antivenom once. Mostly copperheads, but the last one wasn't able to bring in the snake with him.

BTW, I am in a trauma center in Wake County, NC

[+bartacus]

This new site also has another article, Snake Facts And Tips, linked from the following article.

 

Don't Cut, Suck Snakebite Site

 

In the movies, the victim of a venomous snakebite is often saved by a quick-thinking companion who applies a tourniquet, cuts the skin, sucks out the poison, and spits it on to the ground.

 

It makes for a dramatic scene, but it is not good medicine, according to an article published in the Aug. 1 edition of the New England Journal of Medicine. Physicians at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore collaborated with researchers at the Rocky Mountain Poison Center in Denver to conduct the study.

 

"Incision and suction as first aid measures are strongly discouraged," said Dr. Robert Barish, an emergency department physician who is associate dean for clinical affairs at the university. "Following any venomous snakebite, the victim should be moved out of harm's way and transported to the nearest medical facility as soon as possible."

 

Barish said that cutting and sucking, or applying a tourniquet or ice does nothing to help the victim.

 

"Although these outdated measures are still widely accepted by the general public, they may do more harm than good by delaying prompt medical care, contaminating the wound or by damaging nerves and blood vessels," he said.

 

"Victims of venomous snakebites require aggressive emergency medical care and if necessary, the administration of antivenin to fight the potentially fatal poison," said Dr. Barry Gold, clinical assistant professor of medicine at the university and the study's lead researcher.

 

The American Association of Poison Control Centers estimates that there are 2,000 venomous snakebites every year in the United States, but because many cases go unreported, the number may be as high as 8,000, according to Barish and Gold.

 

Of the reported venomous snakebites each year in the United States, five or six are fatal. Deaths typically occur in children, the elderly, or when antivenin is not given, is administered too late, or is given in insufficient doses, according to statistics.

 

Snakebites are most common in the spring and summer, when snakes are active and people are engaged in outdoor activities, such as hiking or camping. The typical victim is a 17- to 27-year-old male. Most of the bites are on the upper extremities, resulting from a deliberate attempt to handle or disturb the snake. Studies have shown that alcohol intoxication is a factor in many venomous snakebites.

 

Of the 120 species of snakes indigenous to the United States, about 20 are venomous. Most are pit vipers such as rattlesnakes, copperheads and cottonmouths. The composition and harmful effects of the venom vary with the species, age of the snake, geographic location and time of year. Rattlesnakes and cottonmouths are more venomous than copperheads. Symptoms usually emerge within 30 to 60 minutes of the bite, but may be delayed for several hours. They include pain and swelling followed by nausea, vomiting and weakness. Severe symptoms include low blood pressure, difficulty breathing and shock.

 

The most common reaction to snakebite is fear. Many people believe that any bite from a poisonous snake will lead to illness or death. But in fact, 25 percent of all pit viper bites are "dry" and do not result in envenomation. Since the advent of antivenin, the death rate from pit viper bites has declined from 5 to 25 percent in the 19th century to less than .1 percent today.

 

[+Number 6]

Saw something from Jeff Corwin or Steve Irwin that said most snakes do not intentionally use their venom for defensive strikes such as when hitting drunk 17 to 27 year old males. They save it for rats, mice, and other things they intend to eat.

 

Be Seeing You!

[+gpsfun]

I've been told that the number of upper extremity snakebites on males in Georgia shows an inverse correlation with SAT scores...

[+gpsfun]

I've been told that the number of upper extremity snakebites on males in Georgia shows an inverse correlation with SAT scores...

[+Allen_L]

So does this mean when you go to the emergency room with a snake bite one the form you fill out has on it:

 

Name _________

Address _________

Phone Number ________

Sex _______

Type of injury ________

If Snakebite SAT score _________

 

If not how do they know there is a correlation?

[BigDoggie]

Snakebites are rare and, unless you are miles from your car and cellphone, rarely the cause of serious problems.

 

More likely problems. Mosquitos the size of sparrows... hungry sparrows. Ticks... the Carolinas are right on the edge of Lyme Disease territory. And poison ivy, which can truly ruin your day.

 

=================================

Interested in Geocaching in the state of Georgia? Visit the Georgia Geocachers Association at http://www.ggaonline.org

[JeffersonStone]

I'll take a severe beating with a poison ivy branch rather than come across a snake.

 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If I had a nickel for every sewerline near rivers and lakes, I'd be RICH!!

[+honeychile]

I've seen two snakes this year, both trying their best to get away from me. One was in the river as Bartacus and I were fording it on a Three-Hour-Tour quest. It was one of those, "hey look, there goes a snake!" kind of things.

 

The other was on the way back from Great Big Rock, and it was nowhere near the cache, just a big black snake making his way across the path. In fact, I had to chase him down to get his photo!

 

-honeychile-

 

'*+.,_,.+*'`'*+.,_A joyful heart is good medicine!_,.+*'`'*+.,_,.+*'`

[pat2run]

I am always worrried about snakes, but never see any... It doesn't mean that they aren't there. Like others have said, Carry a cell phone, walking stick. I have an aluminum one that collapses made for hiking... very nice.

 

The most dangerous thing I would worry about are TICKS! Yes Ticks are everywhere in SC and carry Lyme desease that can mess you up really bad!

 

Out of the Cache's that I have found, I always end up with one or two ticks on me. Have someone check you all over after you get back from caching.

[IntrepidDreamer]

Hey all,

I know that this is a LITTLE late, but - okay, i'm VERY late - , but I spent six days in Charlotte and had a ball! I did about 10 geocaches...I'll list them later...and I found EVERY SINGLE ONE! No snakes, thanks for the advice. I needed it.

1. Tomb of the Unknown Mustang (a little easy)

2. Urban Get-away II (a little hard)

3. A Walk in the Park (a little confusing)

4. Fire Box #1 (a little hard to find the parking lot)

5. Single Track Stash (a little too open)

6. Sesqui 3 (a little exposed)

7. Sesqui 4 (a little frustrating)

8. Sesqui 5 (a little scary)

9. The Camping Stash (a little annoying, but it kinda grows on you)

 

VIRTUAL:

10. Latta Raptors on Mountain Island (a little beautiful)

11. Ferguson's Folly (a little historic)

 

All in all, I THOROUGHLY enjoyed NC and SC. I invite you with all of my heart to come to Maryland. Or at least drop me an email from time to time.

 

This thread no longer has a purpose, so I am proposing its close.

 

Thanks again,

Musical Jacob (a little geocacher)