Saturday July 7, 2012 Very Hot 104 Degrees

Saturday July 7, 2012  Very Hot

HEAT RISKS!

Heat emergencies that would be quickly and easily rectified in the front country may result in permanent injury or death in the back country

At 13:45 it was around 104 degrees at the contact station.

HYDRATION!
It would not be unusual for an adult doing this hike in these high temperatures to require 120 ounces or more of water

With very hot weather upon us remember that this hike requires lots of exertion and you will have no sources of water on the mountain. Once you are back in the hollows many springs and small water courses will be dry. When you can find open water keep in mind it should be filtered, treated or boiled if you are going to consume it. With the amount of sweating you will be doing pay attention to your electrolyte replacement as well.

PLEASE BE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOURSELF AND MEMBERS OF YOUR PARTY

While this hike is within easy driving distance of modern front country conditions it is BACK COUNTRY. Assume your cell phone will either not work or only work high on the mountain which means you will need to walk hours just to get to a phone to report any emergency. Once reported an emergency response will take additional hours. A heat emergency that would be quickly and easily responded to with lots of water, perhaps even ice, or an air conditioned environment in the front country will not have these resources available on Old Rag. Dealing with extreme heat can present a much greater challenge than dealing with cold. With the cold you can add extra layers (assuming you brought them) but with temperatures in the 90's and above you probably do not have any layers to shed. Heat emergencies that would be quickly and easily rectified in the front country may result in permanent injury or death in the back country.

Individuals who are impaired in their ability to self regulate in hot temperatures will be at extreme risk on this hike when the temperatures go above 90 especially so when temperatures approach or exceed six figures. Taking an infant on this hike in hot temperatures may be just as irresponsible as leaving them in a locked car in the sun. Encouraging someone you know to use this hike to burn some extra calories or get in better shape may be a great idea at 75 degrees but result in a medical emergency at hotter temperatures.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

The next link is specific to hot weather hiking in Grand Canyon but much of its advice is applicable to any hot weather hike:
http://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/hike-smart.htm

http://www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/extremeheat/heat_guide.asp

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat_illness

The next link is specific to hot weather hiking with infants and todlers in Grand Canyon but much of its advice is applicable to any hot weather hike with young children:
http://www.nps.gov/grca/photosmultimedia/hike_smart-05.htm



A hazy view west from just above the CCC stairs on the Saddle Trail.

A view of Old Rag near Byrds Nest shelter.

I almost never see snakes on the trails during the day but often see them on or near the trails and roads at night.   You should have a good light and be paying attention.

WATCH WHERE YOU PUT YOUR HANDS AND FEET!

The following picture is of a black phase Timber Rattler sliding down onto an Old Rag trail.   Please do not harm any of the snakes in the park.   They keep the rodent population down which in turns limits the number of infected ticks.

A picture of the same Timber Rattle snake a few seconds later.

A Copperhead seen on the Weakly Hollow Fire Road.

Sunday July 17, 2011 Old Rag tunnel/cave Rattlesnake

On Sunday July 17, 2011 there was a good sized Timber Rattlesnake  Crotalus horridus located in what some call the cave and some call the tunnel.      As you entered the cave from downhill there is a spot where you make a sharp right hand turn.   The snake was located on the far left on a rock shelf and was being very good about issuing a warning rattle whenever folks got within about 20 feet.    (I am not sure why there are funny alien sounding background noises with the video they did not exist in the wild.)   

I started getting reports about this snake over an hour before I got to it.    It stayed were it was for at least 2 to three hours and lots of hikers got the wonderful opportunity to see it and perhaps get some pictures.   I am really happy to say that there was no hiker mis-behaviour in regards to this  animal.

All of the Rattlesnakes I have seen close to the trails on Old Rag I have seen during the day and in every case they were good about alerting me to their presence with loud rattling.    All of the Copperheads I have seen near the trail on Old Rag (except a dead one on the road near the parking lot) I have seen between 18:00 and 24:00.   Copperheads can not warn you with a rattle. 

WHAT TO DO IF BITTEN

While it is unlikely that an adult human who has been envenomed will die it would not be unheard of to lose a digit, hand, or major functionality of a limb for the rest of your life.   Anti-venom is very expensive with a full course of treatment costing over $15K-$20K.   It is possible to receive a dry bite.   If one is bitten the best thing to do is move deliberately towards the closest emergency medical facility.   Do not run.  Try to keep your heart rate as low as possible while still minimizing your time to emergency medical facilities.  If extra hikers are available you can send runners out to the nearest place where they can contact the Park's emergency dispatcher.    Unless you have had specific training do not try "cutting and sucking" "tourniquets" or other first aid since there is a good chance anything you might do will cause more harm than good. 

SNAKES AND GRACE

Sometimes you need to gracefully enjoy life's ironies.   Like participating in a relationship with a wonderfully gifted  person who also has tragic flaws, snakes are just the way they are by nature's, the universe's  or God's design (depending on your leanings).   My sense is the best thing to do is skillfully stylistically, artfully, ethically commit to the tumult, flirt, dance, conversation, amble, ride, meal, performance, ... taking advantage and appreciating the fun fascinating good things while avoiding the curiously bad.    Witness, learn, play, celebrate what Nature, God, the Universe have provided.

SNAKES ARE YOUR FRIENDS

The most dangerous risk for visitors to the park are tick bites that transmit a disease.    The natural reservoir from which ticks become infected are small mammals like mice, voles, chipmunks, squirrels.   To the extent that snakes can keep the small mammal population down it will lower the number of ticks which are carrying human diseases.     Except for the obvious situations where a snake is a clear danger to humans please do not hurt, harass, or bother them in anyway.     They lead a very tenuous life and even disturbing them could potential lead to a cascade of events that would cause their death.  

LEARN ABOUT SNAKES

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crotalus_horridus

Just like the Catskills we have both Timber Rattlesnakes and Copperheads.   The following link has a lot of useful information but expect that any of the date related entries to be potentially different for our area.

http://catskillmountaineer.com/animals-snakes.html

Viginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries:

http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/wildlife/information/?s=030012

RATTLESNAKE MATING OR COMBAT DANCE

Sharon a friend of mine at work loves to visit Skyline drive and shared this photo her partner took of two Timber Rattlesnakes (one dark phase and one yellow phase) engaged in either mating or a combat dance right next to Skyline Drive. Sharon is pretty sure it did not appear to be a combat dance so she is voting for mating.
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Male rattlesnakes engage in an almost ritualized combat dance in which they do not hurt each other but rear up off the ground and then try to push each other down to the ground. Almost like a game of thumb wrestling. The winner gets to mate with the nearby female. Here are two links to a video but if you google there are others:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5fsLBRO_Cg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwoFPiYRm-g