Snakes on the Trails | Should trail runners and hikers be worried about our legless counterparts?

      Snake encounters are inevitable. In many parts of the US, including the northern Sierra Nevada foothills where I live, coming across snakes between the months of March and November is a certainty. I don't have an active count of how many snakes I've seen while running, but this year alone, the count is somewhere around nine. These encounters range from running past harmless insect-eating snakes to unwittingly running right up to large and pissed off rattlers. With these intimidating slithery creatures on the prowl in our playground, it's worth considering what role they play in the risks associated with trail running and hiking, and how much of our brain space we should allow them to consume.

     To be perfectly fair, I think it's important to point out that fear of snakebites is not in any way unfounded. Venomous snakes are dangerous. Around 8,000 people are bitten by venomous snakes every year in the US, and many of those people suffer the effects of the hemotoxins and neurotoxins with which they are injected. There is a reason we all throw on the breaks when we see a rattlesnake, or break our long-jump PR when it's clear we won't be able to stop ourselves in time. These animals are dangerous and can inflict real damage to the human body, and they are to be avoided (obviously).

     Should they stop us from doing what we enjoy? Are the joys of running in the mountains and foothills outweighed by the risk of suffering and death at the hands of a snake? Statistics point to an obvious no. I've had a number of people tell me they are afraid to run in the hills in the summer because they are afraid of snakes, and to be fair to those people, if you do consistently run in the hills in the summer you will run into some snakes. They are all over the place, but how dangerous are they? 

     According to the CDC, the United States sees around 8,000 venomous snakebites on a yearly basis. Of these, only about 5 people die. That's not a negligible risk, but here is a list of things more likely to kill you than snakes:

• Lightning kills an average of 43 people in the US every year. 
• Insects kill an average of 63 people every year. 
• Tree limbs kill hundreds every year (Not typically in a running/hiking context, but it isn't uncommon.

        Not to mention the risk of just getting ourselves to the trails in an automobile. 

    I'm sorry if this list has just given you additional things to worry about but the point is not that there are many thing in nature that can kill us, but rather that we undergo a number of risks in life. The risk of being killed by a venomous snake while on a run is by no means zero, but it absolutely does not outweigh the benefits of running and hiking on trails. But if it is still a concern lingering in your head (like it does in mine) there are things you can do to mitigate the risks.  

     

     The primary one is to carry a cell phone. Despite what you may have heard, there is no hope of sucking venom out of a snakebite after being envenomated. Old tales of this method have been widely debunked. Instead, the only viable treatment consists of getting to a hospital and being given anti-venom. Carrying a cell phone (provided you have service) allows a snakebite victim to contact emergency services for help, be extracted, and be taken to a hospital. 

     Still, the benefits of trail running are high, and the risks of snakebites are low. While running up to, or even having to jump over or manoeuvre around a venomous snake at some point is an inevitability, there are millions of runners in the US alone who have run countless miles in snake-invested land without ever having a serious incident. Accidents happen, but for the most part our legless friends want nothing to do with us. Carry a phone, respect the snake's distance, and be sure to take a picture from a safe distance to show your friends later (it will make your runs seem more hardcore), but never let the presence of snakes interfere with your training and love for the outdoors.

Keep on getting out there!

Here are some pictures of the beautiful danger noodles I've seen this year.