That's not a baby shaking that rattle

[bluerail]

if no cell reception and you have no tricky gadgets, take out your first aid kit, eat all the valuim you have , sit down and die.


personally....I'm relying on karma. it's the best thing I have.

btw zip...the image of you in shorts with your pack and those gaiters is now forever burned in my mind.

[Rob]

I carry a small VHF Ham radio for hiking emergencies and perform radio checks routinely when I reach a summit. An earlier discussion about Ham radio: http://www.mtsanjacinto.info/viewtopic.php?t=720
You may purchase a Ham radio license exam study guide at Ham radio stores in Anaheim, Burbank, or San Diego. For an entry-level Ham license, exam difficulty is the same as a driver's license written exam. The Morse code requirement vanished several years ago.

. . . Rob

[magikwalt]

Hi Rob,

The Garmin Rino 530 boast 5 watts Ham radio power and says it doesn't require a Ham license. From my days as a Marine 5 watts up high is going to carry quite a distance so the question would be is anyone listening. Also someone told me that there is a Ham repeater on top the Tram or the ranger station. Would you know about that?

Walt

[bluerail]

Hey Walt, I had talked to one of the riverside sheriffs up at the tram a couple of weeks ago and he was explaining a bunch of ham radio stuff that was beyond me, his bottom line was that the hand held unit he had was the way to go and they are on and monitoring certain channels, works well on the peak areas throughout SC, license is easy to get, etc.
Talk to one of those guys or the RMRU guys I'm sure they can help. The guy I talked to is frequently up in the bar area set up with a lap top and his radio.

[kd]

A lot of great, informative answers.

Thanks for the replies, everyone.

--Kevin

[pdforeme]

Gaiters-- What about good old snow gaiters, even in summer (that is, rather than the Cabela's one, strap on a pair of cordura snow gaiters and hope for the best

[Tim Le]

Walt, the Garmin Rino's radio portion is a GMRS two-way radio. This is the same type of radio sold in stores as family use walkie-talkies. GMRS requires a license but this just involves paying a fee. There is no test. I don't think that particular radio has the ability to connect to GMRS repeaters.

Ham radio operates on different frequencies than GMRS and requires passing a test like Rob mentioned.

As for the snake bite question it all depends on how much you are willing to sacrifice to mitigate that risk. The snake gaiters will definitely protect you, but like Z said, they're not very practical. You will get hot wearing any type of gaiter like that. Does it make sense to sacrifice comfort and convenience 100% of the time to protect against a risk that may only happen 1-2% of the time? That's a personal decision that only you can make.

My strategy when it comes to snakes is first prevention, then have the ability to call for help. The only treatment for a venomous snake bite is immediate evacuation to a medical facility with anti-venom. Prevention is mainly being super aware of my surroundings, constantly scanning the ground and staying on the trail and away from brush. This is probably effective most of the time, but clearly you can still get bit.

If I do get bit then I have to depend on my last line of defense, which is a communication device. I carry a cell phone and a PLB. I also have a Ham radio but I only bring that occasionally. The only problem with a PLB is that you can't talk back and communicate what type of emergency you have. So they may or may not come as fast and with a helo.

[Florian]

I also wear ankle high hiking boots and not trail running type shoes. Gives me another inch or so of extra protection from snake bites. I mostly just keep my eyes open and watch where i step.

-Florian

[SoCalJim]

Mortality from snakebites is not that high, but it sure helps to get antivenin ASAP. I'm a trauma RN & I've thought about this subject (mostly when I'm out on the trails in warm weather by myself, of course!). If I were alone and bitten (and no cell phone, etc.), I'd start walking towards where I could first find help. You're supposed to avoid activity after being bitten, but just sitting alone in a remote area and waiting for whatever happens doesn't seem very appealing.

[halhiker]

I saw my first rattler of the year over in the Indio Hill this afternoon. I really would have thought it would be too hot for them because it was over 100º but he was a shaded area and scooted under a rock right away. He was a few feet from me and rattled before I saw him. I was going to come down from my hike after dark but changed my plans. I've seen lotsa snakes out there but they never cease to freak me out a bit. I took a few pictures that are on my blog. Anyone know what kind of rattler it is?