Any ideas about affordable snake protections for kids on hikes? (Phoenix: for sale, to live) - Arizona (AZ) - City-Data Forum

greendesert · 04-18-2011, 12:06 PM

Ok, we like (at least me and my kids, not so much my wife) to go to places like Lake Pleasant to enjoy the lake and hike around on the trails. So many beautiful places and fascinating wildlife... however last night we had an encounter with a rattlesnake on the trail. The kids had been swimming in the lake so they were just wearing swimsuits and flipflops... not exactly proper hiking attire for the desert. Still, I lead the way and just paid close attention to the trail to make sure we don't stumble onto one by mistake. Sure enough, on the way back (it was a short little hike), i saw this tiger rattlesnake accross the path about 10 ft ahead. It started rattling as soon as it noticed us, and it slithered accross the path and out of the way. My wife just about peed her pants (she has a major snake phobia).
I thought it was a very neat experience, so did the kids.
So, I don't want to allow this incident to keep us from the outdoors, but obviously I need to figure out some stuff we could wear, especially the kids, that would protect us in the event that we do stumble into one and don't notice it until too late. The main problem is: We're BROKE.
I saw snake boots for sale that are over $100, that is NOT something we can afford. My kids are ages 6,8,10. Any ideas?
Also since they're not very tall, their knees are not that high. Even if they wore knee high boots, wouldn't it be within striking range above the boots?

By the way, this is the very first time we encountered one after 3 years, so no, they're not "everywhere", but the hills around the lake are probably "blessed" with more of them than places closer to the city.

oops... I noticed the typo in title. but y'all get it I think.

rational1 · 04-18-2011, 08:40 PM

> Even if they wore knee high boots, wouldn't it be within striking range above the boots?

Yes. I recall hearing (at the snake show, at the Tucson desert museum) that they can strike a third or a half of their length.

Some sort of boots are a good idea on general principles, but I don't think they are a protection against rattlers.

momtogrif · 04-18-2011, 11:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rational1

> Even if they wore knee high boots, wouldn't it be within striking range above the boots?

Yes. I recall hearing (at the snake show, at the Tucson desert museum) that they can strike a third or a half of their length.

Some sort of boots are a good idea on general principles, but I don't think they are a protection against rattlers.

Exactly, I don't think there is much protection from rattlers. Being trail savvy and just keeping an eye out is the best protection.

Funny, my son (12) stepped on a rattler last week while we were hiking Thunderbird Park. We were stepping out of the way of a runner and he looked down after realizing the ground he stepped on was squishy. I saw his face, looked down, and saw the rattle start going. The snake was coiled and resting on the trail so we were lucky he didn't try to strike either one of us. VERY SCARY for us! It was crazy because most times I either see them crossing the trail or off on the rocks farther away from where people walk/travel. We did hike the trail again the other day just to help us get over our trepidation of hiking that trail again, LOL!

EnicAZ · 04-19-2011, 08:44 AM

There is no such thing as a full or complete protection for your kids. That being said, there are a couple of companies who manufacture snake boots and arm guards for kids sizes. These companies can be found by performing a simple search engine search. Don't forget to encourage them about safety.

greendesert · 04-19-2011, 10:34 AM

wow, that's crazy to have your kid step on one. That would freak me out. Every once in a while I hear people say that they've been in Phoenix for X number of years and never saw a snake... yeah maybe if you live downtown, but if you ever hike any of the mountian parks, you're going to see them, and maybe even step on one if you're not careful. Good move about going back to get over the initial fear. My mom had a car accident 20 years ago and never drove again to this day. That's no way to live.