Yup, I do hike with sandals in the heat - for that reason. In over ten years here I've yet to encounter a rattler. Common down around Phoenix and Tucson hiking. Have only run across a garter snake down in Glen Canyon. The rattlers are here. Just not saying hello to me. Met a lot down in the Sonoran Desert but they never struck like in the movies unless I approached them. Most rattlesnake bites happen to intoxicated, testosterone poisoned men in their 20s and 30s.....rest of us give them a wide berth. Little cactus around here...just scrub. Pretty easy to see and avoid.
Yesterday I was out on the River Trail up Glen Canyon and a guy going the other way commented how cool I must be. I assured him I was. Lovely breeze/wind blowing to cut the heat and the kilt allowed me to benefit from it.
I used to feel that way about poisonous snakes until I met someone who'd been bitten by a viper 30 years earlier. About that time I gave up on boots and went with flip flops! Our risk assessment skills aren't always good!
Originally Posted by Riverkilt
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