Eustace Conway hiked the AT with very little money.
Eustace Conway hiked the AT with very little money.
so the definition of a criminal is someone who breaks the law and you want me to believe that somehow more laws make less criminals?
I appreciate and acknowledge your insight Auban. You are very intelligent. Belief has always been a big issue for me. I won't get into grave detail regarding that cause I certainly don't want this to become a religious debate. Belief is extremely important. It's the first step and the hardest step to achieving anything. Believing is harder than the actions required for that achievement. I can believe I can hold I snake, and I did. I believed I had the willpower and courage. I can believe I will overcome my addiction. I can believe I will have a bright future. I can even believe I will conquer my social anxiety and phobia. But belief resides in the future, not the the present. At least in my case. I've felt hopeless my entire life because no one could help me with my social anxiety which is deeply severe. So severe I couldn't imagine having a future. But, I must choose to believe that the day will come when I can at the very least cope with it. But generalized anxiety and social anxiety are very different. I can believe, take action, and face whatever fear I have such as snakes head on but it doesn't work that way with social phobia. I face my social fears head on every single day. Be it at work, the library, going to the store, or simply leaving the house. I feel like doing something adventurous, risk taking, and possibly death defying may give me such accomplishment and empowerment it could possibly be the treatment I've sought out for my entire life. I can believe one day I will defeat my socialized anxiety but believing doesn't change the present. It doesn't change the physical, emotional, psychological, and mental effects I have when in social settings. I can use cognitive thinking, breathing exercises, etc but it doesn't change anything. It's hard to fully explain what I'm trying to say. Either way, it's not at this time relevant.
here is the thing... the way you feel in any given situation says no more about you than the way the wind feels against your face.
what you do, on the other hand, says everything. anybody living your life would feel the exact same way you feel in the same situation. so, in that sense, you completely normal. you just have a fvcked up background, which led to fvcked up emotional responses to life.
who gives a sh!t, besides you? you can still DO whatever you want.
I missed out on most of the discussion but first of all, to your question as where to go and wanting a good nature-like place, you should go to the natural state, where I am! We have snakes here too, but no more than the rest of the Midwest. My main 'critter' fear is scorpions, and I hate wasps too. But who doesn't? I had a ball python for several years, it was the friendliest most docile creature I've ever owned. When he was a baby he was a right nasty little bastard. Took him quite awhile to really warm up to people, but he (or she, never found out) finally did. The thing about you holding a young one but really freaking out over the bigger one is backwards. And really you need to rewire your fear mechanism on this. I'm sure you likely already know that baby snakes will inject more venom than older ones. And the little ones in the pet store are probably much more likely to strike than the big ones. But if it did strike, would it really be that big of a deal? It's quicker than any shot you've ever had, and you probably won't get hurt much more than one either. The constrictors kill by wrapping up prey and squeezing them, which they obviously can't do to you. Have you ever ran into snakes in the wild? They're really very easy to kill (and then eat, since all snakes are edible). You might also want to learn the snakes in the area you plan to be in, so you will know if a snake is poisonous or not should you happen to encounter one in the wild (which you undoubtedly will). You are FAR higher than a snake on the food chain, remember that.
When do you plan on leaving? How long have you been thinking about this?
That bit about baby snakes injecting more venom than adult snakes is false... they just don't have as much to deliver.
But they are more likely to bite some one... because people are more likely to mess with them. I have been bitten by a few venous snakes, all small ones. Why? False sense of security, I got sloppy, etc. The results were a painfully swollen spot that healed without medical intervention. Fortunately, I dont go into anaphylactic shock. Or rather, I didnt. That reaction can develop with repeated exposure.
I SERIOUSLY doubt the results would be the same had I been bitten by a large 5 foot eastern diamond back.
Snakes don't really bother you if you don't bother them. I have only ever been bitten by a snake when I was messing with them. I have never been bitten just walking by.
So if your afraid of snakes, just leaving them alone will usually keep you safe. And if not, they are very easy to kill. Just remember that they can still bite after being brutalized to death. There was a fire fighter in Putnam County, florida, who found that out the hard way... shot a big rattlesnake, picked it up and got bit. It killed him.
The info I gave about baby snakes producing more venom could be wrong, maybe that's an urban (or rural) legend. But the story goes that while larger snakes do naturally have more venom they do not inject as much as the little ones who have not yet learned how much is required, and will inject as much as possible. Maybe it's wrong, I would like to learn for sure but I don't have time to look it up. Regardless like you said they're much more aggressive so he still needs to rewire his fear on this issue, if possible. Sounds like his mind is just getting in the way. When you obsess over something it just makes it worse. Perhaps you could try small dose benzos next time you are around friendly pet store snakes. I don't recommend this in the wild though! That's when the fear is important.
its a common urban legend. i dont know if i have met a single person who hasnt heard it...
even if a baby snake injects all of its venom, it still cant pump out enough to match an adults bite(which typically deliver about a third of their venom in a feeding strike) but, we are talking about injecting around 10-15mg of venom(all a baby western diamond back has) as opposed to 100-300mg of venom( a third of the adults store). the minimum lethal dose for an average male human is about 100 milligrams.
there are some baby snakes that produce more potent venom then their adult counterparts(their diets change as they grow), but they are still far less dangerous than the adults. that said, always take any bite from a venomous snake seriously. i was stupid and reckless when i was a teenager. im lucky i didnt suffer worse.
and yes, baby snakes do seem to be a lot more aggressive. or perhaps a better word would be excitable. seems to go for all species, venomous or not.
Last edited by Auban; 03-27-2015 at 07:24 PM.
DKott, I don't know how you plan to travel. I can't imagine you walking down the rode and someone offering to give you a lift and you not accepting it or watching a slow moving train with an open boxcar open and you not thinking of jumping in.
I don't know what anxiety or your goal of adventure have to do with each other. You can think about it enough so it seems to make sense. I see it as that you have anxiety and you also have a goal for an adventure. I can't think any deeper than that. If it makes you happy just do it and you don't need any more reason than it's what you want. I've done it lots of times. You seem to know the risks. I guess you know that your biggest enemies out there will the ones you take with you.
I have a few things to say. First, I will not kill a snake. One moral standard I live by religiously is a passion for animals. Even though I'm terrified of snakes I couldn't kill one. Even it means life or death. Animals are my greatest passion. I could never harm an animal let alone kill it. On the topic of snakes I went to a different pet store. I held another ball python. But at the end of the day I felt discouraged because they had three other snakes that I couldn't build up courage to hold. The smaller ones scare me more than the larger ones. And these especially because they move too much. They had a corn snake, California king snake, and I can't remember the name of the other. I am not scared of getting bit. Unless of course it is poisonous. It's the way the move and more so when they do very quick movement. And the employee at the store said these snakes especially the king snake may and probably will strike. And their strike is so fast. Ball python I can do. But I feel discouraged as my goal was to take a step further holding a snake that was more active which I failed to do. While I still am going to do this trail I am stressed out beyond belief. As I said I won't have money. I'll have $700 to get gear and that is all. On average hikers spend $1100-$2000 before even beginning the trail and over $3000 throughout the trail. I have to be realistic. My situation is a catch 22. At this time I don't feel like expanding on that. I'm worn out. I haven't slept in 48 hours. I haven't been eating. I have 1,000 things on my mind. Ah, I just need a good nights sleep.
Sounds like you have a lot more to deal with than any of us....strangers on the internet can do to help you with.
More that dealing with snakes, having or not having enough money to do what you want...(everyone had that problem)....or worrying about not starting at the end of a trail or not.
Maybe look for some help locally?
Geezer Squad....Charter Member #1
Evoking the 50 year old rule...
First 50 years...worried about the small stuff...second 50 years....Not so much
Member Wahoo Killer knives club....#27
you can read all you want but you still wont have any skills. Get out, practice and gain experience which will improve the odds of you surviving
Dkott25, get some sleep.
It is much much harder to take care of yourself when you are sleep deprived. Make it a habit of taking care of yourself BEFORE you try living in the wilderness.
So just to be clear, you want to make it on your own in the wild, not in the city, right? You have limited money and supplies for food, but you think you can do this without killing any animals. How long exactly do you plan on doing this for? Any food you bring with you will quickly be used up, and you make it sound like you want to do this alone, without the help from others. So what exactly do you plan to do for food? Even if you intimately knew the edible plants in whatever area you will be in (doubtful since you said you don't even know where you will end up) it still won't be enough to sustain you. What did you eat when you were homeless? Were you a picky vegetarian? Survival is about self-preservation and if you're out in the wild you can't be an animal lover and expect to live too long. I'm an animal lover too, but I know if I go out there on my own and expect to live through it I better be well prepared to not only kill animals for sustenance but to protect myself from animals too. If you think animals won't attack you because you like them and if you're prepared to give up your life by letting a poisonous snake strike you because you don't want to hurt it then I was wrong, you're not even higher than the snake on the food chain. That's the actual example you gave, you said you couldn't kill a snake even if it meant life or death. In other words you'd rather die than kill some random snake that wouldn't think twice about killing you. But this is just another idea of yours. You've obviously never been in that position. What if you were starving to death, would you kill a snake then? You'd be surprised what you would do for self-preservation as instinct and not even think about it. You can be sad later, but you'll also be alive. What if another human attacks you, are you not going to fight back because you're a lover not a fighter? I think I agree with what hunter said awhile back, you're being completely unrealistic. I think you watch too much tv. Every time someone brings up a movie that sounds like what you're planning to do you admit "yes of course I've watched that. Oh Into the Wild? I've watched that ten times, it inspires me." Don't tell me you draw a lot of your 'inspiration' from Man vs Wild too?
I'm just trying to be realistic here. Tough love. I hope it all works out for you. I don't want you to become another statistic by being unprepared and/or unrealistic in your 'journey' which you can't even explain why it is something "you just have to do" One last question which is serious and I thought about asking this from some of your first posts but decided not to. Do you have a death wish? Because some of the stuff you say it honestly sounds like you are trying to hit bottom over and over in your life and this is to be your last journey. Either you will rise up from the ashes like a heroic Phoenix and be a changed man or you will perish. Is that why you can't/won't explain your reasoning behind all this? That is the impression I got from your initial posts so please correct me if I'm wrong. I hope I am.
Last edited by Iskander; 03-28-2015 at 07:18 PM.
Lol, I originally wanted to hike the AT. Got packed, prepared, got about 80 miles into the trip and then got blisters. That's when I decided "F this, I'm going back to the swamp!"
Yeah, at some point......a carefully planed trip can turn into a "survival situation"......and even John Wayne can only take so much.....Originally Posted by Auban
You ain't the only one that has said, "screw this........what am I thinking?".
No shame in "surviving"
Geezer Squad....Charter Member #1
Evoking the 50 year old rule...
First 50 years...worried about the small stuff...second 50 years....Not so much
Member Wahoo Killer knives club....#27
i wouldnt have stopped if it werent for the blisters... continuing would have been insane. i had a lot of experience doing long distance running, but that was my first experience walking long distances with a load on my back. ruck marching is a bit different from ultramarathons... lol
the blisters i got were worse than the blisters i got in special forces assessment and selection. at the end of SFAS, one of the special forces medics looked at my feet(one of them was broken) and asked me if i was insane. why didnt i just throw in the towel when my feet started bleeding and swelling?
i just asked him "did you?". he just laughed and said "good point".
my experiences from my failed attempt to hike the AT are part of the reason i got selected. i knew how bad my feet could get, and i prepared for it. my feet still got messed up, but not nearly as bad.
That sure speaks volumes about properly fitted boots and knowing how to tie them. But it still happens. Despite our best efforts in the Tetons last fall both my wife and I lost big toe nails because of the downhill trek.
yep... properly fitted boots makes a HUGE difference. and the worst part is that you have to go out and carry some weight in them to find out if it works in the long run.
boot type, size, socks, method of tying them... all of it makes a difference.
and water, there is nothing that will ruin your feet faster than being walked on while wet!
The best way to deal with snakes is to respect them. A python is not usually a quick bite and release. They have a mouthful of very hooked long teeth. They will get locked on and we usually ran their heads under the shower till they released.
My experience was corn snakes and king snakes were not quick to bite. Black racers, coach-whips and the like bite more. The more calm and soft you hold them the less you get bit. But, I have seen and been bit by snakes that were calm for over a half hour and then just bit.
The firefighter in Putnam County was named Joe Guidry and he shot the snake 3 times before reaching for what he though was a dead snake.
http://www.gainesville.com/article/2...51010045?tc=ar
People killing snakes with guns amuse me. Why would you try to shoot a snake? If your carrying a big honking gun with snake shot, go learn about snakes. Folks telling me they killed a rattle snake at 15 feet do not impress me. That snake posed no threat to you if you saw it at all. Just stay away a safe distance.
Wear leather boots. No snake can bite through a pair of leather boots. The higher the more protection. But, on the trail ankle high leather boots are fine. Don't kneel down or reach with your bare hand until you have checked for snakes. You wanna get bit? Try and kill or capture one. You can accomplish both fairly easy. But, folks that are scared are usually more likely to screw up.
I can understand your fear of snakes, they give me the creeps also. I however have no problem killing one if need be but I wont be handling one anytime soon!
I wish you the best of luck in your journey, I often fantasize about traveling from Texas to Minnesota horseback but I doubt i'll ever do it.
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