I am getting back into mountain biking after a 5-year layoff and I currently am blessed to have a job that allows me to hit a local mtb trail during my lunch hour two or three times a week. Let me set the stage for the story that follows by saying that I ABSOLUTLEY, POSITIVELY HATE, NO STRIKE THAT, DESPISE SNAKES. They scare me to death.
Last week, on my Tuesday ride, I had a rattlesnake slither across my path about 5 feet ahead of me. I was heading downhill and going about 25 mph, so it happened so quickly I could only scream like a little girl and ride past it (which actually was a good thing), but it totally freaked me out for the rest of the ride. I rode again on Friday and was anxious and panicked the entire ride. Every stick was a snake in cognito. If the line of the trail went too close to the side by the bushes, I stayed in the middle even though it meant that I had to really struggle against the terrain on my bike. The fear I felt was sucking all my energy. But I wasn't wrong to be so fearful: I rode up a short but steep singletrack section and as I crested the top of the hill, I came face-to-face with what I think was a California Mountain King snake (black and white bands) sunning itself. I stopped about 15 feet from it and waited, unmoving, about three minutes until it decided to slide back into the bush. Of course, my fear totally took over and I was a basket case for the rest of the ride. Plus I've been obsessing about coming across any more snakes on my lunchtime ride--so much so that I rode my road bike home from work yesterday rather than hit the trail because I couldnt' stand the thought of seeing another snake.
So all that to ask: does anyone have any words of wisdom or comfort to help me over my fear of snakes, or as wavery would say, my ophidiphobia? Not riding isn't an option--I need to lose a significant amount of weight and there is no other way for me to get the exercise I desperately need. Plus, I love mountain biking as much as I hate snakes.
So any ideas? I hope the "doctor" is in! :eyecrazy:
Hi Griffsmom:
First of all, I love mountain biking and I don't like snakes as much as you don't like them.
Now I'm rethinking mountain biking. I've only come across one snake in all the time I've mountain biked and I was okay with that until now.
On the lighter side, I have a Specialized Enduro, but it doesn't have the anti-snake option. Wish I had that installed. It's a good thing I have a road bike too. Now I'm just going to stick to the pavement, but those snakes called cars with inconsiderate drivers are kind of brutal too.
Surfcal
I have a Schwinn Homegrown FS, that is so cool beans, but unfortunately, it didn't even have an anti-snake option, or else I would have bought it--cost be dam*ed! I've met mule deer, bobcats, skunks, tarantulas, frogs, California quail, roadrunners, rabbits, squirrels and lizards during my many mountain biking rides; I even came up on a mountain lion about 100 yards ahead of me once (*very* quietly turned around and rode like the wind back to my car that day), but none of that wildlife made me squeamy like snakes do.
Sorry if I put you off mountain biking, Ray--that certainly wasn't my intent. And you're right about the four-wheeled snakes--they're probably more dangerous than my two new trail friends. Thankfully, my ride home yesterday was uneventful, but I was once again riding on hyper-alert--this time to avoid a different kind of encounter with "wildlife."
Well, the best point of view I can give at this point is this. You can't be obstruction fixated. If you look at a rock, you WILL hit the rock. You have to look at where you want to go to get around the obstruction.
You can avoid an obstruction by doing this and I stress this very strongly. Don't fixate on the obstruction.
Of course, this advice doesn't work on snakes.
:J you crack me up!
Well, lets approach this from the snake's perspective:
Quote from: griffsmomI ABSOLUTLEY, POSITIVELY HATE, NO STRIKE THAT, DESPISE PEOPLE. They scare me to death.
If you make enough noise and don't come up on them too fast, they'll probably be gone before you get there. At 25 mph, you'll probably surprise them.
There have to be some quiet side roads in CA. It can't all be LA parkways out there (we call them expressways around here). Road biking can get you the same exercise without the wildlife, in spite of trading legs for wheels. I know, I know...it's not the same.
Two things that I can think of, may help......a little......very little....but..a little. :p
King Snakes are not poisonous. Rattle Snakes cannot strike unless they are coiled. Even then they tend to be very shy about striking unless they are taunted, so don't stop and scream at them :p .
My X-wife used to freak-out at snakes when we road the San Gabriel Valley bike trail. We ran across lots of rattlers. She got over it, over time. As stated above, she learned to ignore them.
I won't tell you why she is my X-wife :D.....................that's not funny :mad: .....somebody slap me. :eyecrazy:
BTW.......(all kidding aside) if you are serious about getting a handle on this phobia, hypnotists have a good track record on helping people with that kinda stuff.
Funny Wavery, your comment about your X. I led Boy Scouts on hikes in the local mountains and we saw all kinds of snakes. Only once did one rattle and he was a ways away. They crossed in front of us and we saw them near the trail. We left them alone and they didn't bother us.
Lori, you'll be past them before they can figure out what to do. If you hit one while riding, look at it as an appetizer that night.-yeah right.
Moose
Hang in there girlfriend. I am having a hard time imagining you being afraid of anything. You can over come this. You can stand in a court room and work wonders, you can sew till your fingers want to fall off, you can setup a popup by yourself including backing it in (this is a huge feat considering what you bring along with you :yikes: :D ), you can meet the President of the United States and you are an advocate for adoption. Girl, if I was that snake I would run
and run FAST!!! You are a strong woman!! You can over come this!!
Jacqui (who also hates snakes):yikes:
HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!
I was gonna do one of those lawyer joke things.............on 2nd thought.....never mind. :J
Thanks for the words of encouragement, everyone. Jacqui--you crack me up (and make me look pretty good on paper!) I'll be riding at lunch today, so I'll let you know how it goes.
Quote from: waveryRattle Snakes cannot strike unless they are coiled.
Actually, I used to believe that was true too, but in my "knowledge is power" efforts to try and learn more about snakes so that I might be less afraid of them, all the Web sites I've seen say this is a misnomer. When stretched out, a snake can strike up to 50-60% of its length, so a 3' snake can still strike up to 1.5 to 2 feet, even if uncoiled. Not particularly comforting knowledge, but at least now I know. Ugh, I don't feel empowered. :(
I will definitely take your advice about not be stopping at screaming at them, though. ;) Not that they could hear me anyway--snakes don't have ears.
Quote from: waveryI was gonna do one of those lawyer joke things
You mean like the one "Why don't snakes ever bite lawyers?"
(sorry, I have no advice on how to handle snake fear... they don't bother me that much. I had a friend in college who had an 8-foot boa we liked to play with... and, I've had to hurl them out of our yard several times as we back up against wetlands. Once, I missed one in the grass... but my Toro mower found it. Blech).
Quote from: zamboniYou mean like the one "Why don't snakes ever bite lawyers?"
Professional courtesy. ;)
...Or...
What's the difference between a snake lying in the road having been hit by a car and a lawyer lying in the road having been hit by a car?
There are skid marks in front of the snake.
I got a million of 'em... :D
When I was a kid.....(a longggggggggg time ago).....my uncle had a ranch in (what is now) Canyon Country. Back then, it was known as "dessert" :p .
The State had a 25 cent bounty on Rattle Snakes back then. My brother and I used to go out, catch them, cut their rattlers off (which killed them) and take them into the ranger for the bounty. Each time that we went out there, we would get 10 - 20 of them. That bought a lot of candy in those days :p .
Anyway, we just cut the branch off of a tree and trimmed it so that it had a "Y" in the end. When we spotted a Rattler that wasn't coiled, we'd pin his head down and do our deed. My uncle told us not to mess with them if they were coiled. Never had a problem with them (Disclaimer here......I DO NOT recommend this activity to anyone). We had them strike at us while not coiled (especially when we tauned them :p ) but they couldn't strike more than a foot or two and our stick was about 6' feet long. They NEVER once struck at us unless they were intimidated, even then, it took a lot to get them to strike. They don't go hunting for you.
When we were bike riding in the San Gabriel River wash, bike trails, I used to run over them with my bike all the time. However, I don't recommend it and I did take my feet off of the peddles and lift them up.
Maybe carry a snake bite kit in your bike just in case.
Jacqui
Maybe carry a snake bite kit on your bike.
Jacqui
I just had a thought....................there are NO snakes in New Zealand and the bike riding there is great. People don't even try to run you off the road when they go by. :D
Like I said..............just a thought :D .
I lived in New Zealand 3 different times, 6 months at a time, while on my boat. I biked all over both Islands. Loved it.
Quote from: SurfcalYou can't be obstruction fixated. If you look at a rock, you WILL hit the rock. You have to look at where you want to go to get around the obstruction.
Hmmmm, where have I heard this before????
Lori........despises snakes..:Z That's some good info to have...........See you next weekend.........
Quote from: waveryWhen we were bike riding in the San Gabriel River wash, bike trails, I used to run over them with my bike all the time. However, I don't recommend it and I did take my feet off of the peddles and lift them up.
Oooohhhhh ... to picture Lori doing this ... what an incredible thought! My day has just been made.
Maybe you need to move to Hawaii ... ;)
Quote from: waveryI lived in New Zealand 3 different times, 6 months at a time, while on my boat. I biked all over both Islands. Loved it.
Yo-ho, yo-ho ...
Glug, glug. Need to stop drinking. But I can't. Glug, glug.
Quote from: TheVikingLori........despises snakes..:Z That's some good info to have...........See you next weekend.........
Quote from: AzusateachOooohhhhh ... to picture Lori doing this ... what an incredible thought! My day has just been made.
:p to both of you
Sorry to ruin your day, Laura, but you won't be seeing me lifting my feet above the pedals as I go by snakes. First, I want all the speed I can get when going by them and that means pedaling. Really fast. Second, I ride clipless, which means my shoes are attached to my pedals.
Quote from: AzusateachMaybe you need to move to Hawaii ... ;)
Why? Do they not have snakes? :confused:
...so I get to the trailhead at lunchtime and get all my gear out and take my bike off my roof rack and and am just about ready to hit the trail, when I go to put on my helmet. Hmmm....no helmet. Rats, I left it at home. Paging Dr. Freud! :J I never ride without my helmet, so back to work I went w/o a ride. But I salvaged the day and ended up getting in a ride at the mtb trail that is literally right next to where I live. I've never seen a snake there (so obviously there aren't any, right? ;) ) Ahhh..it's good to ride and live to tell the tale. :D
Anyone else an avid mountain biker or road cyclist?
Carry a BIG HOE. :yikes:
Quote from: griffsmomI salvaged the day and ended up getting in a ride at the mtb trail that is literally right next to where I live. I've never seen a snake there (so obviously there aren't any, right? ;) ) Ahhh..it's good to ride and live to tell the tale. :D
Anyone else an avid mountain biker or road cyclist?
It wouldn't be the snakes I am afraid of near your house. It is the hungry mountain lions. :yikes:
Jacqui
Quote from: griffsmom:p to both of you
Sorry to ruin your day, Laura, but you won't be seeing me lifting my feet above the pedals as I go by snakes. First, I want all the speed I can get when going by them and that means pedaling. Really fast. Second, I ride clipless, which means my shoes are attached to my pedals.
Why? Do they not have snakes? :confused:
...so I get to the trailhead at lunchtime and get all my gear out and take my bike off my roof rack and and am just about ready to hit the trail, when I go to put on my helmet. Hmmm....no helmet. Rats, I left it at home. Paging Dr. Freud! :J I never ride without my helmet, so back to work I went w/o a ride. But I salvaged the day and ended up getting in a ride at the mtb trail that is literally right next to where I live. I've never seen a snake there (so obviously there aren't any, right? ;) ) Ahhh..it's good to ride and live to tell the tale. :D
Anyone else an avid mountain biker or road cyclist?
I used to road bike, but got tired of dodging the cars. Since then I have been Mtn biking. Currently on a Fisher Big Sur hardtail, but looking at maybe getting me a new Ellsworth Epiphany(sp?) FS as soon as can swing that extra $5K :(
Central Texas has a lot of single track :)
I'm a rodie and a trail head, which is the same as saying actress/singer. I do neither one particularly well. In some circles, those couldn't possibly coexist. Spandex on one end and baggy gear with the other, such different cultures.
I love both modes. I like the smoothness and almost Zen-like effect of a long distance ride on good quality pavement. I am also attracted to the helter-skelter nature of single track, fireroads and loose dirt/gravel trail surfaces and bombing downhill. I have multiple scars as badges of honor.
Mountain bike: Specialized Enduro
Road bike: Specialized Allez Comp
Let's see....List for Oceanside camping trip:
1. Firewood
2. Beer
3. Food
4. Rubber toy Snakes
5. ..................
Quote from: griffsmomWhy? Do they not have snakes? :confused:
Worse...sea snakes! UGH!!! Once I heard that, I could hardly snorkle.
Quote from: SurfcalI'm a rodie and a trail head, which is the same as saying actress/singer. I do neither one particularly well. In some circles, those couldn't possibly coexist. Spandex on one end and baggy gear with the other, such different cultures.
I love both modes. I like the smoothness and almost Zen-like effect of a long distance ride on good quality pavement. I am also attracted to the helter-skelter nature of single track, fireroads and loose dirt/gravel trail surfaces and bombing downhill. I have multiple scars as badges of honor.
Mountain bike: Specialized Enduro
Road bike: Specialized Allez Comp
the roadie/mtb clash happens a little here in austin area, but mostly in good natured fun, as many ride both. I used to love riding the roads around here growing up, started my hard core distance riding on 10 and 12 speeds riding the quiet country roads around hill country before they got so crowded.
But sold bikes/ quit riding a couple of years, and when came time to get a new bike I wet mtb and never looked back. I keep looking to get a nice used road bike so I have one for MS150 rides and the Shiner Bock ride from austin to shiner here in texas. Kind of hard keeping the pace on 2.3 blue grooves :)
I mean they are great to ride on and off road, but not built for make time on roads.
Oh, and to original thread topic, we just bunny hop the snakes we find along the trails and roadways around here. A cheap bean&cheese breakfast taco provides a flatulant defense against the mountain lions and bears:yikes:, and we use some bear bells from REI to make noise to hopefully scare the deer and armadillos off the trail and out of our way :D
Quote from: griffsmom:p to both of you
[snip]
Anyone else an avid mountain biker or road cyclist?
Road: Klein Quantum Race
Mountain/Commuter/Alternative Camping Vehicle: Trek 830
On the subject of snakes, I was riding in one of the state parks here in Delaware last week and while traversing a wet spot on the trail looked down just in time to see jake (the snake) trying for all he was worth to get away. It was sunning itself in the water; I missed him by an inch or so. We both went our separate ways, no harm, no foul. :)
The reality is that unless you look like a meal, and you haven't cornered or otherwise threatened (...a six foot long, Y-shaped stick comes to mind) the snake, he will make all attempts to escape. Small comfort for anybody that just can't get past the phobia, but something to keep in mind.
Ride ON!!
There is a wonderful procedure for helping to eliminate phobias which you can do on your own. It is called Emotional Freedom Training (EFT for short). Go to emofree.com and look over the sight. You can download the manual for free to learn the program on your own, as well as see video clips and purchase (very reasonably) video discs which will help you master the program. I have used it personally for relieving arthritis pain in my hands (I have none, now). There is also a referral page for experts in your vicinity that will help you with EFT. Hope this helps. It has worked miracles with many others. You don't have to buy anything. The program is free.
Quote from: NadMatthe roadie/mtb clash happens a little here in austin area, but mostly in good natured fun, as many ride both.
NadMat,
That's the way I am, pretty good natured about both. It's a lot of fun gnashing the gears off-road, where one moment you're screaming downhill and the next turn you try to avoid ruts only to face a nearly vertical uphill with gnarly roots reaching across the path. Or how you can hear the buzz of other bikers from somewhere off in the distance amongst the twist & turns and the next thing you know, they're speeding downhill past you like bees just inches away and then they're gone in a cloud of dust.
But just to keep this thread on track, I'll have to mention the obligatory subject. Snakes.
Surfcal
P.S. NadMat, you have a nice bike.