- Time of past OR future Camino
- Too many and too often!
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OK, so I am trying to upload my video of a snake sighted aA local news website in Navarra has reported that an American peregrina was bitten by a viper yesterday and taken to hospital by the local rescue services. A very rare and unusual event. An unfortunate start to a Camino.
Una peregrina es evacuada tras ser mordida por una víbora en Lintzoain
Una mujer de los Estados Unidos, de 24 años de edad, ha sido trasladada en un helicóptero medicalizado tras ser mordida por una víbora cerca de Lintzoain.www.noticiasdenavarra.com
OK, I am trying to upload a video of a snake sighted a week ago (a baby one, but a snake), with no success. When telling others about it I was asked if I had not been mistaken and could it not have been a worm? Mate, I'm from Australia, grew up in the bush, I know the difference between a baby snake and a large worm.A local news website in Navarra has reported that an American peregrina was bitten by a viper yesterday and taken to hospital by the local rescue services. A very rare and unusual event. An unfortunate start to a Camino.
Una peregrina es evacuada tras ser mordida por una víbora en Lintzoain
Una mujer de los Estados Unidos, de 24 años de edad, ha sido trasladada en un helicóptero medicalizado tras ser mordida por una víbora cerca de Lintzoain.www.noticiasdenavarra.com
Yes we are Aussies and have just finished Le Puy to SJPDP. Had a snake on the track. Jumped 2 feet in the air. Luckily it was very cold and the snake moved slowlyOK, so I am trying to upload my video of a snake sighted a
OK, I am trying to upload a video of a snake sighted a week ago (a baby one, but a snake), with no success. When telling others about it I was asked if I had not been mistaken and could it not have been a worm? Mate, I'm from Australia, grew up in the bush, I know the difference between a baby snake and a large worm.
Well, google wasn't translating the article for me - so unless the article says differently - she may or may not have been trying to interact with the snake. Could have been just dumb/bad luck. Fortunately, I did not see any snakes on the Camino. That said - last year the week before I started the Camino, I was in California on the Pacific Crest Trail with my kids. We came across several rattle snakes (NOT uncommon in CA, especially in So. CA which is where we were). We did our best to be vigilant and watch for them - but they are often not seen until you are too close and then they rattle to warn you to get back. The time we came upon a rattle snake that was most upsetting is when we had sat down near a water source to refill our water bottles. We must have been there 5 minutes before we realized that my son was sitting a foot away from a huge rattle snake who was watching him and us intensely. I was maybe 2 feet away, as I was slightly further away than my son. Both of us were within striking distance. And our hands were definitely where it would have been most likely to strike, as we were moving about and placing our water bottles down next to us - on the same side the snake was on. Thankfully the snake was relaxed enough it didn't start to rattle - until it saw us watching him. And he didn't strike at either of us, but could have. Anyhow - my point is - it was dumb luck that my son and I didn't get bit. But it could have easily gotten us in the hand, arm, shoulder - or even the face since we were literally sitting right next to it. Why didn't we see it? He was under the bush next to us and we were exhausted and just didn't notice at first. So - I offer no judgements to this poor lady. Hopefully she wasn't trying to interact - and hopefully this will make others know that snakes DO exist - and to at least be aware - but not fearful as the likelihood of this happening to others is minimal. Snakes usually warn before striking in any case.If she was bitten on the hand as the story says, then she was trying to interact with the snake in some way.
Actually I believe they don't need to depend upon telepathy but instead have sensors that detect body heat. Useful for hunting prey and also detecting threats.I met a snake just up the hill, outside of Hornillos. I had stopped to look around at the beauty of the Meseta, and something caught my eye - and there it was, about five feet from me, vibrating like mad. I didn't move. Just sent a mental message, that I was just going to back up slowly to give it space. And quite soon enough it stopped vibrating and shot off into the field.
On my last pass along that section, I sent another mental message of greeting...
Actually I believe they don't need to depend upon telepathy but instead have sensors that detect body heat. Useful for hunting prey and also detecting threats.
Why didn't we see it? He was under the bush next to us and we were exhausted and just didn't notice at first
Yes, on reflection I have been thinking this was likely similar to what happened to the unfortunate peregrina. Sit in the wrong place at the wrong time and....it was dumb luck that my son and I didn't get bit.
Can happen quite easily. There was a long running reptile study at a nature reserve near my home in Wales. Many small pieces of roofing sheet set out as shelters to make a regular count. On a guided walk with the ranger in charge I knelt down to look more closely at a discarded skin found lying under one of the sheets. It was only after I had one hand resting on the ground that I spotted the adult female adder lying completely motionless and beautifully camouflaged about a foot from my hand. I was a lot more cautious for the rest of the day!. Sit in the wrong place at the wrong time and....
I visited Australia for a few weeks in June and July 2019. Before leaving Sydney at the start of my trip friends there told me not to worry about meeting snakes at that time of year. A week later I was in Queensland and sent them a photo of this little fellow I met on a path there. Very glad that I saw him but also glad that I spotted him at a safe distance!We saw more snakes on the Le Puy route than we've ever seen hiking in Australia!
Death adder I believe?I visited Australia for a few weeks in June and July 2019. Before leaving Sydney at the start of my trip friends there told me not to worry about meeting snakes at that time of year. A week later I was in Queensland and sent them a photo of this little fellow I met on a path there. Very glad that I saw him but also glad that I spotted him at a safe distance!
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Yes. On Magnetic Island which apparently has a large number of death adders. This one was a small juvenile and I probably wouldn't have spotted it if I had not been actively looking very carefully for them.Death adder I believe?
Highly venomous.
Ohh! I picked up a baby snake by the tail on the French Way, probably not sensible but needs must, as a hoard of school children were just behind me and it might have got squashed! I was surprised when this iddy piddy little snake opened its mouth to reveal teeth and a big hissA local news website in Navarra has reported that an American peregrina was bitten by a viper yesterday and taken to hospital by the local rescue services. A very rare and unusual event. An unfortunate start to a Camino.
Una peregrina es evacuada tras ser mordida por una víbora en Lintzoain
Una mujer de los Estados Unidos, de 24 años de edad, ha sido trasladada en un helicóptero medicalizado tras ser mordida por una víbora cerca de Lintzoain.www.noticiasdenavarra.com
I admire your consideration for the snake but I'd have tried to persuade it to move by some other means. Even if I could positively identify it as non-venomous. On a very chilly wet day on the Via de la Plata I came across a Viperine snake (non-venomous) coiled up and unmovingOhh! I picked up a baby snake by the tail on the French Way, probably not sensible but needs must, as a hoard of school children were just behind me and it might have got squashed!
Very wise! I've posted this story from Facebook before when snakes were being discussed. A cautionary tale that has stuck in my mind for years.I have seen dead snakes on camino trails, and one live one. As I am not a herpetologist, I would not presume on my luck and pick one up. It might be a sloworm, but it might be neither slow nor a worm.
Saw a small (by Australian standards) snake with white-ish body and brown markings slither off the dirt track and into the weeds alongside a section of the Chemin d'Arles just before left turn into Villetelle yesterday morning (13 May). I think I startled it from its sun bath in early morning brisk air! I was startled, too, but not scared. I hope the OP is recovering?I have only ever seen a single snake whilst on Camino - around five years ago in that valley path on the way down to Molinaseca, after the descent from Cruz de Ferro. It was brown and surprisingly big (by UK standards)…..I stopped in my tracks and watched it slither across the path in front of me. I didn’t bother it and it didn’t bother me!! I was surprised though.
I’ve passed the place three or four times since - including in the past week or so - and again recalled the event as I passed.
YikesI visited Australia for a few weeks in June and July 2019. Before leaving Sydney at the start of my trip friends there told me not to worry about meeting snakes at that time of year. A week later I was in Queensland and sent them a photo of this little fellow I met on a path there. Very glad that I saw him but also glad that I spotted him at a safe distance!
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Yes we are Aussies and have just finished Le Puy to SJPDP. Had a snake on the track. Jumped 2 feet in the air. Luckily it was very cold and the snake moved slowly
My thought too.Yikes
Poor Josh. Not the sharpest knife in the drawer it seems. Bless his heart. Copperheads are probably the most recognizable and common species of poisonous snakes in the United States, especially in the south. I have only known two people in my life who have been bitten by poisonous snakes and they were bitten on the leg/foot by a copperhead (both survived fully recovered).Very wise! I've posted this story from Facebook before when snakes were being discussed. A cautionary tale that has stuck in my mind for years.
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I was wondering that myself.If she was bitten on the hand as the story says, then she was trying to interact with the snake in some way.
Lol yes us Aussies aren’t likely to mistake worms for snakesOK, so I am trying to upload my video of a snake sighted a
OK, I am trying to upload a video of a snake sighted a week ago (a baby one, but a snake), with no success. When telling others about it I was asked if I had not been mistaken and could it not have been a worm? Mate, I'm from Australia, grew up in the bush, I know the difference between a baby snake and a large worm.
She’s fine. She said embarrassed, but fine. Ran into her and her US uni friends the other day on the way to Los Arcos. Fortunately the venom was minimal and affected only her forearm. She’s back on her Way.Hope the peregrina is doing well and she will recover soon and can continue her camino
I was out doing a highway inspection on the M20 (Kent, UK for our overseas viewers) and the crew were shifting the road cones out to give us more protection. The ganger tapped each one with his boot before lifting it.The only venomous snake native to the UK is the adder which is also called the European viper which is found in Spain. They prefer heath lands and during the mating season can be aggressive. Strange as it seems they can balance on their tale and reach up quite high. My grand father told me they used to be seen around farm manure heaps, where the heat from the heap used to help incubate their eggs. Not seen much now in the North of England, but seen fairly frequently in the New Forest.
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I think that is a Death Adder. Not an expert on northern snakes though.I visited Australia for a few weeks in June and July 2019. Before leaving Sydney at the start of my trip friends there told me not to worry about meeting snakes at that time of year. A week later I was in Queensland and sent them a photo of this little fellow I met on a path there. Very glad that I saw him but also glad that I spotted him at a safe distance!
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Yes it is. That was confirmed by a local man who saw my photos and video and also by a staff member of the reptile centre in Alice Springs later in my trip.I think that is a Death Adder. Not an expert on northern snakes though.
I live in Sydney. I have been living in Australia for 15 years and never had a snake encounter... until a couple of weeks ago in a near park. The first was a Red belly black snake. A week later a brown snake. I almost run over her. I was terrified. Hopefully I won't repeat that during my Camino next September.Yes we are Aussies and have just finished Le Puy to SJPDP. Had a snake on the track. Jumped 2 feet in the air. Luckily it was very cold and the snake moved slowly
Interesting, and seeing that wild boar is pretty cool, too.On the CF now (Day 11) have seen a few snakes, mostly dead.. this was alive though.. baby I would say. Crossed the path in front of me outside Belorado. As it's getting hotter they are coming out. I also had a large black boar run across just behind me today , in the middle of nowhere.. scared the crap out of meJust be careful Buen Camino
Stuff like the boar is scary, but also exciting.On the CF now (Day 11) have seen a few snakes, mostly dead.. this was alive though.. baby I would say. Crossed the path in front of me outside Belorado. As it's getting hotter they are coming out. I also had a large black boar run across just behind me today , in the middle of nowhere.. scared the crap out of meJust be careful Buen Camino
They are still young and not as fast as the big guys. But they learned the bait trick well. You're lucky you didn't end up as lunch.I was on the dirt trail in the forest coming down from the Pyrenees Mountains about 3 kms from Roncesvalles. I stopped for a break. I reached down to pick up a few 1 Euro coins I saw on the ground. Just as I put my hand down, several small snakes went slithering by my hand. I got out of there quickly . . . after I grabbed the coins.I walked at a good pace for the rest of that day and never looked back.
Pretty sure that was an adult Ladder snake. The parallel dark lines along the back which are visible near the tail suggest it. They get quite large but they are non-venomous and harmless.I was surprised to see this poor guy on the side of the road in the town of Las Medulas (Camino Invierno). It was a good 2 cm diameter. No idea what it is!
I don't know what sort of snakes these are (Vallee du Cele, 2014) but they were too busy to notice me.
Definitely a ladder snake. Such a beauty too. I'm deeply jealous of your sighting!Saw the live version of your Las Medulas snake today at lunch. Definitely non-venomous.
Me too!Definitely a ladder snake. Such a beauty too. I'm deeply jealous of your sighting!
Not sure I will do Le Puy now! HahaWe saw more snakes on the Le Puy route than we've ever seen hiking in Australia!
We just finished, too, and there was lots of rustling in the dry leaves on the sides of the path. I told myself it was lizards but also stomped the poles hard into the ground in any tall grass or around dried leaves.Yes we are Aussies and have just finished Le Puy to SJPDP. Had a snake on the track. Jumped 2 feet in the air. Luckily it was very cold and the snake moved slowly
Peg and I were recently hiking in Alabama. She was in the lead setting the pace. Immediately off the trail was a bush that had collected dead winter leaves under it. As we passed, Peg asked "Did you hear the snake moving in the leaves?" "Yeah, did you hear the rattles?" "No."
Surely they have vipers in the US too?A local news website in Navarra has reported that an American peregrina was bitten by a viper yesterday and taken to hospital by the local rescue services. A very rare and unusual event. An unfortunate start to a Camino.
Una peregrina es evacuada tras ser mordida por una víbora en Lintzoain
Una mujer de los Estados Unidos, de 24 años de edad, ha sido trasladada en un helicóptero medicalizado tras ser mordida por una víbora cerca de Lintzoain.www.noticiasdenavarra.com
Quite likely. There are slow worms in Spain - the same legless lizard which lives in my garden here in Wales. Gentle harmless creatures. Usually a metallic-looking copper or bronze colour with no obvious neck. The clincher is that slow worms have eyelids and can blink. Snakes cannot. But if you are not 100% sure of your identification it's probably a bad idea to get close enough to tell!Walking the Norte in 2019 we saw two snakes, each about 30cm long, although I have a strong suspicion that one of them was a legless lizard!
Yes, we have them in Oz too, in a range of different shapes and colours - the earholes are a dead giveaway. This one was a bit too quick to properly identify.Quite likely. There are slow worms in Spain - the same legless lizard which lives in my garden here in Wales. Gentle harmless creatures. Usually a metallic-looking copper or bronze colour with no obvious neck. The clincher is that slow worms have eyelids and can blink. Snakes cannot. But if you are not 100% sure of your identification it's probably a bad idea to get close enough to tell!
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Not necessarily true. She could have been either trying to sit on the side if the path or trying to get up and put her hand down next to it.If she was bitten on the hand as the story says, then she was trying to interact with the snake in some way.
In 2014, I saw a large Kingkiller(European pit viper) in a drainage ditch outside Cistierna(north of Mansilla de las Mulas)A local news website in Navarra has reported that an American peregrina was bitten by a viper yesterday and taken to hospital by the local rescue services. A very rare and unusual event. An unfortunate start to a Camino.
Una peregrina es evacuada tras ser mordida por una víbora en Lintzoain
Una mujer de los Estados Unidos, de 24 años de edad, ha sido trasladada en un helicóptero medicalizado tras ser mordida por una víbora cerca de Lintzoain.www.noticiasdenavarra.com
Saw a fat Kingkiller(European pit viper) lazing in the sun by an irrigation ditch outside Cistierna(a day’s walk north of Mansilla de las Mulas) eight years ago. If you walk alone, you’ll see a lot more.A local news website in Navarra has reported that an American peregrina was bitten by a viper yesterday and taken to hospital by the local rescue services. A very rare and unusual event. An unfortunate start to a Camino.
Una peregrina es evacuada tras ser mordida por una víbora en Lintzoain
Una mujer de los Estados Unidos, de 24 años de edad, ha sido trasladada en un helicóptero medicalizado tras ser mordida por una víbora cerca de Lintzoain.www.noticiasdenavarra.com
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