Daddy's Adventure

So, Mary is sitting out for this blog and I get to write one, chronicling the adventures of the past weekend (written by Matt).

First, a metaphor:

When it snows in Minnesota, everything gets more or less covered in an evenly-distributed layer, including the roads. Then the snow plows are sent out to clear the streets, which results in no snow on the streets, but several feet of snow piled up along the roadsides. Makes sense, right?

Ok, now replace “Minnesota” with “North Carolina”, replace “roads” with “hiking trail”, “snow plows” with “hikers”, and “snow” with “venomous snakes”. And onto the story…

This past Sunday we went hiking at a local state park. This park has very well-maintained trails that get a lot of foot traffic, so it was a great place to take Kalina. She was an absolute sweetheart, and had a great time walking BETWEEN Mary and I, never more than a half-step ahead of us. We managed to find a toad, a smashed millipede, and a few other things. Kalina spotted the millipede all by herself, which was really impressive! Even the simple things (like smashed ant-covered invertebrates) are more fun with a toddler.

We were all having a great time, but even so, I was keeping a careful watch out for animals, especially dogs… and snakes.

We hiked about a half-mile out before Kalina started to get tired and anxious for Lamby and Mountain Lion (both in the car) and we turned around. Mary and I then took turns carrying her back to the parking lot. About 200 yards from the car, we spotted a big lizard scurrying around the side of a tree, about 15 feet off the trail. Leaving Kalina on the trail with Mary, I made a quick check of the ground and then stealthily crept over to the tree, hoping to either grab the lizard outright or at least scare it back to the front of the tree so the girls could get a better look at it.

I got about four feet from the tree, and started to lean around it, without moving my feet further. Sure enough, clinging to the back about chest-level was the lizard. I don’t exactly remember why I looked down at this point, but I think it was to check my footing before I took that final step to grab the thing.

Now, in 7 years of living down here, I’d never seen a copperhead, the red-and-cream colored snakes all the locals talk about. But there it was, Agkistrodon contortrix, a yard long, exactly how it looks in all the books and websites…EXCEPT THAT IT WAS THREE INCHES FROM MY SANDAL-CLAD FOOT!!!!

Does the snow metaphor make sense now? Idiot! This in NOT Minnesota…STAY ON THE TRAILS!!!

I got out of there in one piece, but was very frazzled. It was a miracle I didn’t step on it, and other miracle it didn’t just bite me anyway. Just how dangerous are these snakes? Well, here are a few fun facts about copperheads, courtesy of the fine folks at the NC cooperative extension (http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/gaston/Pests/reptiles/copperhead.htm):

-North Carolina has the dubious distinction of the most venomous snake bites of any state in the U.S.

-Copperheads produce hemolytic venom. The bite needs medical attention, is extremely painful, and may cause extensive scarring and loss of limb. Recovery can take upwards of several months.

-Copperhead bites are typically not fatal (hurray!)

-Closely-related cottonmouths and canebrake rattlesnakes often make threat displays without actually striking. However, the copperhead is different. The copperhead's initial threat display is to strike; most copperheads tested have struck out immediately when they felt threatened. This behavior explains why more people receive legitimate snakebites from copperheads than from any other species of venomous snake in North America.

Yikes. I’d still rather be lucky than good, but needless to say, we are going to be approaching these short weekend hikes in a whole new light after this incident. For that matter, we’ll now be walking around the yard at home with more care! While it was really stupid to step off the trail, we all learned a really good lesson about North Carolina fauna. And better to have it happen to me than the girls.