desert hiking

“want to hone some of our skills in the desert

any good trail ideas? or trip will last about 5 days.”

“The Southern California PCT some crosses the desert. I've seen some awesome pictures of spring cactus blooms in I think March and April. Or maybe try that Red Rock valley where all the westerns are shot. I think its near Las Vegas.”

“cool me and my buddys are going hone our compass/map/rought/ water skills!

i just hope they dont like the desert on fire..... I got to get sopme of them off of pot.”

“They're on pot let me guess they have man boobs too!”

“nope i got rid of mine like i said they were shrinking by the day”

“i was thinking about going to the Mnt San Gorgino area.”

“I had a roommate who was a heavy pot smoker he had a nice set of tits. His habbit sent me looking for a new place to live. That and the fact that he brought the whole neighbor hood over to join him.”

“yea i dont smoke myself but i am weening them off of it.

oh yea i figure while i'm down in the desert i'll have some fun with the rattlers.”

“don't have to worry too much about them, just watch out for ones sunning on the trail. Or make sure someone else is hiking first.”

“LOL!!! great idea!”

“i still need to get a snake bite kit any recomondations on a brand?”

“Only recomendation is don't get bit! It would suck, nothing like an emergency evacuation to sour you backpacking experience.”

“i almost sat on one thats why i was asking i went on an over nighter up neer marklyvile i was trying out a two tarp tent thingy and there was one waiting on my bag.good thing for hikking sticks.”

“5 days - find a route with water.

I'm heading out to Joshua Tree this weekend, but I'll just do an overnight trip. We're going to try to camp on top of Quail Mountain (the tallest in the park) to enjoy the view and sunset.

Anyone that wants to join in is welcome.”

“Could I opt out of the Poppinfresh Man Boob newsletter? No offense meant, I just don't feel I require daily progress reports and updates. However, if you feel the need to brag that you are getting into better shape, I'm ok with that.”

“The best snake bite kit is by 4X4.



You just need to get to a hospital. Actually USING a snake bite kit doesn't remove the venom and can cause a nasty infection, so I've heard. A snake bite won't kill you quickly, unless you happen to be terribly allergic to the venom (SOL).”

“maybe someone should email SARboy.”

“I thought the latest wisdom was to NOT use snake bit kits. Just take an antihistamine and get to a doctor as fast as you can.

Anyone?”

“I've heard that snake bite kits are fine, just don't cut the wound to try to get more venom out. It actually gets the venom into your blood stream faster and it can get infected.”

“Snake bite kits suck.”

“I've heard the same thing HPM, they don't usually remove the venom fast enough or remove enough of it to do any good. And the time you've wasted using the snake bite kit could've been put to better use getting to the hospital sooner.”

“ok thx! i was wndering about that.”

“I did a little research earlier and there seems to be two schools of thought the major difference being wether or not you should use an extractor.

Both say to let the wound bleed for about 15 to 30 seconds and put on a compression bandage AND DON'T REMOVE IT. Let the doctor do that. Aparently a compression bandage keeps the venom from spreading.

This site says to use and extractor

These guys say not to use one

Just search for snake bite first aid. Some good info out there.”

“thx man”

“ok i dug up my 2001 PCT trail guide and will choose something from there”

“he he. unless you're da SNAKE CHARMER

rattlers give you plenty of warning... Just get the heck out of there and you won't have to worry about getting bit.”

“If you are smart, you shouldn't need a snake bite kit.

Never put your hands or feet someplace you can't see.

Make noise while walking, they'll get out of your way.

Shake your boots and sleeping bag out before use.”

“i wish i new that before the marklyvile thrip i went on i was in a two tarp thingy and when i went in there was a nice sized ratler on my bag”

“hey my boots are snake proof!”

“If your gonna keep your boots outside the tent, bring a plastic bag to put the boots into and then tie the bag closed. Walmart makes great bags and they are a cool shade of blue.”

“The snakes won't bother you until april. They can't move in the cold weather, so they stay hidden in the ground or in rocks.

I had a great time in Joshua Tree this weekend. We backpacked to Quail Mountain. The summit was really windy and cold, so went down to the base of the mountain to camp. It got down into the 20's overnight. I love the sunset and sunrise in the desert. We also day hiked Ryan Mountain, which is a freeway of people, but the view was great from the top.

We're going to do another weekend trip next month. Anyone that wants to go along is welcome.”