Venomous snakes are a fact of life for outdoor enthusiasts in Oklahoma. On a sunny day, snakes can often be found sunning themselves in the most inconvenient places. In Tulsa, we have seen them in the middle of paved trails and dirt trails alike. With the warmer winter and the onset spring, reptiles are emerging from hibernation earlier than usual. Rather than hiding inside until the temperature dips below freezing, we would like to provide these tips from one of our members who has first-hand knowledge of how to best care for a venomous bite.

Leslie, an avid trail runner and mountain biker, offers the following: “I was bitten by a copperhead on my foot almost two years ago up at Grand Lake…and got lucky. Thought I’d share a few things I learned from the experience in hopes to save time if someone were to be bitten.”

• Remain calm if bitten. Take deep breaths to control your heart rate. Pay attention to your body’s reaction the best you can.

• Do not put ice on the bite. This causes the venom to stay in one area and accelerates tissue deterioration.

• Don’t go all Crocodile Dundee and have someone suck the venom out. This is dangerous for both parties.

• Only major hospitals carry anti-venom. My options were St. Francis or go to Joplin. I was in Eucha and was taken by ambulance to Grove Integris Hospital (where they “couldn’t do anything for me”).

• Once at St. Francis, I learned that you have a 6-hour window to receive anti-venom (depending on snake/bite area). The anti-venom takes 1 hour to make. If you receive anti-venom, they will keep you in ICU for 3 days to monitor you, because anti-venom can be more dangerous than the bite itself and have long-lasting side effects.

By the time I made it to St. Francis, I was already on my fifth hour and thankfully was stable enough that I did not need anti-venom, just a night in the hospital and a painful/swollen leg for a couple of weeks.

Being bitten is a scary stressful situation, it is always best to know the information before you need it.

Remember it is always safest to assume every stick is a snake until proven otherwise.

Waterlogged: When it’s time to give the trails a break

But there comes a time when you have to think bigger. The places where I run are pretty busy, and not just with runners. Cyclists, hikers and other trail users frequent my local trails by the hundreds every day, at a minimum. All that use has an impact on trails under the best of conditions. Add enough rain to the mix and trail erosion and degradation is greatly accelerated.

THE TRAILS ARE MUDDY!!!! Updated Jan 2nd, 2016

As of Saturday, January 2, 2016, trails are very muddy and slick. We recommend avoiding muddy trails for the sake of preserving them, and if you find yourself on a muddy trail, to walk/run/ride right down the middle of it instead of trying to sidestep. Sidestepping widens trails and increases likelihood of significant erosion.

Be Sure to Check Out Page 12 of the May / June issue of Oklahoma Sports and Fitness Magazine!