NEW DENVER SHERIFF FIRMAN HITS STRIDE
Park rangers suggest tips to avoid being bitten by the reptiles
A sheriff ’s mantra: “You’re going to be expected to treat people with dignity no matter how they treat you.”
Hikers, cyclists and horseback riders beware — rattlesnakes are out of their dens for the season. Park rangers offer some advice to stay safe.
It’s that time of year when cantankerous rattlesnakes slither from their dens and warm themselves on sunny trails and rocks in the foothills.
And that makes it a dangerous time of year for hikers, cyclists and horseback riders.
St. Anthony emergency rooms in metro Denver have treated three patients bitten by rattlesnakes in the past two weeks — about normal for mid-May.
Snake encounters and bites typically spike in early spring and late fall, said Mary Ann Bonnell, Jefferson County Open Space visitor service manager. So far this season, her office has fielded one report of a dog being bitten by a rattlesnake, at the Matthews/Winters Park.
“We certainly expect to see them this time of year,” said Bonnell, who helped study rattlers in parks.
“Generally, people are not bitten by a snake they leave alone. Give it space and time to leave.”
Bicycle riders typically encounter more snakes than other trail users because they roll up quickly and relatively quietly.
(A mountain biker bitten this month saw the snake, swerved, crashed and then was struck by the rattler.) The thumping approach of horses and even the footfalls of hikers tend to push snakes off the trail before they are in sight.
Dr. Winston Tripp, the medical director for St. Anthony emergency services, said his doctors treated two rattlesnake bites last week and one two weeks ago.
Kevin Anderson has been guiding horseback rides up the rocky trails of White Ranch Park in Jefferson County for three decades. He’s seen only about three rattlesnakes this season, compared with about 10 in a warmer May. “But the ones I am seeing are ... madder,” Anderson said.
All trail users must yield to Anderson’s horses, which typically means hikers and bikers need to step off the trail to allow the horses past.
Anderson recommends grabbing a handful of pebbles and tossing them into deep grass if you need to step off the trail.
“If there’s anything there, they will buzz you,” he said.
“This time of year, they are coming out of their dens, and they aren’t too happy about visitors. So give them 8 to 10 feet, and they’ll leave you alone.”