Summer Hikers Face Heat And Hidden Rattlesnakes, Experts Warn At Desert Safety Seminar

As temperatures climb across the desert this summer, experts are reminding hikers that beautiful views can come with real danger. At a Joshua Tree National Park desert survival and safety seminar held this week, specialists covered how to stay safe on the trails, from heat exposure to run-ins with local wildlife.

Anna Marini, Preventative Search and Rescue Coordinator at Joshua Tree National Park, said hikers should know their route before they leave the trailhead. "Know where you want to go and have a downloaded map or a paper map available to you and know how to call for help if you need that," Marini said. She added that many hikers underestimate how long a trip will take, so packing extra food and water is always a good idea, along with telling someone where you're going and when you expect to be back.

Hikers aren't the only ones out on the trails. Alyssa Johnson, Indigenous Community Liaison with Friends of the Desert Mountains, said local rattlesnakes are changing their behavior in a way that makes them harder to detect. "We do like to study what's been out recently is that rattlesnakes are adapting to not rattle as much," Johnson said, meaning hikers may not get the warning they're used to before a close encounter.

If something does go wrong on the trail, whether it's heat sickness, an injury, or a snake bite, the Desert Care Network is urging people to seek medical attention right away, even if the snake didn't look venomous. Dr. Suneil Agrawal, an emergency medicine specialist, said it's always better to get checked out. "I would always recommend to come to the emergency department cause sometimes it's not clear if it was a venomous snake or not, sometimes with the smaller rattlesnakes their rattle may not be as visible, and you may not know if it was a rattlesnake or not, so err on the side of caution and always come into the emergency department and let us watch you for a while," Agrawal said. He added that the hospital will run lab tests to make sure there are no issues with a patient's blood work before sending them home.

More information on staying safe outdoors, including Desert Care Network's Stop the Bleed program, which teaches hands-on skills for treating common trauma injuries, is available at DesertCareNetwork.com.