Venomous: The Deadliest Snakes in America

With the exception of Alaska, every state in the USA has at least one deadly snake inhabiting it. Nearly 8,000 people a year are bitten by venomous snakes in the US each year. Getting bit in the wilderness, away from medical attention and anti-venom, can be a death sentence. All of the advanced outdoor survival skills you’ve learned won’t mean much if you find yourself on the receiving end of a deadly rattlesnake strike. Rattlers are the largest type of venomous snake in the US. They have no specific region and they are spread out all across the country. There are thirteen species of rattlesnake such as the Eastern and Western Diamondback in the United States. Rattlers are most abundant in the southwest near the Mexican border in places like Texas and Arizona but they reside in nearly every state. Rattlesnakes use a neurotoxin which shuts down the immune system of their prey.The rattling sound gives people a chance to flee before they strike and more people die from bee stings in the US than rattlesnake bites.

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Cold and Exposed: Five Essential Tips Every Hiker Must Know About Surviving in the Cold

Every hiker’s worst nightmare is being stranded cold and alone in the depth of the woods. Few people know how they’ll react or survive in such extreme conditions. By following a few tips and tricks, you can ensure that you are prepared with the essentials for combating the cold.

1. Building a Shelter

Constructing a shelter is the first way to get out of the cold and reduce your exposure. The most common type of shelter for this circumstance is the lean-to. Constructing a basic lean-to with branches and shrubbery will protect from wind, rain and snow. In order to insulate and keep generated heat inside the lean-to, be sure to pack snow around the exposed areas. This will create a shelter that will protect from most of the elements you’ll experience in the cold. Another great tool for shelter is the use of a fallen tree as cover. This requires expending less energy in gathering resources, but does require energy to dig a hole out from under the fallen tree.

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