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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>I use a tarp almost exclusively and have
never had a problem with snakes, bees, scorpions, whatever. The biggest
problem is probably mosquitoes or flies, but they’re more annoying than a
problem. In fact, in all my desert hiking (I lived in <st1:State w:st="on">Utah</st1:State>
and <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Arizona</st1:place></st1:State>
for over twenty years) I’ve never seen a snake anywhere near my campsite
(only on trails), only seen a few scorpions (much more common to see them in my
house, than on the trail), and if you’re afraid of spiders…oh
boy. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>As a trail angel mentioned to me in <st1:country-region
w:st="on">Cuba</st1:country-region>, <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">New
Mexico</st1:place></st1:State>, “It’s not the snakes or the bears
or the mountain lions that should worry you, but the sound of dueling banjos…”<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><b><font size=2 face=Tahoma><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>From:</span></font></b><font
size=2 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'>
cdt-l-bounces@backcountry.net [mailto:cdt-l-bounces@backcountry.net] <b><span
style='font-weight:bold'>On Behalf Of </span></b>Matthew Robison<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Sent:</span></b> Friday, November 02, 2007
8:20 AM<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>To:</span></b> cdt-l@backcountry.net<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Subject:</span></b> [Cdt-l] Desert Shelter</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:
12.0pt;margin-left:.5in'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>Hi everyone. To fill a gap in my experience, I'm
reading "The Ultimate Desert Handbook" by Mark Johnson to prepare for
hiking the Chihuahuan desert of southern <st1:State w:st="on">New Mexico</st1:State>
and the Great Basin desert of southern <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Wyoming</st1:place></st1:State>.
<br>
<br>
When hiking in the desert, which type of shelter do you use?<br>
<br>
- If you use a tarp, have you ever had problems with insects, scorpions, snakes
and spiders? <br>
<br>
- Has anyone used the snake repellent "Snake-a-Way"? Apparently
the military uses it, but I'm interested in personal assessments of its
effectiveness. It was registered with the EPA (number 58630-1) in 1990;
its' active ingredients are napthalene and sulfur; but unfortunately, I
couldn't locate the studies confirming Snake-A-Way's effectiveness in
deterring all the snakes a hiker may encounter in the Chihuanhuan
desert. For example, I found it deterred the coral snake (100%) and
the western diamondback (91%), but I couldn't find evidence that it deters the
mojave rattlesnake, the ridgenose rattlesnake, the sidewinder, the speckled
rattlesnake, the tiger rattlesnake, the mausasuaga, or the prarie
rattlesakes--all reptiles a hiker may encounter in southern New Mexico.
hmmm... <br>
<br>
<br>
- Has anyone had problems with bees, especially the Africanized honeybee (the
'killer' bee)?<br>
<br>
That's all for now...thanks for your input... <br>
<br>
wolverine<br>
<br>
<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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