SPOKANE, Wash. – A man was bitten by a gopher snake on the Centennial Trail after stepping on it.
Pest control expert Elmer Bensinger explained that such incidents are rare and gopher snakes are not dangerous. Bensinger highlighted a common misconception, saying, “The bad part is a lot of people will mistake them for a rattlesnake because they have similar colors, similar markings.”
Samantha Morales, a travel nurse from Georgia training to hike Mt. Adams, shared her own snake encounter while hiking the Knothead Valley Loop.
She described how she encountered a rattlesnake, saying, “I’m stepping over just a rock on the path and then there is a big fallen tree to my right and I just go to take my right foot and I’m for some reason consciously thinking about that right foot. I’m stepping down and I hear the rattle go off.”
Morales managed to stay calm and took steps to ensure her safety.
She recounted, “Then, I take six big steps to get out of the danger zone.”
Morales snapped a picture of the snake as proof, noting, “And at that time, the rattle was no longer going off, but the snake was still in striking position.”
She advised that if bitten by a snake, it’s crucial to “call 911 as fast as you can” and try to identify the snake for proper treatment.
Morales also showed a video where she cautiously moved another snake off the road.
She emphasized, “Overall, they don’t want to strike you. They want to flee the scene.”
Bensinger agreed, stating, “That snake doesn’t want anything to do with you. You are way too big for that snake to consume and you are not on the menu.”
