The copperhead struck at her and missed, coming up short. It startled her, of course. I came up a minute or two later and nudged it aside with my hiking stick.
It was perhaps 15-18 inches long - I think too small to have been able to bite her ankle even if it could have reached it. Typically, copperhead bites are quite painful but not life threatening except to the very young, very old, or health impaired. But they are mean looking critters.
"Rats set fire to Mr. Cooper’s store in Fort Valley. No damage done." Columbus (Ga) Enquirer-Sun, October 2, 1880.
Ive never done the Appalachian Trail. From a historical perspective it would be a great experience to walk in the footsteps of those who traveled the intertwining peace paths, trade paths and war paths, whose remaining remnants makeup the Appalachian Trail.
Was she caught by surprise? Was the serpent in the middle of the trail, or came and struck from aside? Do you bring with you/ have you ever brought poison antidotes?
Is it frequent, in your experience, to stumble on a serpent in those trails? I'm in a country exceptionally rich with serpents and scorpions, unfortunately, but it never happened to me, thanks to the Lord, to stumble over one or see it this year, meanwhile.
The copperhead was well-camouflaged in the middle of the trail, so she walked up on it.
In the southern Appalachians there are three kinds of poisonous snakes: timber rattlesnakes (the biggest and most dangerous), pygmy rattlesnakes, and copperheads. I do a heckuva lot of outdoors activity - far, far more than most people. I hike hundreds of miles a year in these mountains. Half the time or more I'm by myself. I occasionally run across vipers - maybe three or four times a year on average - enough to be alert to the possibility but not to obsess over it. I am far more concerned about lightning.
Since 2007, I've backpacked 500+ miles in 13 trips on the AT. I saw two copperheads and one timber rattler year one; I think this copperhead was the only other viper I've encountered on the AT. That first year, I was turned around to sit on a huge log in a mountain gap when my then 12-year-old son John walked up and exclaimed, "Daddy, rattlesnake!" It was a small copperhead coiled right where I was about to sit. My butt would've gotten bit if the snake could've worked its mouth to advantage.
I do occasionally encounter timber rattlers - big, fat, intimidating ones - on Lavender Mountain or Strawberry Mountain or Horn Mountain here near home. A rattlesnake bite can be a matter of serious concern, though sometimes they dry-bite, not injecting any venom.
I do not carry snake bite antivenin. I don't think that's even available or possible. If I suffered a bite, I'd try to remain calm and walk to the nearest location where I could get transportation to a hospital or make an emergency call. If it was a rattlesnake bite, I'd apply a tourniquet if I could. If it was a copperhead bite I wouldn't.
"Rats set fire to Mr. Cooper’s store in Fort Valley. No damage done." Columbus (Ga) Enquirer-Sun, October 2, 1880.
DS & Half DS: Just 40 hexes separate them in the western Pacific. KB North and KB South are out of position to intervene, I believe.
This is a complicated little dance, but I don't feel like there are "too many moving parts." John lacks combat TFs or carriers in theater. I think Half DS can handle security against his LBA; any enemy air strikes are likely to get eaten alive; subs aren't a huge concern because this theater has been quiet and its likely that his subs are far away.
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"Rats set fire to Mr. Cooper’s store in Fort Valley. No damage done." Columbus (Ga) Enquirer-Sun, October 2, 1880.
Peep Show II: To this point, John hasn't found a way to help himself in this theater while Death Star has been far away. DS will be back in 5 to 10 days.
Fairly effective bombing run vs. Kagoshima last night.
Encouraging attack at Karenko.
When DS, Half DS, and all that supply make it to Formosa and China in a few weeks, the pace of the war will increase dramatically.
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"Rats set fire to Mr. Cooper’s store in Fort Valley. No damage done." Columbus (Ga) Enquirer-Sun, October 2, 1880.
That's a bad neighborhood to have to carry your groceries through.
I live where snakes are common. I have several King snakes that live around the outside of the house. They crawl up the drainpipes and hangout in the gutters. One snake is over six foot.
On the porch looking out one day and a Copperhead shot out of the woodline into the yard about 3 feet and stopped. And you could tell he was panicked from his actions and even the look on his face. He stayed there for about 10 seconds then he bustled along the woodline for about 20 feet and then slithered back into the woods. A few minutes later a King Snake slowly slithered out from where the Copperhead had shot out from, moved in the direction the Copperhead had gone and went back into the woodline a little past where the Copperhead went back in. Better than the movies!
Venom wise, some say a smaller snake will put more poison into a human than a bigger snake will. The smaller snake will let all his venom out even for a "you are treading on me" strike. Leaving him outta hunting ammo for awhile.
Are you following any particular strategy in your nightbombing...or just experimenting?
For example did you target engines specifically, or did they just get damaged from manpower attacks?
There are interdependencies in Japanese industry...they can be exploited.
Having never played Japan, isn't Manpower what you want to target, and let the fires do the work? In other words, target a specific city because it makes a type of fighter, but still target manpower with the idea that fires will damage the factory? Just curious.
So I gave some thought to the possibility that not all of KB North was deployed to the Aluetians. What if John had a carrier divisions still in the Home Islands or some point to the south?
If so it would be in a position to strike at Half Death Star before HDS could rendezvous with Death Star. I'm nearly certain that any such carrier division would be considerably smaller than HDS so that the biggest threat would be a combined strike by enemy carrier-based and land-based air.
While I deem that unlikely, I took a look at my units to see if I ought to change orders. Given their current positions I concluded it's best to proceed.
HDS will continue steaming west at about 5-6 hexes per day, passing Truk to the north. DS will steam east to effect a rendezvous, probably between Ulithi and Guam.
I think there will be two days of exposure. After that, the two Allied carrier groups will be in such proximity that there should be no risk from enemy naval or land air.
"Rats set fire to Mr. Cooper’s store in Fort Valley. No damage done." Columbus (Ga) Enquirer-Sun, October 2, 1880.
think there will be two days of exposure. After that, the two Allied carrier groups will be in such proximity that there should be no risk from enemy naval or land air.
John's nav search picked up Half Death Star near Eniwetok yesterday. He lost them today if detection levels are accurate.
I have subs arrayed through CenPac and a line of picket YMS from west of Wake all the way up to the far reaches NW of Midway. If he moves carriers south I ought to pick them up. I really don't think he will.
But disasters usually happen unexpectedly, right?
"Rats set fire to Mr. Cooper’s store in Fort Valley. No damage done." Columbus (Ga) Enquirer-Sun, October 2, 1880.
John's "body language" doesn't suggest a big attack coming.
If he was about to fall on my carriers like a thunderbolt, he'd be flipping turns, to the extent his schedule permitted. He'd be checking in with me to find out when I'm available and to let me know when he's available. He'd be posting frequently to his AAR. He wouldn't be able to help himself.
Instead he didn't send a promised turn yesterday; he hasn't communicated for the past 24 hours although he's been on the forum three or four times; and he's posting everywhere except his AAR.
He could manipulate those things to give a false impression; but he isn't. He's not coming.
"Rats set fire to Mr. Cooper’s store in Fort Valley. No damage done." Columbus (Ga) Enquirer-Sun, October 2, 1880.
