Seems BLM land might be the place to be to get off the grid. Hoping things get better before the summer months. 6-7 states closed their state parks and many National Parks are closed. For many of us getting out on the road is our happy place, and now the walls are closing in a bit. Reading your post does make life better. Being in Texas was great, but not seeing any family was very hard. I think we all realized it was better to wait until this calms down. Keep posting. It does make things better for all of us to live through yours and Tanner's eyes. Be safe❤️.
My Journey
- Thread starter YukonMontanaTannerTrapper
- Start date
YukonMontanaTannerTrapper
Explorer
JD.....the national forests and the BLM lands have become my home for nearly three years and yea, it's a great place to wait this out.....stay safe.....
Often in the morning Tanner is anxious to get out and explore.....
I'm guessing that it was the first week of March that I saw my first article warning Arizona residents of the rattlesnakes emerging from their winter dens. Now I typically like to let Tanner roam free but I took note of this and I've curtailed his wanderings quite a bit. But up here climbing in these rocks, that's really not possible......so I climb knowing the risks.....
My guess is that these tiny caves located in the rock faces are inhabited by rodents and my guess is that more than likely they are a prime location to cross paths with a rattler.....
We have been fortunate so far and we've yet to see a rattlesnake this season but now Tanner spends most of his time these days at the end of the leash.....
I've posted pictures of these small caves in the past cause they so capture my imagination. I can sit there and stare at these things and just imagine the lives that are being lived there.....even a small empty cave can entertain me.....much better than television in my mind.....
Nature was good to us during our stay here.....not all survive.....
At the end of the day Tanner still tries to keep an eye on the world that lies beyond our little window.....but those sleepy eyes seem to overtake his will to watch the world pass by.....
Day 8 of my life living off the grid.....a week has passed without human contact.....solitude and social distancing are the keys to our return to normalcy.....I have thrived with it.....I hope you do too.....
Often in the morning Tanner is anxious to get out and explore.....
I'm guessing that it was the first week of March that I saw my first article warning Arizona residents of the rattlesnakes emerging from their winter dens. Now I typically like to let Tanner roam free but I took note of this and I've curtailed his wanderings quite a bit. But up here climbing in these rocks, that's really not possible......so I climb knowing the risks.....
My guess is that these tiny caves located in the rock faces are inhabited by rodents and my guess is that more than likely they are a prime location to cross paths with a rattler.....
We have been fortunate so far and we've yet to see a rattlesnake this season but now Tanner spends most of his time these days at the end of the leash.....
I've posted pictures of these small caves in the past cause they so capture my imagination. I can sit there and stare at these things and just imagine the lives that are being lived there.....even a small empty cave can entertain me.....much better than television in my mind.....
Nature was good to us during our stay here.....not all survive.....
At the end of the day Tanner still tries to keep an eye on the world that lies beyond our little window.....but those sleepy eyes seem to overtake his will to watch the world pass by.....
Day 8 of my life living off the grid.....a week has passed without human contact.....solitude and social distancing are the keys to our return to normalcy.....I have thrived with it.....I hope you do too.....
Ace Brown
Retired Ol’ Fart
While mountain biking on a local trail that’s quite technical, I fell in a cactus patch. The trail is very rocky and falling there can almost guarantee a injury. But the cactus patch (pin) cushioned my fall. I was pretty badly covered with hundreds of spines on my left side from knee to shoulder. I pulled many out but then decided to finish the ride as my truck was close. Then I asked the guy riding with me to pull a lot more with my Leatherman. Next I went to my doctors nurse where she used tweezers and a magnifying glass to get the tiny ones. A lot were in my butt and lower back and I couldn’t reach them. Too tiny for me to see anyway. Cactus is part of life here, but that was my worst encounter.
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VanWaLife
Active member
I've been reading your posts for a while now, and I really enjoy the photos and narrative. I saw your posts about snakes, and thought I'd share my thoughts since they are something I've spent time worrying and thinking about with my little pup.
I used to get him a rattlesnake shot every year. The shot is not a vaccine obviously, but is reported to greatly reduce the reaction and increase the time you have to get to the vet. My dog always had a bad reaction to the shot, he'd get a big lump at the injection site that would remain for months. We stopped spending as much time in rattlesnake country, so I stopped getting him the shot.
Currently I always carry Benadryl when we're out in rattlesnake country. If administered immediately after a bite, Benadryl is also supposed to reduce reaction to the bite.
The third thing I've considered and may do someday is get the pup in for rattlesnake aversion training. My understanding is this training basically involves shocking the dog when he approaches a live snake. Snake handlers typically offer this training at rotating locations during snake season. I'm not a big fan of negative training techniques like electric shock, but this seems like a case where it may be appropriate.
I just thought I'd offer this info up in case it is useful to you or anyone else reading this post.
I used to get him a rattlesnake shot every year. The shot is not a vaccine obviously, but is reported to greatly reduce the reaction and increase the time you have to get to the vet. My dog always had a bad reaction to the shot, he'd get a big lump at the injection site that would remain for months. We stopped spending as much time in rattlesnake country, so I stopped getting him the shot.
Currently I always carry Benadryl when we're out in rattlesnake country. If administered immediately after a bite, Benadryl is also supposed to reduce reaction to the bite.
The third thing I've considered and may do someday is get the pup in for rattlesnake aversion training. My understanding is this training basically involves shocking the dog when he approaches a live snake. Snake handlers typically offer this training at rotating locations during snake season. I'm not a big fan of negative training techniques like electric shock, but this seems like a case where it may be appropriate.
I just thought I'd offer this info up in case it is useful to you or anyone else reading this post.
YukonMontanaTannerTrapper
Explorer
Ace.....that sounds terrifying.....
VanWaLife.....excellent post ! Thanks. Last year I was considering purchasing 20 acres in Montana which was close to rattlesnake country. So I contacted my veterinarian in Bozeman, Montana and she said that she was not a fan of the shots but they had great success with the training and she encouraged me to go that route. I didn't purchase the property therefore Tanner did not get the training. I wish he did honestly.....
Chet6.7.....Tanners paws also have been a target of the cactus. I noticed a few people in the Tucson area that walked their dogs in the desert with shoes (?). That being said, yesterday Tanner and I were hiking and I stepped on a cactus plant which grows horizontally and the spines went through my leather boot into my foot. I'm starting to look forward to the grizzly bears up north.....
Often while I'm out collecting trash along the roadways I'll find some pretty cool stuff.....my favorite find was the old Montana license plate but I've also found antlers, skulls, tools, and the list goes on and on.....just all kinds of crap really. Now whenever I cross a culvert I typically extend my search maybe 100 or 200 feet beyond the roadway cause the water flowing through the culvert washes the trash further down the ditch and away from the roadway.....
And so it was that by walking off the immediate limits of the roadway and down the ditch line that I found this.....
I thought that this certainly fell into the category of cool stuff that I've found.....and looking around a bit more I came across a second one.....
It's unfortunate that so many people come to wild places and do what they do.....
My efforts are fruitless.....this I know for sure.....
There are way more people that just simply don't care.....
And finally after 5 days we were beginning to run short on water.....it was time to move on.....
Tanner had a vet appointment in Tucson scheduled on April third but with the virus spreading quickly I decided to move the appointment up by 2 weeks.....reducing my exposure was and is my only plan.....
Day 9 of my life living off the grid.....it's good to have a dog for a best friend in times like these.....flatten the curve.....
VanWaLife.....excellent post ! Thanks. Last year I was considering purchasing 20 acres in Montana which was close to rattlesnake country. So I contacted my veterinarian in Bozeman, Montana and she said that she was not a fan of the shots but they had great success with the training and she encouraged me to go that route. I didn't purchase the property therefore Tanner did not get the training. I wish he did honestly.....
Chet6.7.....Tanners paws also have been a target of the cactus. I noticed a few people in the Tucson area that walked their dogs in the desert with shoes (?). That being said, yesterday Tanner and I were hiking and I stepped on a cactus plant which grows horizontally and the spines went through my leather boot into my foot. I'm starting to look forward to the grizzly bears up north.....
Often while I'm out collecting trash along the roadways I'll find some pretty cool stuff.....my favorite find was the old Montana license plate but I've also found antlers, skulls, tools, and the list goes on and on.....just all kinds of crap really. Now whenever I cross a culvert I typically extend my search maybe 100 or 200 feet beyond the roadway cause the water flowing through the culvert washes the trash further down the ditch and away from the roadway.....
And so it was that by walking off the immediate limits of the roadway and down the ditch line that I found this.....
I thought that this certainly fell into the category of cool stuff that I've found.....and looking around a bit more I came across a second one.....
It's unfortunate that so many people come to wild places and do what they do.....
My efforts are fruitless.....this I know for sure.....
There are way more people that just simply don't care.....
And finally after 5 days we were beginning to run short on water.....it was time to move on.....
Tanner had a vet appointment in Tucson scheduled on April third but with the virus spreading quickly I decided to move the appointment up by 2 weeks.....reducing my exposure was and is my only plan.....
Day 9 of my life living off the grid.....it's good to have a dog for a best friend in times like these.....flatten the curve.....
Riversdad
Active member
I have often wondered about rattlesnake encounters with yours dogs, seems you've been lucky so far. We just got back from walking in the woods and I hear what seemed to be a rattle in the leaves in front of me and look up to see a large black snake . It was coiled up with it's head raised, and shaking it's tail in the leaves to sound like a rattlesnake. I went around it and looked it up when I got home. Just a simple black rat snake, but it fooled me for a moment. Hope Tanner and you never come across a real rattlesnake. Stay safe.
YukonMontanaTannerTrapper
Explorer
Riversdad.....Years ago this world traveler (Montana) was bitten by a rattlesnake near my cabin in the Appalachian Mountains. We were on an evening walk along the gravel road when he got bit. I had him at an animal hospital within 30 minutes of the bite and he would spend the next 2 nights getting treated there. He didn't require antivenom fortunately but he was given many doses of morphine as they say that the swelling and the bite can be quite painful. I'll never forget when they asked me if I could afford his treatment (as I recall it cost about $1,200) and I said yes of course. They said it wasn't unusual for people to take their dogs home untreated because they couldn't afford the treatment.....to this day that thought still haunts me.....
DAY 900.....
Now we had 2 nights to kill before driving to Tucson so I thought that we might as well head back to the Gila Box Riparian National Conservation Area where water was both plentiful and free.....
We were able to occupy the same spot on BLM land which we had occupied during our last stay.....
The last time we were here Yukon was still with us and I'll tell you it was a real emotional time for me to come back here.....her bed in the dirt which we dug together was exactly the same as before.....actually everything was exacly the same except the now the trees were mostly in full bloom.....only my best friend Yukon was missing.....
Tanner and I hiked to the slot canyons....
And we hiked along the raging Gila River filled with the recent rains and the snowmelt coming from the mountains of New Mexico.....
We hiked through the desert and enjoyed seeing the desert plants again.....
This is a good place to chill.....maybe a good place to move on with life.....something we all just do.....
I just wish that dogs could live forever.....
Day 10 of my life living off the grid.....be safe all.....flatten the curve.....
DAY 900.....
Now we had 2 nights to kill before driving to Tucson so I thought that we might as well head back to the Gila Box Riparian National Conservation Area where water was both plentiful and free.....
We were able to occupy the same spot on BLM land which we had occupied during our last stay.....
The last time we were here Yukon was still with us and I'll tell you it was a real emotional time for me to come back here.....her bed in the dirt which we dug together was exactly the same as before.....actually everything was exacly the same except the now the trees were mostly in full bloom.....only my best friend Yukon was missing.....
Tanner and I hiked to the slot canyons....
And we hiked along the raging Gila River filled with the recent rains and the snowmelt coming from the mountains of New Mexico.....
We hiked through the desert and enjoyed seeing the desert plants again.....
This is a good place to chill.....maybe a good place to move on with life.....something we all just do.....
I just wish that dogs could live forever.....
Day 10 of my life living off the grid.....be safe all.....flatten the curve.....
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chet6.7
Explorer
I wonder if both of these products could offer some protection against cactus and snakes?
ITTOG
Well-known member
I saw a dog on the trails on South mountain in Phoenix wearing those. But it looked like it was all one piece for the feet and legs.I wonder if both of these products could offer some protection against cactus and snakes?
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ralphhawley
New member
Curtis Salgado's "I want my dog to live longer" is on U tube. Worth the listen.
chet6.7
Explorer
One piece sounds better,my google **** is often lacking.
Pacific Northwest yetti
Expedition Medic
Ruffwear, a company out of bend oregon, makes phenomenal dog products. Including dog booties, I have some for my great pyr, usually more for hot or cold temps on the deck of the truck, or nasty rocks.
I see a lot of sled dogs wearing them, and lost ones all along the trail.
Hopefully sent from somewhere pretty and remote. With my entertainment and navigation multitool
I see a lot of sled dogs wearing them, and lost ones all along the trail.
Hopefully sent from somewhere pretty and remote. With my entertainment and navigation multitool