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Old 03-13-2010, 07:35 PM
 
260 posts, read 513,239 times
Reputation: 221

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Quote:
Originally Posted by british View Post
I am visiting Arizona near the end of this month and will be travelling from pheonix to the grand canyon via sedona and then making my way to tombstone.

I have probably become overly concerned about the spiders, snakes, scorpions and gila monsters from all the reading I have done recently. Do I need to bring a specific first aid kit with me? I am not doing any massive hiking routes and I am staying in hotels not camping. Probably the maximum I can walk due to a disabiltiy is about a mile from a road if that so I should never be too far away from my vehicle.

Regarding the weather and the type of clothes I am packing can you confirm if I am bring the right clothes. For the grand canyon I will be dressing for snow conditions, and the remainder of my travelling I will be in jeans and shirts possibly shorts and T shirts for Tombstone area.

My footwear will be substanial walking boots although as mentioned previously I dont walk very far these days, I dont know about sandals due to the unfriendly animals but I will be wearing trainers as well.

Any advice is appreciated.

You dont have to worry about man eating crocodiles in Arizona. but if you see killer bees, stay in your car,and drive away fast.
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Old 03-14-2010, 08:00 AM
 
Location: Michigan
1,217 posts, read 3,288,420 times
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If the end of the month means end of March I don't think you'll see anything. We were out almost mid April and I wanted to see snakes and wild life. Everywhere I went I was told it is still to early for rattlesnakes to be out. We hiked around Sedona a bit and seen a rabbit. My entire visit I did not see any critters that would make me have to worry. So to the Az natives in this forum isn't it a bit early in the year when he or she is visiting anyway?
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Old 03-14-2010, 09:06 AM
 
1,632 posts, read 6,863,965 times
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Depends on where you are I guess. The Phoenix newspaper recently noted that the rattlers were starting to stir.

Rattlers starting to rouse as weather warms

I spent the first 20 years of my life in AZ and have done a lot of hiking there. I've never saw even one elusive gila monster. Other than at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, that is. Highly recommended for the OP, by the way, to better understand the amazing life in the desert.

I would basically agree with some of the others - enjoy and don't worry so much. If you're not hiking into the desert, you're not likely to see this particular critters in the wild. And probably not even then, on one trip.

Quote:
Originally Posted by JGatti View Post
If the end of the month means end of March I don't think you'll see anything. We were out almost mid April and I wanted to see snakes and wild life. Everywhere I went I was told it is still to early for rattlesnakes to be out. We hiked around Sedona a bit and seen a rabbit. My entire visit I did not see any critters that would make me have to worry. So to the Az natives in this forum isn't it a bit early in the year when he or she is visiting anyway?
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Old 03-14-2010, 09:10 AM
 
Location: UK
19 posts, read 36,231 times
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JGatti I understand everyone has different interests I can kind of understand why you would want to see critters but your news is good news to me. I am a photographer and I really enjoy landscapes.

Thanks again for the good news, Im sure people in states similar to Arizona or countries like Australia forget that the most dangerous animal we have in Britain is a snake called an "adda". I have never seen one becasue they are so shy. Other than the aforementioned there is nothing to worry about in the UK.
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Old 03-14-2010, 09:33 AM
 
861 posts, read 2,199,475 times
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British...

Right now the Rattlers are not out where we live but they might be starting to move in some hotter areas.
I have seen more Gila Monsters in the spring than any other time...if you come on one just run like crazy and dont look back...they are fast and will hypnotize you with thier eyes....

Naaah...just kidding...for the most part Gila Monsters are pretty well harmless unless you try to pick them up or hassle them...
If you do come on one, be thankful and get pictures, because very few folks get to see one in the wild.
I get excited everytime I run across one and I have seen quite a few in my life.

Rattlers now...just be careful where you step...they are a fact of life in Az and if you spend a lot of time outside here someday you might run across one....if you are careful where you step and dont decide to play with the cute little snake, you wont have anything to worry about.

I have came close to being bit 2 or 3 times in the 35 years I have lived here and it was because of my own inatention...barraling through the brush, hunting or hiking and not paying attention to what I was doing.

One time as a kid I was swimming in a pond and decided to climb up in a tree and jump out...as I was climbing the tree I heard that telltale sound of a rattle, and looked up to see a foot and a half long Rattler staring me in the face about 8 inches away....
Started my heart, dont ya know!!!
How that snake got there I dont know, but I evacuated the tree and left him in sole ownership of it.

Yes there are certain things you have to be careful about here in Az but the desert, mountains and canyons of this beautiful state are too wonderful to let these things keep you away.
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Old 03-14-2010, 11:04 AM
 
Location: Michigan
1,217 posts, read 3,288,420 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by british View Post
JGatti I understand everyone has different interests I can kind of understand why you would want to see critters but your news is good news to me. I am a photographer and I really enjoy landscapes.

Thanks again for the good news, Im sure people in states similar to Arizona or countries like Australia forget that the most dangerous animal we have in Britain is a snake called an "adda". I have never seen one becasue they are so shy. Other than the aforementioned there is nothing to worry about in the UK.
I also enjoy photography although I am not a pro. Your in for a real treat for subjects. I could spend months in and around parts of Arizona and not run out of things to shoot. If you want some good idea's and examples of good places to shoot, join flickr ( if your not on already) and look up Arizona Wonders. The photographers in that group have some of the most amazing photo's I've ever seen of Arizona.
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Old 03-15-2010, 09:08 AM
 
Location: Oxygen Ln. AZ
9,317 posts, read 18,800,912 times
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Gila monsters are not a threat. They move like snails unless you grab their tail and then they can whip around pretty fast.
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Old 03-16-2010, 07:57 PM
 
Location: Little Rock AR USA
2,457 posts, read 7,415,542 times
Reputation: 1901
Quote:
Originally Posted by british View Post
JGatti I understand everyone has different interests I can kind of understand why you would want to see critters but your news is good news to me. I am a photographer and I really enjoy landscapes.

Thanks again for the good news, Im sure people in states similar to Arizona or countries like Australia forget that the most dangerous animal we have in Britain is a snake called an "adda". I have never seen one becasue they are so shy. Other than the aforementioned there is nothing to worry about in the UK.
My Dad was a working Arizona cowboy and I visited him each November for several years. We were all over the Sonora desert and mountains around Phoenix exploring old mines and ghost towns, and we never had any "critter" problems.

Since you are a photographer, you must, YOU MUST, photograph an Arizona sun set. There is nothing on this earth that will compare to it's beauty. I have stood out on the desert for hours, with my camera on a tripod, snapping photos. I wish I was there today!
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Old 03-16-2010, 08:07 PM
 
Location: Phoenix, AZ
3,086 posts, read 5,375,689 times
Reputation: 1626
Quote:
Originally Posted by british View Post
I am visiting Arizona near the end of this month and will be travelling from pheonix to the grand canyon via sedona and then making my way to tombstone.

I have probably become overly concerned about the spiders, snakes, scorpions and gila monsters from all the reading I have done recently. Do I need to bring a specific first aid kit with me? I am not doing any massive hiking routes and I am staying in hotels not camping. Probably the maximum I can walk due to a disabiltiy is about a mile from a road if that so I should never be too far away from my vehicle.

Regarding the weather and the type of clothes I am packing can you confirm if I am bring the right clothes. For the grand canyon I will be dressing for snow conditions, and the remainder of my travelling I will be in jeans and shirts possibly shorts and T shirts for Tombstone area.

My footwear will be substanial walking boots although as mentioned previously I dont walk very far these days, I dont know about sandals due to the unfriendly animals but I will be wearing trainers as well.

Any advice is appreciated.
I have lived here for 30 + years. . . working outdoors in the desert, been all over the state. .. practially stepped on a large rattler once, under a tree. . . no bites, nothing. . . .all you need to bring is your common sense.
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Old 03-16-2010, 08:57 PM
 
Location: Scottsdale
467 posts, read 1,193,406 times
Reputation: 767
Quote:
Originally Posted by british View Post
I am visiting Arizona near the end of this month and will be travelling from pheonix to the grand canyon via sedona and then making my way to tombstone.

I have probably become overly concerned about the spiders, snakes, scorpions and gila monsters from all the reading I have done recently. Do I need to bring a specific first aid kit with me? I am not doing any massive hiking routes and I am staying in hotels not camping. Probably the maximum I can walk due to a disabiltiy is about a mile from a road if that so I should never be too far away from my vehicle.

Regarding the weather and the type of clothes I am packing can you confirm if I am bring the right clothes. For the grand canyon I will be dressing for snow conditions, and the remainder of my travelling I will be in jeans and shirts possibly shorts and T shirts for Tombstone area.

My footwear will be substanial walking boots although as mentioned previously I dont walk very far these days, I dont know about sandals due to the unfriendly animals but I will be wearing trainers as well.

Any advice is appreciated.
Yea, I don't recommend boots unless you are hiking. Other then that, tennis shoes would be better. Sandals...nope! Unless you are by the pool. Other then that...leave them home.

I did have some bobcats in my backyard last month with their family. but I live at the edge of a wild life preserve. They come to the glass doors to play with my cats. But they don't get to go outside and play with them.

Currently, it's a little cold in the north part. Jeans and a jacket would be good here. In Scottsdale today it was 80 degrees. So you better shed that coat.

Tombstone is perfect at this time of the year. It might get a little hot, but for some reason, the Tucson area is a little cooler then the Phoenix area. So Tombstone should be great. I have been thinking about doing a trike ride down there within the next two weeks. Maybe we could hook up for drinks.

Head coach
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