Some info on Spiders

So a man in Colorado died from a black widow bite recently....actually, from 19 black widow bites on his foot.  http://www.kdvr.com/news/kdvr-man-dies-after-suffering-19-black-widow-spider-bites-20110721,0,5774918.story Despite the crazy rare novelty of this, I figured it would be good to post up on some dangerous spider info, particularly given the heat wave we are in.

Everyone is scared of spiders...just to different degrees.  I generally am not afraid of them until they are crawling on my face or head after going through a web...even when it is the harmless spined micrathena that is crawling on me (those ugly jewel-backed spiders that litter the eastern woods).  But really, there are only a handfull of spiders that we should be concerned with here in the US.  While there are other spiders that bite if really provoked, their poison isnt dangerous enough to cause panic.  One such common poisonous but not very dangerous spider is the WOLF spider.  These are the guys you see in the woods at night when you shine a light on the ground and see a bunch of little shiny eyes looking back at you.  They stay on the ground, and while some get HUGE and do cause a painful bite, they are not life threatening.  They are actually pretty fun to watch because they are active hunters, unlike most spiders which sit in a web like lazy fat asses waiting for food to come to them.

The ones that should be a cause for alarm are the following:

The infamous Black Widow - identified by its creepy long legs, jet black body and bright red hour glass on the abdomen of females, though the red isnt always there...so look for the rest of the creepiness.

More Info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latrodectus

The infamous and disgusting Brown Recluse - their bite is painful and the aftermath is disgusting.  Also referred to as the Fiddle Back, they are identified by their fiddle shaped mark on their thorax.  Common on the east coast, not on the west

More Info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_recluse_spider

The Hobo Spider (often mistaken for the Brown Recluse), or as it is sometimes called, the Funnel Web Spider.  looks similar but are west coast spiders

More info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hobo_spider

The Sac Spider - these are everywhere in the US

More info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sac_spider

The much maligned Tarantula, which is actually very docile.  the hair on their legs usually cause more problems than their bites

more Info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarantula

Foruntately, these poisonous and dangerous spiders are very reclusive and dont want to be near you any more than you want to be near them...just know where they live and be careful around the house in the attic or basement shifting boxes and things around.  camping, be very careful around logs, particularly damp, rotten logs, and rocks.  I have had 3 serious run-ins with a black widow, one of which resulted in a bite, and 1 serious run in with a brown recluse (which fortunately didnt bite me).  Even if these spiders are on you, dont panic.  I have been able to get both recluse and widow spiders off me while they were crawling up my body sinisterly, without incident...just dont give them a reason to bite in defense.

And ALWAYS check your boots before putting them back on in the woods!!!

Wolf Reintroduction - Step Forward or Disaster in the Making?

This issue came up on another forum.  It fascinates me for a number of reasons, not least of which is that I find wolves to be one of the most amazing creatures in the world.  there is no other animal in North America that embodies the true wilderness spirit better than the wolf.  So, I naturally gratvitate towards the environmentalist view in favor of reintroduction.  This argument was made in the Audubon Society recently:

Wolves eat ungulates like elk and deer, reducing their numbers. The mere existence of wolves in the same ecosystem also creates what biologists call an “ecology of fear,” so ungulates spend less time eating in one place. As a result, trees and shrubs come back and there’s more biodiversity. In Yellowstone, researchers saw that open fields became more vegetated when they reintroduced wolves. Wolves also increase biodiversity by providing food for scavengers and influencing the way that coyotes behave.
The benefits aren’t limited to the environment. “Wolves in Yellowstone National Park increased visitation and ecotourism spending by $35 million in 2005,” Licht and his four co-authors write in the paper. Having the predators in the park could make visitors more appreciative of the wild environs and give them a thrill when they hear a howl or see another wolf sign.

However, like everything the Government does, this program is a total cluster-fuck.  It has enraged land owners and cattle owners, and in typical government fashion, it has been handled in a way so as to create a totally polorizing environment where there is no middle ground.

It is not an issue that will be solved anytime soon, but I just wanted to post up that there are huge benefits and pitfalls to both sides.  And while I hate the Government and its mismanaged intervention in almost every case, I hate people who ride around in helicopters shooting wolves more.............

Been a Bit Busy

Sorry to everyone for the lack of posts...been really busy with the job that gives me money to go camping....will be back at it shortly...in fact, started tossing some ideas around for a new wilderness survival class that I will post up once I have given it more thought.  In the meantime, please enjoy a picture of Erin in the outdoors (at least I think she is outdoors......who can tell anymore with photoshop!)

Success!

Well, the camping trip with pops was a success...hotter than hell, but great fun.  made a trench fire with hot rocks and cooked the french fries over it...worked great.  trick was I made the circumfrence of the hole just a bit smaller than the skillet...that way the few times where some of the oil spilled it didnt make contact with the flames and cause an unsafe situation/disaster. 

also, showed my nephew how to properly build a fire and he successfully built one using only flint and steel! Way to go!!  Pics will be posted sooner or later...I'm tired.

Happy 4th!

I was going to put up a picture of the Statue of Liberty covered with fireworks, but this one suited my mood better for a Friday morning.

Happy 4th of July weekend to everyone.  Prayers to our troops.  One of my best friends who is a Marine in Afghanistan is returning this weekend! Glad to have him back safe.  Same goes out to others.