Yet another Southern California hiker has been bitten by a rattlesnake. Though the Santa Barbara hiker survived the incident, it marks the continuation of an uptick in unseasonably early rattlesnake encounters.
As the Montecito Fire Protection District explained in a social media post, on Sunday around 3:38 p.m. they responded to the Buena Vista Trail for an injured hiker who was reportedly bitten by a rattlesnake. The injured woman was around three-quarters of a mile up the trail when she was bitten on the ankle. Due to poor cell reception, she was unable to call for help herself, but managed to send a text to a loved one, who dialed 911.
In order to locate the victim, Montecito firefighters and Santa Barbara County Search and Rescue personnel instructed her to make her way down the trail and repeatedly blow a whistle she had on her person. When resceurs reached her, they transported her to the rest of the way to the trailhead using a stokes basket and wheel. From there, she was taken to a nearby hospital by ambulance…