I rarely do it, but sometimes I carry a potato rake.....one of those
4-pronged things.  It's good for turning things over, pulling yourself up a
mountainside, pinning snakes down and hitting your field partner in the
head when you tire of their company.
There are also dangers....such as.....hitting your field partner in the
head when you tire of their company or falling down the mountain holding
onto an object with a business end consisting of 4 sharp tines.  I've
learned how to deal with these ......when I start to fall (which,
unfortunately, is often at my age and state of physical fitness), the first
thing I do is throw that rake as far I can (usually landing on my field
partner).  I wonder why no one wants to go with me anymore!  To minimize
the temptation of maiming a field partner, I usually travel alone.  I know
this is not recommended, but I prefer my own company to most others.  If
I'm alone and have to argue, negotiate and comprimise, I still win.  And if
I succumb to the hardships of overseas field work, at least I'll die doing
something I love.  Hopefully, some diplomatic emissary will, after ridding
me of my loose change, put me in my snail drum and send me home feet
first.....

The Tennesseeans have fallen uncharacteristically silent.  Must be the
Darvocet...

Kurt

At 04:30 PM 9/19/99 -0400, you wrote:
>Andrew Vik
>Tampa, FL., USA
>[log in to unmask]
>
>Dear Tom, Art, etc.:
>
>Thanks for the good advice. The snake stick sounds like a very useful
>tool; I'll make one of my own. When landsnail hunting, I usually pick up
>a stick for the purpose of knocking down spider webs. That's one more
>use for a snake stick. I've been fairly lucky in the woods. My worst
>time was a run in with chiggers up in the panhandle. It's hard to stop
>something that you can't even see.
>
>Andrew
>