I definitely agree that extreme caution and prudence need to be taken before taking a psychedelic, most especially out in nature while exposed to dangerous wildlife and the elements. Gah, what happened to "John" sounds terrifying and is such a worst case scenario, I'm sorry you bore witness to that and I hope he recovered fully from the injury!
I was planning on doing a harm-reduction post in the future about proper set and setting for tripping, and your post really hits home for why it's so important to employ precautions, so I'll make note to get that information out there. Thank you for your honesty and well-informed perspective. Upvoted!
@runaway-psyche He ended up being fine in the long run. Took awhile to recover full use of the hand on the arm that was snakebit. But yeah the real moral is be careful where you do this stuff, have some planning, some preparation and make sure you have someone who is able to maintain control and order.
There are trails that will kill you if you go two feet off them. Especially in the southwest where venomous animals are the residents and you happen to be visiting them.
Surprised you guys didn't get skunked where you were at. Last time we were there it was mating season for skunks. My poor dog, I guess just thought they were cats or something. Kept hitting them one after another. We never let him back in the house after that camping trip.
Whew, it sounds like a really nasty bite - fortunately you were all there to help him out. The Southwest really can be dangerous, and although they're not life-threatening, I sure wouldn't want to run into a skunk either!
Thanks again for your input and words of caution.