@runaway-psyche Not to rain on your parade, because this was a beautiful and well written story. But people need to exercise extreme caution when using drugs especially hallucinogens or psychedelics in the wild like that. The place you were at, sees 10 deaths a year from people wandering off for an "experience with nature", only to become "experienced by nature".
I implore you to encourage people that if they must do that sort of thing, to do it in a group and to have at least 1 designated square who's job it is to call for help if you happen to wander off a cliff, get bit by a rattle snake, or otherwise be in need of assistance and unable to seek said help.
True story...
When I was a younger and a whole lot dumber, some friends and I did this exact same thing but over in really spiritual place in Utah called "Diamond Fork". It's this stunning waterfall with a natural hot spring and it's also one hell of a hike to get to, assuming it's still even there.
Anyways, we all dropped acid, which for some blessed reason had no effect on me, but ripped all my buddies up one side and down the other.
On the hike down, one of my best buds, (who by the way is on this forum, so I promise not use your name, ok Jim?)
Let's call him John... Anyways John walked off trail 6 feet because he heard a "voice in the trees" calling his name. He picked up a stick and the stick was evidently talking to him.
Except it wasn't a stick. It was a rattle snake.
For some reason that none of us to this day can fathom, the rattle snake decided to bite Jim, err John and I was forced to carry his over weight carcass kicking and screaming down a mile and a half of trail, toss him into the back of the hoopty mobile and fly down the canyon at speeds in excess of 100MPH, screeching to a halt in front of the hospital where we dumped him out and drove off to go get some more beer.
Moral of the story. Don't dump your drugged out, snake bit friends in front of the hospital to go off and buy beer when you're underage. The cops ask WAY too many questions.
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.