Young hiker bitten by rattlesnake in park near La Cañada Flintridge

A young girl was recovering Tuesday after being bitten on the leg by a rattlesnake while hiking in the Hahamongna Watershed Park the day before with a group from Tom Sawyer Camp, according to the Pasadena Fire Department.

Spokeswoman Lisa Derderian said the call came in at around 3:15 p.m. Monday. Emergency crews responded within minutes, and the camper was transported in stable condition to a local hospital. The snake was captured by a camp crew and turned over to the Pasadena Humane Society for relocation.

Derderian commended the girl’s camp counselors, who immediately called 911 and kept her in a calm state until emergency crews arrived.

“Fortunately, the camp followed procedure and called 911 right away, so we were able to expedite care,” Derderian said. “We see snakes up there often. (But) this is the first time we’ve received a report of a snakebite.”

Tom Sawyer Camps Executive Director Sarah Horner Fish said Tuesday a group of campers and counselors were hiking along a trail in “Oreo cookie formation,” with counselors acting as lookouts in the front and back of the group, along an area where mulch interfaced with grass.

“The snake was in the mulch,” Horner Fish said. “We did not hear it.”

As soon as counselors were made aware of the incident, one stayed with the girl to calm her while another quickly removed the other campers from the vicinity and contacted authorities, she added.

The bite was the first the camp has experienced since moving to Hahamongna in 1944. Tom Sawyer Camps, which has operated locally since 1928, serves about 1,200 campers each year and regularly trains counselors how to prevent and respond to encounters with wildlife.

“Our staff, depending on their position, receive 15 to 60 hours of training before camps start,” Horner Fish said. “We talk about what to do in instances of coming up on an animal.”

After the incident, trained members of the camp’s operations crew captured the rattler using snake tongs and contained it until animal control officers from the Humane Society arrived to relocate it to an area off Angeles Crest Highway, according to Horner Fish.

No specific details about the camper were available Tuesday morning, though Derderian said she was under 10 years of age. Horner Fish confirmed she was taken to Pasadena’s Huntington Hospital, and that camp employees were awaiting an update on her status from family members.

To avoid snakebites, Derderian advised residents to stay alert when hiking on trails, wear boots that cover the ankle area and avoid picking up rocks or reaching into brush areas.

“Carry a phone with you to expedite care, and always know where you are,” she cautioned.

Horner Fish said that while bites are rare, snakes are a common occurrence in and around Hahamongna and all residents should learn about local wildlife and know what to do in the event of an encounter.

“It’s part of the beauty of living where we do,” she added.