A pair of tweezers and sticky tape are useful additions to your first aid kit in this country to remove spines from that cactus that is inevitably hiding behind you as you lean over to photograph that pretty mariposa tulip. I carry a pocket tool with a pair of pliers on my belt, perfect for pulling off cholla balls. As for the desert critters such as snakes, common sense is the key. Leave them alone and they will leave you alone. But in the last five years of hiking and driving in the desert, I have not seen a rattlesnake in the wild, a gila monster, yes, but not a rattlesnake.
Encounters are rare.
If you want to see a rattlesnake visit the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. In the case of emergency the entire area of the Tucson Mts. are covered by cellular telephone. All photographs and text are copyright 1997 Andrew Cooper unless otherwise noted, no usage without permission.