zormsk

Living and hiking in northern PA and now Arkansas just means you ARE going to encounter snakes. Here in AR, copperheads are the most common species of venomous snake, but I've only seen one since moving here in 2003 and no rattlers. Now cottonmouths (Water Mocasins) are something else. In summer, I probably see one or two every week. It is very common to encounter them sunning on trails. I usually stop and watch them (like watching paint dry) for a while and then use a stick to gently urge them off the trail. My fear is they might get run over by a bike or maybe stoned by a frightened trail user. Because young kids are on these trails too, they could pose a danger to them if accidentally stepped on. Down here, the operating premise is "If it slithers, it dies." Too bad, because I have found none of these snakes to be aggressive in the least. I've even poked them with a stick and they don't get excited. The one cool thing about a cottonmouth is seeing its "cotton" mouth! Next time you find one, hold your hand above their heads (a couple of feet above) and they will "gape" at you. This is their way of saying: "Your starting to p*ss me off." During that time, you can see the white lining and their fairly awesome fangs. As soon as you remove your hand (Ok, or your stick), they settle right back down. Here's one I photographed gaping while it sunbathed on a bike trail in central AR: cottonmouth pix I moved him off the trail after the photo shoot. Hey, enjoy them. They really aren't out to get you...

On the odd chance that vandals don't bother reading the messages, might I make a suggestion? Why not make up a special cache, pick a spot easy to watch, or surveil, and try to catch or confront the geocretins? If you locate it in an easy-to-get-to area, they are almost sure to try and hit it and ASAP. Of course, the cache should also be a working cache, so that legitimate cachers who find it, can log their find. You could also set up a remotely-tripped still camera (disposables would work with a little ingenuity). No doubt the vandals strike in daylight as finding the cache would be tough in darkness. This could actually be fun! Please post any pix you get of the cretins!!

Thanks for the info on using cache IDs. I knew it would be simple, but never thought the sequence referred to a waypoint. The coin coin-cidence is highly unusual. I'd suggest all parties involved play any of the large multi-state lotteries in the near future!

How do I get to GC4115 to see this freakiness? I tried putting 4115 in as the ID code at the end of a URL for a cache, but nothing freaky there... HELP??

Ok, I've read all the posts herein. Let me say up front that my son is a lawyer, and so unlike most people, I have much respect for the profession. That said, I have a hard time understanding how placing a cache can create a personal liability. The only way I can see that claim being tenable is if you place the cache itself in a dangerous location: halfway up a cliff and someone falls off; down an abandoned well, and someone falls in; inside a rattlesnake den site, and someone gets bitten, etc. The mere act of attempting to reach a safely placed cache cannot in and of itself cause a liability. If it could, malls could be sued whenever someone had a car accident while trying to go shopping. For that matter, State Parks would be liable for car accidents occurring anytime someone was trying to get to them (i.e. if the park didn't exist, I wouldn't have had the accident!). Of course, park managers should have the last say on placing physical caches. Some parks may not be compatible with the sport - a civil war battlefield comes to mind...a certain reverence or decorum might be desirable. Or, a park that is home to endangered plants and animals. But others should welcome the inflow of campers, hikers, etc. geocaching creates. It would help justify the park's existence and protects jobs. Let them decide on a case by case basis.

While finishing up a day in a remote area of the northcentral PA mountains, I heard a LARGE pack of coyotes "light up" about a half mile away in the woods. I know there are eastern coyotes (bigger than western ones) in our the area, and felt lucky to have heard them sound off, as they are not easily spotted being stealthy and wary creatures. After a few minutes they quit, and I continued on, finding and logging the cache I was after. The sun had set as I started out. Then I did a dumb thing. I was wondering if I could make the coyotes howl again, so I made a series of howling noises by blowing into my cupped hands like I used to as a kid. It worked! Unfortunately, the LARGE pack was only 30 yards away in the woods! Man, that put the hair up on the back of my neck! I backed up against a bank and grabbed some rocks to pitch at them, assuming they were going to attack this lone idiot en masse. They never did. I shouted at them and "clacked" my hiking poles together, and they shut up and moved off. As you might imagine, I got whiplash from turning my neck around to watch my back the rest of the way out! I believe I will go armed on these far out caches from now on...

While finishing up a day in a remote area of the northcentral PA mountains, I heard a LARGE pack of coyotes "light up" about a half mile away in the woods. I know there are eastern coyotes (bigger than western ones) in our the area, and felt lucky to have heard them sound off, as they are not easily spotted being stealthy and wary creatures. After a few minutes they quit, and I continued on, finding and logging the cache I was after. The sun had set as I started out. Then I did a dumb thing. I was wondering if I could make the coyotes howl again, so I made a series of howling noises by blowing into my cupped hands like I used to as a kid. It worked! Unfortunately, the LARGE pack was only 30 yards away in the woods! Man, that put the hair up on the back of my neck! I backed up against a bank and grabbed some rocks to pitch at them, assuming they were going to attack this lone idiot en masse. They never did. I shouted at them and "clacked" my hiking poles together, and they shut up and moved off. As you might imagine, I got whiplash from turning my neck around to watch my back the rest of the way out! I believe I will go armed on these far out caches from now on...

Our daughter had a severe neurological reaction to DEET when she was very young. Unfortunately we had applied some 100% (Jungle Juice - Vietnam War Era) DEET to her. Fortunately she recovered completely. I subsequently read an article in Outside Magazine describing several deaths of young children due to DEET. So, never use high concentration DEET on young kids, and never cover large areas of their body with the low concentration stuff either. Two weeks ago I sprayed a 29% DEET repellent on my sunburned arms before heading out to hide a cache 4 miles into the woods. I developed a blistery rash - not Poison Ivy; I never had my arms in any weeds. I am still itching and am now on oral Prednisone to try to rid myself of it. DEET? No thanks...I'll cover myself up with clothing first!

I'm sure there are other options, but one simple one is to go to www.topozone.com and search for the city you need. When the map shows up simply zoom in until you can tell what street you wanted. Then as you move the crosshairs around on the map, the coordinates will show up at the bottom left of your screen. They may be in UTM, so scroll down and change the way the coordinates display by checking the appropriate units. I just tried this and it seemed simple. If you need to actually see their home, try www.lostoutdoors.com. Manually enter the coordinates close to the spot that you got from Topozone and select aerial photo display. You should be able to determine their home from that and then simply click on the right building and a waypoint is placed on the image automatically and the coordinates are listed at the bottom. You can then print the image out. Hope this works for you...

Thanks a million! Even I can do that! ;-) I was afraid to do something like that before consulting you veterans for fear I would mess the unit up and have to send it in. Thanks again!

Ok, I'm stupid, can someone tell me how I upgrade from version 2.03 to the newer version 2.14 for my basic old yeller Etrex??? I just got a pc cable and I downloaded the V2.14 program to my hard drive. I assume I connect the unit to my pc (win ME) through the serial port, turn the GPS unit on, power up the computer...then what??? Do I click on the program and it tells me what to do? Or do I go to a certain page in the GPS unit and do something (what?)?? I just spent an hour reading the manual and surfing websites for answers. Nuthin' HELP!! Can anyone give me the short and skinny on this, or direct me to instructions online? Danke!