GeoStars

But then I thought about our last cache outing. We went to a state park with 3 caches. One cache we knew was in very bad shape from previous logs, wet with ruined trade items and a useless log book. It was also pouring down rain. We hunted all 3 caches, including the ruined one. Just for the record, we did take a new log book and a couple of trade items in a ziplock baggie. While the park was nice, it's nothing spectacular. The fact that we (two teams with a total of 4 kids) would tromp through the weeds and briars in the pouring rain looking for tupperware could only mean one thing. It must be the hunt! It did finally stop raining and the last cache hunt was with sunshine. We also had a cookout while we all dried out. We are heading out on vacation soon and have picked out caches that sound like they are in scenic areas. We also picked out a few that don't sound too exciting but will be close to areas that we will be. The thought of being that close and not going for it ... yep, gotta be the hunt! GeoMedic - team leader of GeoStars

I had no idea anything was going on until I got in the van with my then 4yo to take him on a canoe trip in Tishomingo State Park, MS. As soon as I heard the news, I turned around and headed back to the cabin, much to the dismay of my 4yo. I had to tell my husband the news and we spent the next couple of hours sitting in the van listening to news reports. We heard, but of course didn't see, the second tower fall. The first had already fallen by the time we started getting any info. I kept saying over and over, "I don't believe it!" My then 6yo finally told me that he was tired of hearing me say that. I just couldn't quite get him to understand the magnitude of the situation. I called my mom and told her to tape CNN for us since we were still without a TV. I ended up taking my son on the canoe trip that afternoon. I had heard hours of news reports, all real time, and had these horrible images in my head. Our canoe trip lasted a couple of hours and we never saw another soul. The peacefulness of the river was a surreal juxtaposition to the carnage in NYC. It wasn't until we got home almost a week later that I actually saw the news footage. We had stopped by my mom's to pick up the CNN tapes on our way back. Even though we'd had a week to absorb everything, seeing those towers fall made it seem like it had just happened. As I type this, I'm hearing fighter jets periodically flying overhead. This is in rural Indiana so I can only imagine what it's like in the major cities. GeoMedic - team leader of GeoStars

quote:quote:-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Originally posted by jdege: "The illegality of merely having the feathers dramatically reduces the demand for art objects incorporating them." So it does. It also makes criminals out of people who have done nothing wrong. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If possesion is against the law, then people who have one in thier possesion are doing something wrong. QED. If you mean possesion SHOULDN'T be against the law, that's a different thing. How about Ivory? Or drugs? Or stolen merchandice? ApK but my interpretation of what he said is that the simple action of picking up a feather found lying on the ground should not be a punishable offense. I agree absolutely. It's yet another example of punishing the many for the misdeeds of a few. Your comparison to the drug trade or thievery is stretching things a bit, IMHO. GeoMedic - team leader of GeoStars

I'd recommend Sarsaparilla. We haven't hit all the Ft. Wayne caches (especially the new ones) but did enjoy the hike on this one. It's a bit of walk, a 1/4 - 1/2 mile maybe, but a nice area and not too difficult. The Old Fort is a great place to visit. Haven't been to this cache but have heard that it's pretty easy. Also, Fox Island Park is a nice location. Again, haven't been to the cache (Earthling Vector Terra) but the park itself is pretty nice. Last I heard, the park was closed due to West Nile Virus concerns but maybe that has changed. Personally I think closing a park over this is overkill (no pun intended) but something to consider I guess. The quaking bog is pretty neat to visit. As previously mentioned, there are some interesting multi-caches but I do understand the time concerns. Hope you enjoy your visit! GeoMedic - team leader of GeoStars

but I've never seen or heard of it before and thought it exceedingly clever. It's a cache that is hidden very near (within 5 feet) of an existing cache. The trick is, you don't know the cache that it is hidden near. Obviously it's not a cache that you can specifically go out to seek but it would be a neat bonus to stumble across it on another cache hunt. I'm a little too far from the likely launching area but I'm hoping it migrates to my area. Haven't figured out how to do the fancy hotlinks so you'll have to settle for a generic URL. The name of the cache is *Secret Squirrels*. http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.asp?ID=34671 GeoMedic - team leader of GeoStars

I'm the wife who convinced hubby to tag along. He enjoys it, as do the kids, but isn't quite as nuts about it as me. He's getting there though! Actually is getting irritated if we go without him (it's happened a few times) and we're revisiting some caches so our team find count includes everyone. Our kids enjoy it also. We've always had one *reluctant* hiker (our 5yo) but geocaching is bringing him around too. Life is good! GeoMedic - team leader of GeoStars

I used to say I preferred bigger containers for the reason meantioned but I've found some of the more clever hides to be ones with smaller containers (not necessarily micros). I'd hate to see someone pass up a really cool hiding spot just because it wouldn't fit a large ammo can. We've learned to keep a variety of different sized trade items with us. I used small containers for a recent series of caches but stated the container size on the cache description. I've thought about placing some highlighted text emphasizing the necessity of small trade items but haven't yet. GeoMedic - team leader of GeoStars

Originally posted by HJS: quote:I was the first to the cache. Had to correct his coordinates. He was off by 3.05 miles. How on earth did you manage to find it?! GeoMedic - team leader of GeoStars

We are nearing vacation time and wanted to see if anyone had last minute additions. We have several cache pages printed out but are still open to suggestions! TIA GeoMedic - team leader of GeoStars

We are nearing vacation time and wanted to see if anyone had last minute additions. We have several cache pages printed out but are still open to suggestions! TIA GeoMedic - team leader of GeoStars

Originally posted by Stargazer21: quote: The kid has his Yoda stick, and since he claims he's a Jedi Knight, he says we don't need anything else. (But you reminded me that I should probably have some tape. What the Force can't fix, a roll of 2" can! ) We recently went for on a cache hunt where daylight was fading fast. Found the cache just as the sun went down but had to find our way back in the dark. And yes, I once again had forgotten to mark a waypoint for the truck! We had a flashlight but this was mostly a bushwack situation so no trail to follow. We had a compass which pointed us in the right direction but everything looks different after dark. My 5yo wouldn't let go of my hand but assured me he wasn't scared. He told me in no uncertain terms that jedi's aren't afraid of anything! My 7yo thought the whole thing was really cool and wants to do more night caching! quote:...I'm the one who used to carry (in my car) not only a fully stocked jump kit (Yeah, with IV stuff too!), but I had IV hooks hung on my trunk lid, just waiting for the day I drove up on the Big One! LOL!! So, did you ever come across the Big One? I carry a pretty good jump kit in my van but try to avoid things that can expire. I do have an ambu bag that I picked up at work. Once things have been opened, they can't be reused even if we don't use them. Who knows, maybe it'll come in handy some day! quote:I'm burned out now. When I go caching or camping, I have a few old bandaids thrown in a baggie with a couple of Benadryl and Immodium. I'm sure you still have the most important thing as far as first aid - knowledge. I worked for a couple of years on a under-staffed and under-funded volunteer fire/rescue squad. Improvising was the name of the game! It was great experience and taught me to think on my feet. It also makes me better appreciate my fully stocked ambulance and, even better, partners to work with these days! GeoMedic - team leader of GeoStars

Originally posted by Stargazer21: quote: The kid has his Yoda stick, and since he claims he's a Jedi Knight, he says we don't need anything else. (But you reminded me that I should probably have some tape. What the Force can't fix, a roll of 2" can! ) We recently went for on a cache hunt where daylight was fading fast. Found the cache just as the sun went down but had to find our way back in the dark. And yes, I once again had forgotten to mark a waypoint for the truck! We had a flashlight but this was mostly a bushwack situation so no trail to follow. We had a compass which pointed us in the right direction but everything looks different after dark. My 5yo wouldn't let go of my hand but assured me he wasn't scared. He told me in no uncertain terms that jedi's aren't afraid of anything! My 7yo thought the whole thing was really cool and wants to do more night caching! quote:...I'm the one who used to carry (in my car) not only a fully stocked jump kit (Yeah, with IV stuff too!), but I had IV hooks hung on my trunk lid, just waiting for the day I drove up on the Big One! LOL!! So, did you ever come across the Big One? I carry a pretty good jump kit in my van but try to avoid things that can expire. I do have an ambu bag that I picked up at work. Once things have been opened, they can't be reused even if we don't use them. Who knows, maybe it'll come in handy some day! quote:I'm burned out now. When I go caching or camping, I have a few old bandaids thrown in a baggie with a couple of Benadryl and Immodium. I'm sure you still have the most important thing as far as first aid - knowledge. I worked for a couple of years on a under-staffed and under-funded volunteer fire/rescue squad. Improvising was the name of the game! It was great experience and taught me to think on my feet. It also makes me better appreciate my fully stocked ambulance and, even better, partners to work with these days! GeoMedic - team leader of GeoStars

Originally posted by KD9KC: quote:City-folks take a short stroll in the woods. Out here, we don't even have woods. Mostly no cell phone coverage. Not many ways to get a 4wd in. Rescue comes in 3 flavors. 1 - County Mountain Rescue - on foot. 2 - Ranchers - on horseback. 3 - U.S. Army Medivac (Dustoff) choppers. Fortunately, my ham radio will also call on the dustoff freqs, and my training in the army also covered calling in and directing rescue choppers. Out here in the canyons and spurs, you are lucky to average 1 to 1.5 MPH on the trails. And you are at the mercy of the terrain, counting only on what you took with you. Dangerous? No. But anything can happen, and maybe not to me and my party, but someone else... hiker - rancher - whoever. Being lost or injured in the desert, in August, is no joke. So, yes... I probably do carry a few ounces more than you do. I can handle it, even at 106 deg F. I reread my original post and realized I came across sounding pretty snippy which wasn't my intent. I never meant to imply that you were carrying this stuff for a 1/4 mile jaunt in the local parks. The ET tube just struck me as an odd thing to carry. As I'm sure you know, it requires extra supplies and is something that you need regular practice and experience with to be able to use quickly and correctly. It's been my experience that unless someone is in full arrest (which in the backcountry is tantamount to a death sentence) you almost always need paralizing agents to be able to intubate. I've also yet to run across an intubation scenario where suction (usually LOTS of it) isn't needed. In my larger jump kit (which I keep in whatever vehicle we happen to be driving) I do keep oral and nasal airways which are helpful for keeping an airway open in the case of someone being unconscious. They are small and don't require any additional equipment to use. quote:Having lived in IL/IN myself, I can assure you there is nothing like this area there. Having been a military brat, I can assure you that I know that all of the US isn't like the midwest! I don't know that I want to live in the desert (haven't been to one so can't say) but I do wish we had areas where you could go hiking for a few days (or more) and not see another human being. I lived in Colorado for a time and fell in love with the mountains. My husband and I did some traveling and backcountry hiking in our pre-kid days and plan on continuing as the kids get older and more capable. We regularly go on day-hikes and will add backpack camping to our activities list in the near future. I'm planning my first backpack camp outing (sans kiddos) next summer. As the hikes get longer and more remote, I'm sure my first aid supply list will grow. quote:I prefer to rely on myself right now rather than someone else whenever they get there. Actually, more Americans should do that too. I couldn't agree more. quote:If I can stop the bleeding, treat for shock, and call for help, I have 99% of it licked. Absolutely. These are basic things that anyone can learn and apply. I have to admit that communication (calling for help) would be my hardest problem to solve. The HAM stuff sounds great! I may have to look into it... GeoMedic - team leader of GeoStars

to hide a tree-climbing cache in. Found a great climbing tree the other day but no good place to hide a cache. I don't see a problem with it. Give it a high terrain rating. If people complain, well, they don't understand the ratings. Caches are hidden on mountains, on islands, underwater, even in poison ivy and near snakes! Geocaching appeals to all types and some of these include the more adventurous souls. If you've got a perfect tree, I'd say go for it! IMHO, of course... GeoMedic - team leader of GeoStars

to hide a tree-climbing cache in. Found a great climbing tree the other day but no good place to hide a cache. I don't see a problem with it. Give it a high terrain rating. If people complain, well, they don't understand the ratings. Caches are hidden on mountains, on islands, underwater, even in poison ivy and near snakes! Geocaching appeals to all types and some of these include the more adventurous souls. If you've got a perfect tree, I'd say go for it! IMHO, of course... GeoMedic - team leader of GeoStars

Originally posted by KD9KC: quote:#1. Have a good first aid kit. The kit I carry has hemostats, a trake tube, and an eppi-injector. I hope I never need any of that, but.... (Hemostats are good for pulling cactus thorns). I'm assuming you mean an ET or endotracheal tube. Do you also carry some means of ventilating through it? How 'bout the laryngoscope blade? Stethoscope for auscultating lung sounds to confirm placement? Seems like a lot of excess *stuff* for something that you'd seldom use on a backcountry trip let alone a short stroll in the woods to find a cache. I do agree that a first aid kit is a good idea but I think it should be practical and contain things likely to be needed. Mine has betadine, bandaids, 4x4's, a Sam splint, gauze, tape (a good tape job can fix almost anything! ), and sterile saline. The saline is great for getting bugs and sand out of eyes but I'm thinking of leaving the Sam splint in the vehicle since it takes up too much room. Tape a couple of sturdy sticks will serve the same purpose. Would like to come up with an epi-pen. How did you manage that? I do carry a larger first aid kit in our vehicle but I've found that I rarely use more than an occasional bandaid. GeoMedic - team leader of GeoStars

Originally posted by KD9KC: quote:#1. Have a good first aid kit. The kit I carry has hemostats, a trake tube, and an eppi-injector. I hope I never need any of that, but.... (Hemostats are good for pulling cactus thorns). I'm assuming you mean an ET or endotracheal tube. Do you also carry some means of ventilating through it? How 'bout the laryngoscope blade? Stethoscope for auscultating lung sounds to confirm placement? Seems like a lot of excess *stuff* for something that you'd seldom use on a backcountry trip let alone a short stroll in the woods to find a cache. I do agree that a first aid kit is a good idea but I think it should be practical and contain things likely to be needed. Mine has betadine, bandaids, 4x4's, a Sam splint, gauze, tape (a good tape job can fix almost anything! ), and sterile saline. The saline is great for getting bugs and sand out of eyes but I'm thinking of leaving the Sam splint in the vehicle since it takes up too much room. Tape a couple of sturdy sticks will serve the same purpose. Would like to come up with an epi-pen. How did you manage that? I do carry a larger first aid kit in our vehicle but I've found that I rarely use more than an occasional bandaid. GeoMedic - team leader of GeoStars

I was at the flea market the other day and saw a couple places selling a big packet of batteries (12 or 16) for $1. I thought at first they were Duracell but when I looked closer, they were Dinocell. I checked the expiration and they weren't expired but decided to pass. I didn't want something that would mess up my GPS or the kids games. Anyone ever heard of these or tried them? As far as what we use, it's alkaline although we are considering rechargables. GeoMedic - team leader of GeoStars

How about 1.5 for each hide? Also, shouldn't we get a 1/4 point or something no-finds? After all, we are out doing the geocaching thing! Of course I only argue these points because I have a poor ratio... 129/(18+5)=5.6 Under my system, the ratio would only improve slightly (to 5.0) so I guess it's a moot point anyway... At least mine's not infinite! Oh well, I'll be finishing up the last of my hides (for awhile anyway) and will be once again on the cache hunt trail. I'll have to work on this ratio thing! GeoMedic - team leader of GeoStars

How about 1.5 for each hide? Also, shouldn't we get a 1/4 point or something no-finds? After all, we are out doing the geocaching thing! Of course I only argue these points because I have a poor ratio... 129/(18+5)=5.6 Under my system, the ratio would only improve slightly (to 5.0) so I guess it's a moot point anyway... At least mine's not infinite! Oh well, I'll be finishing up the last of my hides (for awhile anyway) and will be once again on the cache hunt trail. I'll have to work on this ratio thing! GeoMedic - team leader of GeoStars

We were searching in an area that had recently flooded, gave it a good go with multiple people looking, and were just certain that it had been washed away. Logged our first no-find confident that the owner would check and confirm it missing. Sure you see this coming ... owner checked, found it still there, and it's been found since. Oh well, we got over it and will be quicker to log no-finds in the future. Have to agree, some are great to read! As for multi's, we've only searched a couple. One was a very difficult puzzle cache and the owner requested on the cache page that you log notes as to your progress. That's what we did until that happy day that we were able to log it found! GeoMedic - team leader of GeoStars

Not front page but a positive article highlighting a cache of ours. I had a couple of personal complaints about the article but it presented the game quite positively and referenced this website. GeoMedic - team leader of GeoStars

quote:Originally posted by Ideology:The longer the better! I realized after my first one that I had made it too easy. I'm going to leave it, some people like easy ones, but my next few are much harder. There are a couple that I will be surprised to have found. On all, I have decided that I will try to be patient and unless there is a pressing reason to remove them, they will stay until found. BTW, even my *easy* one has gone a month between finds. Geocaching is just now catching on in this area and the locals have already found it. GeoMedic - team leader of GeoStars

We recently had a bit of a race going on to be the first to finish a difficult multi-cache here in Indiana. With our team being the winners of course! Best part was getting to meet some of the *competition* at an event cache. Nothing wrong with number watching or racing to be the first finder, IMO. That's the great thing about this RASH. Everyone can find a way to play that suits them. As long as it's not hurting others, like plundering, everyone can be happy. GeoMedic - team leader of GeoStars

We recently had a bit of a race going on to be the first to finish a difficult multi-cache here in Indiana. With our team being the winners of course! Best part was getting to meet some of the *competition* at an event cache. Nothing wrong with number watching or racing to be the first finder, IMO. That's the great thing about this RASH. Everyone can find a way to play that suits them. As long as it's not hurting others, like plundering, everyone can be happy. GeoMedic - team leader of GeoStars