howlingwind

If you just want me to tell you that you are right, than fine, you are right. The link and reference to some The USGS website has this to say about it in their FAQ about pepper spray. It's a given the pepper spray shouldn't be used as a bear repellant the same way bug spray is used. It's a last ditch effort to save your skin when sprayed directly into the nose and eyes of the bear from 25' feet away, which is the minimum distance required for bear spray. Can we move on? TotemLake...I appreciated your website on bear spray..and I went to it, and read it throughly. I think it is the best one that we have had on here yet. Thank you.. Howlingwind

I think North Wes has given us all some really GOOD thoughts on all this...in fact I think his thoughts and advice have been about the best that I have read on here. I think I personally will read this over again, and take some of your advice North Wes. You are so right when you said that we should be alert, but not to let "fear" overcome us. Thanks for writing in..I felt you wrote this with ME in mind... Howlingwind

It just made me so sad when we heard about the murders up on Pinnacle Lake trail. I think I am the biggest "Scardity-cat" in all of "cache kingdom".. and it seems just as I was starting to "relax a little bit" and enjoy it all..THIS has to happen. Doesn't seem fair does it? It just seems like it is just what the world is coming to anymore. A person just can't get "too comfortable", and not be on guard. Can they? I often wonder how some women can go caching alone. Do you think it is safe? Howlingwind

I can't help but wonder Ambrosia, just HOW BIG are the snakes you find in your backyard??? Do you live in the drier part of Washington? What do you do when you find "big snakes" in your yard? When I looked at that last picture you had, I wondered how you GOT that picture?? Just curious.. Howlingwind

I about croaked when I saw how big that snake was that you got a picture of!! I am SO glad that my husband and I went and got hiking sticks not long ago..and I know that we will certainly be more careful! Howlingwind

If anyone in our "caching world" is interested also in hunting, guns, and the like.. You are welcome to check out my son's "Oregon Outdoor" Forum Website that he, and some of his other friends started!! http://oregonoutdoors.proboards53.com/index.cgi I have written many times about our Geocaching in the "General Board" there..I hop back and forth between our two forums.. So Check it out YOU HUNTERS OUT THERE!! By the way..when you go take a look...my son's forum name is "Billy Bob" ! Howlingwind

SAVE ONE for ME please!!

You sound just LIKE my 21 year old son. He LIVES for hunting, and the woods, and I don't think he would be caught ANYWHERE WITHOUT his guns! And he agrees too about the people one can meet. I think we all agree there are pros and cons to carrying a pistol. I am wondering, what exactly IS "snakeshot" ? Howlingwind

SoilSqueezer (Love that name by the way).. I can not imagine what it is like to geocache with your kids in tow..(even though I had 5 kids of my own..) I can only say..You are a brave woman! Thankfully, our "geocaching days" have come AFTER the kids! Thank you for some of your suggestions. My husband and I do leave some of the cutest toys in our caches..(I can't resist buying them.!) but just like that little stone I mentioned in my last reply, where Susifishin had painted it, and put her name on the back..it made it special. I agree with you on that. What kind of "straightpins" does your son collect? My husband has taken to collecting the "hatpins" that he finds, and I love the keychains. He has several hatpins on his "caching" cap now, and hopes to find more.. another suggestion for us cachers...hatpins!! Howlingwind

I have to share with everybody the cutest, NEATEST, cache "prize" that I found this weekend! We were up at VISTA VIEW cache near Sisters, Oregon..(the most gorgeous view you would EVER want to see by the way), and I got this stone painted with the "Caching Emblem" on it, and sprayed with glossy spray so that it was shiny!! SusyFishin made it! It gave me a good idea!! If you all are like me, I am so proud to be a geocacher, and I now have this cute item displayed on my kitchen window sill...it will certainly make people ask the question that we get asked a lot.. "What is that for??" So, I thought I would give "kudos" to Susyfishin, and tell her that her efforts have not gone unnoticed!! Howlingwind

I wouldn't start worrying. PP apparently is a PO magnet. Like I said, I've never seen any PO up here, outside of Seward, although I guess there are a few patches at these lower elevations. I don't think dogs are susceptible, although you could get it from touching Chloe if she ran through a thicket and you are sensitive to it. That's one thing to know - not everybody's allergic to PO. I used to be completely immune, I could roll in it and nothing happened. Unlike PP, who appears highly allergic. But repeated exposure breaks down immunity, and after a couple of years orienteering in California, and getting repeatedly exposed, I started getting rashes. But still only after serious encounters and if I don't put on protectant. Some of my orienteering compadres can't orienteer at all in parks that have PO because they are so highly sensitive. The other thing to know: Tecnu. Orienteers swear by this poison-oak preventative/treatment. You can bu y it at many drugstores or online. It's wonderful stuff. Breaks down the irritant oil if you put it on within 6 hours of exposure, so you don't get the rash. If you do get a rash (PP's right, it takes 2-4 days to occur), it can reduce the agony and itchiness and cause faster recovery. I really appreciate everyone's help here!! I was raised in SPringfield, Oregon, and the Poison oak there is rampant in areas! I got it so bad once that I had to have shots for it. And, it DOES take forever it seems to get over it. I am going to go to all the links that you all have sent, and make hubby sit down and take notes! He wants to go to the valley this summer to cache, (Willamette), so I want him to know EXACTLY what it looks like, and can be aware. Also, I had never heard of Tecnu..I know I will be looking it up! Thankyou!! Howlingwind

Since we are still talking about "protection"..does somebody have a "picture" of what the leaves of Poison Oak looks like? My husband, being from Australia, doesn't have a clue..and I think it would be good if he could see an actual here on the forum. Thanks

Yep, them is scary, especially when carrying a gun for "protection". Personally, I hate guns. I am actually "scared" of them.. Heck, come to think of it..I guess I am just a big "SCARDITY-CAT"!! Did I say "CAT"?? Oh man... COUGAR came to mind again! ( )

One of our friends who geocaches, told us he was in the midst of just reaching sort of down this cliff/embankment, and he scared a flock of quail that flew right up!! He said he said a few "choice" words, and almost ended up going over the embankment!! We had a good laugh on that one...just glad it wasn't ME!! It is GOOD though to know that we all have some of the same concerns..about snakes and etc. Lazerman said he was his biggest rattler over on this DRY side of Oregon..we are known for having the "''''biggies"" over here...ewwwww! Howlingwind

My husband and I have been discussing getting a small pistol to carry with us when we go out geocaching. All of us who live here in the Northwest know that we have cougars up in the hills and mountains. And once even while Sunsetbay4me and I were climbing down and around the rocks of Crooked River Gorge, we heard a rattlesnake starting to get all excited near us. We never saw it, but I know that sound. Do others take pistols? Or what do you take with you? My husband carrys a buck knife on his belt..I told him I would probably feel better if I had a can of pepper spray or mace on ME! Does this concern other cachers? What are your thoughts, or maybe you could give us different ideas! Howlingwind and Sunsetbay4me

I think it is neat that you are making those bead bracelets!! They are so fun to get!! Good for you! Howlingwind

Hey Mousefart..(cute name!) We are also new to Geocaching..but I tell you, it is ADDICTING!! We have also discovered backroads, and all these wonderful, beautiful places, that we never would have taken the time to go see, or discover! We have also discovered MUSCLES that we never knew we had, and lung capacity, that we never knew existed! There are times too, that you will NOT find the caches, no matter how hard you try, and think you got all the coodinates right, and every number added right! THEN, if you are anything like us, it becomes a CHALLENGE, and you HAVE to find it!! ANyone feel this way about it too?? Good luck to you! Howlingwind & Sunsetbay4me

Sorry Totemlake..(I STILL wanted to say Totempole!!. ) I had to smile to myself at that one.. Anyway..I was curious on where you got your idea on your keychains.. I got this neatest bracelet that someone made out of one of our caches! It was beaded and said, "I love geocaching " on it. It was a really good idea, and we went out, and got a bunch of beads and tried some of them ourselves. It is kind of tedious with little beads! So we have not made many of them. We have thought about maybe trying it with bigger beads, and saying DIFFERENT things on them..like "I love my GPS", or "I love hiking" or something like that. We also thought it would be neat to make keychains that say something like that. Do you think it is worth the effort? Do you think people actually like stuff like that? I know I would like one of YOUR keychains...hummmm..guess I will have to cache in Kirkland, Washington won't I?

Howdy and thanks! For the record, I'm TotemLake. Totempole is an unregistered user. I make those keytags out of ink jet shrinky dink acetate. That series has since been retired. I have only one left for show and tell. I am in the process of coming up with a new design to replace that one, and a new signature item to add to my aresenal of things to leave in caches.

I was wondering Totempole if you made those keychains yourself.. or bought them> I think they are really neat..and would be nice to find in a cache! My husband is Australian, and has been thinking of trading some of his Australian coins in the harder to find caches.

I can tell we are SO NEW at this!! Thank you Marcus, and Chubby Forest Monkey for your suggestions! We are going caching again this weekend, and hitting the 1 to 3 mile to the caches bit. We love the outdoors, and we are so glad that we started this. I feel like we are ALREADY addicted to it..I can't imagine what it must be like after hundreds of finds!! Ever get a chance..head down to the Madras..Bend area!! Howlingwind

Thank you for understanding exactly how I felt and what I was trying to say!! Howlingwind

font=Comic Sans Ms] My husband, "sunsetbay4me", and I love Geocaching! We are a middle aged couple, and we love the climbing, and the "thrill of the hunt", and the healthy, getting outdoors thing. We would like to encourage our fellow cachers to become a little more "adult oriented" when choosing their cache find "prizes"! Now which one of us does not LOVE getting into those ammo boxes and searching for that "special" find!! I think we are all "kids" at heart We have found that there is lots and lots for kids, but not too much thought put into adult finds. Keychains is a good thought, or something "fun", "little flashlights", compasses, etc, to dangle off of our backpacks!! Just a suggestion for all us!! Howlingwind & Sunsetbay4me