ExiledAngel

Ive been using a Garmin Etrex from when I started geocaching but lately its been having a lot of problems. inaccurate would be putting it nicely. Sometimes it tells me I'm in another state! And to be honest Im not sure the built in compass ever worked. Decided it was time to retire it and upgrade. Ive read a lot of the faqs but just wanted to get some opinions from everyone. What I am mostly looking for is accuracy (duh), a mostly working compass would be nice, moderately priced (under 200 would be preferable), the ability to upload waypoints from the website would be great I haven't been able to do so. I really know nothing about maps and software to put on them seeing as the etrex stuck its nose up to such things so I guess I don't need anything fancy there. Any advice?

Went back up today with 4 friends. I live so close I can walk there heh. We searched the entire stream and surrounding areas for over 2 hours. Not a thing. We even looked around the golf course, rabbit hill, and waded around the outskirts of the pond to see if it washed down into the marsh. Between me and my friends and Outsid4evr's searches I'm really thinking its not there anymore. I know when the snow started melting the park society started cutting down the dead trees around there and over on rabbit hill. Maybe they found it and took it? I'll log a did not find and hope the owner sees it. Its to bad, thats really a nice area and great for hiding things. Outsid4evr is right, when the weather picks up and the thorns start growing they really take over that entire area. Some mornings, it's just not worth chewing through the leather straps.

I got bit by a tick last April while in Oregon Ridge Park, MD and was very worried about Lyme. We pulled it off but didn't think to save it just incase. We did call the department of health and they sent a little leaflet that says: If You Find a Tick Remove the tick from your skin right away. Ticks need to be attached 24 to 48 hours to infect you with Lyme disease. Use tweezers to grip the tick as close to the skin as you can and pull it out. If tweezers are not available, use your fingers wearing gloves or a tissue. Clean the bite with alcohol. Save the tick in a closed and labeled jar or plastic bag in case identification is needed. If symptoms develop, call the Department of Agriculture at (410)-841-5870 for tick identification. Mark the calendar on the date you found the tick. If a rash develops or you expereince other symptoms within 3 to 32 days, call your physician immediately. Obviously that information should apply to Maryland only. It also had a little insert on prevention: Wear light-colored, long-sleeved shirts and pants that you can tuck into your socks when working or walking in areas likely to have ticks. Spray insect repellant containing DEET (up to 30% for adults, 20% for children) on clothes and on exposed skin other than the face before going in to tick infested areas. Use the spray only a couple of times a day for only a day or two at a time. Treat clothes (especially pants, socks, and shoes) with permethrin, which kills ticks on contact. Inspect for ticks every three to four hours during the day and at the end of the day. Look along the hairline, in the hair and ears, and where your clothing fits snugly. Unfortunatly it doesnt say how to use permethrin but I assume there would be directions on the product. I also think most deer ticks don't tend to be out and about untill late May. I could be wrong. We just pulled off the one I had and kept an eye out for symptoms. Nothing happened though. I hope that might have helped a bit. For me the rule of thumb is to be cautious, not paranoid. Some mornings, it's just not worth chewing through the leather straps.

I searched every nook and cranny in the area for a good 2 hours and the only thing I managed to find was a very scared ground hog and another Geocacher. Was this cache moved or taken? It looks like the whole stream bed was flooded pretty badly sometime after the snow melted but I don't know where it was to say if it was washed away. Any ideas? Angel Some mornings, it's just not worth chewing through the leather straps.