krisandmel
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Posts posted by krisandmel
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I don't know if they're still available, but I requested one today.
My mother-in-law is a diabetic, not too well controlled, but better now that she has the pump.
In addition, I am an RN working a surgical unit and see on a DAILY basis the problems caused by diabetes.
Neuropathies, retinopathies, BKA/AKA's, gangrene, non-healing wounds, etc etc.
This is a great cause to rally behind!
Thanks to everyone who's shown interest thus far!!!
~K
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When I was a young teenager I read "To Build A Fire". It taught me that location of that fire was just as important as materials to build it with.
Yes there was just one Survivor episode where they tried to use glasses to make fire with.
I must've missed that season, there's a couple in the middle we haven't seen.
But seriously, if you knew you were gonna be on an island and would need to boil water, wouldn't you try it at home, at least once???
Anyway, mostly I just wanted to say I LOVE your avatar pic.
Marvin freeeken rules!
-K
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Oh, I also wanted to mention that in the absence of tinder or kindling, there are many other things that can be used to coax a small flame into a self-sustaining fire.
Carmex smeared on a stick, some chapsticks burn too, or dump out some perfume on a stick or pile of dry leaves, nachos burn really well (don't ask).
With a bit of one-the-spot planning (before you use up all your matches) and keeping a level head (don't panic) can make a huge difference in whether you get the fire started, or die trying.
-K
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This is slightly OT, but I do think it relates.
My wife and I watch Survivor, pretty much every season.
One of the first things the tribes are faced with once they reach their island, is setting up shelter, obtaining water, and building fire to sanitize said water.
And, at least once each season there is a challenge in which the goal is to start a fire before the other team/contestant.
In all the years we've watched, it doesn't appear to me that anyone practiced firecraft prior to getting on the airplane.
Dumb, dumb, dumb!
Not only from a survival standpoint, but in a game where firecraft is a highly-lauded skill, it's just inconceivable to me how much trouble they ALL seem to have.
For crimeny's sake, I don't recall ever seeing one of the eyeglass-wearing contestants using their lenses to make fire.
And a bow/drill can be made by anyone wearing any man-made clothing.
"In this game, fire represents life."
How true.
Anyone ever read the short story, or seen the movie "To Build a Fire"?
Now that's a bad situation!
-K
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As the owner of a single cache so far, I guess if I saw in the logs, or was emailed that mine was cracked or otherwise damaged, I'd like to be the one to replace or repair it.
After all, it is my property provided for the enjoyment of others.
While I do appreciate the OP's sentiment and effort, I probably would've emailed the owner, and watched the logs for a few days.
If, after a week or so I don't see a maintenance log, I might go and replace or repair the container on my own accord, and post a note as such.
Depends on how cool I think the cache is overall, and how I feel after a week of being away from it.
The weather and placement would weigh in as well.
In a very wet area or during a rainy season, I might act quicker on someone else's cache, in order to prevent immenent damage to the contents; but if the cache is in Death Valley and the tupperware is cracked, I don't think I'd worry about someone else's cache much more than just posting my observation in my found-log.
$.02, ~K
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This may have come up before, but it'd be a decent idea to have the GC waypoint marked on all six sides of a box container, and on all visible sides of oblong containers, as well as the www.geo....... label.
I would think that most bomb squads would take the time, unless said object was ticking, so do a little research before touching, disrupting, or detonating a 'suspicious' object.
Additionally, in small cow-towns like the on in which I live, ~18,000 inhabitants, the police dept is small enough that you can walk in and ask if you can talk to the chief, and they say check out back cause he is changing the oil on one of the cruisers; so, you could print out the cache page for anything you hide and ask him to keep it on file and/or give it to the bomb squad or SWAT for archiving.
In addition to possibly keeping a box full of McToys from being blown to smithereens, these contact with law enforcement will aquaint them with geocaching in general, which will help when you are noticed wandering around in the bushes at 11pm with a backpack and something in your hand.
$.02, ~K
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Interesting variation of responses, thanks!
I'm pretty sure my habits will vary and evolve as we continue playing the greatest board game in the world!
Geocaching: You can be a move like a knight, bishop, rook, queen or king while playing, but one thing's for sure:
When you are out there, you are nobody's pawn!
~K
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Thanks for your reply.
As an addendum, we don't always take an item for our treasure box.
Sometimes we just sign the log, sometimes I just leave something.
When we first decided to keep our 'winnings' in a treasure box I did think it'd be nice to have one item from every cache, but realistically, some objects just don't appeal to us, or, like the batteries I mentioned, ought to be used not archived.
To take just anything for the sake of having something to keep just didn't seem like the way we want to play.
Furthermore, lots of times my cachepack is at home when I decide on the spur of the moment to go caching, so then I only SL since I don't have anything to leave.
Along the same line, for a little while I took a picture of each cache and how it was hidden, but then one time I forgot the camera at home, and another time the battery was dead, and then I just kinda let that goal slip away.
So, who else has these little caching idiosyncracies?
~K
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I'm curious about what the rest of you do with the items you take in trade from a cache.
Do you toss it in your cachepack to someday place in another cache, or, do you take the items home for good?
Personally, we've been keeping everything we've taken and keep it at home in a 'treasure box' that we can look through and have fun recalling the caches and stories that are linked to these items and the adventures it took to acquire them.
That's one reason I avoid taking 'perishables' like AA's; no point in hanging onto some slowly depleting batteries trying to remember which cache they came from when someone else could make use of them in their GPSr.
Plus, who ever sat around reminiscing over a couple dead batteries?
As with most other aspects of this game, I don't judge how others play it, so whether you keep or trade away I don't care one bit, I'm just curious.
It's funny, when I was a little kid I remember the dentist's office had a little treasure box that you could take one item from after you were done with the torture, heh hem, I mean cleaning and, ugh, flouride treatment...
Now, a couple decades later I have a similar box filled with many similar prizes.
Spider-rings, shiny things, springy things, and quite a few jingly things!
Who ever said you have to grow up?
~K
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I'd opt for top of the line Gen III night-vision goggles!
That'd be fun!
~K
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A few years ago I was up in a small parcel of our family land near Onamia, MN.
Around dusk I was setting up my campsite, alone, as I was spending a couple days there enjoying the land on my own.
I began to feel as though I was being watched, and this feeling grew rapidly over a few minutes.
I caught a bit of movement to my side, and as I snapped around to look I saw a dirty and mean, but strong looking, dog sneaking around the perimeter.
For some reason I looked intensely around 360 and saw another two large dogs at equal spacing around my area.
In the woods I always carry, so I fired three or four rounds into the trees between the dogs, intentionally directing my fire into dirt, not dogs.
I wanted to frighten them away without harming them.
They did not approach, but had they, I had more rounds at the ready.
This sent them running and baying through the woods, and I neither saw nor felt any further sign of them during my stay.
~K
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Not advocating stalking people, but I have a technical question.
Would a standard GPSr like any of the eTrex style really receive signals that well if strapped to the underside of a vehicle?
Seems like if my Vista flops over on the passenger seat it loses itself pretty easily.
~K
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Hey I'm in MN as well!
Up here in Northfield!
So, Hi!
Anyway, I've been wondering the same thing about winter and night.
Seeing how, now it's almost "night" all the time pretty much, dang it was gloomy today!
I've never night-cached, I've had enough trouble spotting them at noon in July to try it blind.
Plus, I'm worried about appearing suspicious skulking around in the dark.
As far as the winter thing, I would think that after a fresh snow, any cache found in the past few days would show a pretty clear path of footprints right to it, taking away much of the challenge and most of the fun and satisfaction of a feat accomplished.
Although, after a fresh snow a cache could also be much harder to find.
This is our first winter with a GPSr, so it'll be a new experience to be sure!
Hey, this could be the excuse needed to justify night-vision goggles!!!
~K
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Hmm... Let's see....Covered so far: caches that may or may not be dangerous, sock puppets, banned members, pro and anti war factions, kilts, triffids, tribbles, Hitler, Darwin and religion.
Unless someone is going to bring up the McCarthy hearings or Area 51, I think this horse is quite dead.
Aw c'mon, Area 51 is old news donchaknow!
I wanna know about Area 52, you know there has to be one, right?!?!?
~K
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My point is that to imply that Darwin or his theory is irrelevant because someone as deplorable as Hitler was a fan, is similar to saying that Jesus or Christianity is bogus simply because lunatics like Jones or Koresh were fanatics.
BTW, I'm not a member of any organized faith-based organization, so I'm not making this statement based on my personal religious/spiritual holdings; I'm just pointing out a flaw in the logic of the original statement I quoted.
I was simply trying to figure out what Darwin and Hitler had to do with busy roads and pointy cacti.
Sorry for any misunderstanding.
~K
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Hitler was Darwin's biggest fan, incidentally. I'm not joking.
And Jonestown and Waco were run by 'Christians'.
What's your point?
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I like the term muggles.
But one of my favorite alltime terms I've learned off the 'net is cow-orker.
I don't care who you are, that's funny right there!
~K
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I like gadgets, so when I got a GPS for the heckuvit I needed something to do with it.
And, I like the outdoors and hiking around anyway.
And, I like the kinda secret fun of hunting for treasure.
And, it gets me out to see areas that I've lived by for thirty years and never seen before.
And, it's something I can enjoy with my wife or a friend or alone.
And, it's better than work!
~K
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"Hunting season" is pretty long, if you take into account all the different species and manner of hunting.
To avoid the outdoors for the whole thing would be months and months here in MN.
But, I do avoid the woods for the two weekends of firearms deer.
I worked one weekend, and the other I was busy anyways so it wasn't a big deal or nuisance to me.
For the rest of the late-fall and early-winter hunting season (small game, etc.) I either wear some article of blaze orange, or I walk around calling out "I'm not a squirrel, don't shoot please!"
~K
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Thanks for the reply, egami.
You are right. I am required to know the ins & outs of my specialty, med/surg, but I know very little about open-heart surgery and am not legally expected to know about that.
I guess I would hope most officers are aware of geocaching, but you are absolutely correct, they are not required to.
I do see how my geocaching could look fishy, and I would certainly state that I am 'caching if asked by law enforcement.
But no, they can't look in my backpack or turn out my pockets for that.
And I will respectfully decline.
If they say they are going to do it anyway, I will not stop them.
At that point, you are right, it is up to the court to sort it out.
Thanks for a different point-of-view!
-K
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Good point!
I'm just stating a fact.
Just like as an RN I am expected to know what interventions are indicated for certain physical conditions --- police officers are expected to know what behaviors indicate probable criminal activity and what behaviors are appropriate for the setting/recreational-activity.
I would never act snotty to a cop, a judge, a minister, a supervisor, or anyone in authority.
And I try not to be snotty to anyone else, unless they've dished it out first.
But that's generally only in face-to-face conversations with people I know, everyone acts a bit different with friends & family than they do with strangers.
On the net, at the various forums I visit, I do my best to convey my opinions respectfully and clearly.
Without tone of voice and non-verbal cues such as body language, it is very easy to type something that comes across as mean or rude, or something meant as a joke or chide could be interpreted as an attack on someone's character.
I usually proof-read my posts before submitting them to change words and check punctuation and syntax, but I'm sure I still miscommunicate things from time to time.
-K
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Rather than go through a long post explaining why I still don't agree with you, let me just say that 1) In general, I don't appear suspicious when I cache. 2) People are quite unlikely to spot me with the cache at most cache sites, 3) I almost certainly wouldn't be any where nearby by the time an LEO arrives, and 4) if he questions me based on some sketchy 'acting suspicious' complaint, he still would not have enough to go on to detain me for questioning. My unwillingness to hang out and play twenty questions with him would not give him further ability to detain me further or arrest me.
Rather than go through another long post to explain to you further why you are wrong, I suggest you ask some Police Officers, Lawyers, and th ACLU. Just because you disagree, does not make you right.
Hogosha, I believe you are incorrect.
Please read the following, taken from this page: Street Stop Scenario
2) Be Courteous & Non-ConfrontationalIf you are stopped by a police officer, remain calm. Don't ever -- under any circumstances -- talk back or raise your voice to a police officer. You have nothing to gain -- and everything to lose -- by escalating the hostility level of the encounter.
Even if the officers are being belligerent it's always in your best interest to remain calm, courteous and non-confrontational.
3) Determine the Reason You Have Been Stopped
Police may initiate a conversation with any citizen for any reason, however they may not detain you without "reasonable suspicion" that you are engaged in criminal activity. Ask the officer: "Why am I being stopped?" If the officer does not indicate that you are suspected of a specific crime, then this is a casual stop and you should be allowed to terminate the encounter at any time.
If the officer indicates that you are suspected of criminal activity, you are being detained. At this stage, the officer is attempting to find evidence on which to establish probable cause necessary to arrest you. Steps #4, #5, and #6 become extremely important at this point.
4) Just Say "No" to Warrantless Searches
Warning: If a police officer asks your permission to search, you are under no obligation to consent. The only reason he's asking you is because he doesn't have enough evidence to search without your consent. If you consent to a search request you give up one of the most important constitutional rights you have—your Fourth Amendment protection against unreasonable searches and seizures.
A majority of avoidable police searches occur because citizens naively waive their Fourth Amendment rights by consenting to warrantless searches. As a general rule, if a person consents to a warrantless search, the search automatically becomes reasonable and therefore legal. Consequently, whatever an officer finds during such a search can be used to convict the person.
Don't expect a police officer to tell you about your right not to consent. Police officers are not required by law to inform you of your rights before asking you to consent to a search. In addition, police officers are trained to use their authority to get people to consent to a search, and most people are predisposed to comply with any request a police officer makes. For example, the average motorist stopped by a police officer who asks them, "Would you mind if I search your vehicle, please?" will probably consent to the officer's search without realizing that they have every right to deny the officer's request.
If, for any reason you don't want the officer digging through your belongings, you should refuse to consent by saying something like, "Officer, I know you want to do your job, but I do not consent to any searches of my private property." If the officer still proceeds to search you and finds illegal contraband, your attorney can argue that the contraband was discovered through an illegal search and hence should be thrown out of court.
You should never hesitate to assert your constitutional rights. Just say "no!"
5) Determine if You Can Leave
You have the right to terminate an encounter with a police officer unless you are being detained under police custody or have been arrested. The general rule is that you don't have to answer any questions that the police ask you. This rule comes from the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which protects you against self-incrimination. If you cannot tell if you are allowed to leave, say to the officer, "I have to be on my way. Am I free to go?"
If the officer says "Yes," tell him to have a nice day, and leave immediately. If the officer's answer is ambiguous, or if he asks you another unrelated question, persist by asking "am I being detained, or can I go now?" If the officer says "No," you are being detained, and you may be placed under arrest. If this is the case, reassert your rights as outlined above, and follow Rules #6 and #7.
Not trying to cause an argument here, just trying to clarify a few things.
With respect, -Kris
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JANX
Okay, first of all, I never indicated or advocated curtness or aggression towards police officers.
What are you, nuts???
That's a very quick way to not only see the back of a squad, it's a great way to get an obstruction or resisting charge, and you will see jailbars for that behavior.
You seem to indicate that the only way to be nice or civil is to agree with authorities and consent to anything at the drop of a hat.
That's being passive, not friendly.
It is not aggressive or curt to politely decline further voluntary contact with law enforcement.
Asking the officer "why am I being stopped" and "am I free to go" are valid questions that if posed properly shouldn't come across as snotty or hostile.
I'm not looking to tie up the officer's time and the resources of the public; I just want to be on my way.
If all of my posts in this topic were read, it would be clear I stated I would state that I was geocaching, and then I would be on my way.
I wouldn't turn, or run, or shout, or any insane thing like that.
Each situation would dictate slightly different statements, but it would probably be something like "Oh, hello, I'm geocaching. Nice day for it, huh? Well, see you later."
How is that curt or aggressive?
Here's a tip: If an officer is asking if he can search you or your backpack, he doesn't have probable cause.
If he did, he wouldn't ask, he would just do it.
You want references? Great!
Look here:
Why not consent if I'm not doing wrong?
If you need more references, use google and type in "consent to search" and "pedestrian stop".
And another thing, wandering around in the woods or parks looking under logs and in nooks & crannies is not suspicious behavior, it's geocaching behavior.
Any officer worth his/her badge should have at least heard of geocaching and be familiar with the profile of a 'cacher.
You know: a GPSr, probably some cache pages or a PDA with cache data, maybe a backpack or fannypack, a hiking staff maybe, and usually a big smile.
So to the little old lady that called it in, it appears suspicious, but then the officer arrives and you state you are geocaching and unless there was just a burglary or something nearby in the preceding hour or two, your statement that you are geocaching is plenty of explanation.
Behavior is only suspicious when it does not jive with your actions or the setting.
Someone walking in the woods with a rifle in April is suspicious, someone walking the woods with a rifle in September is not.
Someone hopping around on a tennis court swinging a baseball bat around at imaginary balls is suspicious, someone hopping around a court hitting a tennis ball with a racket is not.
Therefore, someone snooping around in public areas with a GPSr is not necessarily suspicious behavior, and unless additional behavior of yours contradicted your statement to officers that you are geocaching, there should be no further need for investigation.
I don't want to be a d!ck to officers; but I won't just bend over and take it anytime I am asked to surrender my rights.
Sure, there are times I've allowed an officer to search my person and my vehicle, and there are times I've politely declined the request to allow a search.
I was not curt or aggressive, and I was on my way within minutes.
Settle down; saying "no" is not the same as shouting "hell no".
-K
Edited to add:
PS: I am not trying to fight with you Janx, I just don't like being told that I'm advocate rudeness or aggression!
Especially in cases where, as you put it very well, the people you are dealing with have the capacity to make your future unpleasant.
I guess I simply disagree with your statement that refusing a search or declining to answer more questions is automatically rude and uncalled for.
Tone of voice and choice of words would of course make a huge difference in the officer's response to your refusal.
Similarily, the lack of tone of voice and absent body language in written statements can cause confusion or misconveyance of the author's intent or emotion. (Like on online forums such as this.)
Again, I'm not fighting with you, I enjoy reasonable discussion and it's very interesting reading all points of view on this subject.
I also will again mention that I'm not a Constitutional law expert and I do not pretend to know all about this field, and I am receptive to change as long as the information is presented respectfully and there are sources to back it up.
Peace, -Kris
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As far as I know, if you are just walking around (that is, not operating a motor vehicle on public roads) you don't have to give you ID to anyone, police officers included.
Please correct me if I am wrong. Oh, and as always, anything you read on the net is a poor substitute for a proper legal opinion from lawyers or past case rulings.
Please note my highlighting. The vast majority of what you posted is incorrect. The only thing you did get right was the advice to not resist.
If a police officer asks you for ID, you do have to provide it. And they do not need your consent for a patdown for safety, and anything they find that you shouldn't have had on you will be admissable.
It would be nice if you cited your source on this. Where's the case law?
Who says you must hand over ID when on foot? Any lawyers or LEO's here that could answer that?
And according to you, if you must submit to a patdown for 'safety' and anything found is chargeable and admissable, wouldn't that mean there is no such thing as unlawful search and seizure?
Please clarify your statements.
-K
Alone in the Woods II
in Hiking/backpacking
Posted
Try this:
Also, many good points were made that lint or cottonballs/vaseline will burn, but quickly and not really anything more than firestarters.
Planning and calm thinking are good ideas most times, but especially so in an emergency.
Before lighting any match or lighter or striking a flint, make sure you have fine tinder, coarser tinder, fine kindling, then sticks, then medium branches.
Make sure these items are dry, or as close to as the situation allows.
Often overlooked completely, make sure you have a windbreak for your activities.
An infant fire is easily poofed out by the smallest gusts.
Oh, and a more secure way to keep lint or whatever fire-making materials dry than double ziplocks are FoodSaver vacubags.
If you get a bend in the zip of a ziplock bag, they no longer are air or watertight. Try it.
I swear by the FoodSaver bags: Double those up and unless pierced, they will stay dry for eons.
And along the lines of News of the Wierd, didja know that there is enough synthetics and threads and buckles and underwires in the average bra to make a bow and drill, as well as having some highly flammable synthetic tinder?
Don't ask how I know.
~K