Jump to content

Archaeologist-PA

Members
  • Posts

    43
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Posts posted by Archaeologist-PA

  1. Very often you can find those kind of pants at a big discount on e-bay. I just picked up 2 pair of Ex Officio women's zip-off pants for less than $20 each that retail for over $80.

     

    I've been just staying in my regular work clothes if I go geocaching later in the day, since I'm already prepared for hiking in the woods. Working as an archaeologist, I've usually been wearing the aforementioned zip-off pants, leather gaiters (keeps the ticks out of my pant legs but I ditch them if I get too hot), a loose long-sleeved shirt, hat, and sturdy leather boots waterproofed w/Sno-Seal (right now Cabela's Outfitter boots have been working nicely). Lately I've been wearing a 70 oz. Camelbak hydration pack for water, which keeps me going for awhile. Before I leave the truck I apply bug repellent - Avon Skin-So-Soft bug repellent/sunscreen, and have a small can of MaxiDeet in my pack if the bugs really get nasty. In the Camelbak there is enough room for a small amount of gear, so I usually bring along at a minimum a compass, first aid kit, camera, flashlight, some items for trading, writing implements, a cell phone or walkie-talkie, and Leatherman-type multi tool. I keep forgetting to bring my hiking stick, which would really be handy. Having a topo map of the area, or at least a good section showing where you'll be at around the cache is a big plus. Generally, my day job has me surveying through all kinds of terrain, which I suppose would qualify as bushwhacking. On rare occasions have I had to use a machete. Unfortunately my current employer Uncle Sam doesn't allow me to carry a firearm at work, but I plan on acquiring a new sidearm for personal use in the near future (guess packing while caching is an entirely different thread).

  2. I was checking out the Garmin website, and their topo software (~$80) seems to be compatible with the GPS III Plus unit. I'm guessing it would have to be downloaded via the data cable, as this unit does not have a memory card. I'm also a little bit worried about not having much memory with the III Plus for this type of application. Does anyone else use the topo software with their Garmin? I'm not concerned about having a color screen, but if anyone has suggestions for a better unit, I would appreciate it. Wouldn't mind sticking with Garmin, as they've been pretty good to me!

  3. Hi everyone..hope this question has not already been asked. We have a number of older Garmin units including the GPS III Plus and are thinking of upgrading. I'm looking for a GPS unit that is able to handle loading USGS quad maps into it - in particular, to show detailed landforms, including contour intervals for topography. Having this kind of base map detail for navigation in the field would be fantastic. Are there reasonably affordable units on the market now that have this ability? Any info would be helpful, as I'm not very familiar with today's offerings.

     

    Thanks!

  4. I just returned from visiting family in Reno. One of the caches we did was Echoes of the V&T Railroad (GCJXF9) in Virginia City. We made it a little harder by hiking in from the road. Great views, and history! Driving up the windy road to Virginia City was an adventure in itself.

  5. I just picked up a cheap one at K-Mart ($20.00). My job has me crawling around trees and rocks all day, so I thought this might fare a little better than hauling several Nalgene bottles. I'll let you know how the discount one holds up to everyday abuse in the field...

     

    BTW K-mart also sold a hydration bladder cleaning kit (I think it was around $8.00) - I've seen them elsewhere too. There is some kind of plastic rack that you squeeze inside to dry it out, and a few brushes to clean the interior and hoses. Campmor.com also sells tablets that you can toss inside that fizz like Alka-Seltzer to remove some of the deposits. I believe they also ran about $8 or $9 for an 8-pack. Has anyone used these? I'm just wondering how often I should try to clean this thing if I am using it every day...

  6. Bear N Grin It is right, Technu works pretty well, but you have to apply it not long after exposure. I've gotten poison ivy so often that I can almost sense a tingling when I've touched it within an hour or two. I buy the big bottles of Technu at pharmacies or online (Ben Meadows or Forestry Suppliers) and then always keep a small bottle in my backpack.

     

    And this probably goes without saying, but I'll say it anyway. Be careful where & how you go to the bathroom in the woods. A former co-worker of mine had the displeasure of having a poison ivy rash throughout her very private areas... :lol:

  7. I visited a cache this morning. Apparently it was a microcache hidden within an electrical box that could only be opened with a screwdriver. This electrical box was on the backside of a wooden frame which hosted a real electrical breaker.

     

    Call me a wimp, but I didn't think getting out a screwdriver to undo potential electrical equipment on private property was the best idea in the world. With all the folks that bring their kids along caching, somehow I don't think these electrical equipment caches are a good idea. Even if you explain what you are doing and why you don't think it is live, I think poking around electrical boxes is just a bad example.

     

    Anyway, that's my opinion.

  8. I would like to know how many folks re-stock their own geocaches as time goes on? I have one placed cache on our vacation property, and am planning another cache closer to the year-round home. I'm already intending to keep some goodies flowing to both caches to prevent them from becoming filled with broken Happy Meal Toys and junk :unsure: . I have also just been trying to accumulate things as I go along which I think might be good for a cache. For example, the current pile includes a few (new) books on local history, some Pennsylvania archaeology posters, new (but inexpensive) diecast cars for the kids, inexpensive camping accessories from Wallyworld (plastic matchbox holder, nylon knife sheath, clip-on compass, carabiners, belt camera/GPS case), and yes, some GPS fuel as well. Some of the stuff is dirt cheap, and other items more expensive, but I've gotten into the habit of picking up things one at a time as I see them. For me, throwing a $2 item in my cart occasionally as I'm passing the camping aisle at Wallyworld doesn't seem to make as big of an economic impact as shelling out the cash for everything at once (even though I am spending the same amount of $). My question is, what else can you really to do keep up the quality of stuff in your cache other than periodic restocking?

  9. 911f51a5-81fd-49f5-8abd-8dab12dfe19b.jpg

    Rover, I did a double-take there for a min when I read your message. We also have a poppy red Series IIa as one of our geocaching vehicles. Mine looked like yours before we put on the roof rack...

     

    spencer_midsize.jpg

    1969 Land Rover Series IIa 88

     

    (in addition to the '76 Forward Control 101 & '72 Series III 109.. and 2003 Discovery.. and probably another vintage LR in the future... these things are so addicting!) B)

  10. But nothing makes you dance and twitch like a cattle prod!

     

    True.. Once I accidentally shocked myself with what was purported to be a 4000v stun gun. Threw me clear across the room. The electricity ran up one arm, across my chest, and down the other arm, and I laughed for about 15 minutes even though it hurt like Hades.

  11. Hi everyone. I'm wondering if anyone local to Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia might be able to lend a hand in helping to maintain a geocache? I doubt it would require much time (if any) - just would be nice to have backup in case there were any issues I couldn't take care of. I've placed one on some property my husband and I own near Lake Ainslie (Whycocomagh). We visit the island several times a year (usually spaced out between the seasons - winter / spring / summer / fall), but this doesn't seem to be often enough for the approval of this cache. I placed it this past week and goofed by leaving a small penknife in the cache, which I didn't realize was against the rules. We just came back to the U.S., and I won't be able to make it back for awhile. It's a shame.. I thought we had a *perfect* spot for hiding a geocache, and I'd love to be able to contribute to the game by including this one, if it's at all possible. Anyway, if anyone might be able to help out, please let me know. Thanks! :rolleyes:

     

    Jennifer

  12. I wouldn't be surprised to see something like that. A lot of graves aren't actually buried "6 feet under" like you would think. And burials from the 19th century and early 20th century were generally in wooden coffins, of which the lids often collapse, so there is some subsidence as everything settles.

  13. This sound a little strange but I use Bounce dryer sheets. I take one sheet and put it in my pocket and one in a belt loop.

     

    Wow, I can say I've never tried that one before! I'll give it a shot. Sometimes the skeeters get pretty bad up here in the Allegheny National Forest (though nowhere near as bad as when I worked in the Everglades). I may look a little weird with dryer sheets hanging off my belt, but my co-workers already think I'm nuts...

     

    Personally, I have had good success with a combination of Avon's Skin-So-Soft applied to the skin, and if it gets bad enough, then spraying some DEET product onto my clothing. Never on the skin, though - one of my co-workers' hard hats melted last year from DEET!

     

    I've also tried wearing a Bug Shirt on one or two occasions when it's been really bad, but they tend to be too constricting.

     

    My husband bought a few of those electronic mosquito repellents that are supposed to emit sounds of a dragonfly, but they didn't seem to work very well...

     

    Jennifer

  14. I work outdoors for a living, so this is a topic close to my heart. :anibad:

     

    In my days of living in abject poverty in the past, I've tried the Wallyworld $30 specials on more than one occasion, and have been sorely disappointed. Even when I waterproofed the cheapie boots, they left me in the lurch... usually in a bad place like leaking at the seams walking through a swamp. Unfortunately you do get what you pay for.

     

    Timberlands used to last me almost a year before they would blow out, but unfortunately the quality has gone downhill over the last few years. I wouldn't recommend them anymore.

     

    Right now I've been wearing a pair of Cabela's Outfitter boots since last December, every day, for 9 hours a day, through all weather conditions. Haven't even had to re-waterproof them yet. I'm very impressed. I believe they were somewhere around $130. Cabela's is one of the few companies that makes decent boots for men and women.

     

    If you have the cash to spend, the best I have ever seen are made by Filson. This is a company that has been around since the Gold Rush outfitting miners and foresters in the northwest and Alaska. Their products are of the best quality money can buy, and people end up passing their items down to their kids and then to the grandkids. That's how long their stuff lasts. If something blows out, you can send it back to Filson, and they will repair or replace it, in many cases without charge. In my line of work, I usually go through field backpacks in less than a year, even ones made by 'premium' brands. My husband splurged and bought me a $230 Filson backpack that is guaranteed for life. Since I was regularly spending $50-60 a year on backpacks that didn't last before, this isn't really a lot of money if it does last.

     

    My husband has a pair of $350 Filson boots. The craftsmanship is amazing, and it is very likely that he will have this pair of boots for life, even if they have to be resoled along the line. It sounds like a lot of money to shell out, but if you can possibly have the same pair of boots for decades, in the long run it may be the true bargain to go for the quality. Unfortunately Filson does not currently make any products specifically for women, but the rumor on the street is that they may be doing so soon. I'll be the first in line when that becomes a reality.

     

    Just my two cents! Good luckt o you... :wacko:

     

    Jennifer

×
×
  • Create New...