Jomarac5

Here's a few of our favourites in the Vancouver area. Hope this helps. *****

Just read this and thought it applies here quite well... The fact that something involves risk does not necessarily mean that it must be avoided. It means that it must be approached with clarity, commitment, understanding and preparation. Ralph Marston (2003) ----- The Boy Scout motto works pretty good too... Be Prepared. To me, these sound like words to live by. *****

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quote: Seneca wrote:None, I presume, as I did not include boat related drownings in the statistic quoted. Perhaps those that drowned may not have had they had a lottery ticket. Odd how you choose to ignore everything but the most insignificant detail of the discussion. Seems that I was right about you just wanting to argue. Your signature would be more honest if it read: "I have never in my life learned anything from any man that I didn't listen to". *****

quote: Seneca wrote:The point I was trying to make is that we have bears (lots of them) and people (lots of them) and notwithstanding that lots of our people are in close proximity to lots of our bears, we have very very few deaths (or injuries for that matter) from bears, when compared to the myriad of other risks (like drowning) that we take in stride without much concern. Statistically trivial or not, when I'm out looking for caches that are in the wilderness I'll take my pepper spray and bear bangers, and when you are out in the wilderness you can take your lottery ticket. Also, I said "Firstly, just a minor correction to your statistics". I wasn't denying that there are lots of bears in BC. I'd be interested to know how many of those people that drowned weren't wearing lifejackets. Take those away and I'll bet your 56 deaths per year figure is a lot closer to the bear statistics. Not wearing a lifejacket when around water or not preparing for bears when in the wilderness makes you a good candidate for the Darwin Award. The point I'm making is that when you are in the backyard of dangerous animals, it is foolhardy to not take precautions. What's really your point? Actually, don't answer that because it appears to me that you are just looking to argue and that's not what I care to do. Have a nice day. ***** [This message was edited by Jomarac5 on June 08, 2003 at 04:23 AM.]

quote: Seneca wrote:Our main industry is logging. Actually, I believe it's marijuana cultivation by all latest accounts. "Hey man, didja see that cute fuzzy bear with the lottery ticket?" Nothin's better than BC Bud dude. ***** [This message was edited by Jomarac5 on June 08, 2003 at 01:36 AM.]

Let's talk a bit more about bears: quote: Seneca wrote:There is lots of discussion on these forums (including this thread) about protecting yourself from attack by a bear. In British Columbia (where I am from) , we have a population of 4 million people. Our main industry is logging. Wilderness hiking is a way of life, and an important part of our tourist industry. We have approximately 1 bear for every 32 people. We are home to 25% of all of North America’s grizzly bear population. Our bears often live in close proximity to people, including many on the immediate outskirts of built-up urban areas (they show up in people’s back yards all the time). On average, there is less than one person per year killed by a bear in British Columbia (11 people killed over a 16 year period) . I am certainly not going to be at all concerned about getting attacked by a bear. I would rather save the money on the bear spray and spend it on lottery tickets. Firstly, just a minor correction to your statistics -- there are approximately 13,000 grizzly bears in British Columbia which works out to about 1 bear for every 320 people -- not trying to nitpick here but I think you'll agree that this a bit more comforting than 1 for 32. We do indeed have 25% of the North American population of grizzlies. If you include the Black Bear population (about 15% of the North American population) in your statistics then the numbers are closer to 1 bear for every 24 people in British Columbia. The majority of Grizzlies do not typically live in close proximity to populated areas. The largest population of grizzlies is in the very remote wilderness of the west coast of the BC mainland from approximately the top of Vancouver Island to the Alaska border, the Prince George area, and a small area in the southeastern region of the province. Statistically, people have settled in only 8% of the original habitat of the grizzly. There are no grizzly bears on Vancouver Island or the Queen Charlotte Islands. There is moderate grizzly population in most other regions of BC with exception of the interior region. The bigger problem in British Columbia is with Black bears -- the BC Wildlife Branch estimates that there are between 120,000 and 160,000 black bears in the province -- a historic high (about 30% of all Black Bears in Canada). You are much more likely to have an encounter with a Black Bear in British Columbia than with a Grizzly (and relatively that's a very good thing). Black bear population is highest on Vancouver Island, the Queen Charlotte Islands and the south eastern region of BC. Black bears live in virtually every part of the province of British Columbia. Only about 5% of the province has been permanently lost as Black Bear habitat (which include core populated areas as well as major highways and large hydro reservoirs). Black Bears are indeed more likely to be seen in populated areas than Grizzlies. British Columbia has experienced an escalation of black bear/human conflicts, particularly over the past ten years and nearly doubled between 1992 and 1999. During that period BC Conservation Officers recorded and average of 8,811 complaints annually (complaints do not necessarily mean that there was an attack of any kind -- it includes attacks and sightings that were reported). Most Black Bears are likely to turn and run away from a human rather than attack. Although your statistics sound about right (11 people killed in 16 years) incidents are increasing (the number of attacks resulting in serious injury are significantly higher than the death tolls). Having said this however, statistics indicate that the number of Grizzly Bear attacks is only slightly less than Black Bears. In recent years however, Black Bears have become increasingly more agressive and there are a few documented cases of Black Bear attacks on humans being much more predatory. We had a local cacher who recently encountered a Black Bear at this cache in North Vancouver. Fortunately, the cacher was able to retreat to his vehicle without harm. Personally, I have experienced eight encounters with bears in the wilderness in my lifetime (excluding several sightings from vehicles). Each of those was with Black Bears. The closest that I physically came to a bear in the wild was about 20 feet (and that was WAY closer than I would have liked -- where are those cubs?!?). In each case, all it took was loud shouting and waving arms to get the bear to turn away. I have never had to use pepper spray, although I have a number of friends who have. I also have a few friends who have killed bears that were showing signs of aggression. My last encounter was in the Stein Valley three years ago where my son and I had a Black Bear stalk us for almost an entire day. That was extremely uncomfortable, and I was very relieved when we finally reached our vehicle. I have never had an encounter with a Grizzly Bear and I hope that I never do -- Grizzlies are far more aggresive than Black Bears. I have seen one Grizzly at a distance from a vehicle. I tend to shy away from known Grizzly habitats. As I venture out into wilderness areas I am much more conscious of bears than I ever have been. They are fascinating animals and must be treated with a great amount of respect -- they are very powerful and surprisingly fast. As we encroach upon their habitats, we must realize that we are the intruders and as such must be ready at any time for a possible altercation. I carry pepper spray with me and have recently been looking into purchasing bear bangers (an explosive charged projectile that is used to scare bears without harming them). No offence, but to say that you would rather spend your money on lottery tickets than on bear spray doesn't make sense. Yes, statistically the chances of attack are very low, but consider how many people in that 4 million that you mention, never venture into the wilderness where the majority of bear encounters take place. Your statistics don't look so impressive with this in mind. I doubt very much that showing a bear your winning lottery ticket is going to be much of a deterent if he's looking at you with lunch in mind. *****

Brian, I took a look at your website and noticed that you are also into kayaking (or at least you were before your boat was stolen). Besides caching, I use my Garmin Legend for kayaking and mountain bike riding -- it's great for tracking top speeds and distances. It also serves as a speedometer (bike and boat), which is handy when I go out for a workout. As far as the differences in the GPSr's that you're looking at, I can't really comment since I'm not familiar with either machine. I would however suggest that whatever you decide on has the ability to upload and download info to your computer -- coupled with mapping software, this is quite useful. Hope you get your kayak back. *****

I filled up the bathtub with water and submerged a couple of Starfrit Lock & Lock containers after filling them with lead fishing weights and tissue paper. The contents of both boxes stayed completely dry for a 24 hours period. Sold me on them. In our area, I've recently been noticing a lot of caches placed in Lock & Lock containers. *****

quote: Canadazuuk wrote:Where is the original thread? It's here. *****

quote: Kouros wrote:I really don't care how much Groundspeak make out of subscriptions, except to say the more the better - they deserve every penny for the last couple of years of hard work they've put into it. I agree. Jeremy and co. should be making a profit from this site. *****

quote: Seneca wrote:How flattering - someone digging into my old posts! Predictable reply, coming from an egotist. *****

quote: Bluespreacher wrote:Let's let it breathe. I've only been around for a few months, but from what I can see, Jeremy is a person that we can trust. It seems obvious that he has a pretty clear view of what geochaching should look like, plus, he's open to other's input. This whole game is very new and likely to transform a lot over the next few months/years. These transformations will be guided by Jeremy and all those who post to these forums. Let's keep moving forward Has there been enough time 'to breathe' yet? Just moving forward (with a little post from the past). *****

quote: The Leprechauns wrote:Would that be "all" bears, or just the straight ones? All bears of course (well, except for the ones that are perverts). *****

Cachers who write spoilers in their logs, and useless or irrelevant clues. And pretty much everything else that has been mentioned on this page except bears -- I like bears. *****

Your caches are a bit out of the way. I found one of them and thought it was a very good one (thanks) and am planning on visiting more of yours soon. As has been said here, some caches get logged more than others. I'm planning on placing some caches soon that will be in fairly remote areas -- I don't expect these ones to get more than one or two logs in a year. Be patient -- there are more people caching out in the valley now so you're bound to get some traffic on them soon. ***** [This message was edited by Jomarac5 on June 06, 2003 at 12:59 PM.]

quote: Cire Yamel:If I'm going out in the words, I eat about 10 cloves of pickled garlic about 4 hours ahead of time and have no problems. I swear by the pickled garlic as an insect deterent. It's good for warding off vampires too. All kidding aside, I've heard this from others and they claim it works as well. I have a relative who claims that garlic works for a lot of things and have noticed that he often has a peculiar unpleasant odor from the garlic coming through his pores. The garlic may work but I think I'll stick with the DEET. *****

quote: FlashStash wrote:Your use of the f-word in your above post is a derogative term referring to all homosexuals, not just those who arehaving sex in the woods, and does not belong in a forum like this. I would have to agree with FalshStash on this one. I'm sure from reading past posts by eroyd that it wasn't meant in the manner that it was presented. So let's consider the use of THAT word as an innocent and hastily emotional faux pas and excuse it. But I agree with everything else that eroyd states. *****

quote: FlashStash wrote:It is necessary if you choose to express your dislike for homosexuals and their behavior in a public forum...your views create an atmosphere that is detrimental to young people dealing with such issues. Ask your gay friends and see how they feel on the issue. But it's OK for you to force your ideals upon me in a public forum? And that's not rude? Seems to me that there is a double standard here. *****

quote: flask wrote:it is not necessary to like or approve of anybody or any group. it is necessary to be polite. No it's not. Why should I hide behind a mask of false tolerance when you are forcing your views upon me? Perhaps it is you who is not being polite by demanding that others accept your very narrow views. *****

quote: teefal wrote:I'm just answering those that are saying "this isn't about homophobia", when it couldn't be clearer to me that homophobia is playing a large role throughout this topic. Why is it that everyone must agree with your homosexual views? Seems to me that there are a significant number of hetrophobic views playing a large role here. *****

quote: Renegade Knight wrote:I'm sorry, but while finding people boiking in the woods may be distrubing it doesn't seem to be unsafe. They were trying to be discrete. Sort of. In isolated circumstances, finding two people 'boinking' in the woods may not be all that disturbing. However, this was not the case here -- there are used condoms littering the area. Do you not think the possiblity of diseases being present is not real? That it's OK for a young four year old child to unknowingly pick one up and say "Look Mommy, I found a balloon" -- it's ghastly. And it is incredibly unsafe. The danger of STD's and who knows what other kind of real health risks, is very real here. Further to this, in my conversation with the woman at the Abbotsford City Police, she mentioned that this and similar areas also are host to serious crimes that go unreported because the victims do not want to be identified as being in the area. So from health and well-being views, there IS indeed a danger in the area -- and we haven't even touched on possible psychological problems that might be incurred by young children witnessing such incidents. There is definitely an unsafe element attached to this situation -- to think otherwise would be nothing short of irresponsible. *****

Seneca, The only one insulting you is yourself. I mentioned before that I am caring a lot less about what you have to say. Now I really don't care about anything that you say and will no longer reply to your pointless drivel. You might find that this might be of help to you. Adios. *****

teefal, You obviously have too much time on your hands. Perhaps you should try looking here -- it would be a better use of your time. quote: It's the real reason these men meet in parks.Sure it is, sure it is... *****

quote: warf wrote: quote: Many people are fearful and disgusted by the homosexual lifestyle. They have a right to complain, it is called free speech, not gay bashing. Bingo! This may be true. But it has nothing to do with the topic of this thread. C'mon already. Let's put it back on track. *****