oplopanax

quote:Is a pocket knife really a dangerous weapon? I guess a table knife would also be a dangerous weapon, granted you would have to push a bit harder to get penetration! Yeah, or someone could just pick up the geocache ammo box and bash someone else's head in. There comes a point at which concerns become overblown... It seems to me that small pocket knifes should be legal, except maybe in caches placed near actual kiddie play-parks with swing sets and things. Which would seem to me like a silly place for a cache anyway...

I just heard a rumor that knives (apparently even pocket knives) and lighters were now against the rules for putting in caches. I didn't find any details on the FAQ page. I wonder: (1) Are the details somewhere, and (2) I can see why bowie knives might not be great for caches, but folding pocket knives? Lighters? C'mon, these are two of most common things people have with them when hiking. Opinions? Info? I'm just a newbie so forgive me if all this has been hashed out before. oplo

Well, I must really have a knack for near-disasters while geocaching. See my latest mishap at the GeoLeo cache (beautiful cache, just the drive home was the problem!): http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?id=59073

quote:Originally posted by rpecot: quote:Anyone else ever had a venomous snake encounter at a cache? I was about 2 steps from a water moccasin a few weeks ago in central Louisiana. A low part of the trail was under water, so I headed off trail for a better place to cross. I got to the cache fine, but on my return I was about to hop over the stream when I saw the snake curled up on the side of the water. I froze in place and backed away. Well, that beats mine for sure! I wonder if someone has a "list of geocaching-related injuries/near-death experiences" somewhere. Such things should not be encouraged of course, but after the fact they are fun to read about...

All I can say is, it's a good thing them rattlesnakes have those rattles. I was about two steps from accidently stomping the snake -- which, I'm sure, would not have been good for either the snake or me. Score one for natural selection I guess. As it was, the snake just said "hey man, back off until I get myself comfortably under this rock over here, and then you can continue your little geocaching adventure...[muttering: what kind of screwy hobby isthat, anyway]". The cache was on a rocky, sunny hilltop, I guess I should've reminded myself that this kind of place would be the perfect rattlesnake hangout. Anyone else ever had a venomous snake encounter at a cache?

I haven't been at geocaching for long, but I figure this doesn't happen everyday: a rattlesnake lying it wait for innocent geocachers!! I won't repeat the whole story, I posted it here: My visit to Hawk's Eye View cache (California) For your enjoyment, the pic (such as it is): Note that rattler hanging out in my *direct* path to the cache. Dramatized re-enactment with stuffed snake found in cache: Note footwear, not exactly snake-resistant. oplopanax

Hey that corrected map is cool. Unfortunately plate tectonics appears to have been conspiring against us, the only major "overlap" is South America and China. Unless someone starts putting geocaches on buoys or something...

Hate to say it but I think the posted map is wrong. For example, the closest large land mass to the antipode of Southern California is Madagascar. Although its hard to figure out it looks like maybe the map maker assumed that negative longitude is the antipode of longitude. 'Taint true, 180 E = 180 W. The antipode of 180 E is 0. Latitude reversal looks right though, negative latitude works. PS: Upon further inspection you can see that Africa overlaps with itself... [This message was edited by oplopanax on March 26, 2003 at 10:11 AM.]