Geocaching in your area.

[knowschad]

The biggest danger here in Upper Michigan is the amateur hunters from Detroit. October and November become 'city caching' months.

 

I thought that was only dangerous to cows.

 

I'd say that the so-called "breakfast pasties" are your greatest danger up there. Right up there with Mexican pasties and Pizza pasties.

[+elmuyloco5]

In the high desert in NM we get the best of both worlds! We have all the desert animals like snakes, scorpions,etc, AND we have all the woodsy animals like bears, elk, and cougars. A few months ago we came across a freshly dismembered deer leg complete with fur and meat while caching. Needless to say, we high tailed it out of there before we became dessert! But, honestly, I've lived in the desert most of my life and we hike all the time. I've never come across a rattlesnake, bear, or cougar. We had a cougar loose once in our neighborhood.....and a bear came into a hospital in a nearby city awhile back. We do see LOTS of elk , deer, and coyotes though.....they love our yard.

[+Team GeoBlast]

I also have a mirror on a telescoping stick.

Bought the mirror on a stick in the automotive section of a store.

 

Thanks for that tip. I use a small mirror but this would be better since bending isnt something I can do without pain.

 

I kind of like the mirror idea better than blindly poking a stick into a hole. As it was mentioned in an earlier post, blindly poking around is pretty antagonistic if you consider the view point of the thing that is living in the hole. The only drawback with the mirror is that the holes are often too dark to see into very far and you might be doing a little night caching. I'd propose this as a modification of this solution.

 

A retractable 5-6 foot long light weight monopod that will screw into your digital camera. You'd have to figure out how to attach a mirror to it to be a complete tool. I used velcro and it works great. With this tool you have some good options that won't piss off the snake. You can start with the mirror which will work in most cases, if it is too dark or you need a closer look you can attach your digital camera and utilize the timer feature for areas where you can't reach the button. If all else fails and you are 100% sure what you are looking for must be in THAT hole, you can put the cap on the end and resort to poking around.

 

This discussion brings another thought to mind. I'd encourage anyone hiding a cache in a area with tons of hidey holes to think about this thread and the experience that you want your seekers to have. As you can see by the responses, poking around in dark holes is not everyone's idea of fun. Sometimes creepy doesn't equal fun. In fact, most of the time it doesn't.

Edited November 1, 2007 by Team GeoBlast

[+Jeep_Dog]

I will be visiting my brother in Georgia in a few months, and I had planned to do some geocaching, and perhaps there are a few things I need to know before I stick my hand in a dark, spooky nook!!

 

I use my faithful hiking stick to prod around under logs and rocks.

 

However, every so often I forget to bring the stick, or forget to clear the dark "under" spots. I'm getting immune to some of venoms, so all is good in these instances - but it still hurts. I don't even pay any mind to prickly pear or yucca anymore - mere surface wounds I don't notice until the post-caching shower.

 

Two weeks ago I was nailed by a scorpion in the leg. A week ago a black widow caught me on the right hand on the knuckle to my little finger (got over the venom fine, it was the staph infection that had me stuck with an IV by late afternoon the next Monday that was the kicker). I was a legend at work after - "what's next week, bitten by a Mexican Wolf?" Yuk yuk.

 

At any rate, if in a new area or place where I suspect snakes, I am a bit more cognizant and use the stick. If you use this method, just be gentle and don't attempt to kill anything with the jabbing - just clear webs, see if anything scurries out, hisses, or rattles.

[knowschad]

We really live on the edge here in Minnesota. You guys ever seen our mosquitos?

[+Seasoned Warrior]

We really live on the edge here in Minnesota. You guys ever seen our mosquitos?

 

BWCA and Quetico some of the most beautiful areas on earth except for the skeeters, I usually wait until late in the season, by that time they've become a little less vicious and the black flies and no-see-ums have found something else to do.

 

Check out Quiet Journey for some great canoeing country. I need a regular fix.

[+Scare Force One]

Luckly for us there are few real dangers in Vermont. There is the ocasional thorn bush but other than that we are blessed with a safe and pain free area. YAY

 

~.~Scare Force One