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OK...I admit it...I screamed like a girl


Retail1LO

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I'm relatively new to geocaching, I admit. However...in my whopping two weeks of experience, I had not encountered anything like I had today. I was on the hunt for a cache along a creek in southeastern Pennsylvania today when I located the cache in question. It was a clever little birdhouse about 6 feet up on a tree. The hole a bird would typically enter through had been boarded shut. To get the cache, you had to remove the bottom by turning a little wooden piece to the side. I had not even remotely anticipated anything BUT the cache falling out along with the floor. How on EARTH could I have expected the spiders that fell out of the bottom? And these spiders weren't small either. One monster one was easily 2" in diameter and had some substance to him. Another two were yellow and black. Before putting the cache back IN the birdhouse, we took a look up inside...and there were MORE. And one was bigger than what had fallen out. Yet...we still got the cache back up inside the house afterwards. I'm no expert on spiders...but I'm positive none of them were widows or recluses. Beyond that...who knows. They were just downright unnerving. LOL Anyone else find something IN a cache of the living variety they weren't expecting? I most DEFINITELY will be donning gloves for any such caches in the future. The funny thing is that someone logged the find just days earlier...and they made no mention of 8 legged creatures living in the birdhouse. LOL

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Spiders creep me out only a little, but I wouldn't have wanted to be suprised like that. I like 'em when I know where they are and can keep an eye on them!

 

We did a cache a few months ago, where I had to crawl into a large pipe, about 3' in diameter, to retrieve a micro. Inside were several large spiders whose eyes glowed in the beam of the flashlight! ;) Had I seen an artist's rendition of this, I would have thought they added the reflections to create an eerie effect...

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It's funny that this thread was started at this time. We were in Florida on vacation and were doing a string of caches that were recommended to us by a local cacher. There we were, only 1/4 mile in when we came upon two deer on the trail. One took off right away, the other stood and stared at us. I moved closer, while trying to get my camera out of my backpack. Then, it charged towards us but diverted into the underbrush. That was bizarre. Later on we were seeking a cache that mentioned a fallen oak tree in the description. So with our loyal Pooch bringing up the rear, we climbed on the tree, little did we know there was a wild hogs' nest right under the tree, spooking the heck out of all of us. Afterwards, we searched around for the cache and encountered some of the spider webs that inspired this thread. ( We'll add pictures) The best encounter came shortly afterwards. We were working our way deeper into the forest when a nasty smell came over us, we weren't close to swamp, so I started wondering if we had come upon Jimmy Hoffa's body or something. Then, a few feet up I spotted two wild hogs. One saw us right away and ran into the palmetto's. The other didn't see us, so I tried to get closer to get a picture with my camera (which was readily available this time). Edging forward, with my loyal Pooch right behind me we got about eight feet away from the hog. About that time, the hog screwed into the underbrush 90 degrees to my left, and my Pooch ran down the path 180 degrees behind me. I finally caught up with her about a third of a mile away. Man's best friend. The hog didn't run half as far as she did! Oh well. All in all it was a great time, critters and all!

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Back in August I did GC153FY (Cache in a Cornfield) about 2 weeks after it was published. The snails had already started to take a liking to the container. Last month another cacher posted this pic showing how the scale of the snail problem had increased since then...

 

83e0495c-23d6-4193-93a4-f3c28d65ede2.jpg

 

Luckily snails don't seem to provoke as much of a phobia reaction as spiders in most people.

Edited by Crid
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83e0495c-23d6-4193-93a4-f3c28d65ede2.jpg

This looks like a micro cache I once found! LOL. Which one's the cache?? Hee, hee.

 

As far as surprises at caches, I found a rattle snake guarding a cache this year. Lucky for me I had my bike and was able to separate the cache and the snake with my front wheel. Talk about a quick grab! :blink:

 

The other one that took me by surprise was at GC4DD3 where I found a scorpion in the cache!

scarabgreen.gif

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Here's the picture I promised earlier:

 

9cc562f0-aee7-4a77-aed0-197016647d13.jpg

 

I apologize for the quality. I stink at photography. It was about 2 1/2 inches in length and was in a web that stretched about seven feet from the ground up to a branch. The picture I missed all together was another large spider in a web just a few feet away that was feeding on a large insect. :rolleyes:

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I'm relatively new to geocaching, I admit. However...in my whopping two weeks of experience, I had not encountered anything like I had today. I was on the hunt for a cache along a creek in southeastern Pennsylvania today when I located the cache in question. It was a clever little birdhouse about 6 feet up on a tree. The hole a bird would typically enter through had been boarded shut. To get the cache, you had to remove the bottom by turning a little wooden piece to the side. I had not even remotely anticipated anything BUT the cache falling out along with the floor. How on EARTH could I have expected the spiders that fell out of the bottom? And these spiders weren't small either. One monster one was easily 2" in diameter and had some substance to him. Another two were yellow and black. Before putting the cache back IN the birdhouse, we took a look up inside...and there were MORE. And one was bigger than what had fallen out. Yet...we still got the cache back up inside the house afterwards. I'm no expert on spiders...but I'm positive none of them were widows or recluses. Beyond that...who knows. They were just downright unnerving. LOL Anyone else find something IN a cache of the living variety they weren't expecting? I most DEFINITELY will be donning gloves for any such caches in the future. The funny thing is that someone logged the find just days earlier...and they made no mention of 8 legged creatures living in the birdhouse. LOL

 

You should watch out for the zero legged ones too.

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Okay, I started reading through this thread with horror as I have a severe phobia of spiders. Luckily, because I've had this happen before where I'm scrolling through and suddenly see a picture of a spider, I was scrolling VERY slowly...line at a time. Now...about 5 or so posts down, I started to see what looked like might be huge spider legs...and had to to exit the thread!!! How pathetic that I can't even look at a PICTURE of a spider!! If it had been ME??? and SPIDERS fell out of a cache??? Especially as big as you say?? Hubby would have had to carry me out on a stretcher. Or in a hearse :blink:

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:anicute: I have come across big spiders...(of course I am scared to death of all spiders so they all look big) while caching...I really have to look and have had to overcome some of my arachnophobia to get to some of these caches because of black widows. In the last month I reached under a board near an irrigation canal and stuck my had right in her web! I just about died and did scream like a girl!

 

I feel your pain...................

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This guys was strolling down the hiking trail on a foggy morning. Lots of little water droplets on his hairs look cool! About the size of my hand, if he stretched out his legs. One of the joys of living in Southern California.

Tarant_fog2.sized.jpg

Edited by Klemmer & TeddyBearMama
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i feel your pain...i had a similar experience...i found the cahce i was looking for, grabbed it, took the top off and a HUGE wood spider jumped at me...i SCREECHED! :wub: not screamed, screeched! jumped 5 feet in the air...resulted in cache contents EVERYWHERE and me almost rolling down the hill...i hate spiders :)

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Heres a spider we found guarding a cache recently in Georgia.

 

That's a Golden Orb or Banana Spider as I call em. I recently saw one of these myself while looking for a multi (DNF :) ). Unfortunately I dont have a camera right now but the one I saw was larger than my hand and I believe it would eat my face.

 

I noticed there are many many more spiders/webs than I remember when I played in the woods as a kid. In someplaces it seems like very 2 ft I hit another web. Must be northern spiders taking a vaction in florida :wub:

Edited by Elicate
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This is reminiscent of a cache that LadyBee4T and I did some time ago here in SE Michigan.

It was a multi and we had been out some time just enjoying the hike in this wooded urban park. Very relaxed and not expecting anything out of the ordinary.

We found the final in a hollow tree about 8 inches in diameter and the hole was about 4 feet off the ground. LB4T reached in to grab the container when she let out a yelp. She felt something sharp on the tip of her finger. We both bent down and peered into the hollow....and saw an enormous wooly spider.

Now keep in mind, this is not desert, this is not Florida, this is Michgan. We have never seen anything like this monster. He stared at us as we backed away in sheer fright. Then panic set in as we realized that the bite might actually be serious. My first thought was that I was not sure I could carry her all the way back to the car to get her to the hospital before she died...which I was immediately convinced would happen!

My poor partner in crime was having similar thoughts as she stood there in shock with a stinging finger.

As we stood there amazed at the turn of events in our otherwise normal peaceful day, it became clear to us that it was not actually a bite, but a sliver that had caused the sting....the spider was just incidental!

Then the fun began!!!

Being the consumate cachers that we are, we could not just walk away, we had to get the cache away from that monster and sign the log.....

So while the rest of the world came to those woods that day to relax, we came to argue about whose job it was to reach into that hollow and get that cache out of the hands/legs of that vicious spider.

I admit it...I was just too doggone scared! That thing was nearly 2 inches of wool with claws that I was sure were going to remove whatever appendage I reached with.

So my brave and fearless friend took it on....and she reached in for the cache while we held our breath in anticipation of the next crisis....and she grabbed that cache from its spot and she LAUNCHED it!

We stood there once again in shock as it flew over our heads and about 8 feet past us through the air!

No spider came out that we could see, and no claws held on to it as it flew.

We logged that baby, tossed it a good distance back into the hole and got our hind ends out of there.

 

Home and googling proved it to be a rather large wooly spider, but to this day I have never seen another....nor do I ever hope to.

 

Folks who know us, say that this is just a typical day of caching with the two of us.

 

I would have to agree. We have earned the reputation of finding trouble and laughs in a lot of places.

 

And I wouldn't trade it for anything!

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*shudder* i definitely feel your pain. there was a cache near my area that i found with a friend. there was a hole in the back of a development sign, and the cache was inside a pair of gardening gloves sitting in the hole. i reached in, not thinking anything of it, and grabbed one glove. looked inside, no cache. friend amy was the one to point out the gigantic spider that i JUST narrowly missed coming into contact with. we moved the second glove only to find ANOTHER SPIDER underneath it, equally as scary. i was panicking and whining, and when we were done with the cache i tucked it back inside the gloves, stepped back, pitched them into the hole, and FLED. amy certainly had a laugh but i was NOT going anywhere near those things.

 

my greatest fear is that i will run across a snake while caching. which, i won't lie, will probably scar me for life and make me afraid to ever geocache in rural areas again.

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While out caching with my two grown children one day, we came across a cache in a birdhouse. Imagine our surprise when this little guy came running out at us. :laughing::D I

guess he was just as surprised as we were. Poor little guy. This cache has since been archived so hopefully he is living a happy life in his home undisturbed now.

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c91/Beag...67/DSCF1204.jpg

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c91/Beag...67/DSCF1203.jpg

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You should see the camel spiders that we encountered in Iraq. I stomped on one once and he just looked at me like this so I stomped him again and he made a noise like bones were being broken!

 

Holly $^&*# #^&^&*&* %%^%^&*&^&* man! :o I had the willies before I saw that monster :D , but now whooooooo is that thing, Oh My Gosh, You have got to be, No way. :laughing: And you stepped on it! :D Not me man. No Freaking way.

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You should see the camel spiders that we encountered in Iraq. I stomped on one once and he just looked at me like this :o so I stomped him again and he made a noise like bones were being broken!

 

camel_spider_sm.jpg

 

Check out

of a camel spider and a scorpion fight...

 

Scary critters! :laughing:

 

Oh My GOD!!!! I would have thrown a grenade at it!

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Brad regails me with similar camel spider stories from his time in Iraq as well. I couldn't help but let out a cscream at the three or four geckos/lizards that ran out from a lamp skirt I lifted once. Not that they're all that scary- but they sure startled me! I was with my mom and though she didn't see them she was screaming as well- just because "You were screaming so I thought I should too!"

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When my brother and I were kids (9 or 10) we used to explore creeks-one time my brother found a spider web,the kind that make funnels into a hole under rocks on the bank-He starts saying how he could see something in it and started poking it with a stick--I told him he would be sorry and sure enough he started screaming and beating on his pants leg- he was jumping around(i believe he invented brake dancing now that i think back on it)-anyway,he is swatting.slapping and screaming murder--falls in the water and thrashing around-pulls off his pants-down goes his underware and finally lays there moaning--all the way home i tried to talk him into asking mom to check his weezer for spider bites-(he was younger than me)--that was 45 years ago and my eyes still water from laughter thinking about it--Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha

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my hubby let out a small 'eek' as he lifted a piece of plywood while we searched for a cache just before Christmas. Once he recovered himself, he told me what happened... There were three little kittens under that board. He just saw movement as he lifted it and nearly wet his pants. I still tease him about it. Can't help myself.

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Well, I didn't scream but I sure was startled today. Looking for the first stage of a multi I noticed a "micro sized" hole in a tree right at eye level. AH HA says I, this must be the place. Peeked in but it was so dark all I could see was it was deep, not just a surface crack. So I pulled out my trusty flashlight and peeked again. A very nervous bird is staring back at me from about five inches away! That just wasn't what I expected to say the least.

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Not an animal story, but it sure scared the heck outtta me anyway. Recently I was exploring a cache site called "Ghost Town." The site is an anbandoned town in the middle of the redwoods. Its really creepy normally, and it was getting dark which added to the creepiness factor. I was looking in one of the houses and went into a room that was very dark, I saw a door that was partially open and decided to investigate. I had to push really hard to get it to open, when it did this half burned doll fell from above the doorway and started laughing maniacally. Jumped so high I must have nearly hit the ceiling.

When I finally figured out what it was, I realized it was one of those pull string dolls, someone had mad a trap of sorts with the doll and some old wood and the door to scare the pants off of anyone who came in. It sure did work LOL. And yes I put it back for the next person LOL

--John

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Lol, JHudsonFCA, thats wicked!

 

This thread sends shivers down my spine just reading it and I'm more okay with spiders than many I know. (I have to kill spiders for my hubby sometimes)

 

I was near the edge of the woods looking for a cache that was escaping me and my group from a couple nights before. I got near a fairly hollowed out tree thinking, "maybe I've found the spot" just as I layed my hand on the tree there was a noisy scuffle and something came flying out of the top of the tree, across a few branches, to the ground and 5 feet away before I could finally see what it was. Just a squirrel but the sudden jump and scurry surprized me. As my heart finally slowed and breathing returned I peered around the tree towards a hole when suddenly another squirrel came out of another hole. Again wait for breathing to returned etc and finally decided we needed to clear all out before I suffered a heart attack there alone in the woods so I gave a light rap on the dead tree and another squirrel flew out and away.

Still never found the freakin cache!

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We were retrieving a cache just off a walking trail in the woods and were bushwacking back when I heard a strange hissing noise above me. As I reached the trail I turned back in time to see a buzzard going back into a giant hole in the tree. Apparently he wasn't happy with us being near his nest. Seems a large limb broke off years ago and as the tree healed around it a large hole or pocket formed -- at least big enough for a buzzard.

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I actually just found a cache today that had a wooden sign covering the container. However, it was set up by a couple of kids, and one thing that they had done was attach a rubber tarantula to the sign via fishing line, so it jumped out on you if you took down the sign with any amount of speed. I jumped rather high.

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You should see the camel spiders that we encountered in Iraq. I stomped on one once and he just looked at me like this B) so I stomped him again and he made a noise like bones were being broken!

 

camel_spider_sm.jpg

 

Check out

of a camel spider and a scorpion fight...

 

Scary critters! ;)

Poor Spider! :anibad:

 

Don't you know its very bad luck to kill a spider.... B)

 

I like spiders...they eat bugs.

 

I even like to hold them in my hands but I must admit I wouldn't hold a spider that big B)

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