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Where Can You Wheel?


meralgia

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I have a few caches that I'd like to label as wheelchair-accessible, but I'm not sure if it would be possible for you to access them. My question is two-fold...

 

1) Where can you wheel? For instance, can you move around in the sand on a playground if there's a ramp to reach the sand? Also, how far can you wheel in the sand (without tiring) once you're there?

 

2) Some of my caches are within wheelchair-reaching distance but not something that you could see from the vantage point of a wheelchair. Is it appropriate to label it as wheelchair accessible if you have to "find" it with your hands (and not by sight)?

Edited by meralgia
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Wheelchair bound cachers come in all types of abilities. That is, some can stand up; some can walk a short distance; some can crawl; some have slick mobile chairs that can go on different types of terrain.

 

I think most cachers assume if a cacher can reach a cache from sitting on a wheelchair while on a hard-packed surface, then the cache is wheelchair accessible. I think this is an appropriate assumption so that those cachers that, truly, are unable to stand up and move about don't get disappointed when they can not reach a cache listed as wheelchair accessible.

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I have a few caches that I'd like to label as wheelchair-accessible, but I'm not sure if it would be possible for you to access them. My question is two-fold...

 

1) Where can you wheel? For instance, can you move around in the sand on a playground if there's a ramp to reach the sand? Also, how far can you wheel in the sand (without tiring) once you're there?

 

2) Some of my caches are within wheelchair-reaching distance but not something that you could see from the vantage point of a wheelchair. Is it appropriate to label it as wheelchair accessible if you have to "find" it with your hands (and not by sight)?

 

I only spent six weeks in a wheelchair. It gave me a fair amount of insight into caching from that angle but didn't make me an expert by any means. I got to sit on the trail a whole lot while my partner went the last 10' to retrieve the cache.... B) We never chose a terrain rating of higher than 1.5 and stuck to mostly 1's too.

 

In regards to question 1 - I tried the playground thing with the grandkids and the answer was a firm NO. The sand is designed to cushion impact when the kiddies fall down so it's usually at least 4 to 6" deep. I spent their playtime sitting on the firm packed walkway. Even with a strong person pushing would have tired rapidly. Think - vehicle bogged in deep snow or mud.

 

As to # 2 - a lot of caches aren't 'seeable' anyways, that why it's called 'hiding' a cache, so I'd say yes. Maybe the easiest way for someone with full mobility to check to see if the actual hide is doable is to sit in a lawn chair and test the accessibility...either that or borrow a wheelchair and try it yourself. Actually, I'd like to confine a whole lot of people to wheelchairs for a few weeks to improve their concept of 'wheelchair accessible' but that's a whole other story... :lol:

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Maybe the easiest way for someone with full mobility to check to see if the actual hide is doable is to sit in a lawn chair and test the accessibility

I have spent quite a bit of time in a wheelchair when I was recovering (twice) from my femur fracture after a downhill skiing accident. I emphathize.

 

I know that caches won't be visible, but with some of mine, you have to get on your hands and knees in order to find them. I think you could feel around with your hands, but that makes people a little squeamish--reaching in unknown places.

 

Thanks for letting me know about the inaccesibility of the sand traps; I wasn't sure how well a wheelchair would cope with it.

 

Are there places that you _could_ wheel (and you were pleasantly surprised)?

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Here's a website to help you out with your question. They help you rate a cache with some questions they ask, and then give you code to put that rating on your cache page. http://www.handicaching.com/

Thanks. I rated one of my caches yesterday (GC16JWA)--I know it's wheelchair accessible, but it's completely uninspiring. So I was thinking of the other caches I've placed and wondering if they would be do-able because they're more challenging.

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I have another scenerio: two caches are about 100' (through the grass) off a gravel trail. How hard is it to wheel on a gravel trail? And how many feet are you comfortable wheeling on grass?

 

I found gravel as long as it was hard packed to be doable. This coming from a weakling who made sure that totes of stock were no more than 25 lbs.....read NO uppper body strength whatsoever.

 

If the gravel is loose and more than an inch deep then it is just like mud, ya bog down really quickly.

 

Grass depends more on how deep it is than anything else...that and how smooth the underlying ground is. I could wheel myself around on grass that was kept closely cut but no matter how smooth the ground, deeper grass was very tiring. Our own yard proved to be impassable for me because of the unevenness of the ground. It an old farmyard and has had too many farm tractors, pick up trucks and ATV's run over it through the years. I looked pretty funny trying to get to the veggie garden to weed....course I looked even funnier out there with the hoe too... :lol:

 

It's really difficult to predict what IS doable and what's not...upper body strength varies greatly, the capability of wheelchairs varies too....if there's ever a next one I want mountain bike tread!!

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I have a few caches that I'd like to label as wheelchair-accessible, but I'm not sure if it would be possible for you to access them. My question is two-fold...

 

1) Where can you wheel? For instance, can you move around in the sand on a playground if there's a ramp to reach the sand? Also, how far can you wheel in the sand (without tiring) once you're there?

 

2) Some of my caches are within wheelchair-reaching distance but not something that you could see from the vantage point of a wheelchair. Is it appropriate to label it as wheelchair accessible if you have to "find" it with your hands (and not by sight)?

 

The only guideline I can give is that wheelchair accessable should be assessable by anyone at all in a wheelchair regardless of their ability or lack of it.

 

Some folks can do a lot more than others. They are not the ones a 1 rating is for.

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I have a few caches that I'd like to label as wheelchair-accessible, but I'm not sure if it would be possible for you to access them. My question is two-fold...

 

1) Where can you wheel? For instance, can you move around in the sand on a playground if there's a ramp to reach the sand? Also, how far can you wheel in the sand (without tiring) once you're there?

 

2) Some of my caches are within wheelchair-reaching distance but not something that you could see from the vantage point of a wheelchair. Is it appropriate to label it as wheelchair accessible if you have to "find" it with your hands (and not by sight)?

 

The only guideline I can give is that wheelchair accessable should be assessable by anyone at all in a wheelchair regardless of their ability or lack of it.

 

Some folks can do a lot more than others. They are not the ones a 1 rating is for.

 

I've been a Quadriplegic for near 20 years, and have played off road in all terrain except snow. The Aussies make a center wheel drive chair called the Frontier X5, and it's the HUMVEE of wheelchair's as the main drive wheels are ATV tires. But only a handful have these chairs, but they go through mud, sand, you name it. X5 owners are passionate about off-roading.

 

Then there are the rest of us. Me in my chair weigh over 450 pounds! Not fun getting stuck in. But it does have very high torque motors, goes 8.5 mph, and has a tilt and recline seat (yes its comfy, but not like a Lazy Boy). For those of you in chairs, mine is an Quickie 646SE.

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I've been a Quadriplegic for near 20 years, and have played off road in all terrain except snow... Me in my chair weigh over 450 pounds! Not fun getting stuck in.

Thanks for writing (and speaking from experience)! What circumstances have caused you to get stuck? And do you always cache with a friend just in case?

 

Are there other handicachers who would like to chime in? I went to the handicaching site but don't see any topic forums there. I'd like to "upgrade" more of my caches to wheelchair accessible but I don't want to do it incorrectly.

Edited by meralgia
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