I bow down to all of you

[+CACHE KRAWLER]

In the two weeks that I have been here in Virginia and out caching, I have dealt with Spiders and more importantly walking into and eating they're webs, Ticks that are like David Copperfield and show up hours after the excursion, even after having changed into a completely different set of clothing, I found one the other day, a big one, crawling up my shirt and also Fleas, them little SOBs.

 

Yesterday after grabbing a few caches in the Williamsburg area I was headed back down toward Ft. Eustis and all of a sudden I feel something crawling up my leg. It was this grasshopper looking thing with HUGE antenna. I darn near wrecked my car when I saw that bug. I was able to get ahold of his feelers and toss him out the window, but my god people.

 

This morning about 3 or so, I wake up to uncontrollable itching on my feet, ankles and "groin" area, yes, even there, absolutely uncontrollable. So I get up and turn on the lights and my feet and boys are covered in these bumps, and then I see a Flea jump onto my foot. Son-of-a-gun I say. Really, honestly, fleas? Have I not had enough freakin' bug issues yet. SO now I have to cover my feet and errr yah, in Alcohol, drive to the store, get some Benadryl and Hydrocortisone cream, at about 4 in the morning now!! BY 6 the Benadryl knocked me out, right here at my computer. Houskeeping just came by and changed my sheets for me and are having a fumigator swing in tomorrow to bomb this place.

 

SO to wrap this up, I'm an Oregon native, born and raised on the same 600 acre tree farm chunk of woods my whole life and have NEVER had to deal with bug issues ever. Not once. So I have to give it up to you all for braving the wild bugs and heat and humidity out here. I'm really not sure why or how you all do it, but this is me shaking your hand and bowing at your feet, for you are tougher than I.

 

Good day,

 

Travis

Edited July 19, 2009 by CACHE KRAWLER

[+Cardinal Red]

In the two weeks that I have been here in Virginia and out caching, I have dealt with Spiders and more importantly walking into and eating they're webs, Ticks that are like David Copperfield and show up hours after the excursion, even after having changed into a completely different set of clothing, I found one the other day, a big one, crawling up my shirt and also Fleas, them little SOBs.

 

Yesterday after grabbing a few caches in the Williamsburg area I was headed back down toward Ft. Eustis and all of a sudden I feel something crawling up my leg. It was this grasshopper looking thing with HUGE antenna. I darn near wrecked my car when I saw that bug. I was able to get ahold of his feelers and toss him out the window, but my god people.

 

This morning about 3 or so, I wake up to uncontrollable itching on my feet, ankles and "groin" area, yes, even there, absolutely uncontrollable. So I get up and turn on the lights and my feet and boys are covered in these bumps, and then I see a Flea jump onto my foot. Son-of-a-gun I say. Really, honestly, fleas? Have I not had enough freakin' bug issues yet. SO now I have to cover my feet and errr yah, in Alcohol, drive to the store, get some Benadryl and Hydrocortzone cream, at about 4 in the morning now!! BY 6 the Benadryl knocked me out, right here at my computer. Houskeeping just came by and changed my sheets for me and are having a fumigator swing in tomorrow to bomb this place.

 

SO to wrap this up, I'm an Oregon native, born and raised on the same 600 acre tree farm chunk of woods my whole life and have NEVER had to deal with bug issues ever. Not once. So I have to give it up to you all for braving the wild bugs and heat and humidity out here. I'm really not sure why or how you all do it, but this is me shaking your hand and bowing at your feet, for you are tougher than I.

 

Good day,

 

Travis

 

This is going to get my vote for best Mid-Atlantic (Northeast?) post of the year. Thanks Travis

[+weathernowcast]

In the two weeks that I have been here in Virginia and out caching, I have dealt with Spiders and more importantly walking into and eating they're webs, Ticks that are like David Copperfield and show up hours after the excursion, even after having changed into a completely different set of clothing, I found one the other day, a big one, crawling up my shirt and also Fleas, them little SOBs.

 

Yesterday after grabbing a few caches in the Williamsburg area I was headed back down toward Ft. Eustis and all of a sudden I feel something crawling up my leg. It was this grasshopper looking thing with HUGE antenna. I darn near wrecked my car when I saw that bug. I was able to get ahold of his feelers and toss him out the window, but my god people.

 

This morning about 3 or so, I wake up to uncontrollable itching on my feet, ankles and "groin" area, yes, even there, absolutely uncontrollable. So I get up and turn on the lights and my feet and boys are covered in these bumps, and then I see a Flea jump onto my foot. Son-of-a-gun I say. Really, honestly, fleas? Have I not had enough freakin' bug issues yet. SO now I have to cover my feet and errr yah, in Alcohol, drive to the store, get some Benadryl and Hydrocortzone cream, at about 4 in the morning now!! BY 6 the Benadryl knocked me out, right here at my computer. Houskeeping just came by and changed my sheets for me and are having a fumigator swing in tomorrow to bomb this place.

 

SO to wrap this up, I'm an Oregon native, born and raised on the same 600 acre tree farm chunk of woods my whole life and have NEVER had to deal with bug issues ever. Not once. So I have to give it up to you all for braving the wild bugs and heat and humidity out here. I'm really not sure why or how you all do it, but this is me shaking your hand and bowing at your feet, for you are tougher than I.

 

Good day,

 

Travis

 

This is going to get my vote for best Mid-Atlantic (Northeast?) post of the year. Thanks Travis

 

I second the nomination! We could add it to the tourist brochures too!

[+lakelady]

Loved it, but I am sorry for your pain Travis.

Edited July 19, 2009 by lakelady

[+Cherokee Bill]

Flea's? More like "Chigers" This time of year, they are terrible in VA! I saw an Army of them carrying a "rabbit" down the trail yesterday Takes a few weeks to get rid of their "horrible-itching" and the little "red bite-marks" will last for weeks!

 

Happy summer caching.

[+CACHE KRAWLER]

Flea's? More like "Chigers" This time of year, they are terrible in VA! I saw an Army of them carrying a "rabbit" down the trail yesterday Takes a few weeks to get rid of their "horrible-itching" and the little "red bite-marks" will last for weeks!

 

Happy summer caching.

 

Well I say Fleas, because I was able to catch one this morning in my sheets. I've still got him here in a dixie cup of water. He's been in there swimming around for the last 12 hours or so and I've named him Little SOB. Little SOB is doing great and getting alot of exercise in there doing not so much laps per say, but more like circles.

 

I've had chiggers before when I use to live in Tennessee, they tore me up really good on my ankles and shins and yes it took a few weeks for them to go away. What I have now doesn't seem to be what I had back then. These SOBs got my feet, ankles, shins, groin area, a couple on my lower back and a couple on my upper inside right arm and arm pit area also the sides of my torso.

 

Also, when I pulled up pics online of flea bites they match exactly to what I currently have. We'll see how it goes I guess. Not much else I can really do for now. Can anyone tell me what the best bug spray/deterrent there is for preventing these bastards and where I can find it at? I don't plan to stop Geocaching while I am here so I need the best stuff out there to prevent this from getting carried away.

 

Thanks all,

 

Travis

[+hukilaulau]

I would have guessed chiggers, too, but your further description does indeed sound like fleas.

here's a combo we use with good results: high octane DEET based bug repellant to any potentially exposed skin (Deep Woods Off) and permethrin based spray (Repel) to boots, socks, pants, etc.

If I'm going to be in a really bad area I also have Bugskinz clothing from Cabela's. I only have the socks and pants, but they also have shirts and hoods. Works great... if you use it! Last week I was going after a cache and thought I'd be on my bike the whole way, so I left all that good stuff in the truck. big mistake!

[+MountainRacer]

Great post! Yeah, it gets bad at times. Like Hukilaulau said, on this coast we have to use chemical warfare against the little terrors, usually a combo of Deep Woods OFF for skeeters and permethrin for ticks. In ten years' time, they'll probably have evolved to be able to drink the stuff with no ill effects.

Edited July 20, 2009 by MountainRacer

[+Harry Dolphin]

And no mention of the joys of bushwhacking through greenbriar and mountain laurel!

[+Klatch]

Well I say Fleas, because I was able to catch one this morning in my sheets.

If they were in a motel, they could be bed bugs.

 

[+CACHE KRAWLER]

Well I say Fleas, because I was able to catch one this morning in my sheets.

If they were in a motel, they could be bed bugs.

 

 

Well thanks for the lovely pic, but no it wasn't bed bugs. I actually just happenned to watch a show about them the night before on Animal Planet. I went to the Doc today and was able to talk him into giving me a steroid shot to help the healing process along. At first he told me there was nothing he could do and that if he gave steroid shots to everybody coming in for bug bites he would bankrupt the Army and that I would just have to deal with it and that it would go away in time. That pissed me off to no end so I dropped my pants and skivies without warning to him and that got his attention really quick. He said, "Whoa! That looks really bad!" I said,"Yah, tell me about it Doc." I then got my shot and am now hoping this clears up sooner than later.

 

Thanks for the advice all on what to get as far as repellents and sprays.

[+Packanack]

I think you should let us be the judge and post your picture of your posterior on the forum

 

Now yesterday, Iwas paddling on Monksviller Reservoir, going for a cache. It was 67 degrees, blue sky, slight breeze and there were pretty women practicing rowing in pulling boats, I did bring a fishing pole and binoculars. Yes, I thought the life of a cacher on the east coast is most difficult.

[+whistler & co.]

We here in NEPAG-land (northeast PA) are so harassed by ticks that we even have our own tick-related logo (thanks to the artistic talents of Chris from Fox & the Hound):

 

[+whistler & co.]

We have spiders too. Here's a picture I took today in a cemetery where our son has a cache hidden:

 

[+Renegade Knight]

... That pissed me off to no end so I dropped my pants and skivies without warning to him and that got his attention really quick. He said, "Whoa! That looks really bad!" I said,"Yah, tell me about it Doc." I then got my shot and am now hoping this clears up sooner than later. ...

 

Sounds like the Dr's are about the same.

[+CACHE KRAWLER]

... That pissed me off to no end so I dropped my pants and skivies without warning to him and that got his attention really quick. He said, "Whoa! That looks really bad!" I said,"Yah, tell me about it Doc." I then got my shot and am now hoping this clears up sooner than later. ...

 

Sounds like the Dr's are about the same.

 

Yah, he was about to go down the Motrin road with me and I wasn't about to go for a ride with him.

 

On a sader note, Little SOB passed away today around 1300. He's been swimming circles in that Dixie cup of water for the last two days and I think he just paddled himself all the way to a little Flea heart attack. Little SOB, RIP you were of great entertainment to me for the last couple of days you will be missed greatly.

[+The Leprechauns]

Great post, thanks for the entertainment at your expense. I hope the rest of your stay is bug-free.

 

It's important to remember that every region has its own special challenges. When it comes to ticks and chiggers, it is Tennessee that makes me shudder in fear, and for spiders and giant bugs, southern California. But equally daunting are the dehydrating desert heat in Arizona and Nevada, the saw palmetto that guards so many Florida micros, the maddening pine needle "camo" that covers caches on the ground in Georgia, the snowdrifts that double the difficulty of winter caching in Upstate New York, and the way that a Nebraska dirt road can turn into jeep-stopping mud after a heavy rain.

 

As for the OP's home area, you haven't searched for a cache in "undergrowth" until you've cached the wet side of Washington and Oregon. And if you think those eroded, rounded Appalachian bumps in the ground are "mountains," climb to a cache in the Cascades to see Mother Nature when she's serious about reaching towards the sky.

 

I love caching everywhere, but out of the 42 states where I've logged a find, I think Oregon and Washington are the most challenging overall.

[+DudleyGrunt]

Um, thank you for sharing and for your props to us east coast cachers. Luckily, I've never had to deal with fleas (or chiggers) myself, but have experienced the rest. I count myself very blessed. I can't imagine caching in the woods without having to be concerned about bugs of any kind.

 

Wishing you a speedy return to normality!

 

DG

[+CACHE KRAWLER]

As for the OP's home area, you haven't searched for a cache in "undergrowth" until you've cached the wet side of Washington and Oregon. And if you think those eroded, rounded Appalachian bumps in the ground are "mountains," climb to a cache in the Cascades to see Mother Nature when she's serious about reaching towards the sky.

 

I love caching everywhere, but out of the 42 states where I've logged a find, I think Oregon and Washington are the most challenging overall.

 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Well I will agree with you on that. I just didn't want to get into a match of mine is bigger than yours.

if you look at my Bookmark CK's Favorites you will see that I have favorites from a few different states. I do enjoy caching in the Pacific NorthWET the most, but I also enjoy getting around and "seeing" where this next cache is going to take me here in Virginia. The old history doesn't compare to the West coast as far as age but I sure enjoy seeing these places I've read about since I was a kid. In Oregon and Washington I really enjoy driving the old mountain "roads" going to caches at old mining sites, Ghost Towns or mountain summit Fire Lookout Towers. The views are uncomparible to many other states, but each state is diferent in their own ways as well as the cachers themselves.

 

So if any of you ever get the chance to head out West to Oregon or Washington, jump on it for there will be views that will blow your mind and at the same time completely take your breath away.

 

When I wrap up my time here in VA I will post another thread about my caching tours here with all the highs and lows I encountered.

 

Take care

Edited July 21, 2009 by CACHE KRAWLER

[+avgraphics]

Ticks, fleas, spiders and such are cool.. but.. don't forget that we've got snakes also!!

 

 

visit log

 

[+Cherokee Bill]

As for the OP's home area, you haven't searched for a cache in "undergrowth" until you've cached the wet side of Washington and Oregon. And if you think those eroded, rounded Appalachian bumps in the ground are "mountains," climb to a cache in the Cascades to see Mother Nature when she's serious about reaching towards the sky.

 

I love caching everywhere, but out of the 42 states where I've logged a find, I think Oregon and Washington are the most challenging overall.

 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Well I will agree with you on that. I just didn't want to get into a match of mine is bigger than yours.

if you look at my Bookmark CK's Favorites you will see that I have favorites from a few different states. I do enjoy caching in the Pacific NorthWET the most, but I also enjoy getting around and "seeing" where this next cache is going to take me here in Virginia. The old history doesn't compare to the West coast as far as age but I sure enjoy seeing these places I've read about since I was a kid. In Oregon and Washington I really enjoy driving the old mountain "roads" going to caches at old mining sites, Ghost Towns or mountain summit Fire Lookout Towers. The views are uncomparible to many other states, but each state is diferent in their own ways as well as the cachers themselves.

 

So if any of you ever get the chance to head out West to Oregon or Washington, jump on it for there will be views that will blow your mind and at the same time completely take your breath away.

 

When I wrap up my time here in VA I will post another thread about my caching tours here with all the highs and lows I encountered.

 

Take care

 

My friend, I leave you with the words of Roy Rogers, "Happy Trails to you, till we meet again,.....". Hope you enjoyed our state of Virginia, and we will welcome you back anytime. Look me up on your next visit

[+my3brats]

I am from Oregon and have been transplanted here. Up until a few weeks ago, all my geocaching had been done on the East Coast. Went home to visit and enjoyed the caching in Oregon and Washington. It is definently a very different climate and the whole bug thing is much more managable. I hope the itching stops soon.

 

In the two weeks that I have been here in Virginia and out caching, I have dealt with Spiders and more importantly walking into and eating they're webs, Ticks that are like David Copperfield and show up hours after the excursion, even after having changed into a completely different set of clothing, I found one the other day, a big one, crawling up my shirt and also Fleas, them little SOBs.

 

Yesterday after grabbing a few caches in the Williamsburg area I was headed back down toward Ft. Eustis and all of a sudden I feel something crawling up my leg. It was this grasshopper looking thing with HUGE antenna. I darn near wrecked my car when I saw that bug. I was able to get ahold of his feelers and toss him out the window, but my god people.

 

This morning about 3 or so, I wake up to uncontrollable itching on my feet, ankles and "groin" area, yes, even there, absolutely uncontrollable. So I get up and turn on the lights and my feet and boys are covered in these bumps, and then I see a Flea jump onto my foot. Son-of-a-gun I say. Really, honestly, fleas? Have I not had enough freakin' bug issues yet. SO now I have to cover my feet and errr yah, in Alcohol, drive to the store, get some Benadryl and Hydrocortisone cream, at about 4 in the morning now!! BY 6 the Benadryl knocked me out, right here at my computer. Houskeeping just came by and changed my sheets for me and are having a fumigator swing in tomorrow to bomb this place.

 

SO to wrap this up, I'm an Oregon native, born and raised on the same 600 acre tree farm chunk of woods my whole life and have NEVER had to deal with bug issues ever. Not once. So I have to give it up to you all for braving the wild bugs and heat and humidity out here. I'm really not sure why or how you all do it, but this is me shaking your hand and bowing at your feet, for you are tougher than I.

 

Good day,

 

Travis

[+MountainRacer]

As a corollary to this thread about East Coast bugs and the horrible things they can do to you, I offer this, a discovery only scant hours old:

 

 

Look closely and behold the bullseye. No, I am not providing free advertising for a big-box retail chain, nor am I looking forward to sitting in an urgent-care clinic tomorrow to await bloodwork and antibiotics.

[+avgraphics]

Look closely and behold the bullseye.

That sucks!

[Thore]

You got me thinking...

Not being a US citizen I still spend about a third of my time caching in NJ and have approx. no clue about the local wildlife (other than ticks, racoons and bears which are relatively easy to tell apart. Even from a distance). Since I spent most my time in parks... Can I see the picture of the spider again? *shudder*

 

Question: Is there a good pocket guide to the local animal wildlife that you can recommend to take along when caching in the Northeast... Sorry Mid-Atlantic section??

Preferably one that covers (2), 4, 6, and 8 legged critters? @m@zon is only mildly helpful.

 

Any tip would be very much appreciated

 

Thore

[+CACHE KRAWLER]

As a corollary to this thread about East Coast bugs and the horrible things they can do to you, I offer this, a discovery only scant hours old:

 

 

Look closely and behold the bullseye. No, I am not providing free advertising for a big-box retail chain, nor am I looking forward to sitting in an urgent-care clinic tomorrow to await bloodwork and antibiotics.

 

Was it painful to the touch? The reason I ask, is that before my posting on here about the flea/chigger incident, I got nailed by something on my lower right leg a couple days after I showed up in Virgina right after my first caching expedition that just showed up for a couple days and was painful as heck. It went away within 4 or 5 days and no marks remain, but like I said it was very painful to touch. What do you think your bite was from? You've got me worried that I should have had it checked out now. Look forward to a reply. Thanks.

[+CACHE KRAWLER]

Actually now that I look closer at my leg, there is still a slight discolorization and a slight bump still remaining. But it looked exactly like yours does. Oh man, if you don't reply here I'll be sending you a personal e-mail really soon. Man this sucks LOL!

[+MountainRacer]

E-mail sent. That was confirmed this morning as a Lyme-bearing tick bite. It was slightly painful at the time that picture was taken (~24hrs. ago), but sort of itched too, more like poison ivy. After taking antibiotics, it puffed up a very angry red, nearly maroon at the edges, and is quite raised and distinctive. It is also, oddly, somewhat hot to the touch, noticeably more so than the surrounding skin. As for pain, it has worsened throughout the day to the point where my whole right quadricep throbs when I step down on that leg, and I'm walking with a slight limp. I really did get bitten in an inconvenient spot.

 

Here is what it looks like tonight. Note the angrier edges and more distinct outer ring.

 

 

(Edited to add picture.)

Edited July 25, 2009 by MountainRacer

[+weathernowcast]

E-mail sent. That was confirmed this morning as a Lyme-bearing tick bite. It was slightly painful at the time that picture was taken (~24hrs. ago), but sort of itched too, more like poison ivy. After taking antibiotics, it puffed up a very angry red, nearly maroon at the edges, and is quite raised and distinctive. It is also, oddly, somewhat hot to the touch, noticeably more so than the surrounding skin. As for pain, it has worsened throughout the day to the point where my whole right quadricep throbs when I step down on that leg, and I'm walking with a slight limp. I really did get bitten in an inconvenient spot.

 

Here is what it looks like tonight. Note the angrier edges and more distinct outer ring.

 

 

(Edited to add picture.)

 

I hope you feel better soon Tim!

[+CACHE KRAWLER]

SONOFABIATCH!!!!!!!! That looks bad bro! Mine definately did not look like that. FTS!

[oakenwood]

Those pictures above make me want to give up caching altogether. But I won't. I'm addicted.

 

Disease is my biggest fear about caching. Skeeters around here can carry West Nile virus. Ticks have Lyme disease. When I'm in the woods, I'm usually drenched in Off. When I get home, I strip and shower.

 

I handle the webs by carrying a long twig that I wave in front of me.

 

I bring leather gloves for reaching into logs and other places that can hide snakes and wasps.

 

I've gotten bad poison ivy, so I'm extra careful about it now. I've had DNF's because of poison ivy, and once because of a wasp nest-- with a wasp on it. That one was a lamp post micro. I lifted up the cover and HELLO! GOODBYE!

[+FourRiverRatz]

We just passed on a cache in NC last week that had logs from two differant cachers stating that there were black widow spiders right literally at the cache. THEY STILL GOT THE FIND!! YUCK! ***shudder**

 

I was bitten by a spider, twice, about two years ago (not caching though) and my husband got into chiggers about a week later. (cachig that time) My daughter has had two tics imbedded in her..so far she has been lucky and no "bullseye" (I knew right away looking at that first pic what it was going to end up being!)

 

Poison ivy we have dealt with on a reg. basis..luckily we are learning to look better for it, and shower in COLD water if we get into it by accident. (hot water will open your pours and allow the oil in)

 

I read logs now, and watch for warnings of things like that...I love to cache, but don't want to put my kids in harms way. Now if it was just me...ya never know what I would do!

[+ThirstyMick]

I just had to dig this one up. Lyme sucks. Three weeks of stabbing stomach pains from the antibiotics really sucked. Poison Ivy sucks, and Mosquito Bites hurt...then itch.. Spider webs are icky.

 

But, I'll take bugs over pumas any day.

 

Seriously, ya'lls pretty tough out west too (CA not OR, but still)

[+MountainRacer]

From TM's log on GCTDFG:

"I'm a big scary human with a weapon. I'm a vegetarian but I'll kill you if I have to."

110% pure awesome.

[polskikrol]

Just need to use standard operating procedures when encountering a Mountain Lion

 

[+ThirstyMick]

From TM's log on GCTDFG:

"I'm a big scary human with a weapon. I'm a vegetarian but I'll kill you if I have to."

110% pure awesome.

I was saying everything that came to mind "I'm making no sense right now, but I hope it's loud enough to sound intimidating"

 

George, awesome guide, I'll keep that in mind next time So far I've kept up my end of the deal not to get myself killed while I'm away.

[+Packanack]

I really find it extremely annoying when people inject these types of hyperbolic scare stories into the forums. I got enough stuff to scare me already, like FDIC, IRS, Cap and Tax, Will Social Security fail.

 

I did some research and I have learned that you are more likely to be killed by the family dog than by a Mountain Lion. Oh, wait we just got a new dog, gees more stuff to watch out for

 

Must admit, have done the same type of thing after bear encounters. Couple of weeks ago, while on vacation, the biggest coyote I ever saw ran right by me, so close that I felt the wind and I never heard him approach I was so busy working a micro in the woods, that kind of got the old ticker moving.

Edited September 23, 2009 by Packanack