The Most Beautiful Log Ever

[+Tequila]

Apologies for double posting but after posting to the Canada forum, I decided this log needs to be shared with everyone.

 

After spending the morning repairing a cache that had been vandalized (not muggled), I returned to my vehicle to find the following log on my iPhone email. In almost 9 years of caching it, IMO, ranks as the best log ever.

 

I hope everyone else appreciates it as much as this cache owner did.

 

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/log.aspx?LU...b4-ea648889ffbd

[+Isonzo Karst]

Thank you for sharing that.

[+Jennifer&Dean]

That is an AWESOME log.

[+va griz]

That's great, thanks for putting it there.

[+Snoogans]

Very cool!

[+Team Hurley]

That's a log everyone should read. The absolute #1 reason geocaching is such a joy.

[+doingitoldschool]

brought a smile of joy to my face - thanks for sharing!

[+Zelanzy]

That is just AWESOME. Great share!

[+mtn-man]

One of the few times cross posting would not get a smacking!

 

Stunning story. Thanks for posting that.

[Clan Riffster]

Way kewl!

[crawil]

I have two very different feelings.

1. The humanist in me loved the log and the happiness and joy brought about by the encounter.
   
2. The Boy Scout in me absolutely cringed at the thought of anyone, let alone children, petting and handling wild raccoons.I kept reading hoping that I wouldn't find the end I was anticipating. Fortunately, I didn't.
   

[+Tequila]

I have two very different feelings.

1. The humanist in me loved the log and the happiness and joy brought about by the encounter.
   
2. The Boy Scout in me absolutely cringed at the thought of anyone, let alone children, petting and handling wild raccoons.I kept reading hoping that I wouldn't find the end I was anticipating. Fortunately, I didn't.
   

 

While still "wild animals", the racoons in the area frequent this very busy parking lot and have long since learned "how to work a crowd" in exchange for food.

 

However, you are correct. Under normal circumstances, one should not approach wild animals.

 

I can't help but think Someone was watching over this little girl and granted a wish that the rest of us could not. However it happened, it warmed the hearts of a lot of people. And I only hope that one day, that little girl returns with her own children and recounts the story of how her one wish was fulfilled.

[GreenLantern5000]

Now THAT'S a great geocaching story!!!!

[+simpler1773]

That gave me goosebumps. How wonderful! Thank you for sharing that!

[+idocdlw]

double post

Edited August 7, 2009 by idocdlw

[+idocdlw]

Apologies for double posting but after posting to the Canada forum, I decided this log needs to be shared with everyone.

 

After spending the morning repairing a cache that had been vandalized (not muggled), I returned to my vehicle to find the following log on my iPhone email. In almost 9 years of caching it, IMO, ranks as the best log ever.

 

I hope everyone else appreciates it as much as this cache owner did.

 

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/log.aspx?LU...b4-ea648889ffbd

 

Thank you so much for sharing this log. Every day that I geocache, I am convinced that many geocachers are the angels that walk amongst us. I realize that geocachers come from every walk of life and a small percentage would never be considered angels. I may be biased because of all the good that geocaching has brought to me personally. All I can say is things happen for a reason. Thank goodness all the stars fell into place for this family. My prayers are with them.

[+TeamGeoDweebs]

I have to admit to a tear ot two...

[+Castle Mischief]

I'm torn.

 

I think it was a beautiful log and a really cool thing to happen for the kid. At the moment my sympathy for the kid is overriding my usual knee-jerk response in regards to feeding/domesticating wild animals. I think the least I can do is keep my opinions to myself and just appreciate the moment from the kid's point of view.

 

Thanks for sharing!

[+Ltljon]

I have two very different feelings.

1. The humanist in me loved the log and the happiness and joy brought about by the encounter.
   
2. The Boy Scout in me absolutely cringed at the thought of anyone, let alone children, petting and handling wild raccoons.I kept reading hoping that I wouldn't find the end I was anticipating. Fortunately, I didn't.
   

I was thinking the very same thing!! Around this area any raccoon seen in daylight is usually rabid but I do know that's not the case everywhere.

Apparently someone was simply granting her wish. Great story.

[+NYPaddleCacher]

I have two very different feelings.

1. The humanist in me loved the log and the happiness and joy brought about by the encounter.
   
2. The Boy Scout in me absolutely cringed at the thought of anyone, let alone children, petting and handling wild raccoons.I kept reading hoping that I wouldn't find the end I was anticipating. Fortunately, I didn't.
   

I was thinking the very same thing!! Around this area any raccoon seen in daylight is usually rabid but I do know that's not the case everywhere.

Apparently someone was simply granting her wish. Great story.

 

Great story. I've got a couple of logs on my caches that just make hiding caches worth the effort.

 

Regarding the racoons.

 

According to this site the notion that any racoon seen it the daylight is a myth.

 

If, as you stated, the racoons have learned to play the crowd, they've probably also learned that it's during the daytime that you're most likely going to encounter humans bearing food.

 

A few years ago I was staying in a campground near St. Petersburg, Fl for a multi day sea kayaking symposium. I've never seen so many racoons in my life. They were also very, very bold and because they were used to having lots of people around they were not afraid of humans at all.

 

While out kayaking on the first day one or more racoons unzipped my tent and went inside (there wasn't any food in the tent) and pulled everything out of my backpack.

 

After kayaking all day on the second day I was walking to the shower (at around 5pm) and passed a truck with the windows open. I glance inside and saw two racoons in the cab, one scrounging in a cooler while the other stood there with a loaf of bread in it's paws. I stopped, and they just looked at me then scooted off (with the loaf of bread) after I walked away.

[+Tequila]

Racoons are incredibly smart and innovative. I have seen them throw themselves against the garage door to spring it open and get at the garbage.

 

In Toronto, and probably most major cities, they seem to "know" the garbage pick up schedule and migrate across the city with that schedule.

 

I can't recall a case of rabies reported here in years. But they can bite.

[+Harry Dolphin]

Wow! That's an incredibly frightening story! Raccoons may be used to people in many areas, but they are stlll wild animals. And raccoons are a major carrier of rabies. Very sad that a parent would permit her children to do something like that. "Look, Mom. There's Yogi Bear! I'm going to feed him too!"

[+BlueDeuce]

Nice story.

 

Hey, remind me again about an old thread where some little girl I think stumbled over a cache with her mom and she couldn't trade even and a bunch of us forums members sent her a whole bunch of stuff. Was that in '03 or '04?

 

Sorry, that's all I'm pulling out of my foggy memory.

[AlbinoFinds'emAll]

Racoons are incredibly smart and innovative. I have seen them throw themselves against the garage door to spring it open and get at the garbage.

 

In Toronto, and probably most major cities, they seem to "know" the garbage pick up schedule and migrate across the city with that schedule.

 

I can't recall a case of rabies reported here in years. But they can bite.

 

nice story, until a raccoon bites her hand, and she gets rabies....LOL...

 

but really, in my town, people feed coyotes (same as raccoons bad idea, PEOPLE)

[+bittsen]

First off, nice story.

I worked with someone who was the head of a Make A Wish chapter, group or whatever it's called and she would have loved the story. She loved telling me stories of what they did for kids who were terminally ill (Her group focused on TI kids).

 

Now, as far as raccoons go.

 

Yes, they "can" carry rabies but so can dogs, even domestic ones but there are far more non-rabid raccoons out there than rabid ones and the rabid ones wouldn't likely be approaching people for food.

Yes, raccoons are wild, but so are a lot of dogs, cats and many ther animals. Even wild animals can be gentle though. I have personally hand fed a wild deer and some elk as well as squirrels, chipmonks sea lions and, yes, even raccoons. Its easy enough to see which wild animals are "tame" and which are not. "Tame" wild animals will approach you cautiously, the truely wild ones will not.

 

I would agree that it's not a good idea to trust raccoons 100% but I also applaud the mother for not being knee-jerk cautious with her children. It was all a great experience and shouldn't be tainted with the "what if" discussions. I'm sure she was well aware of the dangers before letting her children interact with the raccoons.

 

And a side note. Urban raccoons are interesting. They are born without a fear of man. The adults are always much more afraid of humans than the kits are. I had a family on my porch eating the cat food and mama Raccoon ran away but the 3 cute little kits looked up at me with a "what?!" look when i tried to shoo them away. Splashing them with water did chase them away though. All in all, raccoons have few natural enemies and, though they can be destructive, they are relatively docile animals.

[+doingitoldschool]

Very sad that a parent would permit her children to do something like that.

 

Well, I guess we have to look at the mother's knowledge of the area,

the animals, the children in question and the situation around her,

and the emotional value of the act in question,

and then contrast that to a uninvolved self-appointed protector of children he/she's never met

and see who made the right choice.

 

You obviously have not had to cope with a child who's got special needs,

and has a chance to have one great big desire filled in a relatively controlled way.

 

I think it's sad that people can post negative comments about a beautiful event, and get away with it.

I guess that's the risk we take in sharing our thoughts in a public forum.

 

Thanks to the OP for making my day, and to the detractors, well, have a nice day.

[OZKAR55]

Now that's a feel-good story. Props to cache owner, they deserved the smiley face.

[+Harry Dolphin]

I think it's sad that people can post negative comments about a beautiful event, and get away with it.

I guess that's the risk we take in sharing our thoughts in a public forum.

 

Thanks to the OP for making my day, and to the detractors, well, have a nice day.

 

Ah. Sorry. Anyone who disagrees with you should not be permitted to get away with disagreeing with you. Interesting concept! I apologize!

Any parent should teach their child what is safe, and what is not. This is especially true of a child with special needs. You have obviously never dealt with a child with special needs.

Raccoons are wild animals, and more liable to carry rabies than most wild animals. It is good that this child did not have a fascination with Yogi Bear or with Wally Gator.

Oops! Posting comments about child neglect is not permitted by your rules. Again, I apologize.

Deliberately endangering a child is against the law in most jurisdictions. This is not a 'beautiful event'. A 'beautiful event' would be admiring the raccoons from a distance.

[+edieo]

This is awesome

[+briansnat]

I think it's sad that people can post negative comments about a beautiful event, and get away with it.

I guess that's the risk we take in sharing our thoughts in a public forum.

 

Thanks to the OP for making my day, and to the detractors, well, have a nice day.

 

Ah. Sorry. Anyone who disagrees with you should not be permitted to get away with disagreeing with you. Interesting concept! I apologize!

Any parent should teach their child what is safe, and what is not. This is especially true of a child with special needs. You have obviously never dealt with a child with special needs.

Raccoons are wild animals, and more liable to carry rabies than most wild animals. It is good that this child did not have a fascination with Yogi Bear or with Wally Gator.

Oops! Posting comments about child neglect is not permitted by your rules. Again, I apologize.

Deliberately endangering a child is against the law in most jurisdictions. This is not a 'beautiful event'. A 'beautiful event' would be admiring the raccoons from a distance.

 

I have to side with Harry D on this one. Consider the parents and kids lucky that these animals were semi-domesticated. But what happens the next time one of the kids runs into a raccoon that might not be so docile? They have now been taught that these wild and potentially dangerous animals are cuddly things to be treated like the family dog. It could have tragic consequences.

 

They were on the way to the zoo and should have waited until they got there for any close contact with animals.

[Dinoprophet]

I admit I wondered if this was such a good idea. But I thought: I will let my kids pet dog X, yet they know not to pet any random dog they see. They know they can talk to strangers with my permission but not in general. All of these kids are old enough to understand "Normally you don't do this but since I'm with you and I know these are safe, it's okay." And really, what are the chances of these kids being alone and in a situation where a dangerous raccoon is approaching them?

Edited August 8, 2009 by Dinoprophet

[+briansnat]

And really, what are the chances of these kids being alone and in a situation where a dangerous raccoon is approaching them?

 

Where I live you see them in people's backyards all the time. They are common in many suburban areas, so actually the chances are pretty good.

 

We had raccoons living in a dead tree behind our house for many years. Our daughter was fascinated by them when she was younger and we had to teach her not to approach them and told her that if she was playing in the yard and they approached her she was to come into the house.

 

One of our neighbor's kid wasn't so lucky. She was bitten by a raccoon that she encountered near her home. Animal control was able to trap it and sent it to be examined. Verdict - rabies. The girl had to undergo the series of shots.

 

And for those who think I might be making it up

Edited August 8, 2009 by briansnat

[+Tequila]

While being bitten is a concern, in Ontario, rabies is not.

 

http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/en/Newsroom/LatestNews/240280.html

[Dinoprophet]

And really, what are the chances of these kids being alone and in a situation where a dangerous raccoon is approaching them?

 

Where I live you see them in people's backyards all the time. They are common in many suburban areas, so actually the chances are pretty good.

 

We had raccoons living in a dead tree behind our house for many years. Our daughter was fascinated by them when she was younger and we had to teach her not to approach them and told her that if she was playing in the yard and they approached her she was to come into the house.

 

One of our neighbor's kid wasn't so lucky. She was bitten by a raccoon that she encountered in her backyard shed. Animal control was able to trap it and sent it to be examined. Verdict - rabies. The girl had to undergo the series of shots.

Nasty. I've only met raccoons that were frightened of me. Except for one domesticated one (as in someone's pet, not just a parking lot lurker like these).

 

Still, it's a matter of education, and part of teaching judgment. Maybe there are no circumstances under which you'd let your daughter pet a raccoon. If there were, I imagine either you would trust her to realize that it didn't mean she could now approach the yard ones or, if you weren't sure she would, you'd tell her.

[DarthJustice]

I'm glad to read a happy story for once. Nice.

Edited August 8, 2009 by DarthJustice

[+Tequila]

I would like to respectfully ask that, if possible, future posters, return to the purpose of the topic which is a beautiful log.

 

Everyone knows and agrees that touching wild animals is not a good practice. If there is a need to discuss that at length, I would be happy to create a separate thread for that purpose.

 

I created this thread to show my appreciation, as a cache owner, for a well written log and a lovely story. And to share it with fellow cachers. Hopefully, it does not get hijacked.

 

Thank you in advance.

[+TEAM HARTSOCK]

Deleted because putting down a troll isn't worth messing up this beautiful thread.

Edited August 8, 2009 by TEAM HARTSOCK

[+TEAM HARTSOCK]

I would like to respectfully ask that, if possible, future posters, return to the purpose of the topic which is a beautiful log.

 

Everyone knows and agrees that touching wild animals is not a good practice. If there is a need to discuss that at length, I would be happy to create a separate thread for that purpose.

 

I created this thread to show my appreciation, as a cache owner, for a well written log and a lovely story. And to share it with fellow cachers. Hopefully, it does not get hijacked.

 

Thank you in advance.

 

Sorry for the last post. had started that and then went out of the room before I finished it and posted it. So, in the meantime your post was added. Will go ahead and delete it because I don't want the thread ruined either. It is a beautiful story and glad it happened.

[+gof1]

Thank you for sharing that great log. That little one has a memory that will make her smile for the rest of her life.

 

Edit to remove the suddenly irrelevant portion.

Edited August 8, 2009 by gof1

[+hudsonfam]

Very sweet story!

[gojkgo]

*sniff

 

That was beautiful. Thank you so much for sharing.

 

*wipes tears away

[+Scubasonic]

Apologies for double posting but after posting to the Canada forum, I decided this log needs to be shared with everyone.

 

After spending the morning repairing a cache that had been vandalized (not muggled), I returned to my vehicle to find the following log on my iPhone email. In almost 9 years of caching it, IMO, ranks as the best log ever.

 

I hope everyone else appreciates it as much as this cache owner did.

 

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/log.aspx?LU...b4-ea648889ffbd

 

Truly inspirational, thank you for sharing the experience.

 

ScubaSonic

[+Don_J]

*sniff

 

That was beautiful. Thank you so much for sharing.

 

*wipes tears away

 

I read this yesterday, and I admit, there must have been some dust blown into my eyes.

 

(I have further comments, about wild wolves, and such)

[+sbell111]

I think it's sad that people can post negative comments about a beautiful event, and get away with it.

I guess that's the risk we take in sharing our thoughts in a public forum.

 

Thanks to the OP for making my day, and to the detractors, well, have a nice day.

Ah. Sorry. Anyone who disagrees with you should not be permitted to get away with disagreeing with you. Interesting concept! I apologize!

Any parent should teach their child what is safe, and what is not. This is especially true of a child with special needs. You have obviously never dealt with a child with special needs.

Raccoons are wild animals, and more liable to carry rabies than most wild animals. It is good that this child did not have a fascination with Yogi Bear or with Wally Gator.

Oops! Posting comments about child neglect is not permitted by your rules. Again, I apologize.

Deliberately endangering a child is against the law in most jurisdictions. This is not a 'beautiful event'. A 'beautiful event' would be admiring the raccoons from a distance.

I have to side with Harry D on this one. Consider the parents and kids lucky that these animals were semi-domesticated. But what happens the next time one of the kids runs into a raccoon that might not be so docile? They have now been taught that these wild and potentially dangerous animals are cuddly things to be treated like the family dog. It could have tragic consequences.

 

They were on the way to the zoo and should have waited until they got there for any close contact with animals.

While I agree taht allowing your children to feed wildlife is not the best idea in the world, I'm thinking that 'the next time one of the kids runs into a raccoon that might not be so docile', that the racoon will wander off rather than to approach the person.

 

The true danger with feeding raccoons is that it causes raccoons to become bolder about approaching populated areas, thereby dumping trash, breaking stuff, spraypainting walls, etc. This leads to people killing raccoons, accidently or on purpose.

 

I suspect that the odds of getting injured while attempting to feed raccoons who are afraid of you is very, very small.

[+sbell111]

While being bitten is a concern, in Ontario, rabies is not.

 

http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/en/Newsroom/LatestNews/240280.html

Brian lives in New Jersey. 'Nuff said.

[+maya812]

That was a great post! It brought tears to my eyes and joy to my heart! Thanks for sharing

[+TheMadScotsman]

That was awesome! Really heartwarming.

Edited August 14, 2009 by TheMadScotsman

[+Wolf Grrl]

I too enjoyed the log. Not sure if I necessarily agree with it but I am not one to judge. I'm just sorry your daughter has to go through her illness. I wish only the best for her and her family.

 

I can't believe cross posting was allowed! Although it doesn't bother me.

Edited August 16, 2009 by Wolf Grrl

[+Tavisman]

What a beautiful log and wonderful story. It’s these strange occurances that often happen in life that enchant us all. Thanks for sharing it.

[+popokiiti]

Goosebumps and tears of joy.....thank you for sharing. It seems almost as if the raccoons KNEW they needed to be kind and gentle. Ours run away as soon as we go into the back yard, but they and the deer help themselves to the bird seed in the hanging bird feeders.