Wear proper footwear and be careful!

[K-9Patrol]

So, I'm introducing my buddy, from out of state, to geocaching. We had a great search for a nearby higher difficulty cache. This included driving my truck through a river and realizing we were on the wrong dirt road. We got stuck in the middle and I realized my hubs weren't locked in. My buddy took one for the team and locked them in, underwater. We finally got to the site well after dark. We then realized that the area was called, "Rattlesnake Run", and the little trail was grown over. The cache was hidden near a cave, as well. I'm still wigged out about the area, but luckily, saw no snakes. After some careful searching by flashlight, we found the cache and headed back into town. My buddy was psyched and I lead him to some of my previous finds and let him search. We then looked for one, just off the road, on a not-very-steep hill. This included wet leaves and some rocks. I'm wearing tennis shoes instead of boots and not paying attention. The next thing I know, I fall, and roll my ankle. We go to the hospital where I discover that I have a fibular break just above the foot. I'm now in a splint and will be going to see an orthopedic surgeon Monday. I'm dreading possible surgery and hope there's no permanent damage. I'm a pesimest and always look for the worst. So that's my story. Lessons for all. Wear boots if going off road. And be extra careful while night caching. I'm praying to post some better news after seeing the doctor Monday. Happy caching, all!

Edited August 22, 2009 by K-9Patrol

[+LaxRef93]

My buddy took one for the team and locked them in, underwater.

 

Sounds like YOU took one for the team, in introducing someone new to the sport, and getting your buddy hooked on geocaching.

 

Hope it's not too serious and you can get back out on the trials soon! If not, you can catch up on a lot of forum reading!

[K-9Patrol]

Thanks for the reply and kind words. My buddy seems to be really interested in geocaching now. He had a blast on our first cache. He was really amazed that my old 94 Toyota had no problems crossing a river (after the hubs were locked in) and that I didn't care to take it down an ATV trail. If you can picture ground zero, it was under a canopy of laurel, with a spooky cave, all after dark. That was an adventure that he'll never forget. I'm not afraid to say that he did better than me near the rocks and caves, as I have an intense fear of snakes. When I saw the possible find, an out of place pile of sticks on a rock ledge, I got to show him a "typical" woodland camo job. And I was proven correct when I let him check it out and find the cache. I didn't even bring my GPSr along, allowing him to use his new Venture. I felt like a veteran at the sport when, after we got close, I kept telling him to put the GPSr away and use his eyes. He has continued caching in Winston-Salem and will have many more to go after than I have in my area. I'm looking forward to us going again soon. There are a couple dedicated night caches nearby that I'd rather have him along, as I don't feel comfortable taking my girlfriend and toddler. As I learned later, anything is possible in the woods after dark.

As for an update on my condition. The orthopedic surgeon put me in a cast and has said that there is only a small chance that I would need surgery. If all is well after two weeks, he'll put me in a walking cast and I should be completely healed up in a month or so. I'll still be browsing the site and forums till then. Thanks again.

[+zoltig]

Thanks for the reply and kind words. My buddy seems to be really interested in geocaching now. He had a blast on our first cache. He was really amazed that my old 94 Toyota had no problems crossing a river (after the hubs were locked in) and that I didn't care to take it down an ATV trail. If you can picture ground zero, it was under a canopy of laurel, with a spooky cave, all after dark. That was an adventure that he'll never forget. I'm not afraid to say that he did better than me near the rocks and caves, as I have an intense fear of snakes. When I saw the possible find, an out of place pile of sticks on a rock ledge, I got to show him a "typical" woodland camo job. And I was proven correct when I let him check it out and find the cache. I didn't even bring my GPSr along, allowing him to use his new Venture. I felt like a veteran at the sport when, after we got close, I kept telling him to put the GPSr away and use his eyes. He has continued caching in Winston-Salem and will have many more to go after than I have in my area. I'm looking forward to us going again soon. There are a couple dedicated night caches nearby that I'd rather have him along, as I don't feel comfortable taking my girlfriend and toddler. As I learned later, anything is possible in the woods after dark.

As for an update on my condition. The orthopedic surgeon put me in a cast and has said that there is only a small chance that I would need surgery. If all is well after two weeks, he'll put me in a walking cast and I should be completely healed up in a month or so. I'll still be browsing the site and forums till then. Thanks again.

Isn't it great to go on an adventure in geocaching? We typically head up to the mountains for 4x4 cache adventures with some hikes built in on occasion.

We have a team member (Team Red Rubicon) who uses flip flops most of the time and does quite well. When it gets serious she will get shoes or boots on.

Hope you are healed up soon.