+nelson crew Posted November 16, 2009 Share Posted November 16, 2009 http://www.krem.com/news/local/Man-dies-af...f-70228277.html Don't know who it is yet... man, be careful out there... Quote Link to comment
+briansnat Posted November 17, 2009 Share Posted November 17, 2009 http://www.krem.com/news/local/Man-dies-af...f-70228277.html Don't know who it is yet... man, be careful out there... Not the first death of a geocacher out on the hunt and won't be the last. Still, it's very sad. My heart goes out to the person's family and friends. A very sad situation no matter what the victim was doing at the time. Quote Link to comment
+smstext Posted November 17, 2009 Share Posted November 17, 2009 such sad news, our thoughts go out to the family. Quote Link to comment
GOF and Bacall Posted November 17, 2009 Share Posted November 17, 2009 A sad and tragic occurrence. We add our thoughts and prayer for the family and friends left behind. Quote Link to comment
+Scubasonic Posted November 17, 2009 Share Posted November 17, 2009 A sad and tragic occurrence. We add our thoughts and prayer for the family and friends left behind. I wonder which cache he was going for. ScubaSonic Quote Link to comment
+popokiiti Posted November 17, 2009 Share Posted November 17, 2009 What a tragedy. Our heartfelt sympathies go out to the family and friends of this geocacher. Quote Link to comment
+nelson crew Posted November 17, 2009 Author Share Posted November 17, 2009 I wonder which cache he was going for. ScubaSonic If it won't upset the local community I'll link it. Something tells me it will, though. I've done the cache in question - it's right next to about 100 ft sheer drop-off. Not that this is in any way the hider's fault. We all accept the risks we take of our own volition. Quote Link to comment
+Maingray Posted November 17, 2009 Share Posted November 17, 2009 Terrible news. Quote Link to comment
+brodiebunch Posted November 17, 2009 Share Posted November 17, 2009 Thats really sad, I feel bad for his wife and family. I have geocached there, there are definitely some dangerous cliffs in that area. Wow Quote Link to comment
+the_mule Posted November 17, 2009 Share Posted November 17, 2009 My thoughts are with the wife and his family. I cache with my wife all of the time and this would be a horrible tragedy for either of us to live through while the other perished. As a Spokane area resident and cacher, I know how slick it can get out there and how dangerous some of the areas can be. This is a good lesson to really be cautious in our sport. I know that I can be a little too risky at times. This is a lesson that I won't forget. Quote Link to comment
+Arrow42 Posted November 17, 2009 Share Posted November 17, 2009 This is very unfortunate. It's sad to see someone pass away who is part of our community. "Geocaching" is an outdoor activity involving GPS navigation to locate containers of items hidden by other participants. Well, that's not a terrible summary, at-least. Quote Link to comment
+Cowboy Camper Posted November 17, 2009 Share Posted November 17, 2009 As a relative Newbie to the game, a story like this makes me need to reconsider the Direct Approach to a cache that the GPSr will show me to go. (and that I usually follow!) My heart and prayers go to the family. And since I cache with my daughter, I think I/we need to come up with some Safety Rules and methods. I stumbled on this topic by sheer accident, but I'm thankful that I found it. This really makes me feel a need to reconsider my current cache hunting methods. Quote Link to comment
+ironman114 Posted November 17, 2009 Share Posted November 17, 2009 As a relative Newbie to the game, a story like this makes me need to reconsider the Direct Approach to a cache that the GPSr will show me to go. (and that I usually follow!) My heart and prayers go to the family. And since I cache with my daughter, I think I/we need to come up with some Safety Rules and methods. I stumbled on this topic by sheer accident, but I'm thankful that I found it. This really makes me feel a need to reconsider my current cache hunting methods. Following the arrow is not always the best way to go. Also know your limitations and wear good footwear if in uneven ground. We had a cacher with all the above airlifted from a cache hunt near here with a broken kneecap, broken ribs and a broken eye socket. Quote Link to comment
+bittsen Posted November 17, 2009 Share Posted November 17, 2009 As a relative Newbie to the game, a story like this makes me need to reconsider the Direct Approach to a cache that the GPSr will show me to go. (and that I usually follow!) My heart and prayers go to the family. And since I cache with my daughter, I think I/we need to come up with some Safety Rules and methods. I stumbled on this topic by sheer accident, but I'm thankful that I found it. This really makes me feel a need to reconsider my current cache hunting methods. Safety rules are a good idea. I think every cacher needs to have some and abide by them. The thought of dying just to get a chance to sign a piece of paper isn't the way I want to go. Quote Link to comment
7rxc Posted November 17, 2009 Share Posted November 17, 2009 (edited) Condolences to the family and friends of this person I don't know... ... And since I cache with my daughter, I think I/we need to come up with some Safety Rules and methods. I stumbled on this topic by sheer accident, but I'm thankful that I found it. This really makes me feel a need to reconsider my current cache hunting methods. There are many topics on the forums about things that can be considered to help be safe out there. Like many, I spend time outside (including caching and SAR amongst others) and the need is always there. A good start would be to remember that the T/D ratings for caches are usually for ideal conditions which exist only infrequently out there. Moisture, ice or ground debris can have dramatic effects either together or singly. An easy walk can become a terrifying ordeal in minutes. Add darkness or low visibility as well and... GPS are famous for the beeline information given, the newer ones can have topo maps and thats good, but the detail isn't always as good. Those of us with older GPSr, found out early on that you can get stuck on the wrong side of rivers, canyons etc. without some planning. It's often used for people who are 'lost', but the S T O P idea is still valid, regardless of what you are doing. Stop, Think, Observe, Plan - Don't just do something you might regret later. I'd rather seek and find a cache than my other type of seeking and finding. Let's be careful out there! Doug Edited November 17, 2009 by 7rxc Quote Link to comment
+Ambrosia Posted November 17, 2009 Share Posted November 17, 2009 Well, the news is reporting his real name, but I don't know what his geocaching name is. This is a very sad report. Unfortunately, things like this can happen even if you are an experienced hiker. Sometimes I'm surprised it doesn't happen more often. I'm glad it doesn't. I'm very sad for this family, especially for the wife. I don't know what I'd do if I lost my husband while hiking like that. I would freak out. Very very sad. (Hugs) and prayers for the family. Quote Link to comment
+penfieldparty Posted November 17, 2009 Share Posted November 17, 2009 I am so sorry for the family. Please send my condolences. Just makes you think how fragile life is. Definately will make me think a little bit more about how I approach a cache in the future. Quote Link to comment
+StarBrand Posted November 17, 2009 Share Posted November 17, 2009 My heart aches for the family and friends. I am so sorry for them. Be careful out there folks!! Quote Link to comment
+Rainbow Spirit Posted November 17, 2009 Share Posted November 17, 2009 I was caching with a friend who was a newbie to the game, at one of our 5/5s which you were supposed to abseil to. His comment after attempting to access it via some slope scrambling with ropes, was 'it just isn't worth the risk to sign a bit of paper'. So we aborted the attempt and left. So sad to hear of the loss of one of our members.. Quote Link to comment
+KBI Posted November 17, 2009 Share Posted November 17, 2009 This is bad news no matter how you slice it. If I may, I would like to offer this thought as a condolence: If I were forced to choose between either dying while Geocaching in a beautiful place or dying while doing something mundane – cleaning the gutters, say – I can tell you without hesitation which door *I* would choose. If it had happened to me, I would have died happy. Let’s mourn, but let’s also celebrate the knowledge that his last hour was probably a pretty dadgum good one. Quote Link to comment
+TrailGators Posted November 17, 2009 Share Posted November 17, 2009 How awful. My thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends. Quote Link to comment
knowschad Posted November 17, 2009 Share Posted November 17, 2009 I'm very disturbed to hear that news! I have a few questions about the cache, but now is not the time to ask those questions. My sincere condolences to family and friends!! Watch those wet autumn leaves and pine needles! I had a rather scarey experience myself this weekend with the leaves almost breaking loose beneath my feet. Quote Link to comment
+Lookout Lisa Posted November 17, 2009 Share Posted November 17, 2009 This is also being discussed in the NW forum: http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=236100 Quote Link to comment
+WRITE SHOP ROBERT Posted November 17, 2009 Share Posted November 17, 2009 Yes, this is a sad story to hear, and should serve as a reminder to each of us to be aware of the dangers we bring ourselves to fave out there. Please be careful out there. Quote Link to comment
+WRASTRO Posted November 17, 2009 Share Posted November 17, 2009 This is indeed a sad story and a reminder to us all to know and respect not only our limts but the terrain. Walk away if you feel uncomfortable. Quote Link to comment
+WARedBear Posted November 17, 2009 Share Posted November 17, 2009 I used to live at the base of this wild life/recreation area. It is rough and rugged. I never searched for the caches up there but I do know it is dangerous. I know several cachers in the area. My prayers and sympathy go out to the family. Everybody needs to be careful and not take chances when you cache. In His Service Reid Quote Link to comment
+richary Posted November 17, 2009 Share Posted November 17, 2009 I don't often post here but sorry to hear of the loss. Like others I have probably pushed past what is sensible at the time but survived. But I would hate to hear someone had died attempting one of mine. If someone is in contact with the family please add my condolences from Australia to someone I never knew, but who shared the same passion for getting out there and exploring to find a lunchbox on the side of a cliff. Let them know I might be half a world away but I feel for them. Quote Link to comment
+coman123 Posted November 17, 2009 Share Posted November 17, 2009 From Canada, Our Thoughts and Prayers go out not only to the family of the man who lost his life, but also to the cache owner. It's a game and we all choose where and when to play it, and accidents happen. Everyone else play safe. Coman123 Quote Link to comment
+Ambrosia Posted November 17, 2009 Share Posted November 17, 2009 I used to live at the base of this wild life/recreation area. It is rough and rugged. I never searched for the caches up there but I do know it is dangerous. I know several cachers in the area. My prayers and sympathy go out to the family. Everybody needs to be careful and not take chances when you cache. In His Service Reid To be honest, I thought of you, as soon as I heard this story. I didn't know (or had forgotten?) that you had moved again, so my thought was that you were Spokane. I'm sad that someone died, but I'm glad to hear that you're still with us, Reid. Quote Link to comment
+4Freds Posted November 17, 2009 Share Posted November 17, 2009 Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family. Quote Link to comment
+Okiebryan Posted November 17, 2009 Share Posted November 17, 2009 I've been voted "Most likely to do something dangerous to find a cache". I hope don't meet my demise this way, because it would have a negative effect on the caching community. I'd rather just die in my sleep. BTW, I saw something in the news story about a way to donate to the family. Everyone reading this should consider the impact that many small donations could make. Quote Link to comment
+TheAlabamaRambler Posted November 17, 2009 Share Posted November 17, 2009 I've been voted "Most likely to do something dangerous to find a cache". I hope don't meet my demise this way, because it would have a negative effect on the caching community. I'd rather just die in my sleep. BTW, I saw something in the news story about a way to donate to the family. Everyone reading this should consider the impact that many small donations could make. I am sorry to see this happen. It is inevitable but still sad. If anything it should be a wake-up call to all of us to review our life insurance coverage so that if the worst happens we don't leave our family in financial crisis. Everyone here should have enough life insurance at minimum to see their family through the next ten years. And income protection insurance as well... an injury that puts you out of work for an extended period can be just as financially devastating as your death. Avoid the risk you can, insure against what you can't avoid. I pray that this man had the foresight to leave his family protected; grief and loss is tough enough without facing financial ruin. (No, I don't sell insurance!) Quote Link to comment
+mdplayers Posted November 17, 2009 Share Posted November 17, 2009 just adding my prayers to the list. Quote Link to comment
+Rustynails Posted November 17, 2009 Share Posted November 17, 2009 How sad, my heart aches for the family and friends. I am so sorry for thier loss. Won't be long before a greedy lawyer gets in and sues the CO. Quote Link to comment
+the pooks Posted November 17, 2009 Share Posted November 17, 2009 I would also like to add my condolences - that is very sad. And also to the cache owner, who must feel devastated. Quote Link to comment
+sTeamTraen Posted November 17, 2009 Share Posted November 17, 2009 Won't be long before a greedy lawyer gets in and sues the CO. Lawyers don't sue; clients do. So this could probably only happen if the seeker's wife - who was apparently at the scene - decided to. Hopefully that won't happen - in practice, such a suit would probably have little chance of succeeding, unless it was, say, the opening of a spring-loaded cache which caused the seeker to stagger backwards. We also don't know for now if the seeker was even near GZ. Quote Link to comment
+ZeroHecksGiven Posted November 17, 2009 Share Posted November 17, 2009 The cache is rated for the terrain, mentions the elevation change in the description and many of the logs tell of the difficulty/terrain. The cache was nearing 200 finds, so this seems to be a purely tragic accident and my thoughts/prayers go out to his family and friends. Be careful out there people, I wanna meet you out there on the trail someday Quote Link to comment
+Poke'Frog Posted November 17, 2009 Share Posted November 17, 2009 This is the first time I've ever posted something in the forums, but I felt that this is important enough to reply to. Such a very sad tragedy!! My thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of this man!! I hope they are comforted by the fact that he went while he was doing something he loved! Also, on the sensitive topic of the cache owners, I think it needs to be said that it is not their fault! Accidents happen and this is an outdoor sport - one that we do on our own with regards to risk. God bless you all - victim and victim's family members, cache owners, and supporting geocachers! Quote Link to comment
+Trekkin' and birdin' Posted November 18, 2009 Share Posted November 18, 2009 I am so sorry to hear this, and my heart goes out to his family and most especially his wife. Quote Link to comment
+Headhardhat Posted November 18, 2009 Share Posted November 18, 2009 Absolutely tragic news. My thoughts and prayers go out to our comrad's family. -HHH Quote Link to comment
+wyld_bill2003 Posted November 18, 2009 Share Posted November 18, 2009 Very sad to hear. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family. Quote Link to comment
+doingitoldschool Posted November 18, 2009 Share Posted November 18, 2009 True condolences to his family and friends. Quote Link to comment
+jclchan Posted November 18, 2009 Share Posted November 18, 2009 http://www.kxly.com/news/21645774/detail.html Quote Link to comment
+GrateBear Posted November 19, 2009 Share Posted November 19, 2009 Very sad and unfortunate, and it is something that crosses my mind when I'm out caching. In fact, my son is very concerned about the places I go. But, I find that very comforting, to know that he gets a bit worried. Makes you realize that our kids generally do grow up to be sensible adults. And, I do bypass caches that appear to be really risky. Condolences to the family. Quote Link to comment
+flask Posted November 19, 2009 Share Posted November 19, 2009 Safety rules are a good idea. I think every cacher needs to have some and abide by them. The thought of dying just to get a chance to sign a piece of paper isn't the way I want to go. even with the best safety rules sometimes you roll craps. last december i nearly died in pursuit of a cache. we had safety rules and proper gear and we used them. the rescue team ruled us to have been competent and properly equipped. you might feel goofy carrying all the extra stuff in your pack or sticking to the safety checks, but when you need them (and you will notice my use of the word "when" as opposed to "if"), you will be glad you took the trouble. while i'm at ease myself with the idea that one of these days i may not come back alive, the most horrific part of that long, long, night was watching the faces of my friends as they labored heroically for seven hours keeping me alive until the rescue squad reached us. i am sometimes afraid that i will bring crashco home dead and my friendship with his wife will suffer for it; i don't think i could stand to lose both of them. she's always happy to hear that we've gotten out of the woods alive and that we're coming home. Quote Link to comment
+TheAlabamaRambler Posted November 19, 2009 Share Posted November 19, 2009 (edited) A safety kit is a good idea, but what would you keep in it? I had a near-death caching experience with Ladebear68 in PA where the only thing we could have had in a safety kit that would have helped would have been a rope, and really, who carries rope? We went after a cache that was no more than 20' off of a trail around a lake. In the summer it would have been a 1.5/2 at the most. That 20' however was down a fairly steep hill, where the cache was in a hollow at the base of a tree at the edge of a sheer bluff that leaned out over a lake. She stayed on the trail and I laid down my crutches and slid down the hill to get the cache. No problem, except that the snow concealed a thick layer of pine straw over mud, and the lake was frozen over but thinly. Fun and laughter turned quickly to consternation and then real fear when I tried to crawl back up to the trail... that snow, pine straw and mud simply would not let me climb, it was way slick, and suddenly I was in real trouble. Every attempt to move up caused me to slide further down toward that bluff, and a fall into that ice-covered lake was very likely going to be fatal. That's how quickly something as benign and simple as geocaching can go deadly. I feel for this man's family, but realize that everything has its risk. Be careful but don't let fear keep you from enjoying our planet. Edit to add: In case you are wondering, Ladebear broke off some tree branches and threw them to me. I was able to drive short sections into the ground and use these as pegs to get a grip with my hands and leg and push against them to slide up the hill. If I had been alone I don't think that I would have left there alive. Of course if I had been alone I wouldn't have been caching in the freaking snow in Yankee territory, so she either saved my life or almost got me killed, your choice! Edited November 19, 2009 by TheAlabamaRambler Quote Link to comment
+TrailGators Posted November 19, 2009 Share Posted November 19, 2009 A safety kit is a good idea, but what would you keep in it? I had a near-death caching experience with Ladebear68 in PA where the only thing we could have had in a safety kit that would have helped would have been a rope, and really, who carries rope? We went after a cache that was no more than 20' off of a trail around a lake. In the summer it would have been a 1.5/2 at the most. That 20' however was down a fairly steep hill, where the cache was in a hollow at the base of a tree at the edge of a sheer bluff that leaned out over a lake. She stayed on the trail and I laid down my crutches and slid down the hill to get the cache. No problem, except that the snow concealed a thick layer of pine straw over mud, and the lake was frozen over but thinly. Fun and laughter turned quickly to consternation and then real fear when I tried to crawl back up to the trail... that snow, pine straw and mud simply would not let me climb, it was way slick, and suddenly I was in real trouble. Every attempt to move up caused me to slide further down toward that bluff, and a fall into that ice-covered lake was very likely going to be fatal. So what happened next? Inquiring minds want to know... Quote Link to comment
+TheAlabamaRambler Posted November 19, 2009 Share Posted November 19, 2009 So what happened next? Inquiring minds want to know... I added a "the rest of the story" edit while you were asking this! Quote Link to comment
+TrailGators Posted November 19, 2009 Share Posted November 19, 2009 So what happened next? Inquiring minds want to know... I added a "the rest of the story" edit while you were asking this! Thanks. I was picturing Bear Grylls doing something like that in my head. I also thought that you had a crutch that you might have been able to spear the ground with as you slid along on your belly... Anyhow, your story shows how easy it is to get yourself in big trouble without even realizing it. Thanks for sharing it. Quote Link to comment
7rxc Posted November 19, 2009 Share Posted November 19, 2009 I added a "the rest of the story" edit while you were asking this! Thanks for that edit... I was wondering myself. Perhaps your TOG persona has a new story idea... Safety while Geocaching. There have been several discussions on the forums about: What do you have in your cacheing pack/bag, Not getting lost, and my personal favourite... Posting a trip information plan with a reliable friend (including letting them know you are back). Up in post 15, I made reference to the STOP mnemonic which can eliminate a lot of problems before they happen. There are many sources of lists / training for serious expeditions. Just a thought. In answer to your question about rope... I do, so do many others. In fact my whole SAR kit is available in the vehicle, and my 24 hour pack goes with me if I'm heading more than 5 minutes from the car. Of course it helps to know how to select and use a rope if it's going to be any use at all... many get into trouble NOT knowing how to get back up, other than the armstrong method... Take care Doug 7rxc Quote Link to comment
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