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How responsible are you?


Jay-SSM

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I've only been caching since November but already i've been in a couple hairy situations with river crossings or even just with night closing in where it was dark and getting back to the car wasn't as easy as expected.

 

But I'm a bit creeped out by a guy very familier to a local trail system (where there are numerous caches hidden) being missing in the woods now for two days. They found his truck at the beginning of the trail that he regularly traverses and his dog that he was walking was sitting beside it. Police have been searching from dawn till dusk since he went missing with the aid of helocopters without finding a trace of him so far. He's also a young and in perfectly good shape guy with no known medical conditions that would cause alarm.

 

Its really made me think of how careless i've been in taking spontanious trips deep into the woods, even on well known trail systems, without letting anyone know. I've decided to email a couple people the GC codes of the caches i'm looking for before I leave from here on out.

 

Just wanted to throw this out there so if there's any idiots like me who haven't been smart and keeping people informed of where they are in the woods, maybe they should start. Tomorrow is day 3 of the search for this guy, hope they find him.

 

(BTW, if your wondering - he is lost in the Hiawatha trail system in Sault Ste. Marie, ON Canada - there are at least 10 caches on these trails)

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If I plan to do any hiking caches in the local hills, I usually plot the caches I'm going to on GoogleEarth and leave it on screen. If something happens and I don't return, at least my wife will have an idea of where I went. She also would have the caches and coordinates, and thus my probable route. And my phone is GPS enabled.

 

Another idea is to get one of those transponders they use in mountain climbing. I understand the cost is pretty reasonable.

Edited by Cache O'Plenty
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I ALWAYS tell my parents ahead of time where I am going and what my planned route is. I'll usually draw them maps and stuff from google earth of the trail. And I'll clearly mark spots along it like "highest elevation" or "creek crossing" or "fork in the trail" or "abandoned windmill". Then periodically (if I have cell service) I'll text them and say "just passed the windmill" or something so they know real time where I am along the hike.

 

I always make sure I have plenty of time and will not hike all the way to sunset.

 

I hadn't hiked a day in my life before I started caching 3 years ago so I started small and worked from there. I also hiked a lot with more experienced geocachers/hikers to gain experience.

 

Of course, I always have with me the survival gear as well (paper maps, compass, matches, plenty of water, knife, extra food, first aid, etc, etc.).

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If I plan to do any hiking caches in the local hills, I usually plot the caches I'm going to on GoogleEarth and leave it on screen. If something happens and I don't return, at least my wife will have an idea of where I went. She also would have the caches and coordinates, and thus my probable route. And my phone is GPS enabled.

 

Another idea is to get one of those transponders they use in mountain climbing. I understand the cost is pretty reasonable.

 

Not that I'm a hiker, but I do go out caching at night sometimes. Mostly in and around our near by cities. Sometimes its for an FTF, while other times I just can't sleep. I'll also have Google Earth showing my plans and the cache pages pulled up with a note of when I left. I'm not one of those people that's afraid of the things that go bump in the night (in a city that is), but I also know that "stuff" happens. That way if my wife wakes up while I'm gone she'll have an idea of where I'm and when I should be back.

 

I have always felt that if you are going to be out of touch, even for a short while just leave a note somewhere someone will see it, even if you are single. If nothing happens, when you get home just throw the note away. But something does go wrong, your note will help others help you. I see it as a very cheap insurance.

 

I hope things turn out ok for that guy. But it is a little strange about his dog not being with him.

Edited by Tobias & Petronella
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I've only been caching since November but already i've been in a couple hairy situations with river crossings or even just with night closing in where it was dark and getting back to the car wasn't as easy as expected.

 

But I'm a bit creeped out by a guy very familier to a local trail system (where there are numerous caches hidden) being missing in the woods now for two days. They found his truck at the beginning of the trail that he regularly traverses and his dog that he was walking was sitting beside it. Police have been searching from dawn till dusk since he went missing with the aid of helocopters without finding a trace of him so far. He's also a young and in perfectly good shape guy with no known medical conditions that would cause alarm.

 

Its really made me think of how careless i've been in taking spontanious trips deep into the woods, even on well known trail systems, without letting anyone know. I've decided to email a couple people the GC codes of the caches i'm looking for before I leave from here on out.

 

Just wanted to throw this out there so if there's any idiots like me who haven't been smart and keeping people informed of where they are in the woods, maybe they should start. Tomorrow is day 3 of the search for this guy, hope they find him.

 

(BTW, if your wondering - he is lost in the Hiawatha trail system in Sault Ste. Marie, ON Canada - there are at least 10 caches on these trails)

 

That's pretty scary! We are just south of the bridge from there, we hadn't heard that story, do you have a link to it??

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So far most of my caches have been pretty close to home or in small parks. There is one larger wilderness park that I was in to check for a location for placement for a new cache. There wasn't any chance of getting lost but it is a large park with rough terrain. I knew the approx coords of where i was headed so I posted them on a vehicle placard (hangs from the rear view mirror - downloaded from geocacher-u). That way if i fell or something and someone came looking for me they would have an idea where to look after finding my truck. If you were going after a few along a trail you could just list the GC #s on the card

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I've only been caching since November but already i've been in a couple hairy situations with river crossings or even just with night closing in where it was dark and getting back to the car wasn't as easy as expected.

 

But I'm a bit creeped out by a guy very familier to a local trail system (where there are numerous caches hidden) being missing in the woods now for two days. They found his truck at the beginning of the trail that he regularly traverses and his dog that he was walking was sitting beside it. Police have been searching from dawn till dusk since he went missing with the aid of helocopters without finding a trace of him so far. He's also a young and in perfectly good shape guy with no known medical conditions that would cause alarm.

 

Its really made me think of how careless i've been in taking spontanious trips deep into the woods, even on well known trail systems, without letting anyone know. I've decided to email a couple people the GC codes of the caches i'm looking for before I leave from here on out.

 

Just wanted to throw this out there so if there's any idiots like me who haven't been smart and keeping people informed of where they are in the woods, maybe they should start. Tomorrow is day 3 of the search for this guy, hope they find him.

 

(BTW, if your wondering - he is lost in the Hiawatha trail system in Sault Ste. Marie, ON Canada - there are at least 10 caches on these trails)

 

Whenever I visit truly remote caches, I leave my itinerary with my wife, and my dad. This includes topo maps, and geocache information. I also carry full survival gear, and multiple means of personal protection (Bear spray, knives, and when legal a revolver.

 

Many geocachers get so focused on "following their GPS arrow," they fail in situational awareness. Always be aware of your surroundings, make note of suspicious people and cars. If you feel uncomfortable in a situation, it is always better to "trust your gut," and leave.

 

A good book to read is 98.6 Degrees by Cody Lundin.

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Typically I make a phone call, but it is nothing specific..."Out caching, will call when done." The other day, when hanging onto a small tree on the side of a steep drop-off, I remember thinking to myself that nobody knows where I'm at. Guess I should get more specific with my whereabouts. Even then, logged a DNF, so all that effort for naught.

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If I'm going into the woods alone, I leave a note on the table explaining were I will be hiking/geocaching. I also carry enough equipment in my day pack to survive a night or two in the woods including flashlight, food,

water purification tablets, extra clothing, a really loud whistle, a mylar emergency blanket and a waterproof bivy bag.

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Laminate this placard and use an erasable marker to write what cache you've gone after.

 

http://geocacher-u.com/content/blogcategory/69/90/

 

placard-geocache1.jpg

 

My sister gave me one of those for Christmas. It's in my visor and I put it on my dashboard when I go caching. However, I haven't been writing the GC number on it, but I will now.

 

I do leave GC info for my hubby and the geocaching website up so he can look up where I was off to, if needed.

 

My new phone has Google Lattitude and so does my hubby's, that way he can see where I am, although, even with a reboot, it sees me has 2 miles away from where I'm actually at.

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The first step is to choose caches that you feel ok going to. I know you can't always tell but if you've seen the area mentioned in the local newspaper lately it may be best to avoid it.

 

Second going alone to isolated areas is not a good idea.

 

Leaving that note where I'm going & when I'll be back it important.

 

Having some form of communication (Phone, radio) is a must.

 

Perhaps if anyone sees something on a cache that could prove hazardous mention it in the log.

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I've always been bad about just taking off and hitting some trails without telling anyone where I was going. It has come close to getting me in trouble a couple of times. Luckily for me, each of those times I had cell coverage and I called MrsSQ and let her know where I was and what was going on. I really, REALLY should be more careful, but I guess I'm just not wired that way. I seldom even think about it...until I'm out there...sometimes.

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I'm prety bad. A couple of weeks ago I did a very dificult mountain scramble. The only thing anyone know was that "Im goint to go climbing back there." I guess I should be more carfull. I think sometimes the GPSr gives me a feeling of empowerment. But obviously, knowing were I am and what my coordinates are only helps if I can call for help.

 

I did however have a knife and matches in the off chance that I got stuck out there over night, or met up with a couger (someone saw a couger a few weeks before I was out there, and all the locals kept warning me about it).

Edited by Andronicus
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If I'm going to be by myself off the beaten path in any way - I make sure I have at least some basic survival gear including a mylar blanket, first aid kit, matches, whistle, hat, water. I keep that in each of my Geocaching bags/packs. I must admit to not always telling somebody where I am going - Thanks for the reminder that I should be doing that.

 

I did teach my wife to do searches on the web site for caches I have not found - in the event my car is found somewhere and I am missing.

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If I'm alone, I always let my wife know where I plan to be. If I can get cell coverage, I'll update her periodically with current coordinates and the next cache or two I will be visiting.

 

When we both go, we are usually with our caching partners and their neighbor is the dedicated safety net.

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I typically go on geocaching hikes alone. I know it isn't the best idea but I do several things to decrease the risks.

 

First, I always text my friend with the trailhead I'm departing from and the direction I'm heading. I text her when I'm back at my car and we usually have an agreed upon "start worrying about me" time if she doesn't get that text.

 

Second, on long hikes I leave a note on the floor of my car with the date, time, the path I'm taking, and expected return time.

 

Third, I always err on the side of safety when I'm out alone. Sure scrambling up that 20 ft. rock face would save me 30 minutes of hiking but I just don't take chances when I'm alone.

 

Accidents happen but I try to make good decisions to keep a series of poor decisions from becoming big problems.

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I've only been caching since November but already i've been in a couple hairy situations with river crossings or even just with night closing in where it was dark and getting back to the car wasn't as easy as expected.

 

But I'm a bit creeped out by a guy very familier to a local trail system (where there are numerous caches hidden) being missing in the woods now for two days. They found his truck at the beginning of the trail that he regularly traverses and his dog that he was walking was sitting beside it. Police have been searching from dawn till dusk since he went missing with the aid of helocopters without finding a trace of him so far. He's also a young and in perfectly good shape guy with no known medical conditions that would cause alarm.

 

Its really made me think of how careless i've been in taking spontanious trips deep into the woods, even on well known trail systems, without letting anyone know. I've decided to email a couple people the GC codes of the caches i'm looking for before I leave from here on out.

 

Just wanted to throw this out there so if there's any idiots like me who haven't been smart and keeping people informed of where they are in the woods, maybe they should start. Tomorrow is day 3 of the search for this guy, hope they find him.

 

(BTW, if your wondering - he is lost in the Hiawatha trail system in Sault Ste. Marie, ON Canada - there are at least 10 caches on these trails)

 

That's pretty scary! We are just south of the bridge from there, we hadn't heard that story, do you have a link to it??

 

Sault Star newspaper online:

 

http://www.saultstar.com/ArticleDisplay.as...&auth=BRIAN KELLY, THE SAULT STAR

 

http://www.saultstar.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2507694

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I had a friend who was hiking / caching in the hills and ridges that I frequent, ran into problems, and needed emergency assistance. Luckily, he was not alone.

 

But I often go up there with just the dog. It has occurred to me that if something happened, it would be awhile before I was found. My dog is definitely not the Lassie type who could go and get help. I should be more responsible.

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If I'm going off into the wilderness, I always leave a trip plan with at least one responsible person.

 

Closer to home, I never go anywhere without my cell phone (a Blackberry). I've done two things to make it more useful should I go missing:

 

1) I have activated my carrier's add-on that is meant for parents to track their children. I've made sure my Fiancee' knows how to use it. If I should vanish, she can go online at any time and find out where I am. Or at least, where my cell phone is.

 

2) I also set my phone to geotag all photographs, and installed an app from "iTookThisOnMyPhone.com." Any photograph taken using my phone's camera is automatically uploaded to the web, and tagged with location coordinates. I learned about this app when I read about a woman who was robbed. Within a few hours the police had a picture of the guy who stole her purse, and his location!

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[snip.

 

Just wanted to throw this out there so if there's any idiots like me who haven't been smart and keeping people informed of where they are in the woods, maybe they should start. Tomorrow is day 3 of the search for this guy, hope they find him.

 

 

I am glad someone brought this up. I was out caching the other day. Enjoying the beautiful Southern California weather we are blessed with. When I realized that I was about 1,000 from my car and on top of a small hill. What if I was climbing down and broke my leg? Or from a recent thread on here. Was bite by a rattle snake? I read up on the rattle snake thing. They said if the bite has venom in it and you don't get treatment with in two hours you could be dead. I was like wow how many times now have I been caching on some back road and left my cell phone or my knife in my car? So lucky for me the area that I cache in has really good cell service. I thought about letting someone know where I was going but my wife isn't too crazy about me caching in the first place. Hopefully that will change when I get her out on the trail this weekend. I notice that alot of cachers take backpacks with them. Which I hadn't thought about since I do most of my caching on my way home from work. So last night I packed a backpack with my running shoes,shorts my cell phone, my rechargeable NiMh pack kit, pretty much everything I think I am going to need when I'm caching. Along with some stuff to do matinence on a cache if it really needs it. Once the wife starts caching with me I will most likely start caching on the weekend with her, instead of during the week by myself.

 

On a side note if you want a good book to read about this very topic. read Aron Ralston: Between a rock and a hard place. It will really but things into retrospect.

Edited by Shrekito
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If I'm going off into the wilderness, I always leave a trip plan with at least one responsible person.

 

Closer to home, I never go anywhere without my cell phone (a Blackberry). I've done two things to make it more useful should I go missing:

 

1) I have activated my carrier's add-on that is meant for parents to track their children. I've made sure my Fiancee' knows how to use it. If I should vanish, she can go online at any time and find out where I am. Or at least, where my cell phone is.

 

2) I also set my phone to geotag all photographs, and installed an app from "iTookThisOnMyPhone.com." Any photograph taken using my phone's camera is automatically uploaded to the web, and tagged with location coordinates. I learned about this app when I read about a woman who was robbed. Within a few hours the police had a picture of the guy who stole her purse, and his location!

About the tracking thing..Will it leave the last coordinates should the cell phone become inoperable?

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I like the idea of the placard for the car. I'm going to be using those for sure. I always tell my wife where I will be and generally in what order I will hit them. I may cover a great deal of ground on an average caching session, so I will tell her I'll be here for a while, then there, then there etc.

 

I also usually leave the cache pages up on my computer screen too for the same reason. If I should not return, they will know where to start looking.

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I like the idea of the placard for the car. I'm going to be using those for sure. I always tell my wife where I will be and generally in what order I will hit them. I may cover a great deal of ground on an average caching session, so I will tell her I'll be here for a while, then there, then there etc.

 

I also usually leave the cache pages up on my computer screen too for the same reason. If I should not return, they will know where to start looking.

 

You shouldn't hit any of your wives.

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This could apply to urban caches too. I did my first night cache last week and was so excited! Of course looking back, I realize that though I was just about 20 feet from "civilization," that was far enough to be completly out of sight/earshot of the nearest person (trail tha ran away from a mall between a golf course and the back of an apartment complex).

 

My husband only knew that I was going after a night cache in the area of the mall. It took me about an hour (I did find it!) but that would have been plenty long enough for lots of things to happen. He has since provided with me with OC spray, a small knife, and a tool set that will double as a weapon in a pinch.

 

Is anyone aware of some kind of tracking application for the iPhone that doesn't require an expensive subscription?

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I sometimes let my cat know where I'm going. Other times I'm going on a spur of the moment jaunt.

I figure if something happens to me they won't have to search too fast if they don't know where I went or when I left.

 

Of course if I were to miss posting in the forums for a day there would be a half dozen people wondering what happened to me.

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I sometimes let my cat know where I'm going. Other times I'm going on a spur of the moment jaunt.

I figure if something happens to me they won't have to search too fast if they don't know where I went or when I left.

 

Of course if I were to miss posting in the forums for a day there would be a half dozen people wondering what happened to me.

 

Brilliant!

 

Unless you had argued with certain people right before your disappearance!

 

Then I would know who to blame!

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I sometimes let my cat know where I'm going. Other times I'm going on a spur of the moment jaunt.

I figure if something happens to me they won't have to search too fast if they don't know where I went or when I left.

 

Of course if I were to miss posting in the forums for a day there would be a half dozen people wondering what happened to me.

 

Brilliant!

 

Unless you had argued with certain people right before your disappearance!

 

Then I would know who to blame!

 

Never say that you will kill someone, because if they turn up dead, you will be the first one on the list of suspects! :smile:

 

Coord.info connected to Twitter and Facebook using field notes is a good way to let others know where you are caching while out in the field.

Edited by Dwoodford
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I'm glad this post has inspired at least a couple people to be more careful. I did a night cache up a mountain in the dark tonight in a remote area and made sure to leave a note in the car and left the PC on the cache page of where I was going.

 

For an update, tomorrow is day 5 of the search - still no trace. Wish I could help with the hunt but police don't want the public involved for safety reasons.

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hmmm....good point. When we go caching, sometimes I mention it to my mom (if I happen to be talking to her earlier that day and if it comes up), but she has no idea where we're going. Both young Triskele and I carry our cell phones everywhere, and his has that "kid finder" option on it, but that won't help a lot if no one knows we're missing. The cats know where we are, but as we've taken the cell phones with us, they'd have to use the laptop to notify someone. And once they log in, they always go to the lolcat site and forget everything else.

 

When we go out in the boonies, I'll start letting my mom know where we'll be and when we'll be back.

 

edited to add: Wait...then I'll have to hear her infernal "hiking is dangerous...there are rattlesnakes and javelina and scorpions out there! Don't endanger my grandson" lecture. I may have to notify someone else...

Edited by Triskeles
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About the tracking thing..Will it leave the last coordinates should the cell phone become inoperable?

 

Unfortunately, no. The phone has to be turned on, and in an area with cell coverage. (It does not, however, have to be in an area where the GPS works. If it's in a building, it gets fairly close by triangulating the cell signal.)

 

I guess that means if I wander outside of a coverage area, or fall into a lake and drown with my phone in my pocket, it's not going to help. Nothing's perfect.

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I like the idea of the placard for the car. I'm going to be using those for sure. I always tell my wife where I will be and generally in what order I will hit them. I may cover a great deal of ground on an average caching session, so I will tell her I'll be here for a while, then there, then there etc.

 

I also usually leave the cache pages up on my computer screen too for the same reason. If I should not return, they will know where to start looking.

 

You shouldn't hit any of your wives.

 

<_< At least she knows the order...

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Most of the time nobody knows where I am, where I'm going and where I've been. I do take along a mobile phone and generally approach unknown terrain with caution.

 

Sorry to hear of this fellow's misfortune, but how he got into what situation lead to his demise we can likely only speculate at now.

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I live alone so often no one knows where I'm wandering to, but I have yet to cache in truly wilderness regions with no cell reception.

 

Honestly I don't worry about it much though, because last year I traveled solo around the world for six months with nary a cell phone around, not saying I was in places like Zimbabwe until afterwards because it would only make my parents worry more. Yes I'm young, stupid, and plan to live forever, and it was an amazing adventure. <_<

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I ALWAYS tell my parents ahead of time where I am going and what my planned route is. I'll usually draw them maps and stuff from google earth of the trail. And I'll clearly mark spots along it like "highest elevation" or "creek crossing" or "fork in the trail" or "abandoned windmill". Then periodically (if I have cell service) I'll text them and say "just passed the windmill" or something so they know real time where I am along the hike.

 

I always make sure I have plenty of time and will not hike all the way to sunset.

 

I hadn't hiked a day in my life before I started caching 3 years ago so I started small and worked from there. I also hiked a lot with more experienced geocachers/hikers to gain experience.

 

Of course, I always have with me the survival gear as well (paper maps, compass, matches, plenty of water, knife, extra food, first aid, etc, etc.).

 

 

Your a good boy/girl! I'm sure your parent appreciate that very much!

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I ALWAYS tell my parents ahead of time where I am going and what my planned route is. I'll usually draw them maps and stuff from google earth of the trail. And I'll clearly mark spots along it like "highest elevation" or "creek crossing" or "fork in the trail" or "abandoned windmill". Then periodically (if I have cell service) I'll text them and say "just passed the windmill" or something so they know real time where I am along the hike.

 

I always make sure I have plenty of time and will not hike all the way to sunset.

 

I hadn't hiked a day in my life before I started caching 3 years ago so I started small and worked from there. I also hiked a lot with more experienced geocachers/hikers to gain experience.

 

Of course, I always have with me the survival gear as well (paper maps, compass, matches, plenty of water, knife, extra food, first aid, etc, etc.).

 

 

Your a good boy/girl! I'm sure your parent appreciate that very much!

 

Thanks. I'm a Boy. My parents definitely appreciate it. My cousin would too, but I stopped telling her because she worries too much. <_<

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just a thought..we rely a lot on our GPSr when we head in...I know I check to make sure my batteries are good and I bring a spare set but even so I still pack a compass. But i wonder even with the compass do we generally pay enough attention to anything but the map on our GPSr to be able to use the compass to get back out if something happens to our GPSr?

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I have found more than one of these while hunting.Not a good thing to trip and fall into.One I found had rotten boards covoring it,my foot went through and when I flipped the board over I found a nice deep well.Close call. :rolleyes:

a0c2.jpg

It looks like you weren't the first. There is already a guy in the bottom of it.

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