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Ever Gotten Hurt while Caching


GPS-Hermit

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Why? I opened the purse. Inside the spare batteries had found my change. The whole mess was shorting out.

Had something like this happen in my pocket a couple of years ago. I had a pair of AA batteries in the same pocket as my keys. The keys bridged the contacts on one (or both?) of the batteries and proceeded to become incredibly hot very quickly.

 

Of course I was at a restaurant with friends and their response to me jumping up, reaching into my pocket and dumping the contents on the table was priceless. It took the keys several minutes to cool down.

 

Luckily, I didn't get burned, but it was surprising, to say the least. I shudder to think what would have happened if the battery had ignited.

 

Oh, and got stung by a bumble bee while I was out recently. It was the first time I'd been stung by a bee, so I had no idea whether I was allergic to bee stings.

 

Apparently, I'm not. :unsure:

Edited by Keeper of Maps
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We visited Branson MO and cached within hours of arriving and spent the next 3 days in the hospital due roan baby osage copperhead biting my husband in the finger. Please read the following log and additional note I had to write because my log was too long. ALWAYS get/know the species of snake and ALWAYS get medical help regardless of poison (fangs left in bone, etc can lead to huge infection)

 

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/log.aspx?LU...67-77d105fe69df

 

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/log.aspx?LU...92-b99efe34c9b9

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I tore my Achilles tendon. Actually I partially tore it playing soccer and a few weeks later I was out caching. No, I shouldn't have been, but I was and I stepped the wrong way on a root and SNAP! It was not a fun walk back to the car.

 

For a log that details a horror story check out this one.

 

Thanx - I laughed until I cried. I nominated it for that new thingy they're doing.

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OK, this one happened yesterday.

 

THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT!!!

 

IT COULD HAPPEN TO YOU!!!

 

My physical injury only turned out to be a blistered burn.

 

But I almost lost my whole car to fire.

 

I was out caching with a friend.

 

We parked the car and started walking. I said, I'm going to go back to the car for my purse and my sandwich. If I had not we would not have had a car to go back to.

 

I opened the car and grabbed my purse and found it sticking to a fleece jacket. Strange.

 

when I checked it out I realized the nylon webbing on the outside of it had MELTED and stuck to the jacket.

 

Why? I opened the purse. Inside the spare batteries had found my change. The whole mess was shorting out.

 

Two of the batteries were swollen and VERY hot.

 

The change was so hot that it was discolored, and I burned a blister into my fingers by quickly throwing it out of the purse onto the ground.

 

In a moment there would have been a fire. Very quickly. It takes a lot of heat to melt that much nylon into a puddle.

BE CAREFUL HOW YOU CARRY YOUR SPARE BATTERIES!!!

 

Wow - thanx a bunch for posting. I toss spare batteries around like spare pens. Used to, that is...

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I was going down a steep hillside after a cache in an Atlanta suburb, about two blocks from the house where I grew up. Ground gave way and I started rolling down the hill, very, very fast.

 

I came across some thorny vines about halfway down and unfortunately my arm clamped down on them reflexively (it was like trying to rappel with barbed wire). So ripped up the inside of my elbow on that.

 

Still didn't stop until the bottom of the slope, where unfortunately someone had piled up some bricks. Wham, my shin went into the bricks and split open the skin on my leg.

 

Toughed it out for the cache, then had to get back up the slope to get to my car and the first aid kit. Did so very, very slowly, cleaned myself up, then called it a day. Lucky I didn't break my neck, a leg, or need stitches. The scar has apparently faded after a year and a half, or maybe I just got a newer one on top of it.

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We always talk about safety - Just thought the newbies might want to know what can go wrong as compared to what they THINK might go wrong to get ya hurt. So HOW are people getting hurt while caching. Alot of people think people or snakes will be what is going to hurt them. I am guessing not. Lets hear it! From you or what you know happened to others.

 

Ticks, nettles, small bruises and once I slided down a muddy hill... nothing serious though :santa:

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Was caching with the wife one afternoon and she saw a better way into the woods for a cache so she took the lead, got about 100' into the wood and she stopped to let her GPS'r settle a bit. I was about 3 steps behind her when I felt a sting on my leg, looked down and found myself standing in a giant wasp nest that had been knocked down (I think the wife set me up :huh:). I got hit 12 times before I got her and myself into high gear.

 

I am not allergic to wasp stings so other than a nice batch of whelps all was good. Wife got a good laugh at me flailing around like a wild man.

 

But something to keep in mind if you are allergic to wasp / hornet stings

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