Have you gotten injured while caching lately?

[+jellis]

While caching with Alamogul yesterday I was searching the wrong area and stepped into a rabbit hole that was hidden by the spring grass. I went down hard. Today after going to the hospital I found that I have a hairline fracture and a strained or torn ligament. Until it gets better I will be stuck on mostly drive ups or short walks. A muggle nurse told me she heard over the weekend 3 other people did the same thing.

[+TeamEpik]

well first of all i hope you get better soon . last summer i was trying to get a cache and alog that i was walking over broke and a fell about 10 feet down a broke 2 ribs and had a bunch of cuts . The next week we went back to the same cache and got it.

get better soon

[+StarBrand]

I am still nursing a leg from a bad non-caching infection so haven't been out for a while but will be most careful when I do.

 

Take care!!

[+DazeDnFamily]

I have decent scrapes on both forearms, and a bruised shin from tripping over an exposed root. But, it's honestly about par for the course. Nothing like you're dealing with. Get well soon!

[+gsmX2]

I stretched a ligament in my knee on January 1 that required three weeks of PT. But almost every time I go caching, there's some blood involved. Without blood, it just isn't an adventure.

[+lamoracke]

nothing lately, just minor flesh wounds. The last cache I injured myself on has been archived which is good because its gone but its bad because surely someone will put a cache in that spot for a 3rd time.

[+jellis]

Thank you and yes I hope I heal quickly. I did something like this 13 years ago on my right foot of course unrelated. Don't remember how I got around. This time it's my left foot so I can still drive.

[+lamoracke]

oh, sorry to hear that Janet. Did not realize the OP was you, I was just in zombie respond mode.

[+lamoracke]

Perhaps you can find some earth caches or other drive up caches you would have ignored but now have the excuse to do them.

[+TreasureFerret]

Eek, thank you all for reminding me to be super careful x.x I already have bad knees and don't want to make them any angrier!

[+redsaffron]

It seems like everytime we go we end up donating blood to the cache Gods. Although about a year ago my son wasn't paying attention to where he was walking and tripped over a root and twisted his ankle. It was a very slow 3 mile hike back to the van.

[+GeoGeeBee]

Sorry to hear about your injury; hope you get better soon.

 

My worst caching injury was not nearly that bad, although it could easily have been. I was looking for a cache on the Duke University campus in January, and slipped on the ice. I came down hard on my left hip. Luckily nothing was broken, but I had a very large, multi-colored bruise on my hip and a goose egg sized bump that took weeks to heal.

[+M 5]

I stretched a ligament in my knee on January 1 that required three weeks of PT. But almost every time I go caching, there's some blood involved. Without blood, it just isn't an adventure.

 

I would hate to get an injury that required three weeks of powertrails!!!!

[+A & J Tooling]

I called one off 2 days ago due to the amount of rabbit holes in the area. I knew one of my kids would step in one. On the way back my daughter pushed a branch of of her way, which of course swumg back and I got my arm up just in time to be impaled by 3 thorns.

[+the4dirtydogs]

Hope you heal quickly. I hate to admit this but...........a group of us went for a cache called EXTREME CACHE. It was one of the last caches on our 11+mile hike for the day. Getting to the cache involved crossing a creek like 6 times. Well the second water crossing my boots were wet and I slipped in the creek to my knees. No biggie it made the rest of the crossings easy. On the way back I was walking in the creek and one foot slipped and the other was stuck. Lets just say I took a MEAN face plant in like 6 inches of water/rocks. I jammed my middle finger, scratched up my knee and took a good size rock to the ribs. Oh yeah EVERYONE saw me eat it too, because I was first in line. I had to finish the 2 mile hike out soaking wet from the chest down. I don't mind the wet shoes and pants but WET underwear really suck to hike in. Had a good laugh though.

[+MikeAndHike]

I hope everyone heals quickly!

 

I have only just begun geocaching and already I have bloodied a cache location. On a beautiful walk down a scenic trail we, Kraezy(wife) & I, were also trying to find our first caches. GPSr got us to ground zero and the search began. My wife spotted the cache and exclaimed "right there!" I was almost standing on it and in my hurry to grab the cache I bent down through a tree and almost pierced my upper ear on a very pointy branch. I couldn't believe the amount of blood! Took almost two weeks to heal up.

[+Team Dennis]

I have nothing as bad as you but the thorns are already coming out here in MN so I have a few red stripes of courage on my arms.

 

Take care and get better!

[+Thrak]

Crashed my bicycle last Saturday while geocaching with my wife. We were off-road but nothing extreme. We're pretty wussie bike riders. I ended up head downward in a fairly ugly spot. My head missed the big hunk of stump wood but my left knee was bent under me at a really ugly angle and it also landed on a big rock. I'm not a small guy and my full weight went onto the leg and knee. When I first hit the ground I thought I had broken my leg but, after a minute or so, I realized I hadn't heard or felt it break and I had just wrenched it badly (in addition to having landed on the dang rock). I've been gimping around ever since. I have the ace bandage off today but I may end up putting it back on or getting a brace. This sucker hurts!

 

I have a hike planned with my wife and a couple of her sisters and their husbands in 2 weeks. It's part of a group hike that we had to sign up for and pay for. I really need the stupid knee to heal by then. It seems that I heal slower and slower as I get older. Sigh...........

[+jellis]

Most of the Earthcaches nearby I haven't done still are hikes

[+EvilTree]

My last day in California on a business trip, thought I would climb for a cache......

 

Found the cache with out issue, But my exit swing from GZ was not graceful. and Yes I fell out of the spot and lived to tell about it

 

 

The Cache for those intrested - GCZ9P1

Edited April 13, 2011 by EvilTree

[+hawkeyetob]

Out last weekend at this cache:

Pier 1

 

This cache is the remains of a concrete pier for an old railroad bridge.

Cache is towards the top.

Concrete, with re-bar sticking out + muddy shoes = minor dings and scrapes.

 

The result, cache found with no major first aid required.

 

Happy Caching! - hawkeyetob

[+spdrbob]

Limping today cause of caching - part cause I was riding my Bike hard to get home in time to get my boys off the bus and I'm not use to that kind of activity and part because of the bushwhacking I was doing. Well worth it though !

[+Hurkimer]

The only injuries I've had personally are the normal briar induced scratches, but the other half of my "team" took a fall during a cache hunt exactly a month ago that resulted in a mis-diagnosed knee sprain. Under the advice of an X-ray viewed by a ER doctors assistant she walked on crutches for 3 weeks, waiting for improvement which did not come. An MRI was done this week and she learned that something in there was broken, a visit to an orthopedic surgeon is scheduled for Monday, when we will learn the exact extent of the injury and what comes next. Her only concern is how long it will be before she can get back out on the trail in search of the next geocache.......gotta love her.

[+11hpg11]

Nothing major here, just the odd slip on the wet hill - go for a slide type injury.

[+robinkneer]

While caching with Alamogul yesterday I was searching the wrong area and stepped into a rabbit hole that was hidden by the spring grass. I went down hard. Today after going to the hospital I found that I have a hairline fracture and a strained or torn ligament. Until it gets better I will be stuck on mostly drive ups or short walks. A muggle nurse told me she heard over the weekend 3 other people did the same thing.

[+Team Dromomania]

I really enjoy the trails and climbs and bush whacking for hides. A hiking buddy and I have a saying, "If I didn't bleed I didn't have fun!"

And you know - there's a lot of truth to that.

[+jgc3]

Ouch. Sorry to hear that. Best wishes for a speedy recovery. Yes we've had the minor scratch 'n' bump. But nothing close to that sort of injury. All very minor.

[+Corfman Clan]

Funny you should ask. I probably should have stayed in bed today. See this log and this log. Needless to say, I'm a bit sore now.

[+Chief301]

I haven't been injured while caching but this weekend I went caching while injured. Does that count?

[+Tallahassee-Lassie]

I broke my knee-cap while caching at the GOING COASTAL event in Savannah back in November. It did not make for a great weekend. I tripped over a large tree root that came across the path - it was dark. Took a while to hobble out of the woods. I drove myself to the ER. Luckily I had geo-buddies that were able to drive me home. I had a cast from my ankle up to my woo-hoo.

[+jerpete]

I got a big gash in my head while looking for a cache next to a fence, it was heavy duty hurricane fence and a piece along the top was bent out, I didn't see it as I ducked under a tree branch. I then went to a geocaching event near my house, this was my second ever event, I've never met any other cachers before, there I am with a blood pouring out of my skull.

[+jacob501]

The other day, I was looking for a cache in the desert and suddenly a gila monster popped out from behind a rock and bit me! That only hurt a little...When I really got hurt was when I was in Antarctica...but thats too long of a story!

 

[+TerraViators]

yes

[+The 3 Brothers C]

Well... off I went tonight in search of a few caches. My cell phone went off in my first stop at a remote spirit quest location in IN. I lost my train of thought, answered the phone, found the cache, and went on my way. Cache two... one that I had stopped at before and thought that I would be able to finally solve. Hmmmmm...slid down muddy hill under fence, caught my arm on the trees, bent leg in reverse position and HEY !!! guess what???? No cell phone folks... yep, that's right. Hauled my injured self to van, searched for phone, drug myself back to the fall spot... NO PHONE!! Dumped swag bag, purse, etc... NO PHONE !! No way to call anyone for help... I decided to return to site of first cache... no luck. I drove all the way home, filthy, scraped, swollen, and bruised to pick up the fam and go on the elusive cell phone hunt. I had put the phone down to sign the log at the first cache, when I had become irritated with its interruption... Lesson learned: son says, "mom, aren't we supposed to follow the buddy system, never travel alone, etc? That's what we learned in scouts right?" Banged up and embarrassed...

[+sshipway]

I tried Balancing the Fallen Tree a little while back... and failed (the balancing, that is -- I found the cache ). Resulted in a bit for scrapes and blood but nothing worse. I think the caches in the US are a bit more physical than urban NZ.

[+medwardl]

Every time I do a caching run I get new cuts and scrapes I try not too but I think unless I'm doing it in a city that caching and cuts/scrapes go hand in hand.

[+sword fern]

The other day, I was looking for a cache in the desert and suddenly a gila monster popped out from behind a rock and bit me! That only hurt a little...When I really got hurt was when I was in Antarctica...but thats too long of a story!

 

 

Its not called caching until you've been bitten by the most poisonous lizard in the world!

[+sword fern]

Well, Ive gotten poked by brambles a million times while caching on my crotch.

[+WRASTRO]

Badly bruised ego for being the only one to DNF (twice so far) a local 1/1.5.

[+popokiiti]

When I used an overloaded backpack, I ended up on my back like an upended turtle. Only my pride was injured, though. I did take a nasty slide on a wet, leaf covered bank, did the splits almost sideways and wrenched my knee. That was a couple of years ago.

I now pick up my feet, but still get caught from time to time and do a face plant.

Edited May 14, 2011 by popokiiti

[+Smokey Bear Collector]

Aww. Sorry to hear this Janet. Heal well. I have a "hurt" foot that I think is fractured. I've had it for years and think its from hiking. It's usually fine, but at times it hurts and feels like it has broken in half. Weird. Usually while caching I get the normal cuts and scrapes from branches and brambles, thistle and stickers. When I go north to Chico I almost always come home with poison oak.

 

While your off your feet and looking for drive ups you can come find my new one on Sherman Island, "You Will Huff & Puff and Throw a Major Hissy-Fit". Its a P&G. Or on a good day you can hop up the road and try, "Alongside the River You Will Cry, Kick and Scream". It's a 3/2 but I know you can find it.

 

Again, heal well.

[+Vexidus]

I twisted my right ankle really badly while caching last week. It was so bad that I could barely even bear weight on it. I've been wrapping it with stretchy gauze though, keeping it a bit more stable while it recovers. Feels a lot better a week later, thankfully.

[+springbok200]

After reading this post I wanted to share my second ever cache experience. I live very close to a wood and there are 5 caches. I dragged my husband and 22 month out to the most difficult one. I weaved my way through a substantial fallen tree with a large drop beneath me. I must have gone two thirds of the way. Before the old knees started to knock. I decided to head back because it was getting a bit to hairy for my liking and had visions of falling off awkwardly and trying to explaining to the paramedic why I was in that position in the first place! After that thought I spotted the cache which was a relief! The thrill seems far sweeter as it scared me. Perhaps I need to get out more! For those who fancy a go in the uk: GC2P3JX

[+The_Incredibles_]

Does accidentally swallowing a large bug while signing a logbook count?

Edited May 16, 2011 by The_Incredibles_

[+speakers-corner]

Last summer whilst out caching I caught my left foot (I was wearing sandals)in branches of a fallen tree and instead of freeing myself properly I pulled my foot out from the branches to which came a load CRACK was heard. The toe next to the big toe started to turn red, anyway I taped it to the next toe and carried on. Later that evening I realized that I had broken it, I taped it back up and carried on with my holiday. A week later I did exactly the same thing with the other foot. You never learn do you.

[+TheLoneGrangers]

knock on wood, but i have only had minor scrapes and scratches, and so far this spring 3 run ins with poison ivy, i know what it looks like i just get focused on the cache! lol

[+MEKABoyer]

After retrieving a cache last week on a rail to trails in Clarksburg I remembered that I had seen an old RR spike, as I was walking back down the hill to get it I stepped on a beer bottle, it rolled out from under my foot, I went down and the bottle broke under my leg. I was cut pretty good because I was wearing shorts but later that evening I got two more caches with my wife and kids.

[+Stoka]

Jeez all these posts make me feel that the epic encounter with a load of 6ft nettles recently was childs play :-D

[+A & J Tooling]

Had a pine tree branch gouge the top of my head last week as I bent over to examine something. Then stepped on a broken beer bottle and it cut the side of my foot. Both within ten minutes of each other. Worst part was, the cache was exactly where I gashed my head but the pain and anger at myself made me focus my attention elsewhere. At least I snapped that branch off so no one else has to do the same thing.

[+wimseyguy]

Bit on my right ring finger by a copperhead three summers ago. Been very very careful ever since.

Scrapes, bramble scratches, and bumps don't really count in my book.

 

Spent 8 hours in the ER being monitored before being sent home with pain meds.

This is on day 2 before going to the hand specialist to get it lanced so it would drain.

The bruising didn't fully go away for 4 weeks. There is still some residual nerve damage and loss of sensation, and my fingernail needs to be kept very short as it wants to grow in all the time.