Poison Cache

[+Christian451]

I set out my first cache this last winter in a park that is a favorite for first timers. It was a beautiful spot that my kids picked out as a small herd of whitetail deer crossed the path in front of us and stood and watched us for the longest time. Very easy hide about 40 ft off the trail under an old stump. Our issue is that we placed the cache in the winter only to check this summer and discover the entire patch of woods is teeming with poison ivy! So far no one has complained in their postings but traffic as slowed recently. Should we consider moving or cacher beware?

[+wiseye]

I'm sure you don't want your kids going into PI needlessly, Well......Nobody else does either. I would archive it right now and maybe put another cache elsewhere in the park that is more ppl friendly. Good luck!

[+Team Dennis]

I would put a warning on the cache page as well as click the "Poison Plant" attribute. Archiving the cache might work but if there is PI in one part of the park it is likely it will be everywhere else.

[+kunarion]

I set out my first cache this last winter in a park that is a favorite for first timers. It was a beautiful spot that my kids picked out as a small herd of whitetail deer crossed the path in front of us and stood and watched us for the longest time. Very easy hide about 40 ft off the trail under an old stump. Our issue is that we placed the cache in the winter only to check this summer and discover the entire patch of woods is teeming with poison ivy! So far no one has complained in their postings but traffic as slowed recently. Should we consider moving or cacher beware?

Deer and other animals love poison ivy. So cachers see more animals at your cache.

 

I don't usually walk around in PI to search for a cache, but carefully walking through a patch of it (less than knee high), I can handle that. If it's grown higher where I'm having to bushwack through it, I'll wait til the frost.

 

If the PI seems to be way out of control, don't expect a lot of finds. You can post a seasonal PI report, and let folks decide, or move it well out of the way.

Edited June 26, 2012 by kunarion

[+Planet]

You can catch poison ivy any time of year. There is an attribute. Do what your heart tells you to do.

[+Dan2099]

I set out my first cache this last winter in a park that is a favorite for first timers. It was a beautiful spot that my kids picked out as a small herd of whitetail deer crossed the path in front of us and stood and watched us for the longest time. Very easy hide about 40 ft off the trail under an old stump. Our issue is that we placed the cache in the winter only to check this summer and discover the entire patch of woods is teeming with poison ivy! So far no one has complained in their postings but traffic as slowed recently. Should we consider moving or cacher beware?

 

I know lots of people who do not know what poison ivy looks like....placing an attribute may help but a lot of people do not even look at those. In the end look at it from a cachers perspective would you want to cache it with you and your kids? If yes, leave it if no move it.

[+fuzziebear3]

Woods = poison ivy.

 

Add the attribute, teach your kids what it looks like, happy caching.

[+Don_J]

I'm not that familiar with poison ivy, we deal with poison oak. If it is possible to reach the cache without contacting it, I'd leave the cache and post the appropriate warnings. If it is not possible, I would pull the cache. Being aware of the most common hazards when hiking should not have anything to do with geocaching. Anyone that thinks that they can just run into the woods, or in our case, a creek bed, just because there is a cache there is eventually going to end up in trouble. The way I see it, if they are completely unaware of the danger, they have probably contacted it before they even got near your cache.

 

If anything, you can move your cache away from the PI and then put up warnings about the PI and it's location in relationship to the cache. That can be used as a learning tool. It's been my experience that most geocachers are much more aware of their surroundings than that of the typical weekend hiker. I have seen people let their kids play in rock outcroppings that just scream "rattlesnake" and others where their kids are sitting in a patch of poison oak, happily eating their lunches. I've also seen a guy tell his kid not to touch the lemonade beery bush leaves because it was poison oak.

[+lamoracke]

I'd say just put the warnings up (ie attributes). Woods vary. Some time a year a cache may have nettles up here. Some time a year it may have a lot of blackberries. Poison oak the same. Do your best so its not in a huge bushwhack zone, but weeds are going to happen. Folks who wear shorts and t shirts while geocaching take their own higher risks with thorns and poison oaks than folks with pants and light coats.

 

Now putting a cache on purpose in the middle of say 10 feet of blackberries, that's different!

[+Lieblweb]

One of my first hides was along a river in the spring time (no PI at that time).....but has become overgrown with PI and bushwhacking. I've changed the description in my cache page to tell everyone - this area is riddled with PI and bushwhacking. It doesn't get very many visits.... and I'm reluctant to go back there and check it. I'll probably archive it this winter.

 

I personally hate PI.... In fact, I'm suffering from it RIGHT NOW!!!! It sucks..... Just when you thought you were careful, you still get it!!!

 

I personally - wouldn't expect anyone to bushwhack thru the crap if I'm not willing to do it myself.

 

It's whatever you feel is necessary..... How do you feel about getting caches surrounded by PI?

[+briansnat]

I had the very same dilemma this weekend. Went to a cache of mine that has been out for several years. As luck would have it I had only visited it when the leaves were down. I was there in the summer for the first time this Saturday and it was surrounded with PI and thorn bushes. I simply added the attributes and let searchers decide whether or not they want to chance it.

 

There was a cache I found around 5 years ago in VA that was in a literal field of PI. When I found it I was wondering what the cache owner could have been thinking. I went home and washed down with Tecnu. It's been on my watch list since and is found fairly frequently. I don't recall one complaint about PI. Either searchers don't recognize it, or they don't care.

Edited June 27, 2012 by briansnat

[+kunarion]

It's been on my watch list since and is found fairly frequently. I don't recall one complaint about PI. Either searchers don't recognize it, or they don't care.

PI is flourishing this year in the greater Atlanta area. Yet out of dozens of recent caches, only one kept me away. It was sort of one solid mass of PI with a container in the middle of it. Most anywhere else, step into the woods, it's there, if just little patches. The trick is to not break any of the leaves or vines, if possible. Most of it may end up on the bottom of my shoes.

 

I haven't gotten any poison on me lately, for some reason (usually I can just look at it and break out). So if I manage to not get the itch, I don't care.

Edited June 27, 2012 by kunarion

[7rxc]

I'd say just put the warnings up (ie attributes). Woods vary. Some time a year a cache may have nettles up here. Some time a year it may have a lot of blackberries. Poison oak the same. Do your best so its not in a huge bushwhack zone, but weeds are going to happen. Folks who wear shorts and t shirts while geocaching take their own higher risks with thorns and poison oaks than folks with pants and light coats.

 

Now putting a cache on purpose in the middle of say 10 feet of blackberries, that's different!

 

Yes! On the other hand, the guard bears are a bit sadistic, don't you think?

 

There is one near here that is guarded by Saskatoon berries. I found it quickly a few years back, but visit often in prime season.

As do lots of others. Interesting site as well to visit.

 

Doug 7rxc

[+Mudfrog]

Woods = poison ivy.

 

Add the attribute, teach your kids what it looks like, happy caching.

 

Adding the attribute is good but i usually go ahead and add some warning text to the description when i think it's needed.

 

Tx Tadpole, our 4 year old, already knows what it looks like and makes sure to avoid it.

[+Crow-T-Robot]

I say add the proper attributes and note the poison ivy in the cache description and let it go from there. Poison ivy/poison oak is just a fact of life when you're in the woods and anyone who ventures into the woods will need to learn to watch out for themselves.

[+OZ2CPU]

caches on steep slopes, you can fall down and get hurt,

caches under high bridges, you can fall and die,

caches near roads, you can get hit by a car,

caches in Poison Ivy, you can get ugly booble-skin that hurts and looks very bad,

to some people nothing hapens at all, and others just get a little bit red,

but some get VERY severe skin problems for a long time.

 

if you are very smart, take a few good pictures of the Poison Ivi leaves

and show them on the cache page, now explain people what it is, and how they handle it,

do not move cache.. it is better to give people usefull EDUCATION.

write a polite warning, so they can choose to stay away

if they dont like to see what it is for them self.

[+Christian451]

Thanks to everyone who posted a reply. I had missed the attributes when posting the cache (my first hide). I am leaving the cache and have updated the attribute for poison plants and ticks. I feel much better now that is clearly marked as an issue.

[+Obilon]

Then you get those like me that are not affected by PI, so we just blissfully hunt our way into the woods and meadows...and STILL can't find those silly pill bottles!!

Obi

[+Lieblweb]

Then you get those like me that are not affected by PI, so we just blissfully hunt our way into the woods and meadows...and STILL can't find those silly pill bottles!!

Obi

 

Don't always consider yourself immune....

 

I never got this stuff until last year!!!!

(as a kid, I was always out in the woods)

 

One day...the PI gods will strike upon you!!!! <evil grin>

[+the4dirtydogs]

I just moved one of our caches yesterday because a couple cachers had wrote in their logs that the cache was hanging on a branch of P.O. They know me and know that I'm highly allergic to the plant and they thought it was kinda funny where the cache was hidden. There wasn't any P.O. when I hid the cache in early 2010 but there sure was alot now. So I moved the cache across the street because I dont want to maintain a cache in P.O. Now lets see if I breakout this weekend.

Edited June 29, 2012 by the4dirtydogs

[+briansnat]

Then you get those like me that are not affected by PI, so we just blissfully hunt our way into the woods and meadows...and STILL can't find those silly pill bottles!!

Obi

 

Don't always consider yourself immune....

 

I never got this stuff until last year!!!!

(as a kid, I was always out in the woods)

 

One day...the PI gods will strike upon you!!!! <evil grin>

 

There are two kinds of people, those who aren't immune, and those who will lose their immunity. I was in the latter category. For the first half of my life I could roll naked in the stuff without ill effect. Then one day...

[+ras_oscar]

There's a cache in my radius named Itchy and Scratchy that is in a feature literally covered with PI. The cache page provides the appropriate warnings. I have been to GZ twice in different seasons, haven't gotten the smiley yet. In a similar vein; does anyone know if PI sensitivity reduces in individuals with repeated contact? I know it's an allergy that most people have, and that the treatment for allergy in general is repeated exposure to increasing dosages over a period of time.

Edited June 29, 2012 by ras_oscar

[+fuzziebear3]

There's a cache in my radius named Itchy and Scratchy that is in a feature literally covered with PI. The cache page provides the appropriate warnings. I have been to GZ twice in different seasons, haven't gotten the smiley yet. In a similar vein; does anyone know if PI sensitivity reduces in individuals with repeated contact? I know it's an allergy that most people have, and that the treatment for allergy in general is repeated exposure to increasing dosages over a period of time.

 

I have wondered that too, but I kinda think it works the other way ... repeated exposure leads to increasing symptoms.

 

Although I don't seem to react to it, I am always precautious -- I identify it and avoid it as much as possible. If I feel I have contacted it, I am sure to wash the area well with soap, as soon as I can.

 

I believe I am in the group of 'those who will lose their immunity'.

[+Lieblweb]

There's a cache in my radius named Itchy and Scratchy that is in a feature literally covered with PI. The cache page provides the appropriate warnings. I have been to GZ twice in different seasons, haven't gotten the smiley yet. In a similar vein; does anyone know if PI sensitivity reduces in individuals with repeated contact? I know it's an allergy that most people have, and that the treatment for allergy in general is repeated exposure to increasing dosages over a period of time.

 

I know a fellow geocacher who claims he used to get it badly as a kid.... and he doesn't get it anymore. Is that because he's immune to it? Maybe... or is it because (by habit) avoids getting near it? But yeah, I've read that you can become immune to it. Do you really want to come in contact with it and take that chance to find out?

[+mymren]

I keep a container of baby wipes in my car, so when I get back I can wipe my arms and legs down if I have come in contact with it.

[+BlackRose67]

We have caches around here that are just off of roads that had no PI when the caches were placed, but over time ground cover PI and PI vines have taken over trees.

 

I think you made a good choice adding the attribute and adding a note to the description.

Maybe take a photo of the PI patch and add it to the gallery so that those that do not know what PI looks like can see for themselves.

 

I'm fairly new at caching, but I know what to look for and if the PI is not too high or I can get to the container carefully, I'll go for it.

I keep wipes in the car and in my pack, so if I do come in contact with it, I can wipe it off fairly quickly.

Edited June 29, 2012 by BlackRose67

[+Lieblweb]

I keep a container of baby wipes in my car, so when I get back I can wipe my arms and legs down if I have come in contact with it.

 

Baby wipes are not going to remove the oils. Rubbing alcohol should break-down and remove the oils - but that's not even guaranteed.

 

Believe me...I've had to give the inside of my truck an alcohol bath just so I wouldn't keep re-infecting myself everytime I sat in the seat!!! And that goes for clothes... If its on your clothes and you throw them in the wash pile - your spouse could get it just by picking up the clothes in the pile and putting them in the washer.

 

I wish I would learn exactly what the stuff looks like....and stay the hell away from it!! This is only my 2nd year of getting it.

[+Don_J]

There's a cache in my radius named Itchy and Scratchy that is in a feature literally covered with PI. The cache page provides the appropriate warnings. I have been to GZ twice in different seasons, haven't gotten the smiley yet. In a similar vein; does anyone know if PI sensitivity reduces in individuals with repeated contact? I know it's an allergy that most people have, and that the treatment for allergy in general is repeated exposure to increasing dosages over a period of time.

 

I know a fellow geocacher who claims he used to get it badly as a kid.... and he doesn't get it anymore. Is that because he's immune to it? Maybe... or is it because (by habit) avoids getting near it? But yeah, I've read that you can become immune to it. Do you really want to come in contact with it and take that chance to find out?

 

It could be because of improved hygiene habits from when he was a kid. I know that I usually hit the shower as soon as I can after hiking. That was not the case when I was ten.

[+oxford comma]

I managed to grow up in the Maine woods and then move to Ohio, (where i spent lot of time trudging along trails and off-beaten paths) and never got poison ivy, oak, or the like for 37 years. then, on father's day of this year I was adding armloads of cut brush/decorative grasses to my daughter's fort . it was out the trees at the back of my parents' house I got some kind of poison something. and wow- what an annoying ITCHY pain in the butt.

from the knees down , and on my forearms I look like .... well... I'll just say it's not a pretty sight.

I still have no idea what I got into.

but at least my daughter has a cool fort!, lol

Edited June 30, 2012 by oxford comma

[+Sol seaker]

I've had poison oak over 75% of my body a number of times. It gets on my lips and oozes and crusts over so I can't eat, then seals my eyes shut when I sleep so I have to use hot compresses to get them open. The rest of my body covered with oozing bursting blisters is painful with unrelenting itching.

I have to take nasty drugs that are bad for the immune system and have induced diabetes in me.

 

I say move it.

 

This is not fun. Caching is supposed to be fun.

Do you really want to wish this on someone?

 

I used to run through PO with no effects. I have talked to many, many people who have the same story: the more they were exposed the worse their allergic reaction.

 

Wearing long pants and sleeves does not help. I would get it off my clothes after I took them off, or in some cases, after washing them. The oils can be persistent.

 

Fels Naptha soap is good, but if you don't wash immediately it won't help. If you don't see the PO it won't help.

[+Don_J]

I've had poison oak over 75% of my body a number of times. It gets on my lips and oozes and crusts over so I can't eat, then seals my eyes shut when I sleep so I have to use hot compresses to get them open. The rest of my body covered with oozing bursting blisters is painful with unrelenting itching.

I have to take nasty drugs that are bad for the immune system and have induced diabetes in me.

 

I say move it.

 

This is not fun. Caching is supposed to be fun.

Do you really want to wish this on someone?

 

I used to run through PO with no effects. I have talked to many, many people who have the same story: the more they were exposed the worse their allergic reaction.

 

Wearing long pants and sleeves does not help. I would get it off my clothes after I took them off, or in some cases, after washing them. The oils can be persistent.

 

Fels Naptha soap is good, but if you don't wash immediately it won't help. If you don't see the PO it won't help.

 

I have broken out twice. Once was pretty serious because I didn't know what the stuff was, or how to deal with it, and I had no idea why I was getting blisters. The oil is persistent. I managed to get it on the steering wheel of one of my work trucks and ended up infecting two other drivers. Since then, I have been exposed more than a few times. Wet wipes can help if you are careful to try to remove the oil from just where you were exposed and not simply smear it all over the place. I seem to be lucky as I can wait several hours and wash up with cold water, Dawn dish soap and a white Scotch Brite pad and get away with it. Apparently, it hasn't bonded with my skin in that time. My wallet cheaps like a bird, but if I had reactions such as yours, I'd be hiking with one of the commercial products that removes it on the spot.

[+mymren]

I don't get it bad at all but hubby does (thou he doesn't cache with me). So I guess when I put warnings in my logs (where it is prevalent) then I'm not really being a "cache police"? I just would hate for someone really allergic to get covered.

[+BlackRose67]

If I find poison ivy at a cache site, I'll make a comment about it in my "Found it" or DNF log.

 

The caching group that I am a member of had a workshop earlier this month about poison ivy.

Since that workshop, I have successfully spotted and avoided PI several times.

[+Lieblweb]

I have successfully spotted and avoided PI several times.

 

This is my 2nd major outbreak... and I've been combing google images here lately to better identify it. And yeah...I'm seeing it EVERYWHERE!!!

 

I think I own shares in the Poison Ivy market place with all the stuff I have at home. Sprays, creams, soaps, bla bla bla

 

I'm beginning to hate PI worse than ticks!!

[+BCandMsKitty]

I just went to check on a cache of mine on the edge of a local cemetery. I hid it when there was no leaves on anything. Today I realized that the great little bunch of vines behind which I hid the cache, and which you have to move to get the cache, are poison ivy vines! Monstrous ones! I immediately disabled the cache and will have to put my hazmat stuff on and go and retrieve it so I can relocate. (Yes, I'm highly allergic to the stuff). I can't understand why I didn't break out after I hid it!

[+RoadRoach58]

I'm glad I'm not allergic. In fact, there ain't much I am allergic to. That's a real bonus in this hobby, for sure!