Let's watch our step out there.

[+DragonsWest]

Geocacher falls in river.

 

Good he had a cell phone and could give his location, but hope he wasn't taking the most direct route to the cache as opposed to the safest route.

[+bflentje]

The cost of doing business.

[4wheelin_fool]

Well, it's good to know that he's okay.

[+DragonsWest]

I fell in a river once, while geocaching. Good it was a small one, not very deep and was in the warmer part of the year. Had to drive home with the windows down, though, as I stunk like Swamp Thing.

[+Cool Cow Cachers]

I'm glad to hear he's OK but that's twice in the last two hours that I've heard of geocachers getting lost. How does one get lost while holding a GPSr in their hands? It seems that folks should spend a little more time getting to know how to navigate with their GPSr.

[+DragonsWest]

I'm glad to hear he's OK but that's twice in the last two hours that I've heard of geocachers getting lost. How does one get lost while holding a GPSr in their hands? It seems that folks should spend a little more time getting to know how to navigate with their GPSr.

 

Learning how to start tracking your current hike is fairly simple. When in an unfamiliar park I *always* start a Track Log, Displayed on Screen, so if I end up in a maze of twisty passages - all alike, I can backtrack to main trails and find my way back to start.

[4wheelin_fool]

I'm glad to hear he's OK but that's twice in the last two hours that I've heard of geocachers getting lost. How does one get lost while holding a GPSr in their hands? It seems that folks should spend a little more time getting to know how to navigate with their GPSr.

He wasn't lost, although he may have fallen into the river because he was looking at the GPS. I've tripped over logs and stepped into holes while looking at mine. .

Edited December 13, 2012 by 4wheelin_fool

[knowschad]

That reminded me of this:

 

Log from March 2, 2008 by the cacher, Bobcam. What he doesn't seem to find important enough to mention is that it was also sub-zero in Minnesota that day.

 

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/log.aspx?LUID=0687f939-8c78-4799-ba51-48633dfa163e

 

(Bolded by me)

Well, I will have to take a DNF for this one. Got within 75 feet straight across from GZ and figured I would quickly cross the river. Guess I figured wrong Got about 10 feet on to the ice and CRASH! Next thing I knew, I was crotch deep in the river. Lucky there was no kids within hear shot of me - I yelled it all and them some. dadgum ice kept cracking all around me as I was trying to fight my way it back to dry land. Little to say I was soaked(the GPSr was dry though). Vehicle was parked back at the Library, which seem a long way off right about now. Pulled myself out of the river and up the embankment. As I started in the direction of my vehicle a cold wind started blowing - funny I didn't notice the wind before when I was DRY! Looking at my GPSr, I noticed a few more caches between me and my vehicle, so of course I swung by and grabbed them all. Got back safe and sound (legs were cold) and quickly drove to the nearest Wally-Mart and bought some new dry jeans (had a back up pair of boots and socks in the vehicle) and was back out caching with the hour.

I will be back, maybe with a wet suit.

[+Ms.Scrabbler]

I'm glad to hear he's OK but that's twice in the last two hours that I've heard of geocachers getting lost. How does one get lost while holding a GPSr in their hands? It seems that folks should spend a little more time getting to know how to navigate with their GPSr.

[/quote)

That was my thought as well. If I'm going to be much out of sight of my car I always mark it so if I had to I could follow the arrow.

[+dakboy]

When in an unfamiliar park I *always* start a Track Log, Displayed on Screen, so if I end up in a maze of twisty passages - all alike, I can backtrack to main trails and find my way back to start.

I find my trekking pole very handy when fighting off Grues.

[+Cool Cow Cachers]

"The women told police that her husband, whose identity was not released, was lost in the woods along the Weweantic"

[knowschad]

I'm glad to hear he's OK but that's twice in the last two hours that I've heard of geocachers getting lost. How does one get lost while holding a GPSr in their hands? It seems that folks should spend a little more time getting to know how to navigate with their GPSr.

That was my thought as well. If I'm going to be much out of sight of my car I always mark it so if I had to I could follow the arrow.

It is very possible that hypothermia had set in and fogged his thinking.

[+DragonsWest]

When in an unfamiliar park I *always* start a Track Log, Displayed on Screen, so if I end up in a maze of twisty passages - all alike, I can backtrack to main trails and find my way back to start.

I find my trekking pole very handy when fighting off Grues.

 

About all I can deduce from it is he fell into the river and got out on the other side, into some woods. Typical news, not enough information.

[+Dan2099]

The title of this thread should be "don't forget our common sense out there" is a cache really worth falling into water deep into the woods? Or if the guy is that clumsy he may want to take up stamp collecting

[+Packanack]

The cache: http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?wp=GC42HKX#

 

I don't think he logged a DNF, and there was a FTF logged on 12/11 . Which just goes to show you don't be a FTF Hog, you may wind up in the news.

Edited December 13, 2012 by Packanack

[+NYPaddleCacher]

I'm glad to hear he's OK but that's twice in the last two hours that I've heard of geocachers getting lost. How does one get lost while holding a GPSr in their hands? It seems that folks should spend a little more time getting to know how to navigate with their GPSr.

That was my thought as well. If I'm going to be much out of sight of my car I always mark it so if I had to I could follow the arrow.

It is very possible that hypothermia had set in and fogged his thinking.

 

But somehow after falling in a river his cell phone still worked.

[knowschad]

I'm glad to hear he's OK but that's twice in the last two hours that I've heard of geocachers getting lost. How does one get lost while holding a GPSr in their hands? It seems that folks should spend a little more time getting to know how to navigate with their GPSr.

That was my thought as well. If I'm going to be much out of sight of my car I always mark it so if I had to I could follow the arrow.

It is very possible that hypothermia had set in and fogged his thinking.

 

But somehow after falling in a river his cell phone still worked.

Apparently so. Why would you question that?

[AZcachemeister]

 

Apparently so. Why would you question that?

 

Mostly because most GPSr are waterproof? But, perhaps he was a smartphone cacher...and very lucky.

 

Am I the only one amused by the name of the river?

Wee

Wee

Antic(s)

[+The_Incredibles_]

Happens to the best of us. I've never fallen in a river but have come close a number of times.

 

I can't believe some of the judgemental comments on the article page. I wonder if any of those people actually spend time outdoors on a regular basis.

 

In the last month I've slipped and fallen 3 times and all times have landed on my left knee, scraping/bruising it. Ouch! I consider myself a fairly careful person, but these things happen.

 

I have tripped and fallen so many times. It's very wet here. I wear good hiking shoes with traction. If I'm going on rough terrain, I use a walking stick.

 

I always bring a cellphone along in case I need to call for help.

 

What more can you do? Stay home I guess, but that wouldn't be much of a life.

Edited December 13, 2012 by The_Incredibles_

[+NYPaddleCacher]

I'm glad to hear he's OK but that's twice in the last two hours that I've heard of geocachers getting lost. How does one get lost while holding a GPSr in their hands? It seems that folks should spend a little more time getting to know how to navigate with their GPSr.

That was my thought as well. If I'm going to be much out of sight of my car I always mark it so if I had to I could follow the arrow.

It is very possible that hypothermia had set in and fogged his thinking.

 

But somehow after falling in a river his cell phone still worked.

Apparently so. Why would you question that?

 

Even though I persoanally have have "falling in a river" experience, I suppose that he might have had some sort of weather resistant case for the cell phone he used to talk with his wife after falling in the river, but I just assumed that most unprotected smart phones wouldn't survive a dunk in a river.

[knowschad]

I'm glad to hear he's OK but that's twice in the last two hours that I've heard of geocachers getting lost. How does one get lost while holding a GPSr in their hands? It seems that folks should spend a little more time getting to know how to navigate with their GPSr.

That was my thought as well. If I'm going to be much out of sight of my car I always mark it so if I had to I could follow the arrow.

It is very possible that hypothermia had set in and fogged his thinking.

 

But somehow after falling in a river his cell phone still worked.

Apparently so. Why would you question that?

 

Even though I persoanally have have "falling in a river" experience, I suppose that he might have had some sort of weather resistant case for the cell phone he used to talk with his wife after falling in the river, but I just assumed that most unprotected smart phones wouldn't survive a dunk in a river.

 

Or he had the phone in a wool jacket or raincoat pocket or something that would protect it in a brief immersion. Obviously the phone did work, and apparently he really was wet, so suspension of disbelief isn't really necessary here, is it?

[+ShaunEM]

I fell into a river once trying to rescue a fishing snag. My shirt was red with a skateboarding monkey on it. the WHOLE monkey got wet. I was lucky I didn't die.

 

You don't need to be geocaching to end up in the river.. I mean its all downhill into those things.

 

Shaun

[knowschad]

I fell into a river once trying to rescue a fishing snag. My shirt was red with a skateboarding monkey on it. the WHOLE monkey got wet. I was lucky I didn't die.

 

You don't need to be geocaching to end up in the river.. I mean its all downhill into those things.

 

Shaun

 

[RedShoesGirl]

i am getting a giggle out of the name of the river.

[+ras_oscar]

He only fell in crotch deep. The boys got wet, but not the cel phone (in his coat pocket?) or the GPS (in his hand?). When I'm doing a water ford I always drop the GPS in the caching bag and zip it shut so that 1.) I have both hands free and 2.) it is protected from the elements/shocks. I've fallen several times with GPS in hand. The natural instinct seems to be to protect the GPS before self. Not sure if that's healthy,but that is what happens, probably because that's where my mind is concentrating (which is probably why I tripped and fell)