New for "Hiders and Seekers"

[+DOCSpanky]

We all GEOCACHE at our own risk yes. But if you plant a cache, and notice that there is barbed wire or some other hazard in the immediate vicinity, please let everyone know in the description.

[+Ambrosia]

I've had several pretty scary run ins with barbed wire while caching. Sad thing is, I knew the wire was there each time, I'm just really clumsy. I finally got a tetanus shot after realizing that I was several years past due.

[+StarBrand]

We all GEOCACHE at our own risk yes. But if you plant a cache, and notice that there is barbed wire or some other hazard in the immediate vicinity, please let everyone know in the description.

 

Makes good sense. But keep in mind that years and seasons come and go and things change around cache sites - so it might not have been there (or so obvious) when cache was placed. Possible anyway.

[+Sharks-N-Beans]

We use stages of a multi to guide cachers away from barbed wire.

[+Bushwalker53]

I agree, they should also warn about hidden cliffs, (Almost fallen off one while caching)! Good point.

[+jellis]

That should apply to many dangers. They have attributes too. Thorny can mean more then plants. Some dangers can be hidden like snakes, rocks and holes by overgrowth. I was looking for a cache and stepped into a rabbit hole and twisted and fractured my ankle.

A cacher hid a cache in an opening at the base of a tree. Myself and another cacher had no trouble finding it first. But the next cacher found out that was also a home to a skunk.

And I am sure most of us have came across wasp nests that show up.

[+Don_J]

I agree, they should also warn about hidden cliffs, (Almost fallen off one while caching)! Good point.

 

I once came across an open, unprotected vertical mine shaft. The cache owner had no idea and did add a warning, but I have learned to expect the unexpected regardless of what the cache description says. Personally, I would always include any hazards that were known or later reported to me, on my cache descriptions.

[+Viajero Perdido]

I want to take you to the cliff, not steer you away from it.

[+OZ2CPU]

EXACTLY.. good point..

if a CO is not aware, he can not put it in the cache page,

maybe he came from another path to put the cache there.

 

if you find stuff while there, let him know,

and also post a friendly note about this in your log,

we can all help each other, to make the trips out there, a little bit more safe.

[+uxorious]

I want to take you to the cliff, not steer you away from it.

 

True, but I want to warn you it's there. If it's not obvious.

[2oldfarts (the rockhounders)]

You really should stay home if barb wire is a problem for you. I never rely on someone else to tell me what may be a problem for them when I am out and about, since it may not be a problem at all, just their inability to deal with real life. My safety is the one thing I take seriously when I venture out into the "wilds" and I am the only one who can determine what might be a problem for me.

 

As far as putting something on the cache page - more and more people don't read the cache page and just follow their GPSr (phones) after downloading the coordinates. We have had quite a few people make comments in their logs that reflect the fact that they didn't read the cache page or they would have known what to expect when searching for the cache.

 

Take your eyes off the GPSr and see what is around you, you might actually see why the cache was hidden where it is (Some hiders actually chose where to hide a cache so others will enjoy the area.). If your eyes are glued to the GPSr you are Not paying attention to your surroundings! That is a good way to get yourself hurt or into trouble.

 

John

[+DOCSpanky]

I left a friendly note in the online log. I take situational awareness very seriously, and I know that no one would ever deliberately steer someone towards danger. I was hunting this cache late dusk to almost dark. However this barbed wire was rusty, so it has been in place for some time. WAS NOT, AM NOT, WILL NOT complain, there is no blame here, just a reminder of awareness. On a positive note, my minimag lite failed on this trip, I called their service dept, and they emailed me a coupon for a new 2nd generation minimag. Got to wal-mart, and all they had were the two packs of the new mini mag lights, so as much as I like to make fun of Wal Mart, in this case 2 companies went above and beyond expectation. On the downside Tetanus shots still hurt.

 

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?wp=GC39WWY

Edited February 23, 2013 by DOCSpanky

[+Don_J]

You really should stay home if barb wire is a problem for you. I never rely on someone else to tell me what may be a problem for them when I am out and about, since it may not be a problem at all, just their inability to deal with real life. My safety is the one thing I take seriously when I venture out into the "wilds" and I am the only one who can determine what might be a problem for me.

 

As far as putting something on the cache page - more and more people don't read the cache page and just follow their GPSr (phones) after downloading the coordinates. We have had quite a few people make comments in their logs that reflect the fact that they didn't read the cache page or they would have known what to expect when searching for the cache.

 

Take your eyes off the GPSr and see what is around you, you might actually see why the cache was hidden where it is (Some hiders actually chose where to hide a cache so others will enjoy the area.). If your eyes are glued to the GPSr you are Not paying attention to your surroundings! That is a good way to get yourself hurt or into trouble.

 

John

 

Here's what you see from the bottom:

 

 

Here's the top:

 

 

You can park and approach from two different directions. If you come down from the fire road in the dark without a flashlight, and you didn't read my cache description, you could be in for a world of hurt. I did my part, but if I knew about this, placed a cache to draw you to it and didn't warn you, I would feel a certain amount of responsibility if you got hurt.

 

I think that most people who do not read descriptions are those that are running around the parking lots on a Saturday afternoon trying to get their 100 caches a day. I would expect that if one is venturing out into the wilderness they would want to have as much information as possible, and I'm going to take the time to give them that information in my cache descriptions.

[2oldfarts (the rockhounders)]

You can park and approach from two different directions. If you come down from the fire road in the dark without a flashlight, and you didn't read my cache description, you could be in for a world of hurt. I did my part, but if I knew about this, placed a cache to draw you to it and didn't warn you, I would feel a certain amount of responsibility if you got hurt.

 

I think that most people who do not read descriptions are those that are running around the parking lots on a Saturday afternoon trying to get their 100 caches a day. I would expect that if one is venturing out into the wilderness they would want to have as much information as possible, and I'm going to take the time to give them that information in my cache descriptions.

 

Let me see if I understand correctly - You are "venturing out into the wilderness" in the dark and have no flashlight. You could get hurt? Really!

You will venture out at night without a flashlight, but want the safety information so you will be safe?

 

I see says the blind man.....

 

John

[+DOCSpanky]

Note I had one, it fried, I found the barbed wire on the way OUT. Again, please understand this is more about raising awareness for newer cachers.

[Saw_Bones]

I would appreciate it if people actually used the attributes or if we could have a feature that allowed the people who find the cache to add their own. The local cachers who hide usually do a good job of adding attributes but there's also a lot of ones that are blank and I know the area has dangerous plants and wildlife. One in New Symerna had syringes and other dangerous items near the cache, which probably shouldn't have been placed where it was just purely under the " Do not endanger yourself or others intentionally". It is now gone and soon to be archived hopefully due to it being gutted and the container missing.

 

Also Don J that view is awesome.

Edited February 23, 2013 by Saw_Bones

[+simpjkee]

If I use my cache page to warn people of all the possible dangers of being in the desert, my description will be a huge mass of fine print that would put the fine print on medications to shame! Maybe after the fine print I could add a check box that says "I agree to the terms and conditions of attempting this cache", because we all know that everyone reads that stuff before hitting agree, right?

 

Maybe I could compromise and just add one of my favorite sayings to each cache page: "Warning! Life is hazardous to your health and will lead to death!"

[+BCandMsKitty]

I agree that most times you can't warn about all of the hazards one might encounter while searching a cache. Most of it lies in the realm of common sense and taking responsibility for ones own safety considering where you are, etc.

 

However, if there's a particular unanticipated hazard at one of my caches, I'll note it on the log page, just in case people will read it.

 

I have a park and grab that involves a cache hidden on the back fence of a small roadside cemetery, on a sort of low hill at the side of the road. When I hid it, I never noticed anything out of the ordinary, but soon a friend related how she was searching for the cache and fell into a concealed groundhog hole, twisting here ankle a bit. I kind of nodded, and was thinking "yeah .... kind of clumsy huh?"

Well, I went to do some maintenance on it and almost fell into the hole myself! Seems that they don't cut the grass there as regularly as they might, and when the grass is long, the hole becomes a trap!

Simple notation on the cache page, and my conscience is at peace.

Be careful out there, folks!

 

BC

[+DOCSpanky]

Exactly, nothing descriptive to give unwanted clues or hints. But KNOWN hazards should be on the cache page. If you don't read up on a cache before you go looking, you fall into the "STUPID IS AS STUPID DOES" bucket. I read the entire cache, last 10 logs, was fully equipped, and just had the great misfortune to have a supposedly TOP-of-the-line flashlight take a dump on me (The LED fried, batteries were fine). I tried to follow my track back slowly, but anyone who has ever found barbed wire the hard way, you know it does not allow for second chances. Ironically, I got my first FTF magazine today, and am doing some rearranging on my "searching gear". I like the tactical vest approach, and it has a nice article on using a tactical vest properly.

[+simpjkee]

Exactly, nothing descriptive to give unwanted clues or hints. But KNOWN hazards should be on the cache page. If you don't read up on a cache before you go looking, you fall into the "STUPID IS AS STUPID DOES" bucket. I read the entire cache, last 10 logs, was fully equipped, and just had the great misfortune to have a supposedly TOP-of-the-line flashlight take a dump on me (The LED fried, batteries were fine). I tried to follow my track back slowly, but anyone who has ever found barbed wire the hard way, you know it does not allow for second chances. Ironically, I got my first FTF magazine today, and am doing some rearranging on my "searching gear". I like the tactical vest approach, and it has a nice article on using a tactical vest properly.

You don't carry backup bulbs? I do. My minimag always has a backup bulb in the battery compartment and I have two extras in my geobag to replace them as needed. This sounds more like a case of 'unprepared cacher' than inadequete cache page. I can relate though. Early on, I had a bulb burn out while night caching too. Learned my lesson and now I'm a more prepared cacher because of it.

[+DOCSpanky]

It was an LED, and you have to dissassemble the whole top unit to change it. I have two now, of the newer generation LED. Plus I gifted myself the LED flashlight from the Groundspeak store. So I will hit the field with no less than 3 from now on.

[+DOCSpanky]

You don't carry backup bulbs? I do. My minimag always has a backup bulb in the battery compartment and I have two extras in my geobag to replace them as needed. This sounds more like a case of 'unprepared cacher' than inadequete cache page. I can relate though. Early on, I had a bulb burn out while night caching too. Learned my lesson and now I'm a more prepared cacher because of it.

 

This one was LED, and after they figured out it was defective they did not sell replacement LED units. I used to have one of the bulb style, and yes those two nice little prongs were nice and easy.