Face Planting 101

[+beaniejunkie]

OK I want to know that I am just not the only one out here that face plants occasionally while in the thick of a geo hunt. I am starting this thread so we can post our famous "oops I was looking at the gps and did a header into....insert tree, bush, fence, log, cactus etc here. LOL. OK lets get this hall of falls started. Today I did a doozie. A full out flat face right at the beginning of a trail where one should have to step over a fence bar about a couple of inches off the ground. Yup I managed to get out the phone to take a photo and start the geocaching program and miss the step all at the same time. Phone went for a four foot flight and my poor body was smashed on the trail like a pancake. Bruised up my foot and shin pretty good and scraps on both hands. I was so mad as I had just started my hike. Still managed about two miles and four caches before I had to call my hubby to rescue me from walking back to my car as my foot had swollen up to much to be useful anymore. So there it is, my sad tale of woe. Now its your turn, dont be shy I feel sure I am not alone in this sort of mishap. Lets hear about your great missteps here.

Edited May 14, 2013 by beaniejunkie

[+rdtorres3]

Oh the adventures lol! Haven't had a face plant, but have landed on the other end more than once. Just today, walking down a hill on soft mud. Ended up sliding quite a bit. Just sat there and laughed. What else could I do, besides, I had found the cache

[AZcachemeister]

I've tripped, flipped, and slipped plenty of times over the years...but nothing really spectacular enough to mention.

 

There was this one day out when we did a little Mountain Biking along with a few caches, and a crash while Mountain Biking that day landed me in the hospital a week later (for a week), but we weren't really geocaching at the time.

[+cerberus1]

My other 2/3rds did a face plant on a rails to trails once.

Her toe caught the top of probably the only rail spike still left in eight miles.

[+The_Incredibles_]

I've had lots of falls.

 

Here's one that will cheer you up. OK, so I was playing tag with my kid at a local playground. Tripped and fell hard on the pavement, skinning my left knee. Hurt like hell and left a nasty bloody wound.

 

A few days later... ...I was caching. Had a good hike and was on my way home when I slipped on a wet bridge. Down I came, on my LEFT knee, yep, the same one I injured previously. Bruises upon bruises.

 

The story gets better....About a week later....I was caching at night on slippery rocks and...you guessed it....I slipped and fell, banging my LEFT knee AGAIN on the rocks. Lay there flat on my back for a good 10 minutes hoping for death to come LOL. It was excruciating.

 

Thankfully that was the end of it, but I've still got a nasty purple mark on my knee to remind me of my adventures.

[+geodarts]

This happened last week so it is still fresh on my mind (and on my face). There I was, leisurely riding my bike along a trail after finding the last cache of the day. Suddenly, there was some motion in the brush and the next thing I knew a wild turkey was flying, head high, about five or six feet off the ground, straight toward me. I should have tucked my head in, dug deep, and pushed ahead of it. But it took me by surprise and all I could think about was how a small bird attacked my head while I was caching in the city, so I turned to ward it off. The next thing I knew I was on the ground. My bike helmet was broken. My glasses bent completely out of shape. I spat out dirt (luckily no teeth were with it) and the turkey retreated back to the brush, no doubt declaring victory. One side of my face looked rather ugly. Uglier than normal. Other than that it turned out okay, although my daughter said I should work a puma into the story.

 

It's not the first time I have fallen, either on a bike or on foot. Perhaps it is the bloodiest time.

 

I once avoided a spectacular fall, coming down a steep trail after finding a cache on a peak above Machu Picchu. It was starting to rain. The rocks were slippery. There was a chasm to my right. But I caught my self with my hiking stick.

 

I always hike with the stick now. And I always wear a biking helmet.

Edited May 14, 2013 by geodarts

[+day1976]

A few months ago I was out caching, I jumped over the large trunk of a tree that had fallen in the scrub, not far from where the cache was. Severely twisted my ankle on the other side and fell to the ground like a sack of potatoes, clasping my ankle. Had to walk about half a mile back to the car. None of this would have been too remarkable except that the cache was actually mine and all I was doing was a maintenance check.

[+lamoracke]

Have had about 8 or 10 classic slips, a few into a batch of nettles in front of that cache's CO. Of the 8 I have slipped, 3 or 4 of them came on the same cache. Was admittedly trying to brute force a puzzle where I figured it had to be and kept slipping on some wet logs. I solved it enough to know what woods it was in, and I figured, how could it be to find? I deserved those slips probably, but then again, those puzzles are rarely solved legitimately.

[+uxorious]

The log from my worse fall, so far.

 

"This was the last spot I visited after a day in the mountains. By the time I got to this one I was tired.

 

Started looking and the GPS was pointing down the hill. A quick check with the hint and I knew where it should be, but by this time, this fat old man was quite tired. I really should have waited, I'm not as young as I once was. But down I went.

 

I managed to step in a hole, reached out to grab a branch, which promptly broke.(not before it pulled my shoulder) I fell backward, and slid and bounce a couple feet down hill, landing upside down, and mentally checking to see if anything was broke. Nothing was broke, but a lot of things hurt.

 

I could hardly move my right arm, but I managed to get to the cache, sign it and put it back before limping back up the hill and to my car.

 

All this time I swear my dogs were laughing at me.

 

In spite of all this, I really did enjoy this cache."

 

Turns out I tore the rotator cuff, (?) in my shoulder. It was almost a year before the pain had settled down completely. Just about the time it was getting a lot better, I fell off a log and tore the same shoulder a little more.

 

I've got to keep reminding myself, I'm 65, not 15!

Edited May 14, 2013 by uxorious

[+clarinetqueen]

Last summer's log...

"This was #150 for me and I don't think I'll forget it...

 

I found one of the other 2 caches here and set off for this one. With all the sand I thought that flip flops would be best. This decision would come back to haunt me.

 

Enjoyed the walk out on the peninsula and found the cache with no problem. There was a wet, torn notebook lying beside it, and if I was in my right mind I would've just taken it to the nearest trash can. The cache itself is pretty icky inside - wet, has some sand, and the trade items are just ick. If anyone cares to, it could probably use about 15 minutes of love cleaning out the sand and replacing some of the trade items. And a new logbook too - doesn't seem right to have a piece of paper in an ammo can. I resolved myself that I would come back soon and make the upgrades myself, but...

 

I was about halfway back to the car when I ran full-force into a log on the ground with my foot, my middle toe taking the brunt of it. I yelled some not-so-nice words and hobbled back to the car. It's been a few hours now and I'm pretty sure that the toe is broken. I'm just hoping none of the bones on the top of my foot are broken. I know, it's my stupid fault for wearing flip flops. I think flip flops and I are going to break up soon."

 

THEN, LATER THAT SAME DAY:

"It's an established fact that I suck at geocaching, but today I tested those limits. Not only did I DNF, I got myself in a bad situation. It's scary to think about it now.

 

Fraygirls gave me some hints the other day, and I found the cache coordinates easily. However I neglected to scope out where I should park before I left the house. Mistake #1

 

I was caching earlier today - in flip flops because of the sand at Sutton Lake - and broke my toe. Stubborn as I am, I decided to tough out the pain and keep caching. Mistake #2

 

I got close and decided to park behind some medical offices. There were woods nearby and it didn't seem that far to the GZ according to my GPS. There looked like a little trail going in and I figured it couldn't be that bad. Mistake #3

 

Let's just say the trail quickly ran out, and I started bushwhacking like there was no tomorrow. I kept telling myself, just a little more, just a little more and you'll be there. Pretty soon I was so thick into limbs, weeds, and briars that I started to get a little panicky. My toe was throbbing and I got disoriented for a minute. Finally I snapped back to reality and said - you've got to go back! You're not going to make it! I started envisioning myself falling in the tangle of weeds and briars and not being able to get out. Did I mention I left my phone in the car? Mistake #4.

 

I think I was about halfway back when a limb hit me directly on the eyeball. Thankfully I don't think I hurt my eye, but it did make me lose my contact. And I'm on my last pair, so I guess I'm going to the eye doctor this week.

 

Finally, FINALLY I saw the parking lot and got back in my car. My legs were all scraped and bloody, and I had to close my bad eye in order to drive out. I'm back home now and I'm still a little shaky from this ordeal.

 

Okay, kiddos, learn something from clarinetqueen. She made a lot of stupid mistakes today and she won't be making them again! My apologies to fraygirls for turning your nice little cache into a near-death experience."

[+Alkhalikoi]

I slipped while stepping over a guard rail and had my entire 250+ frame land on my inner thigh. Fortunately -- I suppose -- I've got enough meat on my legs that the contact patch was about eight inches long, but it left me with a bruise that wrapped about 300 degrees around my leg and with a welt the size of a plaintain.

[+MountainWoods]

There are a couple of cache owners here in the Ozarks that I swear must be trying to outdo each other for planting "Caches That Could Cill" (uh, Kill). I've been fortunate that I haven't gone down with my 300+ pounds yet. If I did, I'd probably not be around to add anything meaningful to this thread!

 

It's interesting reading the logs of one of the caches because half of the folks say the same thing: that they almost got killed getting to the cache or back from it -- and no, they were not looking in the wrong place! Apparently the CO placed the cache on a dry day whilst wearing spiked shoes or something. I just looked it back up. It is marked as T2.

 

Another cache has you climb a rock ledge that probably should be done by an expert with pitons and such, even though it's marked T2.5. Yeah, right. One slip and you'll be hoping that there will soon be another FTF -- for you!

 

I've enjoyed reading this thread. But I hope I don't end up victim to these guys' geoTricks.

[Chino1130]

Never face planted, but I came inches always from falling over a 40 foot waterfall a few weeks ago.

[+BAIN!]

I think my worst isn't bad at all...

 

During the winter months, I wear glasses because the cold dries my eyes out. So now that we are in warmer months, I've put contacts back in and the first day with contacts in, I'm caching and looking at the GPS and don't notice the branch of a tree coming, coming, coming into my eye. No damage though.

[+CX15]

Too tempting not to post here..

 

Yesterday I checked on one of my caches that's hidden in the loft of an extremely old house (ca. 1920) in a totally abandoned village.

I climbed the wooden ladder up to the loft and checked that everything is still ok. When I turned around I lightly knocked the ladder with my foot and the whole thing came apart and all the rungs dropped to the floor!!

 

And there I was stuck in the loft (with my cache) and no more ladder!!

 

I LOVE this hobby!!

[+popokiiti]

It was worse when I used to cache with a backpack - you wouldn't believe the amount of crapola I lugged around with me - the weight would frequently make me topple over backwards as I stood up and I'd be laying on the trail like an upended turtle. Now I just trip over blades of grass or a twig, and Popoki Nui will turn around to talk to me and I've gone. Apparently I go down very quietly - I must just be thinking a bad word!

[+jellis]

Don't you hate it when you are following your GPSr and splat your face is in a spider web that is across your path? But then you have to see if the spider was in it and now on you. YUCK!!!

[+Annawashere]

I'm the worst klutz, so of course I've had a few spills, although never a full on face plant.

 

One cache was in January, whilst raining, on a muddy trail, straight uphill. After lots of climbing, and going straight through bushes and piles of leaves, we found the cache. After signing, my group decided to head back. Well no more than 5 feet into the descent, I lost my balance and fell hard on my back side... into a mud puddle. This kept happening the whole way. By the time we got back to the car, I was dirty, wet, and freezing Lesson for those reading: wear actual hiking boots, not converse

 

I have a few others.

 

On an (amazing!) cache called Australia, which is in a deep culvert, I slipped and slid all the way downhill, across piles of rocks. And on the way up, I almost flipped my friend (who was giving me a hand up) over my shoulder and down the hill. She went sliding down towards me when I grabbed her hand, and she even ended up ripping her pants

 

This same friend attempted a cache along a creek bed. It was a steep, rocky decent to the muddy creek bottom. She figured she could grab a branch and jump down quickly while I waited for her farther back. Well as soon as she grabbed the branch, it snapped and she splashed down. She miraculously managed to not kill my iphone which she was navigating with, but she was soaked through from the waist down.

 

Another time we tried to find a cache in the cold, dark, underneath a big metal bridge. I went to step over some brush, and didn't realize that it was on a sort of ledge thing... dropped down and landed hard on a metal bar. It pierced my shoe and the bottom of my foot.

 

There's been many other spills, but those are the ones that come to mind. It's a running joke with my friends that the only time we'll ever need the first aid kit we bring w/ us is if I'm leading the way

Edited May 18, 2013 by Annawashere

[cutiepie7f]

I havnt fallen on my face .....yet .....but while en route to the second stage of a very easy but awesome multi... we had to climb a lil hill...while walking around the hill I noticed a path that went right up...I said to my other hslf look there's a path wevshoild go up that...he says no no no we re not that close yet ..soo listening to him we end up on the other side of the hill....there we are starring at a pretty steep incline me him our 5 year old and my mother who was wearing slipper sandals....instead of going back to the lil trail he starts climbing the very steep hill..ok I'm game he's well ahead of us while I have our son right in front of me and my mother right in back and I'm trying too make sure they are both making it up ok....I tell my son to grab a tree to help him pull himself up and while he does that I look back to check on my mom and BAM ...the tree he pulled on went right in my face ...the whole thing broke and landed right on my head thankfully it was a very smalltree we then nake it up to retrieve the cache and took tge very easy trail down. Thats what I get for listening to the man in the group

[+Chief301]

This one...

 

http://coord.info/GL7EDWY2

 

My log....

 

The first cache I've attempted in Florida and I struck out. Stopped here on the way to Disney World and tried this cache but my traveling companions were ready to leave so I didn't search too long. I did, however, fall on my butt and slide down the concrete (did I mention it's been raining all day?)

 

Slid about 10 feet down the slick concrete embankment....no injuries but had to ride the rest of the way to Tallahassee with a damp butt and a green streak down the back of my shorts. . And no smiley....

 

I probably had others but this one comes to mind.....nothing serious though.

[+Sharks-N-Beans]

This one...

 

http://coord.info/GL7EDWY2

 

My log....

 

The first cache I've attempted in Florida and I struck out. Stopped here on the way to Disney World and tried this cache but my traveling companions were ready to leave so I didn't search too long. I did, however, fall on my butt and slide down the concrete (did I mention it's been raining all day?)

 

Slid about 10 feet down the slick concrete embankment....no injuries but had to ride the rest of the way to Tallahassee with a damp butt and a green streak down the back of my shorts. . And no smiley....

 

I probably had others but this one comes to mind.....nothing serious though.

 

I don't even know you and yet I have this urge to call you butt face. :laughing:

[+Sharks-N-Beans]

OK, this thread needs some images so I'll resort to caption license...

 

Bob was well on his way to being FTF on the new Power Trail

[+Chief301]

This one...

 

http://coord.info/GL7EDWY2

 

My log....

 

The first cache I've attempted in Florida and I struck out. Stopped here on the way to Disney World and tried this cache but my traveling companions were ready to leave so I didn't search too long. I did, however, fall on my butt and slide down the concrete (did I mention it's been raining all day?)

 

Slid about 10 feet down the slick concrete embankment....no injuries but had to ride the rest of the way to Tallahassee with a damp butt and a green streak down the back of my shorts. . And no smiley....

 

I probably had others but this one comes to mind.....nothing serious though.

 

I don't even know you and yet I have this urge to call you butt face. :laughing:

 

Get to know me, you'll be calling me lots of things....