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Desert Geocaching Precautions


luvvinbird

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I'll be in Palm Desert, California this October and I'm hoping to nab a few desert geocaches. Nothing specific as yet, but I was curious if there were precautions one should take before sticking their hand into a nest of rattlesnakes, etc. I'm cautious about plant and animal life where I live in Canada but the desert is a whole new world for me. Many thanks!

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15 minutes ago, luvvinbird said:

I'll be in Palm Desert, California this October and I'm hoping to nab a few desert geocaches. Nothing specific as yet, but I was curious if there were precautions one should take before sticking their hand into a nest of rattlesnakes, etc. I'm cautious about plant and animal life where I live in Canada but the desert is a whole new world for me. Many thanks!

 

It's better to not stick your hand into a nest of rattlesnakes at all. ;)

As it applies to Geocaching, yeah, if there are a lot of logs about "felt uncomfortable reaching that far into that dead tree", that particular one may be OK to skip.

 

You can find a safety information page for an area you intend to hike.

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18 minutes ago, luvvinbird said:

I'll be in Palm Desert, California this October and I'm hoping to nab a few desert geocaches. Nothing specific as yet, but I was curious if there were precautions one should take before sticking their hand into a nest of rattlesnakes, etc. I'm cautious about plant and animal life where I live in Canada but the desert is a whole new world for me. Many thanks!

I don't know if Palm Desert geocachers hide their caches near Cactii, but I recommend bringing a pair of gloves!

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20 minutes ago, luvvinbird said:

 I was curious if there were precautions one should take before sticking their hand into a nest of rattlesnakes, etc.

Carry some anti-venom with you? And a snake-bite kit?  Wear a bracer? Just kidding.

 

Don't stick your hand anywhere near rattlesnakes!! Or any snakes!

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Palm Desert/Palm Springs/Indio area has a lot of "urban caches" as well as caches hidden in the desert and along desert roads.  October can still be hot; take plenty of water and sunscreen along.  Watch the rocks - that's where the snakes like to hide!

 

We've done some urban caching in that area, and we'll be in Palm Springs in July.  It's going to be HOT!!  We've also done a few desert caches just off  I-10 between Palm Springs and Arizona.  We've done more desert caching in Arizona with our son's Jeep, making our own trails!  Have fun!

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13 hours ago, CAVinoGal said:

Palm Desert/Palm Springs/Indio area has a lot of "urban caches" as well as caches hidden in the desert and along desert roads.  October can still be hot; take plenty of water and sunscreen along.  Watch the rocks - that's where the snakes like to hide!

 

We've done some urban caching in that area, and we'll be in Palm Springs in July.  It's going to be HOT!!  We've also done a few desert caches just off  I-10 between Palm Springs and Arizona.  We've done more desert caching in Arizona with our son's Jeep, making our own trails!  Have fun!

Thank you. I'm definitely planning on having fun!

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We can have some of the same issues here in Colorado.  I usually keep a hiking pole in my truck and will use that to investigate the situation.  I also always try to have a flashlight with me as well.  I grew up in Texas and know first hand of sticking my hand/fingers into places where critters like snakes, spiders and scorpions like to hide.  Common sense usually comes in handy in these situations.

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19 hours ago, kd0bik said:

We can have some of the same issues here in Colorado.  I usually keep a hiking pole in my truck and will use that to investigate the situation.  I also always try to have a flashlight with me as well.  I grew up in Texas and know first hand of sticking my hand/fingers into places where critters like snakes, spiders and scorpions like to hide.  Common sense usually comes in handy in these situations.

All good advice. Thank you.

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