Spider stick

[+Black Dog Trackers]

Here in Virginia, the forests are nice, but occasionally when off trail, they seem to have a lot of spiderwebs - I'm not sure if it's more the location or the time of year. It is a bit creepy to be walking in the woods and you suddenly have a bunch of spiderweb in your face and wonder if the spider is now heading toward your ear for refuge.

 

After encountering two or three of these spiderwebs in a forest, I start looking for what I call a "spider stick".

 

The ideal spider stick is a dead branch, maybe 1/2 inch in diameter at one end and 4 or 5 feet long, with a large arc shape such that you carry the stick low without having to lift your arm at all, but the arc of the stick curves up in front of you to just above head height. The upward curve part tapers to very small diameter, while the part behind where you hold it provides most of the counterbalance.

 

Anyone walking behind you gets the benefit too.

[+ClayJar]

Mine looks just like my normal hiking stick... probably because it *is* my normal hiking stick. As for using a curved one? Well, how on earth are you supposed to make light-saber noises to *THAT*?

[+MountainMudbug]

I'm all for spider sticks. My favorite type has multiple banches that jut outward in all directions. I hold it with both hands out in front of me and thrash it back in forth, like a windshield wiper on warp speed. Works great, but not very subtle. I guarantee there is no way a string of web is gonna touch your face with this technique, but its hard to find caching partners who aren't easily frightened or embarrased.....

 

______________________________________________________________________

Remember that happiness is a way of travel, not a destination. - Roy M. Goodman

[+Sissy-n-CR]

I used to have a spide stick. I was a small piece of bull rush just about two and a half feet long. It also served as a probe for sticking into mounds of leaves and debris to check for containers.

 

I lost it one day. But I've found a broken piece of fishing pole. I figure the fiberglass would more sturdy. I just need to strip it down to the bare pole--don't need the hardware on there.

 

It's not fun running full-face into one these:

 

CR

 

[crr003]

So how big was that?

 

Nil Satis Nisi Optimum

[+Waterboy]

Originally posted by Black Dog Trackers:

Here in Virginia, the forests are nice, but occasionally when off trail, they seem to have a lot of spiderwebs - I'm not sure if it's more the location or the time of year.

 

QUOTE]

 

If you only cross spider webs "occasionally when off trail" you are deffinately not in eastern Pennsylvania, North Jersey or nearby New York in the fall. I recall hiking in mid-September on the Appalachian Trail in PA. While returning on the same stretch of trail in the afternoon we found sevearal new webs.

 

It is not over yet. We found a few last weekend in Harriman Park, NY and Stokes State Forest, NJ last weekend.

[Big Red One]

quote:

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Originally posted by Sissy-n-CR:

 

It's not fun running full-face into one these:

http://img.Groundspeak.com/cache/40826_400.jpg

 

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aaackk. I do hope that is seriously magnified. One of the benefits to the north country is the six-month spell of cool weather does cut back on the nastier creepy crawlies and other varmints. Mostly we just have to think about the two-legged kind, and bear, and the odd cougar here or there.

 

 

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step . . . and then I get in my truck and drive the rest of the way.

[Cache Canucks]

quote:

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Originally posted by Big Red One:

"...One of the benefits to the north country is the six-month spell of cool weather does cut back on the nastier creepy crawlies and other varmints..."

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...but the infamous 'Dock Spider' is still in ample supply up here in Ontario's cottage country during those lazy, hazy days of summer. I learned a long time ago that you never go swimming under a cottage dock unless you were absolutely certain whether or not one of these not-so-wee beasties was living on its underside.

[+Sissy-n-CR]

On my screen the body, tip to tail, measures just under 1.5 inches. I'd estimate this particular one was a little smaller, maybe 1 and 3/8 inches, in real life. This is a typical sized one. Some are a little larger, some smaller. The smaller ones seam to be thinner. Did see one well above the trail one time that put this one to shame--comparing his (her?) size to the leaves of the tree his was in, I'd say he was well over 2" long! I tried to get some pictures of him, but he was too far up for the digital I had. Here's an attempt but it's cropped for upload--it's hard to get scale.

 

These are the easier ones to avoid because of their color and their size. We have some smaller ones that are medium to dark gray. Those are the ones that you end up walking into if your not using your stick.

 

I have seen these spiders in Mississippi when I was a kid and I've seen them on some nature show from overseas. Banana Spiders are the common name for them, I think.

 

CR

 

[+eroyd]

No shortage of spiders in Canada, cool winters or not...at times of the year those webs will stop a grown man at a run.

 

Anyone tried the SHREK thing. Might be tasty.

[+jollybgood]

is actually a pointer. (looks like a collapsable metal anttenae) I find with the proper wrist action you can get a really wicked sweeping action going which removes all webs in the direction you are traveling. I keep it in the bag with the rest of my gear.

 

Jolly R. Blackburn

http://kenzerco.com

[+jollybgood]

The ugliest spiders I ever saw was at Fort Benning, GA when I was attending the NCO Academy while in the Army. Getting a face full of web and spider was common place on the timed map courses (which you had to pass to graduate the class or you'd be barred from promotion). There was plenty of incentive to run the course with a compass in one hand and a topo map in the other with your way station points penciled in.

 

I remember seeing soliders scream like school girls after running into spiders. I don't know what they were called but the swampy areas around Benning had these ugly spiders which looked like they were armored (they had barb-like projections on them). Maybe someone here knows the variety I'm talking about.

 

Jolly R. Blackburn

http://kenzerco.com

[+Rebel]

Spiny-Bellied Orb Weaver

 

 

Whenever I run into them I grab a fallen twig and fan it around like a madman!

 

[Cache Canucks]

...I was on a NATO 'Reforger' exercise in southern Germany one autumn back in the early 80's. During the tactical portion of the training, our movement between locations was limited to 'night only' so that our vehicles could move under the cover of darkness (please, no responses to bring the wonders of IR and nightvision devices to my attention; we knew Ivan had them, we just liked doing things the hard way ...what can I say). It was during one of these 'night moves' on a particularly cool and moonless evening that our unit pulled into a forested area under black-out and set up shop. I was nominated to erect the sleeping tent for my detachment that night, so I dutifully dragged the 5 man tent from our vehicle and found a reasonably level clearing among the trees a short walk from where our detachment was sited. Being the trained soldier that I was, I then set about laying out the canvas, inserting the tent pegs, and finally extending the centre pole ...all in complete and total darkness. Once the tent was up, I then collected the rucksacks from our crew and proceeded to move them into the tent. After I brought the last rucksack into the tent (mine) and closed the black-out flap on the door, I then turned on a flashlight for the first time... and what did I see...? The entire inside roof of the tent was completely covered in a moving mass of thick, hairy, and obscenely large black spiders ...with me underneath them !!! It seems that I had the misfortune to have erected our tent over some sort of 'nest' (I didn't know spiders were that gregarious) and, on such a cool evening, the warmth of the 'fresh from the truck' tent canvas was far too inviting for these 8-legged party bashers to resist. Needless to say, I managed to eject myself and my rucksack from the tent in record time (I don't think I even unzipped the door... I just did a quick shoulder roll out from underneath the wall flap). I don't believe anyone actually stayed in the tent that night; it wasn't until after sunrise that we gingerly inspected the canvas before moving the tent to another (this time, thoroughly swept) spot.

 

I freak'n hate spiders...

 

[+Sea_Dog]

Re-learned an important lesson today. Use a stick to retrieve a cache! It was in the 30's and my hands were cold. Blindly reached under something to grab a cache. Felt a little prick as I was pulling it out. Turns out I didn't get bit but I was a little nervous for a few hours. Here's a picture of what I pulled out with the cache.

Read my log entry here.

[+Crusso]

Hate Spiders .... Hate Spiders .... Hate Spiders !

 

Did I mention I have Arachnaphobia.... uuugghhhh!

 

Crashed an off road motorcycle once because while trail riding a web & occupant managed to plaster itself across the face of my helmet. Let go of the bars at about 20 miles an hr to get it off & drove into a tree!

 

Wherever you go, there you are!

[+wcgreen]

quote:

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Originally posted by Sea_Dog:

Re-learned an important lesson today. Use a stick to retrieve a cache! It was in the 30's and my hands were cold. Blindly reached under something to grab a cache. Felt a little prick as I was pulling it out. Turns out I didn't get bit but I was a little nervous for a few hours.

---

 

My first job was at an ice cream parlor in Daytona Beach, a hotbed of banana spider activity. I opened the store one Sunday late morning to find a large spider in the display case next to the 5-gallon container of Rocky Road.

 

Zero degrees is not good for spiders. It shattered when I tried to remove it. Not knowing the correct Board of Health procedures, I cleaned up all the bits and wiped down the inside of the case.

 

I am very glad I spotted it before a customer did....

 

--

wcgreen

Wendy Chatley Green

[+Trudy & the beast]

What a concept...

Trudy normally makes me walk up front.

That way she figures that she will not only get rid of the spiderwebs, but she may not have to feed me as well.

[+wcgreen]

Walking in front is referred to as "web-eating" in our family (as in "It's your turn to eat some webs.")

 

Webs that I can walk under get my husband in the face

 

--

wcgreen

Wendy Chatley Green

[+ClayJar]

wcgreen, is that "The Tilley T3 Hat" or "The Lighterweight LT3 Hat"? I recognized it as a Tilley Endurables hat instantly... did you actually buy one, or just lift the pic? I've been pondering one for a few years now, but I've always stuck with the $5-10 el cheapo hats.

 

I wear a full-brimmed hat all the time when I'm caching. If I'm on land, a quick duck will save me from webs, and when I'm on the water hydrocaching, it keeps the water out of my face (I'm a messy paddler, just ask JamieZ or rbdupuy). Oh, and when I'm on the water in the rain and running into spiders, the hat is a lifesaver.

[+Alan2]

Originally posted by Crusso:

Hate Spiders .... Hate Spiders .... Hate Spiders !

 

Did I mention I have Arachnaphobia.... uuugghhhh!

 

QUOTE]

 

Hey Chris I thought you were afraid of ticks? Oh, that's right. Ticks are arachnids!

 

Alan

[GRANDMASTER CACHE]

Hi!

 

I got the Tilley T3 a couple of years ago. THAT is the hat to get, IMO. The snaps on the side are great for when it's just a bit breezy, or especially if you're driving with the window down, you can snap up the left side only, and it's like a windfoil. I've never been able to have a "favorite" hat because I get headaches. The Tilley, properly sized, does not give me headaches. It "sets" on the head loosely, and gravity holds it on. It has strings on the backside for breezes, or you can use the chinstring in addition, and it will NOT blow off. Tried and tested on the California coast! I really liked my leather Jackaroo, but again, headaches and wind problems. Plus, when you sweat, it gets sticky.

 

The Tilley has this "wicking" headband, and it sure does work. There, have I sold you on it? At around $60, this hat easily blows away 4 "ball caps" which one can easily consume in a few years. The Tilley has a lifetime guarantee against wearing out, and a 50% deductible if you lose it in the first two years. Anyway, I was never too big on them when my mom and sis got one (they were white and looked a bit too "prim" for me). But they got me a khaki one, with the snaps, and I wear it almost every day.

 

Thanks for the links to the Tilley site! It motivated me to go drool over their pants (that, I cannot afford) and checking out the hats prompted me to give my its first washing. I am suffering from seperation anxiety.

 

Hey, great pointers about the various spider sticks, and the importance of trying to reach a cache with a stick, when possible. I never underestimate the value of a thick pair of gloves if I must extend the hands into someplace cavernous. I'm glad most of the caches out here are open-trail hiking, with the tree part coming in only near the cache.

 

Happy Hatting, and Happy Caching!

 

Grandmaster Cache

[+wcgreen]

quote:

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Originally posted by ClayJar:

wcgreen, is that "http://www.tilley.com/shop3.asp?productno=T3&detail=low&path=rootTilley_Hats" or "http://www.tilley.com/shop3.asp?productno=LT3&detail=low&path=rootTilley_Hats"? I recognized it as a http://www.tilley.com/ hat instantly... did you actually buy one, or just lift the pic? I've been pondering one for a few years now, but I've always stuck with the $5-10 _el cheapo_ hats.

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I wear a real Tilley, or did until it tore at the sweatband while being washed last week. As soon as Tilley replaces it, I'll wear one again.

 

Given that it was almost 10 years old and had been worn hard, I'm not unhappy.

 

--

wcgreen

Wendy Chatley Green

[Cache Canucks]

quote:

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Originally posted by GRANDMASTER CACHE:

"...I got the Tilley T3 a couple of years ago. THAT is the hat to get, IMO..."

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...you're welcome !

 

[+MarkRobb]

quote:

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Banana Spiders are the common name for them, I think.

CR

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Yes they are called incorrectly banana spiders they are actually Golden Silk spiders. And they are definately large and scary... Lots of them in my neck of the woods

 

Mark

[+MarkRobb]

[+Sissy-n-CR]

MarkRobb,

 

I see you hail from Ormond Beach! I used to live in Port Orange and worked in Holly Hill in a little sign shop called SpeediSign. I heard they moved then they dropped off the map.

 

Anyway, I sure miss being down there.

 

...getting home sick...

 

Oh, well.

 

CR

 

[+JaimeeG]

Okay..one of my LEAST favorite things in this world is spiders, especially BIG hairy ones! Gimme a snake, rat, or whatever any day!

 

There is a cache in our area that is an arachnophobes nightmare come true. There are spiders that look like miniature tarantulas, and they are allllll over the place near this particular cache site. We went out hunting several months ago with some friends, and we let the other female in the group head to the cache site alone since the terrain was nasty and one other member of the party had just had knee surgery! She encountered the spiders from hell..do you think anyone went to rescue her?? NOPE!! I gave her my support from the top of the hill, and I really did feel bad as she was screaming and trying to get away from the huge webs..but I just couldn't bring myself to join her in spider land. She was our sacrificial offering to these big ugly nasty spiders!

 

Jaimee

 

Before criticizing others, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you do the criticizing, you will have their shoes AND be a mile away!

[Big Red One]

quote:

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Originally posted by Cache Canucks:

...but the infamous http://www.ottertooth.com/Temagami/Nature/fishingspider.htm is still in ample supply up here in Ontario's cottage country during those lazy, hazy days of summer. I learned a long time ago that you never go swimming under a cottage dock unless you were absolutely _certain_ whether or not one of these not-so-wee beasties was living on its underside.

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And 'round here we have the Wolf spider. And when using an outhouse, one should always take a quick peek under the rim before sittin' down . . . just in case. Folks have been bit in the most,um, uncomfortable places. :eek

 

But we don't usually have to worry about getting webbed when walking in the woods. Our only poisonous snake is so sad, that if you get bitten you have the satisfaction of knowing the snake will probably also die. And we don't have to worry about 'gators or other things that think people are moving entrees.

 

Instead we have other ways to hurt ourselves in the outdoors in the winter, most involving snowmobiles and alcohol, and the rest involving checking if the ice is safe yet (or, in the spring, still) by walking (or driving) out on it.

 

:cool

 

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step . . . and then I get in my truck and drive the rest of the way.

[+MarkRobb]

quote:

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Originally posted by Sissy-n-CR:

MarkRobb,

 

I see you hail from Ormond Beach! I used to live in Port Orange and worked in Holly Hill in a little sign shop called SpeediSign. I heard they moved then they dropped off the map.

 

CR

 

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Yup live fairly close to Holly Hill right near the Riveria Golf Course. Used to work for a place in Port Orange called Sun Coast Computers.

If you ever get back to visit and need a place to stay just let me know...

 

Mark

[+Sissy-n-CR]

quote:

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Originally posted by MarkRobb:

 

If you ever get back to visit and need a place to stay just let me know...

 

Mark

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Thanks for the offer. I've been by a few times, but only when I was in a big truck. Not cool to be sightseeing in 70' of big rig, so I only wave as I go by...

 

CR