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A Skeleton at my cache???

EarthBound

By EarthBound
in General geocaching topics

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EarthBound

EarthBound

Posted
Posted

Dhobby1 reports what looks like the remains of a human hand at the site I selected for a Geocache! (Thanks to Dhobby1 for reporting it to the local Sheriff's Office). Read about his find here http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.asp?ID=84982

 

We may have a full-blown mystery on our hands here... I looked at that rock he mentions pretty well, and if there was a hand of bones there then I completely missed it!

 

[This message was edited by EarthBound on September 15, 2003 at 09:52 PM.]

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umc

umc

Posted
Posted

Very interesting.

 

I was following a deer trail to a cache recently and stumbled upon a skeleton and it scared the doot out of me as I wasn't paying attention and saw rib bones all of a sudden. I soon realized it was a deer but at first glance I thought the worst.

 

I would like to hear how your story plays out.

 

migo_sig_logo.jpg

__________________________

Caching without a clue....

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Renegade Knight

+Renegade Knight

Posted
Posted

quote:
Originally posted by Snoogans:

Now there's a dedicated geocacher. Gruesome bonus waypoint, on to the cache and a quick trade, THEN call the fuzz. A man after my own heart. I personally would have whipped out my personal TB for a quick shot to post on the cache page. tongue.gif

 

Snicon_razz.gificon_razz.gifgans

http://www.texasgeocaching.com Sacred cows make the best hamburger....Mark Twain.

 

 

Personal TB? Do I dare ask?

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EarthBound

EarthBound

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Definitely a good example of why a digital camera would be a great geocaching tool. One is on my list for the near future. Yes, Dhobby1 rocks for caching on then reporting it to the Sheriff's Office. That's the kind of cachers I want to be associated with! I will let you know of any developments that come my way. BTW I goofed and forgot to put a stash report explaining the sport to muggles and the occasional Sheriff's Deputy! Oh well, Dhobby1 explained it all to the Sheriff, so let's hope they don't take the cache! (My first, and it's a good one).

EarthBound, bringing you unexpected benchmarks...

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pnew

+pnew

Posted
Posted

snoogans quit linking that picture, you've already done enough damage to 9key's reputation! icon_biggrin.gificon_razz.gif

 

...on the other hand, it makes you think twice next time you go caching with a friend and you say "Can you give me a hand over here??!"... you never know just what you might get!

 

texasgeocaching_sm.gif

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Snoogans

+Snoogans

Posted
Posted

quote:
Originally posted by Renegade Knight:

Reminds me of certain frogs you can lick and get a buzz from...

 

That's what I told 9Key. icon_wink.gif

 

Something about that TB brings THE FREAK out in people. I have a pic for every person that posted and about 20 more that never posted. That's the rule. No pic/no TB find. I'm having computer problems posting them all. Most are pretty funny. Some are pushing the PG13 limits. bad_boy_a.gif

 

OK back on topic.....

 

Snicon_razz.gificon_razz.gifgans

texasgeocaching_sm.gif Sacred cows make the best hamburger....Mark Twain.

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mckee

mckee

Posted
Posted

quote:
Originally posted by TeamX40:

I seem to remember reading that the bones in a bear's paw, especially a young bear, closely resembles the bones in a human hand. They got any bears in that area?

 

Beat me to it. Every year we hear about this happening in the news around here. Human remains turn out to be bear remains. Usually it's the paw/leg bones that are found that get everybody all excited.

 

--------------------

This space for rent! Ask about our easy layaway plan!

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Kordite

+Kordite

Posted
Posted

While looking for the first stage of the Layton Place multi (GCED33) I found the remains of a deer. It had been pretty well scattered leaving only a few bones and a pile of hair.

 

I couldn't find the second stage on that trip but on a return trip a few weeks later I not only found the cache but another deer carcass. This one was more recent and stank up the place.

 

See log and picture here.

 

I've gotten myself a very small digital camera so that I can always have it with me for interesting surprises.

 

89355_500.gif

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EarthBound

EarthBound

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Bear is a definite possiblity in this area. It's in a beautiful canyon with lots of wildlife. Of course bear remains was an oblivious first thought, but Dhobby1 is wise to report it. Too many unsolved mysteries around to wave it off. Let the experts make the determination and leave the speculation to us amateurs. icon_smile.gif

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mckee

mckee

Posted
Posted

quote:
Originally posted by EarthBound:

Bear is a definite possiblity in this area. It's in a beautiful canyon with lots of wildlife. Of course bear remains was an oblivious first thought, but Dhobby1 is wise to report it. Too many unsolved mysteries around to wave it off. Let the experts make the determination and leave the speculation to us amateurs. icon_smile.gif

 

Yup, let a biologist and the police decide. No need to ignore and find out that it was an Alzheimer's patient.

 

--------------------

This space for rent! Ask about our easy layaway plan!

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wimseyguy

+wimseyguy

Posted
Posted

quote:
Originally posted by Renegade Knight:

Personal TB? Do I dare ask?

Snoogans: Why SOITENLY, it's in the top 10.

BTW- That's not me in the photo. I HAVE standards

Pnew: snoogans quit linking that picture, you've already done enough damage to 9key's reputation!

 

icon_eek.gif OK new rule here no more reading the forums while eating lunch. The keyboard almost got real messy there.! icon_eek.gificon_biggrin.gif

 

These changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes;

Nothing remains quite the same.

Through all of the islands and all of the highlands,

If we couldn't laugh we would all go insane

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cachewidow

cachewidow

Posted
Posted

We have somewhat of the opposite situation up here, usually the bear is poached and its paws taken, not left behind. And of course legal hunters take them with the hide for taxidermy. But they do look eerily human.

 

"Thank you for calling Mom's Travel Service. Guilt Trips our specialty. Where would you like to go today?"

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HappyFrog (& gang)

+HappyFrog (& gang)

Posted
Posted

quote:
Originally posted by Kordite:

While looking for the first stage of the Layton Place multi (GCED33) I found the remains of a deer. It had been pretty well scattered leaving only a few bones and a pile of hair.

 

I couldn't find the second stage on that trip but on a return trip a few weeks later I not only found the cache but another deer carcass. This one was more recent and stank up the place.

 

I found a cache with a dead owl on it with little beetles crawling all over the cache. Hmmmmm....a good way of keeping people from wanting to finding the cache.

 

HappyFrog

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Searching_ut

+Searching_ut

Posted
Posted

I would think the sheriffs office will have an awful lot of people in the area to check it out. Your cache appears to be fairly close to the area they're searching for the two hikers from the Florida/Ga area. Unfortunately, having just been backpacking from the same trailhead two weekends ago, I can't imagine a good outcome this time of the year unless the lost hikers had good training, and a lot of gear which it appears isn't the case.

 

It's interesting to learn that the skeleton from a bears paw can look human. There are black bears in that area, as well as moose, deer, elk, mountain lions etc. Great location for a nature lover, and excellent area for a first cache.

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EarthBound

EarthBound

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Yes, it is a great area for a cache, and the cache is in a great spot too... You can drive within about 150 yards and park in an area that has a bridge over the river (Since the cache is on the OTHER side icon_cool.gif ), or try hoofing it thru a pretty dense piece of woodland.

I hope it works out for those out-of-state hikers, but I have my doubts. Folks just don't understand what it takes to survive at 10,000 feet at this time of year. Dhobby1 posted me and I'll share his comments with you now (hope you don't mind my sharing Dhobby! icon_rolleyes.gif )

My dog Louis found the hand, I looked it over pretty well and left it laying on that large flat rock. Have been to a lot of caches but none quite like this one.

 

"I don't know if your cache will still be there after the Sheriffs forensic team with their cadaver dogs check the site out. Sheriffs Dept. said they would get back to me, on what they find. I'll keep you posted. After getting by that item, we enjoyed your cache very much. Good hiding spot. That stretch of river looks great to drop a fishing line in. Didn't have time to give it a try."

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EarthBound

EarthBound

Posted
  • Author
Posted

quote:
Originally posted by trippy:

So.... did they go check out?

 

--------

trippy1976

 

I don't know... I haven't been contacted and I haven't heard back from Dhobby1. I failed to leave a note in the cache with my email address or anyway to contact me. I expect they would have a hard time finding me unless Dhobby1 turned them on to geocaching icon_cool.gif

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Webfoot

+Webfoot

Posted
Posted

quote:
Originally posted by wimseyguy:

quote:
Originally posted by Renegade Knight:

Personal TB? Do I dare ask?

Snoogans: Why SOITENLY, it's in the top 10.

BTW- That's not me in the photo. I HAVE standards

Pnew: snoogans quit linking that picture, you've already done enough damage to 9key's reputation!

 

icon_eek.gif OK new rule here no more reading the forums while eating lunch. The keyboard almost got real messy there.! icon_eek.gificon_biggrin.gif

 

I was under the opinion that you never have anything in your mouth when reading Snoogans posts. He's high on the spew factor. icon_wink.gif

 

Webfoot

Veni...Vidi...Vicachi.

I came...I saw...I geocached.

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pater47

+pater47

Posted
Posted

If it's a human hand, life was painful for them. They're missing a joint in their ring finger and had a helluva arthritis problem in their wrist. Without actually examining it myself, I'd have to say it's the foot of a very large bird, possibly condor or vulture. But then again, I don't guess condors with four front toes make much of a habit of frequenting Northern Utah!

 

Visit the Mississippi Geocaching Forum at

http://pub98.ezboard.com/bgeocachingms

 

[This message was edited by pater47 on September 20, 2003 at 08:15 PM.]

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Confucius' Cat

+Confucius' Cat

Posted
Posted

Off topic but maybe of interest to TPTB for technical reasons:

 

This opening post is listed as "posted September 16, 2003 12:15 AM"

 

But it says "[This message was edited by EarthBound on September 15, 2003 at 09:52 PM.]

 

How does a post get edited BEFORE it is posted?

 

Do we have a software error here?

 

quote:
Originally posted by EarthBound:

Dhobby1 reports what looks like the remains of a human hand at the site I selected for a Geocache! (Thanks to Dhobby1 for reporting it to the local Sheriff's Office). Read about his find here http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.asp?ID=84982

 

We may have a full-blown mystery on our hands here... I looked at that rock he mentions pretty well, and if there was a hand of bones there then I completely missed it!

 

[This message was edited by EarthBound on September 15, 2003 at 09:52 PM.]

 

"Freedom is a two-way street."

GDAE, Dave

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nincehelser

+nincehelser

Posted
Posted

It's hard to tell from the picks, but they don't look human to me...they look too bulky and unrefined. This doesn't look like the hand of piano player.

 

My guess it's from wildlife...maybe a small bear or large racoon, or muntant squirell.

 

Kudos to those showing size comparisons with a GPSr. A short ruler would be even better.

 

George

 

George

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Snoogans

+Snoogans

Posted
Posted

quote:
Originally posted by Webfoot:

quote:
Originally posted by wimseyguy:

quote:
Originally posted by Renegade Knight:

Personal TB? Do I dare ask?

Snoogans: Why SOITENLY, it's in the top 10.

BTW- That's not me in the photo. I HAVE standards

Pnew: snoogans quit linking that picture, you've already done enough damage to 9key's reputation!

 

icon_eek.gif OK new rule here no more reading the forums while eating lunch. The keyboard almost got real messy there.! icon_eek.gificon_biggrin.gif

 

I was under the opinion that you never have anything in your mouth when reading Snoogans posts. He's high on the spew factor. icon_wink.gif

 

Webfoot

_Veni...Vidi...Vicachi._

I came...I saw...I geocached.

http://www.scgeocachers.org

 

 

Ummmm, that's what SHE said. icon_eek.gif

 

Seriously, I'm going to take that as a compliment and name you as President of my fan club. icon_cool.gif

 

Now, like Oregone, I need a nifty T-shirt idea to start making money on Cafe Press. icon_cool.gif Stay tuned......

 

Snicon_razz.gificon_razz.gifgans

texasgeocaching_sm.gif Sacred cows make the best hamburger....Mark Twain.

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Team Shibby

+Team Shibby

Posted
Posted

I agree with nincehelser, those do not appear to be human remains. Im no doctor, but I can see that it has claws like an animal. I cannot say what kind of animal, but it looks like a large bird claw except the nails are dull like a dogs. Whatever it is, its a lefty.

 

Keep us posted when/if you find out what it is!!

 

Kar

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EarthBound

EarthBound

Posted
  • Author
Posted

quote:
Originally posted by ChurchCampDave:

Off topic but maybe of interest to TPTB for technical reasons:

 

This opening post is listed as "posted September 16, 2003 12:15 AM"

 

But it says "[This message was edited by EarthBound on September 15, 2003 at 09:52 PM.]

 

How does a post get edited BEFORE it is posted?

 

Do we have a software error here?

 

quote:
Originally posted by EarthBound:

Dhobby1 reports what looks like the remains of a human hand at the site I selected for a Geocache! (Thanks to Dhobby1 for reporting it to the local Sheriff's Office). Read about his find here http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.asp?ID=84982

 

We may have a full-blown mystery on our hands here... I looked at that rock he mentions pretty well, and if there was a hand of bones there then I completely missed it!

 

[This message was edited by EarthBound on September 15, 2003 at 09:52 PM.]

 

_"Freedom is a two-way street."_

GDAE, Dave

 

Say want? Here's the orginal post date and time... posted September 15, 2003 09:15 PM

and here is the edited date and time... [This message was edited by EarthBound on September 15, 2003 at 09:52 PM.]

Perhaps the bug has been fixed, or are you still seeing the same when you review the post?

EarthBound

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dino_hunters

+dino_hunters

Posted
Posted

I counldn't wait to hear what the forensics guys said, so I put links to the pictures on a vertebrate paleontology mailing list I subscribe to. These guys are bone experts, and many teach anatomy at the college level.

 

Preliminary opinions are that it is definitly NOT human. here are some quotes:

 

"I'm no mammalogist, but I can tell you that it is definitely NOT human! The thumb is not opposable, and the unguals (the terminal bones in each finger) had claws, not nails."

 

and another

 

"Tisn't human, that's for sure..notice the clawed ungual phalanx detached from the "hand". It is a carnivore, but I learned long ago not to attempt to make identifications from photographs. I note that both mountain lion and bear remains are frequently confused by lay people (and police)with human remains. There are a few obscure articles about bear feet by T. D. Stewart, one in the FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, if I remember aright, and I recently saw something related to mountain lion feet, but can't remember where."

 

and yet another

 

"Cool! Though no need to bug the sheriff; it's not human. The ungual

phalanges (bones on the tips of the fingers) are FAR too pointy -- this

critter had claws. Those bones in people are spatulate."

 

tylosaurus

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Huntnlady

+Huntnlady

Posted
Posted

No opposible thumb. This is a bear paw. The claws have been removed along with the hide. Some lucky hunter is now having a bear rug made. Notice where they sawed the radius and ulna to seperate the shoulder meat.

My daughter had a blast last halloween with the "hands" of the bear I took. She took them to school and they hung them over the door of the classroom. The kids thought she was cool.

 

_______________________________

"You've just killed a small animal. It's time for a light beer."

 

http://www.geocities.com/cacheinon

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Criminal

+Criminal

Posted
Posted

quote:
Originally posted by Huntnlady:

No opposible thumb. This is a bear paw. The claws have been removed along with the hide. Some lucky hunter is now having a bear rug made. Notice where they sawed the radius and ulna to seperate the shoulder meat.

My daughter had a blast last halloween with the "hands" of the bear I took. She took them to school and they hung them over the door of the classroom. The kids thought she was cool.

 

_______________________________

"You've just killed a small animal. It's time for a light beer."

 

http://www.geocities.com/cacheinon

 

You rock!

 

http://fp1.centurytel.net/Criminal_Page/

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dino_hunters

+dino_hunters

Posted
Posted

Most of the paleontologist on the list seem to agree that it is the right hind foot from an adult beaver. Go figure. who would have thought of that one. There are still a minority few who are thinking small bear or maybe a coyote. The uncertainty comes from only beeing able to see a few pictures, and not the actual specimen.

 

tylosaurus

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