Swagger Posted May 3, 2003 Share Posted May 3, 2003 I just got back from the hospital, where they loaded me up with doxycycline and removed a tick that had decided to grab a few meals from my neck. They were his last. I must've picked him up while searching for this cache on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons. I also spotted a rattlesnake a few weeks ago while seeking a cache. I was staring down at my GPSr and got within 15 feet of him. I only noticed it when he started moving from the middle of the trail to the edge. I guess he wasn't interested in a fight. Good thing, too, 'cuz I would've kicked his scaly butt! So make sure you know which critters can be found in your area and how to deal with them when you run across them - which you will! -- Random fortune: Quote Link to comment
+briansnat Posted May 3, 2003 Share Posted May 3, 2003 And now those gosh darn gnats, no-see-ums and mosquitos are out. Rattlesnakes & ticks I can deal with, but I HATE GNATS! "It has been my experience that folks who have no vices have very few virtues" -Abraham Lincoln Quote Link to comment
martmann Posted May 3, 2003 Share Posted May 3, 2003 I used to live in Topanga Cyn. and saw more critters there than anywhere else I've lived. Rattle snakes, gigantic freekin spiders I would see on the road, on Mulholland, at night from like 100 feet away. Had a beetle over 3" land on me, that I've never seen anything like, before or since. Surprised a coyote, while walking down the road one night, about 15 feet away. And even saw an Owl land on one of those outdoor (umbrella type) propane heaters, and toast it's tootsies. Oddly I don't remember any run-ins with ticks, but I might just be blocking the memory out. Also it was like 24 years ago. _________________________________________________________ If trees could scream, would we still cut them down? Well, maybe if they screamed all the time, for no reason. Click here for my Geocaching pictures and Here (newest) Quote Link to comment
Abandoned Outpost Posted May 3, 2003 Share Posted May 3, 2003 Critters. I had a squirrel pop out of a burrow right in my face yesterday, while looking for a container. It's a good idea to look and poke before you stick your hand it. Ticks. I hate ticks. Quote Link to comment
+DustyJacket Posted May 3, 2003 Share Posted May 3, 2003 Lots of ticks here. One of them got into my back but I got my wife to extract him before too long. I ran into a mud snake, before I found out he was harmless. I backed up and went around. I've seen lots of rabbits, deer, owls, hawks. This monster challenged me for the walking path yesterday. Quote Link to comment
+Hoomdorm Posted May 3, 2003 Share Posted May 3, 2003 You went to the hospital for a tick? -------------------------------- Magellan Meridian GPS Handspring Visor Deluxe L.O.S.T. - http://www.kjjeep.com Quote Link to comment
+cachew nut Posted May 3, 2003 Share Posted May 3, 2003 quote:Originally posted by Abandoned Outpost:Critters. I had a squirrel pop out of a burrow right in my face yesterday, Hehe Quote Link to comment
Where's_North Posted May 4, 2003 Share Posted May 4, 2003 Normally I'd agree with the poster above and call you a wuss. But there is this thing called lyme disease and it can be serious. It is especially prevalent in one of the New England states though I forget which one at the moment. If I lived there I'd be concerned too. I lived in Arkansas for a couple of years as a kid. Way out in the boonies. Very tick infested woodlands. There you do a tick check any day you were out in the woods. Little tip, rub baby oil around your neck, ankles, wrists, any clothing aperture really. They and most other bugs hate the stuff. I can personally testify that it will keep them from crawling in. Quote Link to comment
+Hoomdorm Posted May 4, 2003 Share Posted May 4, 2003 I didn't call the person a wuss. My statement was phrased as a question since I had never hear of anyone going to the hospital for a tick. Perhaps there were other circumstances that the person didn't tell us about. I'm aware of lyme diesase, we have it here as well. I've removed several ticks from myself in the last month or two. It's just part of being in wooded areas here. -------------------------------- Magellan Meridian GPS Handspring Visor Deluxe L.O.S.T. - http://www.kjjeep.com Quote Link to comment
Swagger Posted May 4, 2003 Author Share Posted May 4, 2003 quote:Originally posted by L.O.S.T.hoomdorm:You went to the hospital for a tick? Yep. Not to have it removed - I could've done that myself. I went for the doxycycline prescription. As Where's_North mentioned, lyme disease can be quite serious. I have a friend whose sister has it and it's not something to dismiss. Taking doxycycline within 72 hours of being bitten can reduce the chance of getting lyme disease by 87%. If I'd waited until Monday to visit my regular doctor, I'd have been past that time window. We have the best health care in the world. I have health insurance. Why take chances?!? -- Random fortune: Quote Link to comment
+Hoomdorm Posted May 4, 2003 Share Posted May 4, 2003 I guess if you're in an area where lyme disease is extremely prevelant that'd make sense. I think I'd be more likely to have my Dr. hook me up with a prescription that I could drop off should I need it in a pinch. It wouldn't be a likely approach for me to go the hospital for a bite because I'd be there all the time. We are SATURATED with ticks here. Sometimes I flick them off my clothing almost as quickly as I bat the mosquitos away. That's cool tho that you want to take extra precautions. As they say, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. -------------------------------- Magellan Meridian GPS / 128MB Handspring Visor Deluxe L.O.S.T. - http://www.kjjeep.com http://www.darkglobe.com/geocache Quote Link to comment
+BeOnTheLookOut Posted May 4, 2003 Share Posted May 4, 2003 Not that this has happened to me while caching, yet... But wait until you have a Momma Raccoon hiss and chase you while you are trying to clear brush and she is trying to protect her young. That happened last month in Oklahoma. Boy was she mad. I'm just waiting to come across one while caching. Animals like that scare me something bad. Quote Link to comment
Dirtnapper Posted May 5, 2003 Share Posted May 5, 2003 Going to the hospital...yup, my brother had three on his back removed last week. and got treatment as well! Here in MA ticks and Lyme are common. de mortuis nil nisi bonum Quote Link to comment
+Marky Posted May 5, 2003 Share Posted May 5, 2003 We did a cache on Saturday and the tick count now is something like 120 from just that one cache. That's just a crazy amount of ticks. Fortunately, not one (yet) has bitten us. --Marky "All of us get lost in the darkness, dreamers learn to steer with a backlit GPSr" Quote Link to comment
+opey one Posted May 5, 2003 Share Posted May 5, 2003 For what it's worth, I'll throw in my log a while back that may or may not be relevant. I'll go ahead anyway.. This was a great cache! Check the earlier cache, and not the note. Quote Link to comment
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