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Geo Accident


dikndi

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I just had my second GeoAccident yesterday.

 

I had just loaded some snacks and drinks for my event (GCJT14) into my car, in the Vonn's parking lot, here in Mammoth Lakes, Ca.

 

I had pulled out of my space and was getting ready to drive off when some guy, in a truck, backed right into me and crunched the driver's side rear quarter panel and deck lid of my poor GeoJettta.

 

Needless to say, I didn't get to my event location early to set up. I think that I was about 5 minutes late.

 

Oh well, stuff happens. The event took my mind off of my car and the damage isn't going to ruin my vacation.

 

SNOOG8.jpg

Edited by Snoogans
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I've been lucky so far, mostly thorns, a scorpion sting, a twisted ankle, a knee that felt like it was about to wear out, and a few yellow jacket stings (close encounter of the wasp nest kind - practically stuck my hand in the thing). There was a nasty crotch area puncture wound from almost crossing a barbed wire fence - just miscalculated and OUCH. Had a rattlesnake coil up and rattle but fortunately didn't strike, and got a really bad cut trying to CITO a piece of junk near a cache.

 

But the mechanical equipment "injuries":

Blown tires, failed alternator in the middle of nowhere, fuel pump, punctured muffler. (not all on the same trip)

 

Lost the oil plug at 70 mph on a long deserted 2 lane road. Fortunately the wind whipped the escaping oil onto the muffler and catalytic converter to produce a big cloud of smoke so there was no engine damage from loss of lubrication. (I know people who would keep going until the idiot light comes on).

 

I stopped and after diagnosing the problem (huge puddle spreading on road, oil pan drain plug completely gone), and many miles from rescue, I walked back about 1/2 mile along the highway following the oil slick on the pavement until reaching the spot it began, then guesstimated the likely trajectory and bounce / roll distance after it fell out.

 

It took over an hour, but I did ultimately *find* the plug, 286 feet forward of the beginning of the oil slick and only 10 inches off the pavement in the gravel.

 

Put the plug back in (and used 14mm wrench and cheater bar to be sure it wasn't going to come out again on its own), found a 5 quart jug of 5W30 in the large "remote area vehicle kit", re-filled the crankcase, stuck a new filter on and got underway again. I marked it down as an unexpected oil change.

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Went hiking yesterday. After not finding the two caches on the top of the peak, I slipped on my way down. I put out my hand to stop my fall and put it right into a spiny yucca plant. Blood was coming out of my palm in five or six places. I used an antiseptic wipe from my first-aid kit to clean up and the bleeding soon stopped. But I noticed blood was still dripping from from my arm. It had met a rock during my fall which left an inch long gash. After covering it with a bandage, I had to hike 3+ miles back to my car and then drive to the emergency room where I got six staples to close the wound. a587d444-8744-484f-971a-96d06f2f18cd.jpg

One the way down (after my fall) I still managed to hide a new cache :ph34r:

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Went hiking yesterday. After not finding the two caches on the top of the peak, I slipped on my way down. I put out my hand to stop my fall and put it right into a spiny yucca plant. Blood was coming out of my palm in five or six places. I used an antiseptic wipe from my first-aid kit to clean up and the bleeding soon stopped. But I noticed blood was still dripping from from my arm. It had met a rock during my fall which left an inch long gash. After covering it with a bandage, I had to hike 3+ miles back to my car and then drive to the emergency room where I got six staples to close the wound. a587d444-8744-484f-971a-96d06f2f18cd.jpg

One the way down (after my fall) I still managed to hide a new cache :ph34r:

Is anyone else rubbing their arm right now? OUCH

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hello friends and neighbors

it me, ye olde bald headed archie

in responce to the post concerning injuries associated with geocaching:

i am an insullin dependent diabetic that must take either 100 units per day of lantus or upto 120 units of humalog. in addition i also take 5mg glucotrol twice a day and 2.5/500 mg glucovance twice a day.

i have had 2 heart attacks and 1 triple bypass surgery. as a result im on aspirin 325 mg once a day, 40 mg zocor once a day, plavix 75 mg once a day, lasix 40 mr twice a day, 20 meq potasium twice a day and toprol xl 50 mg once a day.

the only injuries i have had were related to very large thorns, however, with the meds im on i have to be aware that i bleed profusely. as such im only concerned with those type injuries. i have noticed an increase in vascular bleeding under the skin in my lower legs, particularly around my right ankle.

i dont concern myself with injuries for the most part due to the fact that i was a radiological survey team medic/lance missile crewmember. i have extensive training in emergency first aid/field medicine/field triage. all my doctor would say is you must be particularly careful with lacerations and punctures. i guess the point im trying to make here is above all else no your individual limits!!!

regards

ye olde balde headed archie :ph34r:

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While attempting to drive to a cache that was said to provide a fun off-road experience, I had jumped out to help spot for the driver. At one point, we weren't sure how much farther the Jeep would go, so I walked ahead to see if it got wider. Anyway, while walking the road, which was primarily made of crushed gravel and slag. There was an area that was really kind of steep sides with no real flat place to walk. Anyway, I slipped and fell. I managed to scrape my leg up, bruise my ankle, and on top of all, my entire leg was coal black. I managed to hobble back to the Jeep and we used most of our remaining water supply to try and wash the coal off. After using all but about a liter, we were ready to go again, but two of us and a dog would not be able to make the 1.5 mile round trip walk with only a liter of water between us...

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Last Saturday while we were headed to a new cache, all excited about being FTF, HOPEFULLY, while we were loading up with the "cache stuff", the kids saw a dock and other kids jumping around and off of it. They took off and I looked down to see the oldest pushing the little one who can't swim. I yelled and started walking that way. I didn't look at my feet...I was looking at the DD's and that AIN"T Darling...... hahahaha. :rolleyes: I went down on top of my right leg, twisted ankle, twisted knee. All 260+ on top.... DAM IT HURT.

 

okpondlady/N5PNE

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Originally posted by: Croaker

2. Being alone. My usual cache partner is my 8 year old daughter. Well I suppose it would have expanded her vocabulary. I did call out to various deities, so she may have learned a bit about different religions. Really the only thing it would have done is scare the hell out of her, cause it scared the hell out of me.

 

I have to say that this made me LOL for a good 5 minutes! I was working in a computer lab at school to-boot!

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Hi,

 

Just read your article on "if anyone has had an injury while Geocaching". I would like to tell you about a couple of injuries I have had, one not bad, the other, pretty bad.

 

My buddy and I were out searching for a new cache and the GPS said we were way out of reach of it unless we traversed the hillside so up we went. After quite some time of searching we discovered we either cannot find the cache or it just is not where it says it is. While my buddy and I were coming down the hillside, which is fairly steep, I grabbed for a log that had not quite fallen down all the way and looked very sturdy. To my great surprise the log decided to continue its fall with me hanging on to it. As a result my one knee got quite bashed in and so did my ego I guess. I did however survive to continue Geocaching with just some cuts and bruises but I say to anyone out there, “Take care of grabbing on to something that looks fairly sturdy or that looks as though it will not go anywhere if you use it to get yourself down off a hillside”. (Or whatever). And not long after this incident another Geocacher did the same thing looking for the same cache and came away with some minor injuries to one knee.

 

That's the not so bad one.

 

The “pretty bad” one is where I totaled my vehicle. It was a Saturday night about 10:30, I was Geocaching alone this time without my buddy, it was getting dark and it was raining. I was not in unfamiliar territory however the scenery changes dramatically from daytime to nighttime. I was going under 60 kilometers an hour, a hillside to my right, the Bull River to my left, and coming down a road with a bit of an incline and a wee right turn. There stood 3 deer in the split second it took to go around the curve. I did not stomp on my brakes big time but I did use them a wee bit. I was also very aware of the Bull River down the embankment and did swerve to miss the deer but only a slight movement of the steering wheel. However the wet pea gravel caught me and in a nanosecond I was upside down with my vehicle sliding down the embankment. I somehow survived the crash with minor injuries and the deer survived as well however my Geobeast did not. I now have a newer Geobeast and I am on the Geotrails once again.

 

All I have to say to anyone driving in the conditions I was is, “Take care when traversing down ANY back country roads and DON’T swerve for any critters.” Although I like critters very much I believe had I not touched my steering wheel and just hit the darn deer all would have been better in the long run. "And wear your seatbelt as that is the only thing that saved my life."

 

Thanks very much and I hope you write your book. Not that I wish anyone any pitfalls or hill falls or embankment falls or whatever you'd like to call it but I bet it would be an interesting read.

 

Pattycat [:o)]

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