+Turkey Trotter Posted March 23, 2005 Share Posted March 23, 2005 As an aside, check out this site. I apologise if you've seen it before, but it's just so relevant to this discussion! That site is ok but this site actually goes on further to explain the product's addictive qualities (also has some interesting partner sites) including this site which should be of interest to all geocachers around the world as the product they sell will benefit all (and as a special offer you even get a free t-shirt). Quote Link to comment
+Kitty Hawk Posted March 23, 2005 Share Posted March 23, 2005 (edited) Man, if this thread had been on the forum while i was considering whether or not to throw myself into the wonderful world of geocaching... I would not have bothered... I'm with you, I did 3 trigs and 3 caches today and took none of the sensible precautions . My tick experience was a minor hiccup in my life of blissful ignorance and laziness and it won't be interupting my fun. Caching is to relax by. Maybe there are two sports here, extreme free caching, akin to rock climbers who don't have ropes - and then there's regular caching - with all 1st aid and safety mod cons and probably a rucksack. Edited March 23, 2005 by Kitty Hawk Quote Link to comment
Beer Monster Posted March 23, 2005 Share Posted March 23, 2005 ... with all 1st aid and safety mod cons and probably a rucksack. I have to admit, I do carry a rucksack when I go caching, but rather than being full of safety stuff, it's currently full of maps, pens, batteries, rubber balls, dinosaurs, foreign coins, compasses, cameras and other assorted goodies! The closest I get to safety stuff is, er, nothing at all! Quote Link to comment
+badger Posted March 23, 2005 Share Posted March 23, 2005 (edited) I hadn't given much thought to H&S since starting caching... It was either pockets stuffed with bits & bobs, or a big rucksack containing all my camera gear. Only recently I have added a small bag to carry a few extras (swaps, TB's, binoculars and drinks) while out and about on the hunt, unless I have the camera bag, when it all goes in there... Edited March 23, 2005 by mattwaggie Quote Link to comment
nobby.nobbs Posted March 24, 2005 Share Posted March 24, 2005 hey don't get me wrong i'm not paranoid. i carry some plasters with me as i've often got my daughter with me. i carry a backpack full of maps, camera and swaps. i have a pair of leather gloves with me which i use to pick up the caches.... mainly due to the fact that in the new forest the thing that stings you the most is gorse!! a good pair of gloves stops that. the added bonus being that your hands stay cleaner incase soemthing nasty on the box. i've wandered the forest all my life without ever getting a tick (famous last words) risk is small just helps to know best procedure should you ever come accross one. no idea what to do in event of bear attack though.......... Quote Link to comment
+Kitty Hawk Posted March 24, 2005 Share Posted March 24, 2005 no idea what to do in event of bear attack though.......... That depends on how fast the person you are with can run, if you are the faster runner, then running is the best option. If you are the slower runner then you need to convince your companion that staying still is the best option, then at least you hve a 50:50 chance. Quote Link to comment
+sTeamTraen Posted March 24, 2005 Share Posted March 24, 2005 Not sure if this is true but I did hear/read somewhere? that the enormous increase in the tick population was due to the fact that farmers are no longer using the old fashioned 'sheep dips'. Something to do with them being a health hazard (to the farmers... sod the poor little sheep ). The alternative, apparently, is to have each of your sheep vaccinated/immunised/given a shot of something by the local vet. As this tends to be expensive and we all know how much it costs to run new Volvos, it doesn't get done.... hence the tick explosion. You mean there might be a downside to organic farming ? That not everything "natural" is good for us ? Hush, whisper it not ! Quote Link to comment
+Chris n Maria Posted March 24, 2005 Share Posted March 24, 2005 Not sure if this is true but I did hear/read somewhere? that the enormous increase in the tick population was due to the fact that farmers are no longer using the old fashioned 'sheep dips'. Something to do with them being a health hazard (to the farmers... sod the poor little sheep ). The alternative, apparently, is to have each of your sheep vaccinated/immunised/given a shot of something by the local vet. As this tends to be expensive and we all know how much it costs to run new Volvos, it doesn't get done.... hence the tick explosion. You mean there might be a downside to organic farming ? That not everything "natural" is good for us ? Hush, whisper it not ! Not sure its anything to do with organics - the sheep dip in question is organo-phosphates which are derived from reasearch with nerve agents. If nerve gas was one of the hazards I faced at work I think I would want it banned too Quote Link to comment
+badger Posted March 24, 2005 Share Posted March 24, 2005 no idea what to do in event of bear attack though.......... That depends on how fast the person you are with can run, if you are the faster runner, then running is the best option. If you are the slower runner then you need to convince your companion that staying still is the best option, then at least you hve a 50:50 chance. If you are the slower runner, you could always trip the quicker person up... Quote Link to comment
NickPick Posted March 24, 2005 Share Posted March 24, 2005 If you are the slower runner, you could always trip the quicker person up... Or give them a good kick in the kneecap before you leg it! Fortunately, we don't have many bears in the UK, in fact, when you compare this country to the animal hazards you get elsewhere (snakes, spiders, bears, wolves, axe wielding maniacs, etc), we're quite danger free. Wild big cats are another matter though. What should we do if confronted by a wild black panther? Should my cache bag include a quick opening tin of Kit-E-Kat (preferred by 8 out of 10 cats apparently - hope the panther's not one of the other 2!) Quote Link to comment
+Alibags Posted March 24, 2005 Share Posted March 24, 2005 well, as I said, I have seen one in Oxfordshire... twice! (or two once of course). The boss's brother saw a black pather type 'ABC' when out shooting rabbits the other night and I see in the news that some chap in Greater London suprised one in his back garden and got scratched as it legged it past him to get away. I am still more worried by ticks though! Quote Link to comment
+Learned Gerbil Posted March 24, 2005 Share Posted March 24, 2005 I am saving up for this First Aid Kit Quote Link to comment
arvensis Posted March 24, 2005 Share Posted March 24, 2005 On the subject of the risks whilst being out and about, one of my other hobbies is Fungi Foraying and like Caching, it can take me to a array of interesting places. On one foray last year, I got bitten on the hand but some thing and by the evening the hand was quite swollen! Only a couple of weeks previous to that I was saying to someone that I was lucky that I dont get bitten!! Famous last words I suppose the risks of getting a nasty injury is always there but it wont stop me from enjoying outdoor persuits. That bite did start me thinking about carrying a first aid kit with me - something I havent acquired yet but will be doing in the near future. mark Quote Link to comment
+sTeamTraen Posted March 25, 2005 Share Posted March 25, 2005 You mean there might be a downside to organic farming ? That not everything "natural" is good for us ? Hush, whisper it not ! Not sure its anything to do with organics - the sheep dip in question is organo-phosphates which are derived from reasearch with nerve agents. If nerve gas was one of the hazards I faced at work I think I would want it banned too My (unimportant) point was that they stopped using <some chemical> (quite reasonably if it was killing the farmers, of course, but it could have been for whatever other reason) and now the countryside is "full" of ticks. Ticks are natural and will probably occur more widely with less use of chemicals. When I wrote my post, I had just had a tedious conversation with a colleague who is in favour of anything called organic because "it's natural" (and for no other reason), which always gets my hackles up ("rabies is natural too", I retort cleverly). Quote Link to comment
+Cave Troll and Eeyore Posted March 26, 2005 Share Posted March 26, 2005 I have to admit, I do carry a rucksack when I go caching, Be careful. That rucksack could put to much strain on your body if fitted wrong and overloaded Then you'd be killed by the superbugs whilst lying in casualty Quote Link to comment
+The Hungry Caterpillars Posted March 26, 2005 Share Posted March 26, 2005 One or two points about this thread-Ticks are not insects.Organophosphates should never have been allowed to enter the environment. After the sheep were treated with the organophosphates you then ate the sheep and also the organophosphates with unknown consequences. There is nothing ever clever or funny about rabies. Quote Link to comment
Beer Monster Posted March 26, 2005 Share Posted March 26, 2005 you then ate the sheep and also the organophosphates with unknown consequences Was it something my wife cooked up? Sort of like ' fresh sheep with roasted organophosphates and unknown consequences sauce'? Sounds like something she'd do. Quote Link to comment
Tea & Cake Posted March 26, 2005 Share Posted March 26, 2005 I've just done my first night time cache, probably the most unsafe thing I've done in a long time. 8miles (there and back) along a river path on a MTB, and the headlamp faded half an hour into the start!!! I carried on anyway and found the Cache with the rear light. I only came off once ... note to self ... spare batteries for headlight as well as the GPS. Quote Link to comment
NickPick Posted March 29, 2005 Share Posted March 29, 2005 (edited) I am saving up for this First Aid Kit Sounds ideal. Especially the Chest seal kit - perfect for that sucking chest wound obtained whilst caching! Wow!, just noticed it's got a defibrillator aswell. I've always wanted to play with one of those - Only joking! I know that electric shocks are not to be played with. Edited March 29, 2005 by NickPick Quote Link to comment
+sTeamTraen Posted March 29, 2005 Share Posted March 29, 2005 you then ate the sheep and also the organophosphates with unknown consequences Was it something my wife cooked up? Sort of like ' fresh sheep with roasted organophosphates and unknown consequences sauce'? Sounds like something she'd do. Call Sainsbury's marketing people, I bet you could get them interested in sun-dried organophosphates. Quote Link to comment
+Learned Gerbil Posted March 29, 2005 Share Posted March 29, 2005 I am saving up for this First Aid Kit Sounds ideal. Especially the Chest seal kit - perfect for that sucking chest wound obtained whilst caching! Wow!, just noticed it's got a defibrillator aswell. I've always wanted to play with one of those - Only joking! I know that electric shocks are not to be played with. Plus that handy cylinder of oxygen! To get the maximum benefit following a steep climb, get someone else to carry it! Quote Link to comment
+capsecum Posted March 31, 2005 Share Posted March 31, 2005 Responsible cache setter. Health and safety while caching - I must admit that when caching I stick my hand into some places I ordinarily would not dream of doing so. I nearly came unstuck on Monday (30/04/05) when searching for a cache GCMYXG Bendigo Prizefighter by gekocacherI nearly spiked myself on a discarded syringe. Initially I was upset by not being able to claim the find but after a nights sleep the what if... scenario set in. What if I had of been spiked? What if on of my kids had picked it up? -shivers now running sown the spine. I think I will be a little more cautious maybe investing in a stick or a pair of caching gloves for future trips. Now for the real purpose of this post. - upon returning from the cache I logged a DNF and mailed the cache owner to explain the circumstances of the cache. Within 24 hours Gekocacher had posted a warning on the cache description page, visited the site and archived the cache with the following message... " have been & seen the cache location & it has indeed been mugglesed by Junkies, I now feel this site is too dangerous if this were to re-occur, I am thus archiving the cache unfortunately. Sorry Gekocacher" It is sad to see a cache disappear for this reason but I wold like to praise gekocacher for his quick action and his responsible attitude towards the safety of fellow cachers. Lets hope that in time this cache can be either resurrected, made into a virtual (sign on opposite side of the wall to the cache would make a good answer) or can be made a part of a multistage cache, as it would be a shame to loose this cache totally and the associated history that goes with it. Quote Link to comment
+MobileMerlin Posted April 1, 2005 Share Posted April 1, 2005 Wow, given the amount of worrying that goes into this game (except in all seriousness discarded syringes) I am surprised anyone has managed to log anything, let alone hide it. lol Quote Link to comment
+Lowlander99 Posted April 2, 2005 Author Share Posted April 2, 2005 (edited) I must admit as originator of this thread...I hadn't even considered any deliberate act as you describe...and had never heard of Lyme's........overall I thank everyone who has contributed usefull info to this thread......after all forewarned is forearmed.....it's called trimming the odds in your favour....let's hope that no-one is unfortunate enough to fall foul of any of the problems cited here...... Edited April 2, 2005 by Lowlander99 Quote Link to comment
gekocacher Posted April 2, 2005 Share Posted April 2, 2005 Many thanks, it seemed the only responsible thing to do, there was no sign of this occuring when originally placing the cache, there were no tell tale signs & who would lurk around grave stones & foliage apart from geocachers ??? Once this had come to my attention I felt there was the chance of this re-occuring & therefore felt there was no other option but to archive, with hindsight I may now make it a multi, but felt after discovering the aftermath in the first instance that I had no other choice but to archive. Gekocacher Quote Link to comment
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