Caching injuries

[quiet1_au]

I picked up four ticks on a cache run the other evening. I'm STILL itchy!

I saw these and thought "who would need these" - now I know there really is a market for them!
http://www.shop.gxproxy.com/The-Tick-Key-TK000010.htm

[Insert disclaimer here - nothing to do with this web store, never dealt with them, etc etc]

[MtnLioness]

...not to mention the mental trauma of too many close encounters with large spider webs strategicly placed between you and the cache...

I totally understand!!
I am an Arachniphobe so while it's spider season, the Wandering Heroes series is now off limits after being there a few weeks ago and having a major panic attack and leaving the area in tears, yes.. I walked away from caching!!

You haven't had fun unless you come home with a bit of blood leaking somewhere

Tis true. It hasnt been a fun day geocaching unless you have a cut/bruise/scrape/open wound/sprain/strain that you never had before.

That's my opinion too, my injuries have been multiple scratches all over my legs, some fairly deep, one cache gave me bruises all over my stomach and legs for 2 weeks after from contorting precariously over the edge of a bridge instead of doing what everyone else did and just get in the water, But cats don't like water!!! (insert cat jumping out of water in a frenzy emoticon)
I'm usually pretty careful so I don't get major injuries but I tend to complain a LOT! lol

[CraigRat]

Are spiders seasonal?

[Dippedidooda]

Yes, I thought the same thing...all these years and I didn't know that there was a spider season? What I did think is that you are more likely to get huntsmen inside when there's a big storm brewing. (??).

[honeysucker]

have joined the ranks of those injured caching with in the last month or so, Was doing the wandering heros when i slipped and jarred my knee and hurt both ankles was coming good from that when i thought a nice gentle bike ride around the Woodlands trail i did 25km, knee quite sore now then another fall doing housework saw me hobbling quite a bit still able to get to a few caches even hide one or two.

[Bronnie_1990]

Are spiders seasonal?

They seem to be out more in the summer..

(or i just notice them more in the summer )

[SamCarter]

Are spiders seasonal?

Not quite on topic, but while on the subject of spiders and other things held in fear and trepidation, it was fun caching in NZ recently, safe in the knowledge that there are no snakes, and only one of the spiders is poisonous (and an obscure one at that). Mind you, the sandflies were unpleasant ...

[Team Pathfinder]

On Top of Isabella - GC2C5E3

This cache was tackled well over a year ago - August 26th 2010 - Ian is still suffering from the dreaded Stinging Bush.

Log reads _

Our 1000th find! We saved doing this one especially for this prestigous occasion. One final meal at Sizzler and we were off!

As for risking possible death - what could be worse than death? Yes landing in the NETTLES. Poor Ian is suffering.

We found a suitable parking spot and took off for the cache - everything seemed too easy with the marked pathway and all but that soon changed as the path dwindled into a track and then disappeared. After some scrambling we reach the first waterfall, actually it might have been the second but I arent sure where they are counted from - its the one with the giant fallen tree which we thought about using to get up a level but then chose against it as it might be too decayed. The rain started and as the rocks got slippery and it is MY birthday I thought sitting it out here was a better option. Whilst I picked off leeches and filmed dragonflies Ian headed off - he shouldnt be long as after all its was ONLY another 280 metres away - oh did I mention straight up.

He was away for around an hour and I was just starting to think "I should have taken the car keys from him" and wondering where he put his will sprung into sight. He looked like he had fallen or jumped into the river but it was just perspiration from all the exertion. He had made his way following his GPS to ground zero and then spent about 30 minutes or more searching then he went back to the logs and the clue and found the cache was 70 metres or so away from the given co-ords. The co-ords he recorded are S17 01.976 E145 42.660 for those interested. He then headed back and around that time managed to find your notorious Queensland stinging nettles! All of a sudden our WA spinifex looks tame! Oh did I mention the snake skin - very freshly shed, it was around 2 metres long! Snake no where to be seen.

A great challenge for our 1000th and on my birthday too! - worth the visit and I am sure Ian will be remembering it for days to come! LOL.

WHAT WASNT WRITTEN IN THE LOG FOLLOWS-

We headed back to our caravan which was parked at the free camping area at Gordonvale, it was 5pm. Ian sat and scrapped at his legs and arms with his knife trying to get the stingers out - bad move. I gave him a Telfast tablet and he rubbed in some Paraderm cream all to no avail. Ian is incredibly resiliant to pain so when I tell you that through the night he was writhing in agony at the point of vommitting I aren't exagerating.

In the morning I headed into Gordonvale to try to find a doctor, stopped in at the chemist who gave us the solution which should have been applied at the time. Ladies Waxing Strips! Ian waxed everywhere the stingers had attached and it really helped but as he had already broken heaps off it didn't completely help him. Never go into the FNQ forrests without wax strips.

[Bronnie_1990]

Just dont let your injuries slow you down

I've been trying to remember this all afternoon.
Long story short, i'm on crutches (yet again!!!) for a work-related injury (i'm always glad when it's not geocaching related)

My rover crew decided to walk up a hill and grab about 8 caches around the hill.
I gave up on crutches and decided to hobble. (so i'm not the best on them, and hey, i thought i could give it a go..)
The good news is, i made it alive.
The bad news is, i wish i could speak the same about the other guys.. (i'm amazed, out of the 14 of us, 5 of us geocache! Crazy)

We had..
2 rolled ankles (glad that wasnt me!)
4 slip over (some people dont believe in shoes with grip?)
1 mini asthma attack
2 get caught in a blackberry bush (ok this one i'll sadly admit to, blackberry bushes and i never get along. Wanna know what's worse than your leg being caught? Try a caving helmet...whilst wearing it..)
3 get caught on a barbed wire fence
1 getting a tetnus booster tomorrow because of said fence

Yep, geocaching is brutal...