Worst injury Geocaching?

February 5, 2002

After being a geocacher for a few months, I am beginning to wonder if anyone has been seriously injured or..*gulp* killed while doing this. Personally I have had little more than scratches, but have had friends who lost big chunks of skin 1) by walking barefoot to get to a cache in a wet area. and 2) by falling down returning from a cache. The friend who fell down lost quite a bit of blood when he fell down, I was just wondering if anyone else has had worse experiences?

-HipsterDo0fus

Edmond, OK

February 5, 2002

My brother and I were setting a multi cache and he fell from a tree and landed on a rather tall stump. I knocked the wind out of him for about 20 min. and left and nasty scrap about 4 inches wide and about 14 inches long. He would have laughed too if he could breath.

MPB2

February 5, 2002

slipped while scrambling over a boulder at the Hole in the wall cache in Arkansas. slammed my elbow into the rock.

For the next three months if i so much as tapped it against something I got the most intense pain.

February 5, 2002

seriously wounded pride - other than that, just a twisted ankle.

February 5, 2002

a months worth of poison ivy and a scratch so far in 100..wife got a scrape and son-in-law stepped on a thorn that went thru his tennis shoes but no real damage to his foot.

February 5, 2002

Lots of poison ivy, and a cut that I should have had stitched up. Slipped while crossing a barbed-wire fence Just glad it wasn't 3 inches higher.

I did knock myself out cold while orienteering. Put my teeth through my upper lip. 22 stitches. Worst part was getting the Novocain shots.

[This message has been edited by web-ling (edited 05 February 2002).]

February 5, 2002

Both Me and my Geocaching Dog Bouillon got a tick on seperate outings. I made the mistake of killing it with alcohol before I removed mine, and it aparently regurgitated into my skin, and ive had a nasty spot under my arm that felt like i was stabbed with a dull knife for several days, and now 2 weeks later itches like hell.

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

Buck8Point

"If I can't fix it, It's definately Broke."

February 5, 2002

web-ling,

That looks like it hurts. Did you get permanant scares from all that?

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

MPB2

February 5, 2002

quote:
Originally posted by madphatboy2:
web-ling,

That looks like it hurts. Did you get permanant scares from all that?

You better believe it hurt! No permanent scares , but there's a bit of a scar on my upper lip. It's mostly covered by my moustache. It happened about two years ago. I actually found three more control points on the orienteering course before I gave up and staggered back to the start/finish area.

February 6, 2002

We orienteers don't quit easily!

Competed in the Swedish 5-days one year, with a broken arm (well, in a plaster).

Didn't break it orienteering that time, but the time before...

Anders

February 6, 2002

quote:
I knocked the wind out of him

He falls out of the tree and then you add insult to injury and knock the wind out of him!

quote:
He would have laughed too if he could breath.

And then you laugh at him.

I nearly chocked on my lunch when I read that. One of the funniest things I've read and at a perfect time.

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

It's out there...let's go get it!

February 6, 2002

quote:
I knocked the wind out of him

He falls out of the tree and then you add insult to injury and knock the wind out of him!

quote:
He would have laughed too if he could breath.

And then you laugh at him.

I nearly chocked on my lunch when I read that. One of the funniest things I've read and at a perfect time.

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

It's out there...let's go get it!

February 6, 2002

Alright, some good responses so far...any broken bones from doing this craziness?

February 6, 2002

ROTFLMAO!! embi, thanks for catching that mistake. Of course I didn't knock the wind out of him the tree did. But thanks for pointing that out so i could have a laugh too.

[This message has been edited by madphatboy2 (edited 06 February 2002).]

February 6, 2002

ROTFLMAO!! embi, thanks for catching that mistake. Of course I didn't knock the wind out of him the tree did. But thanks for pointing that out so i could have a laugh too.

[This message has been edited by madphatboy2 (edited 06 February 2002).]

February 6, 2002

Serious pride injury, almost killing myself sliding down about 15 feet of loose gravel down a hill, trying to get to a cache that's 100, no wait, 50, no wait, 175 metres that way, no, there, what the? and a permanent scar from the scrapes, all on he same "no find" cache. Beware of "Smuggler's Notch" in Vermont, it should be a 1/1 if you follow the clue and the log hint, not your gps.

February 6, 2002

Poison ivy that covered about 20-25% of my body and took about two months to totally heal. Faint scars and lots of new freckles where the worst sores were.

February 6, 2002

Got bit by a Lyme infected tick - adult female (the really nasty kind!) Was on antibiotics for a month. (I was, not the tick!) She was sent to a lab in a Ziplock, alive but missing half her mandible lost as she was being separated from her meal. (serves her right). I continued scratching for a month.

Actually it was no joke. It really got me scared. I really am worried about the upcoming Spring. Who needs all that aggravation again?

Alan2

February 6, 2002

I got minor cases of poison ivy on three outings, and over 225 chigger bites while hunting caches in the Ozarks (a nap I took after lunch on that one probably didn't help). But the worst (or best, depending on how you look at it) one of all was breaking my tailbone while hunting one of the easiest caches in my area, a roadside stop just a few miles from my home. I was standing on a ledge to get a reading when the ledge gave way and I landed butt-first onto the sharp rocks. The best part came later when I returned to settle the score and found that the cache was located under the very ledge that gave way. You can see my log entries here: Rowdy's Cache

February 6, 2002

scooterj, i'm soo sorry that I have to laugh really hard at that one. I can understand your frustration with the situation. In 2 days I will be going 300 miles out of my way to try a cache that has been creating poison oak candidates for quite some time. Hopefully I don't end up it's victim.

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

MPB2

February 6, 2002

Worst incident was hiding a cache my head brushed up against a hornet nest. Got stung 5 times 1 right under my eye. Swelled up pretty bad and had a major headache.

February 7, 2002

We have a winner! So far I think that ScooterJ wins with the broken tailbone, although web-ling's was bad with those stiches...sorry web-ling, but rather than orienteering, you look like you took a good country beating from someone haha. Any more broken bones out there? Poison Ivy/Oak seems rather a common occurence.

-HipsterDo0fus

Edmond, OK

February 7, 2002

quote:
or..*gulp* killed while doing this.

Lets hope that NEVER happens!

February 7, 2002

Haha well I was just wondering. As close as some caches are to cliffs and so forth, I would not be suprised if there were at LEAST some major injuries!

-HipsterDo0fus

Edmond, OK

February 7, 2002

quote:
Originally posted by MattandLaura:
Worst incident was hiding a cache my head brushed up against a hornet nest. Got stung 5 times 1 right under my eye. Swelled up pretty bad and had a major headache.

Was that Matt or Laura who didn't have their head in the wrong place?

Alan2

February 8, 2002

Where do I start?

First I too stepped on a thorn, one from those tree's that have thorns the long sharp type. It went through my shoe inot my foot about an inch. I carefully took my shoe off while standing because I was in the middle of more thorns and when I tried to walk the thorn went in more. Shoe off I pulled that sucker out. Went back to my car and cleaned the would with Ice Tea( or soda?) put my shoe back on and went to another parking area. Eventually found the cache. Foot only hurt when I used my brake while driving.

While scrambling over rocks I stepped on a loose rock that flipped and I fell slightly causing my other foot to fall inot a hole which was really good. The rock that flipped was a heavy rock and( hard to put to words here) it ended up being on top of that foot with my foot in the hole. Meaning if my foot did not fall into the hole it would have been crushed. After a minute or so I could slide my foot from under the rock. Ended up scraping my leg and started to bleed but still found the cache. On the way back a hiker noticed the bloody leg and had a very odd look on his face. Again cleaned it up with some Ice Tea.

Once I walked through a stream after taking off shoes and socks to find a very slippery rock. Did not fall or get hurt but almost too an unexpected swim. Found that cache too.

Almost forgot my favorite story.

While cahing in Rochester NY, this one cache was sort of tricky until I uncovered a clue. Not that bad I thought but then BAM BAM BAM BAM I was being struck my Mosquitoes like crazy( even had OFF on). These buggers were huge, could see a swarm coming right at me. I looked at my arm and it was covered with them. One good swipe and they were all dead(the ones on my arm) but I still got stung/bitten a lot. I found cache and went back to my car, was last cache I found that day. My arm swelled up and I thought I might even pass out. Would not have surprised me if animals or even people were found dead back there. Those things could have picked up a small bird, I am sure of it. Had marks on my arm for about a week.

Now it would not be so bad but I geocache ALONE mostly, so if I do get hurt bad. I just might be bear food---hope I give it a stomach ache.

Peace and Have Fun!!!!

E=Mc²

[This message has been edited by E=Mc2 (edited 08 February 2002).]

February 8, 2002

his message has been edited by E=Mc2 (edited 08 February 2002).]

February 8, 2002

quote:
Originally posted by hipsterdoofus:
or..*gulp* killed while doing this.

Unfortunately people who die while geocaching rarely participate in these forums. Too bad, I?m sure we could learn a lot from them.

February 8, 2002

LOL, well I wasn't exactly expecting to hear fromt he dead ones, just wondering if anyone had heard anything about that...yes I can see the advies the dead people give..."don't step on the big brown loose rock" hehe.

-HipsterDo0fus

Edmond, OK

February 8, 2002

I was going to purchase one of Jeremy's new survival kits, but now I see none of them come with ice tea to treat wounds. What good are they then?

February 8, 2002

I was going to purchase one of Jeremy's new survival kits, but now I see none of them come with ice tea to treat wounds. What good are they then?

February 8, 2002

Yesterday while climbing a rock face in the snow and ice, (not a good idea to begin with), I swung my leg up onto a ledge to pull myself up near the cache site, and it landed on a 3inch prickly pear spine. I buried right up to the hilt just above the knee. The worst part was I then had to put the rest of my weight right on top of it and keep going up, going back down was not and option. After removing the spine and finding the cache, I treated the wound and had a two mile hike back to the truck. Today it hurts like ****. The doc says it will be fine. There are not a whole lot of prickly pears around Tennessee that grow on rock faces, but the ones that do know how to bite.

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

We do not stop playing because we get old; we get old because we stop playing.

February 8, 2002

A man got struck by lightening and killed on Stonewall Mountain very soon after this

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.asp?ID=6599

was posted. We never heard if he was up there looking for the cache.

February 9, 2002

While hiking in to perform a routine check up on my own cache, I broke my arm by tripping and falling on a large rock... BUT! I did continue the hunt for my own cache. I was actually too lazy to seek medical attention until the next day...

[This message has been edited by Squad51 (edited 09 February 2002).]

February 9, 2002

Lazy...I'd call that crazy!!

No broken bones here, just a lot of scratches from thorns and lots of mosquitos. My girlfriend did find a tick on her after one cache (after we got home 2 hours later) that got by both of us during our tick checks back at the car. so far no signs of Lyme's Disease.

February 9, 2002

Well, it's similar to a previous reply, but I did get 7 yellow jacket stings and almost slid down a cliff/boulder strewn slope trying to get away from the nest. The worst part was the fact that I had passed two feet in front of the cache on my mad dash to get away. I only realised that after the fifth (and first successful) attempt at the cache.

February 11, 2002

My family went down to look for a brand new cache on Friday. It was dark, and we were using a Black and Decker 14.4 V flashlight - the kind that lasts and lasts until you REALLY need it and you don't carry spares for. Well, it went out. I had my AAA minimag and that helped for a bit. It was a hard cache. We looked for an hour.

Finally we had to take the "gift" flashlight out of it's packaging and use it ourselves. We had to log a frowny face on that one.

Well, while we were there, my wife slips and severely twists her foot (she swears she broke it, but didn't want to go to ER). It's OK now, so I'm sure it's just spraigned. Anyway, she was pretty much out of commission for two full days. It was HER that wanted to go back and find the elusive cache yesterday. So we went back. We weren't first, but we found it!

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

VentureForth out to the wild, wet forest...

P.S. When we went back, we left the flashlight we had to open. It's still new - just an hour old or so.

[This message has been edited by VentureForth (edited 11 February 2002).]

February 11, 2002

My family went down to look for a brand new cache on Friday. It was dark, and we were using a Black and Decker 14.4 V flashlight - the kind that lasts and lasts until you REALLY need it and you don't carry spares for. Well, it went out. I had my AAA minimag and that helped for a bit. It was a hard cache. We looked for an hour.

Finally we had to take the "gift" flashlight out of it's packaging and use it ourselves. We had to log a frowny face on that one.

Well, while we were there, my wife slips and severely twists her foot (she swears she broke it, but didn't want to go to ER). It's OK now, so I'm sure it's just spraigned. Anyway, she was pretty much out of commission for two full days. It was HER that wanted to go back and find the elusive cache yesterday. So we went back. We weren't first, but we found it!

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

VentureForth out to the wild, wet forest...

P.S. When we went back, we left the flashlight we had to open. It's still new - just an hour old or so.

[This message has been edited by VentureForth (edited 11 February 2002).]

February 16, 2002

Well... It was not me but I was there, my two friends and I hiked up to hide a cache way up there in the mountains, and, as we were walking across a tree that had fallen across a little gorge thing brian lost it, started grabbing at jesse, they fell, I sat there watching as brian falls way way down,lands on his head on the steep mountain,rolls and rolls and rolls,and jesse got all bloody too.

February 16, 2002

one here but today we went caching in a town that we had never been in before... and happened to stop at BK for lunch there... when we get home we hear on the radio that 2 high school children in that town were diagnosed today with contagious menengitis. BK employees only college kids right... yeah. Freeky though never been in this town before.

February 16, 2002

Well hopefully no damage done here but today we went caching in a town that we had never been in before... and happened to stop at BK for lunch there... when we get home we hear on the radio that 2 high school children in that town were diagnosed today with contagious menengitis. BK employees only college kids right... yeah. Freeky though never been in this town before.

February 17, 2002

Ok so not actual injury...a near miss.....

We did 2 caches yesterday. The first was a walk in the park. The second was made more difficult by the weather and the terrain. We arrived to the site on a 40 degree day. So in this area it means snow and ice melt. We had to go down a half melted sledding hill, trudge thru slush in a field, slop around in scattered slimmy leaf puddels and those were by far the easiest things. We had to cross a fridged creek that varied from 5" to 10" of water. All 5 of us. Well to make a long story shortish...The trip to the cache we made unscathed but the way out was another story. My husband tried to direct my daughter who always takes the longest way round. She stepped on the wrong rock and thereby thrust all 120 pounds of herself towards the swirrling water. My husband in a moment of reflection thought ok I can just let her find out what not listening to Dad brings. But then decided that the 15 minute walk out and soaked car seat just weren't worth it. He said a word that the children hadn't heard him say before...several times...loudly...which gave him just enough umph to muster the engery to scoop her up as she dangeled just inches above the water......Meanwhile the 3 of us on the other side had to use all our strength not to laugh. Which in it self could have created a serious explosion.

DxChallenged

February 17, 2002

Last spring, Tracy and I were out after our first cache. We were in a state park, walking along a trail through a canyon. Tracy was in front, and I behind looking at the GSPR. saw her move to the right over a bridge, and as I looked up, I saw my right foot FLY past my face! (Gee, was I on ice?) I landed on my left Shoulder, Elbow and Wrist. None were broken, but I sprained a ligament in my shoulder and still have some minor problems with it.

Richard and Tracy

February 26, 2002

Not to make light of the actual physical injuries of others...

On September 26, 2001, in Atlanta, Georgia, I suffered immense psychological pain as I had to face the death of my old 1983 Mercedes 300SD Diesel which had been with me for seventeen years. It died on a geocaching adventure when the repair bill for the transmission and engine exceeded the value of the car. I sold it on the spot for salvage and returned to Louisville on the Greyhound bus. Now here is the sick part...I borrowed my wife's car and returned to Atlanta to complete my mission.

February 26, 2002

quote:
Originally posted by Show Me The Cache:
...Now here is the sick part...I borrowed my wife's car and returned to Atlanta to complete my mission.

Sick part you say... My good man, let me pause while I wipe the tears from my eyes....I have never before in my entire life been witness to such a NOBLE or BRAVE and BEAUTIFUL act of INSPIRATION. You are an inspiration to us all. To borrow a famous quote from a spokesperson we all know and admire..."I Love You, Man!!!"

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

Because I said so!!!

[This message has been edited by MMan (edited 26 February 2002).]

February 26, 2002

quote:
Originally posted by Show Me The Cache:
...Now here is the sick part...I borrowed my wife's car and returned to Atlanta to complete my mission.

Sick part you say... My good man, let me pause while I wipe the tears from my eyes....I have never before in my entire life been witness to such a NOBLE or BRAVE and BEAUTIFUL act of INSPIRATION. You are an inspiration to us all. To borrow a famous quote from a spokesperson we all know and admire..."I Love You, Man!!!"

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

Because I said so!!!

[This message has been edited by MMan (edited 26 February 2002).]

February 26, 2002

I was looking for a cache, and was up on a bit of a hill. I was lifting up some rather-heavy rocks to see if the cache was buried underneath them. One started to roll down the hill toward my leg. I saw the rock, and my leg, and immediately knew that the rock was going to smash right into my leg. Unfortunately, I couldn't move my leg as it was the leg that was supporting me on the hill!! It left a huge welt and cut. And to add insult to injury, I still couldn't find the cache! Though I did return later to find it.

February 26, 2002

Well, luckilly the worst GeoInjury I have encountered was getting a Tick on the Palomino Cache.

My truck did sustain injury as a result of a recent GeoCrashing Incident on this cache run.

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cachelog_details.asp?ID=21638&L=201976

My Dog Bouillon was the unfortunate victim of a Recent GeoTragedy on this cache run.

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cachelog_details.asp?ID=22647&L=210197

Im hoping the recent trend of GeoDrama on my cache hunts is over for now..

Buck8Point

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

Buck8Point

"If I can't fix it, It's definately Broke."

February 26, 2002

Well, luckilly the worst GeoInjury I have encountered was getting a Tick on the Palomino Cache.

My truck did sustain injury as a result of a recent GeoCrashing Incident on this cache run.

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cachelog_details.asp?ID=21638&L=201976

My Dog Bouillon was the unfortunate victim of a Recent GeoTragedy on this cache run.

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cachelog_details.asp?ID=22647&L=210197

Im hoping the recent trend of GeoDrama on my cache hunts is over for now..

Buck8Point

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

Buck8Point

"If I can't fix it, It's definately Broke."

February 26, 2002

Two ticks and some poison oak in one day!

Worst injury Geocaching?

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