Geocaching accidental death and safety

Sometimes in the process of caching I find a story that saddens me.

This one came accross my computer today.

On Wednesday July 20th at around 2:20 pm the Creston RCMP, BCAS Services and Nelson Search and Rescue were dispatched to a roadside pull off area near Alkokli Creek Rd, where a 75 yr old man had fallen down a steep embankment after the group had stopped to locate a geocache site.

Despite the efforts of the man's family who were with him and another group of motorists who also assisted to provide first aid and CPR, the man died at the scene as a result of the injuries sustained in the fall.

It is sad to think what can happen.  I have ran into spiders that I were sure were going to kill me, and a few places that made me question my sanity.  My thoughts and prayers go out to him and his family during this difficult time.

I teach the Boy Scout merit badge on geocaching.  One of the first sections is safety.  Often we toss that aside.  Some go crazy to grab a cache, but don't forget to look around.  Snakes, spiders, loose ground, cliffs, on a busy road, etc.  No cache is worth dying to try and get (except maybe the space station). 

People forget what is around them.  Take a moment when you look, and think before you go.  I know cachers that do slot canyons and cliffs.  They go prepared with helmets, ropes and safety gear.  Other friends that explore caves and old mines, they take helmets, ropes, multiple lights, and backup gear. 

Any cache is findable, but plan ahead and be safe.  I would be horror struck to find out that some cache of mine caused a death. I try and warn people beforehand.  Geocaching does not police the danger, that is up to the individuals.  The police in the article give some great advice.

We do caution people to consider the terrain at these sites, to ensure that it is safe to attempt to retrieve the item, if deemed that it's in rough terrain, simply skip it. -Cpl Dan Moskaluk

Update on 2011-07-25 20:16 by firennice

Time to geocache again

I have been busy this summer, camping with the family, sleeping, working, eating, sleeping, etc. 

There has been a lot going on so I thought that I would toss some stuff out that I noticed.

Tico Jeffrey

Latitude 47 the geocaching blog did an article on Tico Jeffrey.   I have been happy over the last few years to see a number of his caches listed.  So it was cool and a surprise to have him highlighted. Congrats for all your caching, and the article

Geocacher of the Month

Also on Latitude 47 is the geocacher of the month.  Geocaching.com is going to select outstanding cachers.

Groundspeak needs your help acknowledging a geocacher each month that stands out by inspiring other geocachers with their innovation, creative hides and/or logs, respect for the environment, and geocaching etiquette.

It goes with the focus this last year to improve he hides and highlight outstanding caches and now cachers.   There will be a special coin, hat, and certificate given out.

So if there is someone that inspires you.  They may be creative in hiding, or showing respect for others and the environment around us.  Email geocacherofthemonth @ groundspeak.com

Every nomination must meet the following requirements. Please include your name, the name of your nominee, their username, at least one picture of the nominee and description (in 500 or fewer words) explaining why he or she deserves to be the Geocacher of the Month. Please inform your nominee that you’ve submitted them for the award. Nominations for the first Geocacher of the Month must be received by August 4^th.

It is a great way to point out to others cachers that have contributed to the community we are a part of.  Perhaps they have found 200 but share experiences with others.  Perhaps they have placed a number of creative hides, make logs that are interesting.   Toss out their names.

Munzee

A munzee is a little barcode tag that you hide.  Similar to a geocache.  Someone hides it and then you go find it and scan it with your phone.

I thought the idea was cool, as I played with it for a while.  However it quickly lost its luster as I began to think why I would place one instead of a geocache.  It is just as much work, more difficult to create the tags, then activate them.  They are not as usefull in the mountians (looking for a little tag)

So thought they are interesting.  I would much rather place a micro cache then go out and place a munzee. No offense to the munzee folk, but it is the same reason I would rather deal with geocaching than opencaching.   There are more, they are reviewed so you dont place a cache in a sensitive spot, phone GPS are mediocre. (for placing and finding).  Plus there are not enough players and none around. Bleh... back to my wherigo I am working on... actuall one of my two wherigos, or is it three I am working on.

Update on 2011-07-22 05:19 by firennice

A new ape geocache?

As a follow up to my last note I point people to Jeremy Irish's facebook status.

He had a few interesting posts.

FOX passed on an official Project APE promotion for Rise of the Planet of the Apes, but we're going to do something cool without them. Expect a blog post next week or so about it.

and

It was pretty much a free promotion, like before, though they did donate props from the movie in the first promo. No money exchanged hands, though.

and

...Also keep in mind there were APE caches outside of the US the first time, including one in the UK.

No, we won't be bringing back the original archived APE caches. That doesn't mean we won't have new ones, however. Details are still being worked out.

More to come..stay tuned on the geocaching blogs.  That is cool news.

Update on 2011-06-24 02:12 by firennice

Two ape geocaches... now just one.

Sorry to get back to this in such a long time.  I spent a lot of time getting ready for and attending a scout camp. There was a little news while i was gone.

I guess it was only a matter of time.  A matter of time for all the caches out there.  This is the perfect example.  After turning up missing the cache owner for the last US ape caches decided that it was time to archive it. 

The threat of it turning up missing again and again was high enough that it was decided to archive the cache.  So now there is only one ape cache left. 

I was going to try and go up last fall and go for it, but the entire thing fell through.  This year I was hoping to go and grab it, now I guess it is gone and there is not much chance for me to actually make the run for it.

Oh well.  I guess this is the same as any other cache.  Eventually there is time for everything.  Someone that steals any cache on a regular basis could lead to the owner just giving up and walking away.  It happens every day, but this time it is one that everyone is watching.

Update on 2011-06-21 04:24 by firennice

Thoughts on Earthcaching

Earthcaching is becoming more and more popular.  More and more people are looking into listing them and taking the steps needed to create one.

What is an Earthcache

Earthcaches have been around for a while, and have gone through a number of subtle changes over the years.  There are a lot of them out there now. I do not know the exact number, but I am surprised at how many appear.

Many mistake that they are just a virtual.  They are created to be educational, and point out a specific location, or geological site to others.  Because of the educational nature, they are to teach you about the different locations.

There are a number of Earthcache subjects that are considered acceptable.

 

• Geological materials - Rocks, minerals, fossils, sands, soils, etc.
• Geological processes - erosion, weathering, deposition, volcanic activity, glacial action, etc.
• Geological land form evolution - glacial valleys, reverse topography due to rock properties, waterfalls with geological explanations, use of geological materials - building stones, etc.
• Geological phenomena (not included above) - impact craters, geysers, mineral springs, etc.
• Tools used by geologists - index fossils, rocks, historical geology sites.

A number of others are not acceptable

Biology, Botany, Zoology, Ecology, Atmospheric observations, Oceanographic observations, Geodesy (unless specifically linked to the location), Archeology, History (unless it has a geological theme), a building (unless it has a geological lesson), Engineering (unless it has a geological theme).

Also there are a number that are limited or restricted because of how many there are.

• Watershed Divides
• River Confluences
• Waterfalls
• Artesian Wells/Springs
• Glacial Erratics

Recent Changes

In the last year there are a number of changes that have taken place.

Geocaching online Earthcache Submittals

At one time the only way there was to submit a cache was to go to the Earthcaching site and list it.  From there it was translated into the geocaching site by the reviewer.  It was a time consuming and long process.

Addition of many Earthcache Reviewers.

There were not many reviewers and the few that were involved were dealing with the entire program, and looking at all the Earthcaches.  That meant long delays of 4-6 weeks before any look at an Earthcache took place.

Defining of acceptable Earthcache types.

There are many caches out there that seem to not fall into the acceptable sciences.  Those caches were done in a different time under different circumstances. 

No photo requirement

Just like it says there are no photos required for Earthcaches anymore.  Many are not ready for it, or ready for the change.  It is not just the new caches but older caches cannot require a photo anymore.  Earthcaches are not like a virtual.  It is not about the visit, it is about the educational value. So many were turning into virtuals, and people were deleting logs for no photo.

How can I get my Earthcache approved.

Permission

Permission is required for many locations.  In parks, fields, forest service, BLM, in the US you need to have permission before it can be listed.  Some areas near a road, or in some countries no permission is required.  If in question ask.  For National Park Service properties you will require specific permission.  That means an email will need to be sent to the reviewer from the National Park authority.  This may also be asked in other areas, such as a Wilderness area.

Topic

As mentioned above make sure that the topic is the proper topic and that is the focus.  Having 15 paragraphs on the history of an area, then one on the geology would most likely not be published. Some had been listed in the past that fit Ecology subjects, botany, or zoology.  Those no longer fit the subject of the Earthcache program.

Site Specific

A polished river rock, has earth science on how it was created.  However they are common and scatted everywhere about the world.  Why is that site special.  It could be the stone is special, how it is tumbled, or something similar, but in general you could have issues getting it listed.  

Something generic.. a moraine, spring, glacial erratic, layering of sedement seen by a highway may be interesting, but tell someone why this location is interesting, why this particular site is special.

Duplicates

Some areas are treasure troves of geologic sites.  Yellowstone is a fantastic example. Hundreds of geysers, many more warm springs, mud pots, etc.  Your cache should highlight the site and say why it is different or special.  While worldwide a geyser may be impressive and worth a listing that is generic, in the heart of Yellowstone an Earthcache on one of 500 geysers should highlight why it is special, and not duplicate another nearby.  Telling the same story with a different geyser, arch, or bridge name, or copying a neaby feature would not be listed.

If you have a similar feature but you add much more information it may be listable.  A cache may highlight the erosion of a canyon, talking about how it eroded.  Another cache may highlight the stone/sediment that makes up the canyon.  It may be the same feature, but the topic is different.  We don't care about the feature, but the topic.

Educational Topic

Teach those around you.  Make the people learn.  Tell them about the location, why it is special.  A virtual cache may point out the pretty rocks at a location. An Earthcache will talk about how there were formed, eroded from the wall, why they rest here, or why the mineral is important. 

The more you teach, the more people enjoy and remember the visit.

Logging Tasks

Remember no Photos.  So you need to do a few things. 

1. Logging tasks need to be Earthcache related.  In other words, the fifth word from the second paragraph on the sign, would not work.  Tell someone about the plants in the area would not work as well. 
2. Make sure they cannot be solved from the internet.  Remember there is a lot of information there.  Google maps let people see a formation from the road, Wikipedia talks about how stones are formed.  
3. Your logging task should make sure that the person visited.  You need to make sure a logging task proves that a cacher was there. What direction was erosion taking place, the size of the grains, or makeup of a conglomerate.  Colors, smells, opinions on how something formed, comparisons, can all be great logging requirements.
4. Measurements tent to be bad.  Asking an altitude is bad.  Especially if you are asking someone to look at a gps.  Anyone can get the altitude from the topo map. A measurement is easily passed around, guessed, or solved from other areas.  In some cases these work, but in many cases they can cause issues.

Other notes and final thoughts

You can do an Earthcache when on vacation, however you can have a number of issues.  If your logging requirements are weak, or if some rework needs to be done, then you may not be able to rework them.  With luck you will have everything ok, if not be ready for alternatives.

If you have an Earthcache, remember you have to maintain it. Some will try and log it and never visit, some will log it poorly and you may need to contact them.  On another note, you may want to make sure that you email them before you delete the logs. 

Enjoy

Update on 2011-06-02 05:31 by firennice