CacheCrazy.Com

Once upon a time, before marriage and children, I used to enjoy a good hike.  I spent many warm summer evenings on many of my favorite local trails.  Finding a new trail, or hiking system, was like Christmas, to me.  I enjoyed having the opportunity to explore new mountain ridges, follow unfamiliar river and creek beds, and take in new views of old and familiar sights.

In the summer of 2010 I discovered the Sugar Notch Trail System, in, of all places, Sugar Notch,
Pennsylvania.  Blazed on Earth Conservancy land, the Sugar Notch Trail System is 137 acres of mine reclamation area and is divided into two trails- the Park Access Trail, and Ridgetop Trail.  I was familiar with the area being reclamation area, as I was involved in youth soccer at the time, and our fields are on the same land.  It wasn't long before I was off placing caches here.  The first two caches I placed, I Gotta Feeling & This Old House, remain active, as of the writing of this article.

The aforementioned caches are essentially at the base of either end of the trail.  One summer evening I decided to make the climb to the top of the Ridgetop Trail.  Cache bag in hand, I hiked up to the top and stumbled upon some breathtaking views of the Wyoming Valley.  It wasn't the highest mountain around, but a clear line of sight gave me an excellent vantage point of Wilkes-Barre and the surrounding area.  After soaking in the environment for awhile, I found a good hiding space for my newest cache.  I returned home, later that evening, and submitted the cache for review.  Atop the Ridgetop Trail was born.

It didn't take long for a claim on the FTF.  As a matter of fact, it was that very day.  Forty minutes separated first, and second, to find.  I was happy to read the cache logs, as cachers seemed to be enjoying the cache for all the reasons I'd hoped for.  Great views, fun hike, good exercise!  In my head, I was already planning to place more caches along the trails.  It was going to be a fun summer of caching on the Sugar Notch Trail System.

Or so I thought.

One hot Sunday, I was running a few errands, and making my way up to the VA to visit a good friend. I stopped to grab lunch, and while eating, pulled out my phone to check some e-mail, when I saw our old friend, keoki_eme, had logged a find for Atop the Ridgetop Trail.  Awesome, I thought!  To cachers near cachcrazy.com headquarters, keoki_eme is somewhat of a living legend.  His cache hides are some of the craziest, most devious hides around.  He takes pride in his hides, and has great respect for geocaching.  The thought of him making a find on one of MY hides, and possibly hinting he even enjoyed it, would make my day.

What follows is the context of that log:



What a bummer!  In an area (Northeastern Pennsylvania) prone to dry summers, and subsequent brush fires, what are the odds that ground zero at my cache would fall victim to a brush fire?!  Driving home later that afternoon, I could see smoke coming from that area.  It was, indeed, quite a considerable amount of timber burning in those woods.  I temporarily disabled the cache, and soon after, archived it altogether.  Here I sit, almost three years later, and have not yet returned to the top of the Ridgetop Trail.  Recently, I've given thought to placing some new caches.  I still think it's a lovely spot, and hope to return there, with cache bag in tow.
PHOTOS By KEOKI_EME from his log date 08/08/2010 on geocaching.com 

WELCOME TO 
THIRSTY 
THURSDAY!!

Grab a cup of coffee, or tea, sit back and let the
scratching begin; or not.






Ever have one of those caching trips where you approach the cache just to find out that there are these little vines with pretty little leaves  surrounding GZ? You know the kind I'm talking about right? You don't? Well let me explain.

The old saying of "leaves of three leave them be" is very true. The leaves I'm talking about are Poison Ivy leaves. This plant grows on a vine and always has three leaves in a clump. It can grow very low to the ground, or it can grow right up the side of a tree.





Poison ivy is dangerous all year long so don't think that just because it's winter-time you're safe because you're not. All it takes is one little touch and you can contract the itchies.

We were in Ohio visiting my sister when we came across a cache that was located in a little woods. The cache page said there was "Some" poison ivy nearby, but what we found was poison ivy everywhere at GZ.  I was able to get in and get it, but it was a little scary. We found lots of caches that trip and they were all around poison ivy. We finally decided that the Ohio State plant should
be poison ivy. Be sure when you're out caching that you check out the attributes listed on the cache page. I have actually contacted some COs and told them they need to update their pages and include the poison ivy icon. The last thing you want is for one of your young ones to get into it unexpectedly.

There is another vine that is similar to poison ivy. It is not poisonous, but it can be mildly irritating to some people.  It has 5 leaves that are green and it is called Virginia Creeper.

               It grows on the ground

              And it grows on trees



So what do you do if you get the sap (urushiol) from a poison ivy plant on yourself? The first thing to do is "Don't panic". You will live through it. If you are allergic to it, and most people are, you will get a red rash wherever you got the sap. Here are some suggestions, from Dr. Greene, if you do get it on yourself:

• Try using a towel or washcloth soaked in either plain tap water or Burow's Solution (an astringent solution -- you can make it yourself using Domeboro tablets or powder packets available over-the-counter). This can help relieve the intense itching and remove dry crust that has formed as a result of the rash.
• A fan blowing over the cool compress will diminish some of the heat of the itching and help to dry up some of the ooze coming from the rash. As the skin is cooling, the blood vessels compress and that cuts down on the itching and the new ooze.
• Some dermatologists recommend rubbing an ice cube gently over the rash several times a day, then letting the skin air-dry.
• Soaking in a tub, particularly using an oatmeal bath such as Aveeno, can also be very soothing to the itch. Be sure the bath is cool or lukewarm -- but not hot -- as heat tends to make the rash even more inflamed.
• After the cooling treatment (using any of the forms mentioned above), coat the rash with a shake lotion such as calamine. This continues to relieve the itching and helps to dry up the blisters.
• Be sure to check the expiration date on an old calamine bottle in your medicine cabinet, since it may not be effective after the expiration date. Be sure the shake lotion does not contain benzocaine, zirconium, or a topical antihistamine, such as Benadryl. These can actually make the rash worse by producing their own allergic reactions when applied to already sensitive skin.
• Applying hydrocortisone or another topical corticosteroid will help suppress the itching and give temporary relief, but does little to hasten the drying up of the rash.
• Taking an oral antihistamine, such as Benadryl, can help with the itching quite a bit, although it does not speed up resolution of the rash. Taking Benadryl at nighttime will make most people drowsy and help them sleep through the night without itching.
• Don't use Benadryl cream or spray topically, because this can cause its own skin reaction.
• In severe cases of poison ivy, poison oak, or poison sumac, it is a good idea to see a doctor. Sometimes large blisters need to be drained, and sometimes an oral steroid such as prednisone may be useful. Occasionally, even a steroid injection is needed.
• Systemic steroids produce rapid resolution of both the itching and the rash. If they are needed, a gradually tapering dosage over about 12 days should be given. The dosage needs to be tapered to avoid side effects after discontinuing use, and the entire course should be taken since stopping earlier may result in a rebound rash as bad as the original.

Author and Review Info

Alan Greene, MD, FAAP

If you're out caching please be careful of this poisonous plant. The last thing you want to do is spend the rest of your day itching because you were not careful. Let's have a safe and non irritating summer. 

I have been jonesing for an adventure all week, so today after work I piled into the van and headed north to the Blue Ridge mountains.

My first stop was a cache that was published yesterday.  It is on a windy road in a remote part of Watuga County.  It was just a guard rail cache, but it gave me some amazing views, so I didn't mind so much.

I was also First To Find. Apparently cachers don't go out here that much (given the remoteness I am not overly surprised).  The FTF prize was 5 one dollar bills. Cha-ching!   I've never made money from a cache before - not to shabby for something I'd go out and do anyway.

Armed with newfound gas money, I continued up the mountains to the Blue Ridge Parkway, where I did some more caching, and grabbed some photos for a photography scavenger hunt I am participating in (more on that later).

Frequent readers of this blog will know that the Blue Ridge Parkway is my absolutely most favorite road to be on.  The views are always amazing, and today did not disappoint.

I only had a few hours to explore, but it was enough to satisfy my urge to explore - at least until tomorrow.

I'll leave you with a few more pictures from my (rather short) adventure in the mountains.

This article was written by Dave DeBaeremaeker. If you liked this post please feel free to check out some of his adventures and hi-jinks on his personal blog: Only Googlebot Reads This Blog.