Summer Geocaching: Don't Be Struck Down By The Heat

I don't know about you but in North America we are in the Dog Days of Summer. Yep, there actually is such a thing and for the Northern Hemisphere they usually run early July to early September. For the Southern Hemisphere it usually is January through early March -thank you Wiki. Either way you don't have to look it up on the Internet to know that it's frick'n hot out.  Yeah I know depending on what region you actually reside in there are variances but for most we are sizzling.

So it is only right that I put out some helpful suggestions for geocaching in the heat. When it comes to survival mode we unusually are more safety concerned in the cold temps but let me tell you, the heat can be just as bad.
I personally think we do not feel as concerned this time of year. The sun is shining, birds are singing and we are feeling the need to geocache. So grabbing a baseball cap and your GPSr is all you need right? WRONG!

Here is what you really need to keep in mind and get your supplies in order before going out geocaching during summer time.

Heat Exposure - Basically that is when your body gets so warm it can't handle it and you shut down. Think of it as your whole body going over 106 temp and then grinds to a halt. Over 6000 people every year get this and you can die from it. Watch when you are exerting yourself outside in the heat. Take rests, find shade and DRINK WATER.

Dehydration - Lets face it, when we are geocaching we are constantly moving. In the heat we can loose oodles of our precious fluids and quite frankly we need them if we don't want to get all the symptoms that come with dehydration. Keep drinking water when geocaching but especially when you are in the summer heat. You would be surprised how much you lose and how quickly. Always hydrate, and that includes your geocaching pets!

GeoSnacks - Yeah it may not be the top of your list but you always want to keep non-melt-able food stuffs with you while geocaching. Keeping your energy level high keeps your body in a better condition to fight off the draining and straining effects the heat can bring on a geocacher.

Lighting Strikes - During the summer thunderstorms can pop up out of nowhere. Many times right where you are geocaching. What many people do not realize is that a lightning strike can happen tens of miles from the nearest cloud and without warning. Always keep an eye on the sky when geocaching. If you hear thunder you are in range of a strike. Find shelter.

Spiders, Snakes and other Critters - When it gets hot out critters like to go where they can cool off. Just like we like to do. The issue is many times geocaches are hidden in those nice little nooks and crannies where the critters are. Always follow HeadHardHat's Number One Rule of Geocaching - Poke It With A Stick! Never reach your hand into a place that you cannot see everything that is around it. Use an inspection mirror to be absolutely sure nothing is in there that will cause you harm.

Well that is the short and dirty list. If you have more suggestions please send them in and we will make an official summer heat geocaching list.

Be safe out there cachers!

-HHH

GeoCache: I'm NOT Obsessed... Right?
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Put This In Your Burrito And Smoke It!!!

Okay this story has nothing to do with geocaching but is a real keeper and one of which I will not forget in a long time. It started out so innocent where my wife, daughter and I were invited to a surprise birthday party for my neighbor and good friend Al. I feel truly blessed because I live in one of my neighborhood's cul-de-sacs. You know when the street suddenly ends and you do a quick circle around to head back from whence you came? Usually there are six or seven houses that follow next to each other all pointing to the center of the circle. Well all of those seven houses have fantastic neighbors and we get together for one heck of a lot of food, libations, poker and good old fashioned laugh till your jaw hurts fun.

As usual the party was going great and Al blew out his birthday candles (cannot disclose the amount but a fire extinguisher was nearby) on his birthday cake. Jokingly he exclaimed, "No Girl?", as if one could come out of the sheet cake, I mean really... But next thing we know Steve comes out of the room looking like Madonna on a bad hair day and put on a show that brought down the house. Everyone laughed so hard we couldn't stand it. Just shows how much fun we have when we get together. Great times.

After we settled down the food started appearing everywhere and we started digging in. The other cool thing about my neighbors is ALL of the wives can cook.. I mean cook with a capital "C". We were indulging in some home made Spanish-based cooking including burritos. I fill up my plate with all sorts of delights and I ask "where's the hot sauce?". Steve now de-boobittized agrees and we looked around. A bottle was placed in front of us by our friend Dick who happens to be quite the expert on home growing chilies and making of hot sauces.

"Do you like heat?", he says with a slight smile.

"Sure the hotter the better", echo Steve and myself.

"You sure?", repeats Dick. Now any normal person would have caught on right away and questioned the situation, but after a couple of cold ones and all the testosterone being tossed around we were ripe for catastrophe. "Try that" as he points to the small bottle before us.

It was called Black Mamba. The bottle was so tiny and the coloring of the sauce was not scary in appearance. Sure it had the words "Venomous Hot Sauce" and "Extreme Heat" on the label but that was just clever marketing.... Right?

Before I go any further let me tell you right off the bat that when the words "Extreme Heat" are on the label take heed. I mean seriously, take fricken heed. So being all macho and stuff, Steve and I pour this stuff on top of our burritos, give a salute to each other and dig in..... Nothing. Bit of smokey flavor and 30 more seconds later... nada.

We look at each other and then to Dick who is completely at a loss of words. Another 30 seconds go by and we take a few more bites. Not a dang, wait a minute... a slight tingle in the back of my throat starts ups. Kind of a feeling like you just swallowed smoke from a nearby campfire. More of an annoyance really, Hold on. A small ember of heat begins to form on the back of my tongue and it's hot like you tasted some fresh Wasabi at your nearby Sushi Bar. On a scale of 1 to 10 I would say it was at a solid 6 with just enough heat to.... Holy Cow! Somebody just fanned that little red ember into a white hot charcoal and it brought twelve of it's briquette buddies with him.

RED ALERT!!! In one swoop I apparently turned seven different shades of red, my eyes started popping out of my head, I involuntarily started tearing and my hands clenched so hard that it had bent the fork in my hand without realizing it. The experience can only be described as extreme searing white hot pain followed by a demanding that someone put me out of my misery before my tongue completely flame broils my Medula Umblingada!!!

That has been without a doubt the most unbearable pain I have ever had in my mouth without being physically set on fire. I could only imagine what was going through Steve's mind but since he no longer could talk and had tuned white as ghost I figured that he was fighting his own demons right now and apparently they were winning...

It took me about an hour before the "heat" settled down enough for me to actually go back and enjoy the rest of the party. It took a bit longer for Steve but at least he didn't go into antiphalactic shock through the process. I will not even go into the fun I had the day later but the intestinal distress among other flaming orifice was enough to remind me that I will never again partake in such searing activities... at least until next time.