[Northwoods Tom]

I remember the first time I found one of those film canisters in a post hole at a park and ride and thought “How cool an idea is this!” I didn’t see my next one until several months latter and still thought it was pretty neat. Now they seem to be a hide location of choice in quite a few areas.

I carry a small mag lite in the pencil holder in my vehicle and it always is my first grab when I’m pulling up to what I believe is one of these hides. It works real slick for popping it out and you have a light for checking which hole it’s in when it’s getting dark. Most humorous one of these hide was a puzzle that I had solved and the hide was of this kind. It was in the lowest hole on this post and I was looking for the hide in the dark with icy frozen drifts around the post. I made the comment in my log that at least he could have placed it in the upper slot so I wouldn’t have to dig thru so much ice and snow to sign the log.

[Northwoods Tom]

I have a “Freestyle” Tracer pedometer that I have used that appears to be quite accurate. To be honest, I’m sure there are others out there that may be better. About $20. If you decide a pedometer is the way you want to go, I feel it’s important to get one that you can program in your stride length at a minimum. This model happens to be able to measure in miles or kilometers and has other features as well.

Here’s the rub, your stride length changes as you become tired, move thru a variety of terrain, change course, etc. It works great when I’m walking a road or a level trail. When I walk the bush or woods for distances it loses accuracy. What others have said about using a GPS unit for measurement is true. Especially one that you can lay a track on and/or record distance traveled. But sometimes you don’t want to carry your GPS unit (O.K. I said it! Don’t hold it against me!). If you want to look at the instruction manual, check out: http://www.freestyleusa.com/support/files/pedometers/Tracer.pdf

Hope this is of help.

[Northwoods Tom]

@beccaday wrote:

Actually, we have some hunting land up north and we had a neighbor up there that would rent a bigfoot costume and then walk in front of his friend and family member’s deer cam’s. You should hear the stories! 😆

So that explains the BFRO sightings up north.

(For those not in the know, BFRO=Big Foot Research Organization) 😛

[Northwoods Tom]

@mongo1965 wrote:

think I will be doing my caching north and west of home for a while 😯

If you head west (of Minocqua about 30 miles), you could be seeing bear on a regular basis (lots of skinny hairless men in the area so I must be seeing bear). Last summer was light, but the summer before I would see at least one bear a week in different spots. Wolf are another story. We know they are there, but they tend to be harder to sight. My closest encounter was last deer season about 75 feet away. I don’t know who was more surprised.

[Northwoods Tom]

Wolf and bear (without cubs) I can tolerate. There’s just something I’m uncomfortable about with cougar though… Possibly because I’ve never experienced one in the wild. Not sure how I would react.

(Need a Oh S— icon!)

Doesn’t Woodcarver Dan live in that general area? I see a market for walking sticks/big cat defense clubs…

[Northwoods Tom]

@AstroD-Team wrote:

I was being snarky (Hence the laughing smiley). I am personally well aware of doctors not willing to treat or accept that patients have Lyme if not in an endemic area.

No offense was taken. Just trying to drive home the point about how we need to work with our healthcare professionals and they also need to work with us. State your healthcare concerns and expect answers. (And patients, remember this is a two way street.)

I guess it comes from many years of working with excellent healthcare professionals with an occasional weaker one thrown in.

[Northwoods Tom]

Nicely said zuma.

[Northwoods Tom]

@AstroD-Team wrote:

So then that means (according to the CDC) those people living in or visiting Door County can’t get Lyme – it’s not an endemic area for ticks or the disease.

Actually it is a problem. I’m aware of three people on Washington Island that had Lyme disease. Very likely was contracted from a tick elsewhere but one former health care provider would not accept the fact that a local patient had the disease. Not until she went elsewhere and the new provider confirmed it in test results. Sometimes physicians aren’t up to speed. Because of the increased prevalence, it’s getting better.

[Northwoods Tom]

@zuma wrote:

According to the CDC map, all of WI has ticks except for Door County. So if you are really concerned about ticks, you might consider caching in Door County or in other states that have much fewer ticks.

(If anyone has seen a tick in Door County, let me know. But supposedly there are very few ticks there.)

z

Last I checked, Washington Island is part of Door County. We have pulled a few off the dogs over the years (less than 6). They are Island dogs so if they picked them up from anyone, it would have been me but I doubt that is the source due to the time of year they were found. I also found one on me about a year ago but they are rare. All appeared to be non deer ticks. I have never picked up one in the Door County mainland (I don’t think they like all the tourists) and I’ve been to just about every cache there.

Yet as a side note, the summer home owners on Detroit Island (island right off Washington Island) wanted all the deer thinned out. To remove ticks… No mention of the squirrels, rodents, and other mammals. Locals got a good chuckle out of that idea.

[Northwoods Tom]

It’s been over a year and no one is interested!? Or they dislike ticks (Mistake, that’s another post…). Brag about a cache you really found enjoyable. I truly love to explore up north (No offense intended Southern Wisconsin). If you could, tell a little bit of “why” it was great, that would be even better! I’m slowly moving into the “Hayward Cheesheads” territory and have a few on my radar and I know there are others such as the waterfalls series and uws 22’s as well as Passing Winds. Who am I missing? It seems like I find a lot of logs filled with names from down south so I know you travel there. Offer your opinion if you could.

Thanks in advance!

[Northwoods Tom]

I’m posting again to bring this link to the eyes of those who haven’t yet given it a shot or are still unaware of it. I finished the series on Tuesday, grabbing the latest addition and even spent a nice visit with Bartrod on part of the trip. Put it on your list of caches to-do. Bring a bike or prepare for a long walk and a chunk of time. Well created series with a lot of easy and more difficult and unusual caches. This is a high maintenance series I’m sure and you should give it a shot before the Wizard of OC falls over from exhaustion.

If you are a walker, do it in pieces or you can drive around to various perpendicular roads if you have a map and save a lot of time.

[Northwoods Tom]

@Lostby7 wrote:

Never coat a tick with anything…it is an urban myth that this is a good idea; it’s actually dangerous. They often regurgitate into your blood stream if agitated filling you with possible disease.

I did a search on the internet and found medical journal/articles, etc. that back this up. Also some that have other opinions. Here’s one that I found interesting, apply “permethrin” it dies and falls off. Think I’ll stay with the tried and true “pull firmly straight out” and avoid the tick “sauces”.

[Northwoods Tom]

@JimandLinda wrote:

When I found the “rosy ring” on the back of my leg last year…

Not a sign that always appears (bullseye). Although I like the tick on the calendar idea. Mrs. Northwoods might not.

[Northwoods Tom]

@cheezehead wrote:

We had to lock the that doors and put up TWO signs asking people to use the other entrance. How many people do you think ran into the door and continued to push on the door?

I’m glad I was in Oconto on Tuesday, or it could have been me. I’ve pulled this bonehead move. Sometimes you just zone out with distractions real or on the mind. Although, in my defense, I would have only pushed once 🙄

[Northwoods Tom]

@hack1of2 wrote:

As one who has never had the pleasure of extracting a tick (I’ve only had to brush them off my clothes), what is the best method for tick removal?

They actually come out quite easily if you get them soon enough before they have really dug in. Straight outward pressure and you often get a little piece of your own skin on their mouth parts. May sound gross but the alternative is a bloated tick down the road. As a dog owner, that’s when you seem to find them on the pups. If the tick is large enough, I’ve often placed mineral oil around the head (Can’t breath or so the urban myth goes?) which they say causes them to back out some and make them easier to remove. Seems to work but it may be junk science.

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