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renegade98702
 
Gender: Male
If your stomach feels weak, then my work here is done..
 |  | poison ivy fail
< on 8/7/2009 3:41 AM >
|  | | | So tonight me and a couple friends decided to check out an abandoned farm in the middle of nowhere. My friend said he used to go there when he was younger and wanted to see if it was still standing. Apparently the only way to this farm is through a trail in the woods. After lugging our equipment an hour and a half and still no sign of the farm, it was now pitch black out. We decided to head out and come back another time. Only problem is that on the way back through this trail we took a wrong turn at a fork since it was so dark. We ended up walking through poison ivy hell for about 45 minutes b4 realizing we went the wrong way. By the time we got to the car we were covered in the stuff. Now I'm itching all over, and we still don't even know if the farm is even there.
I'm sure a lot of us had trips that ended up being complete fails. Whats the longest you've spent looking for something before realizing that you were completely lost? And did you ever go back and finally find what you were looking for?
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Little Miss Rubbish
location:
Long Island & Urban New York <3
Gender: Female
| | Re: poison ivy fail
<Reply # 1 on 8/7/2009 4:07 AM >
| | | | Two words: google maps!
Seriously, I can't tell you how many times it has saved me from being royally lost. Now I always make sure that wherever I'm going there is a laptop in the car with me. Provided there's wireless internet abound, of course. Then you're screwed either way. You're better off researching it beforehand and printing out a map.
Similar story though, spent a few hours looking for an old tuberculosis hospital. Wandering and wandering through woods and on the side of highways. Found the hospital, only to discover that only the foundation was left and being almost spotted by some angry looking redneck who lived on/near the property, before snapping a few shots and quietly slipping away.
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renegade98702
Gender: Male
If your stomach feels weak, then my work here is done..
| | Re: poison ivy fail
<Reply # 2 on 8/7/2009 4:56 AM >
| | | | I know, I usually do a lot of research on an area before exploring. I have a gps system in my car so I normally just plug coordinates and that's that. This was more of a spur of the moment decision to go out. My friend lives in the area and said he knew his way around the trails so I just grabbed my backpack with my gear and we set out. We did find an abandoned campsite along the trail which was kind of creepy.
As for the hospital you mentioned, if it is in upstate NY I'm pretty sure it's the same one I went to a few nights ago. There is a crazy caretaker that lives literally right next to it.
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makman
  
location:
Rochester, NY
Gender: Male
I live alone with a criminal
| | Re: poison ivy fail
<Reply # 3 on 8/7/2009 5:19 AM >
| | | | One time I was looking for an Agway plant, but that fell through (I was in the wrong town entirely), so I defaulted to a nearby sanitarium that my co-explorer's ex had pointed out at one point. So, based on half remembered instructions from a year ago, we trekked 5 minutes up a huge hill, then a good hour and a half through this maybe quarter square mile patch of trees in rural NY, finding nothing, before giving up.
Of course, I have a happy ending, because on the way out, we literally stumbled on the place- I tripped on a pile of bricks that were the first serious sign of human habitation (aside from the usual old beer bottles and tires). A few steps forward and big chimney rose out of the woods- we'd found an early 1900's sanitarium, or the ruins of one anyway.
Be careful, not safe.
"Urbex- so much fun that it should be illegal." |
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AnAppleSnail
location:
Charlotte, NC
Gender: Male
ALL the flashlights!
| |  |  | Re: poison ivy fail
<Reply # 4 on 8/7/2009 5:33 AM >
| | | | Alcohol wipes are useful for explorers. Wound care, credibility (clean hands are trusted hands), and one of the better improvised poison ivy treatments. It'll dry out the stuff, remove some oil, and generally help. Keep one or two in your back pocket.
Achievement Unlocked
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renegade98702
Gender: Male
If your stomach feels weak, then my work here is done..
| | Re: poison ivy fail
<Reply # 5 on 8/7/2009 5:48 AM >
| | | | I never thought to bring alcohol wipes. I'll keep that in mind when I go back to hopefully find the place next time. Also gotta make sure I have extra batteries for the flashlight as it was dying on me tonight. Nothing worse than walking through the woods at night without a light.
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Sentinel
 
location:
Lawrence, KS
Gender: Male
| | | Re: poison ivy fail
<Reply # 6 on 8/9/2009 4:54 PM >
| | | | Posted by Little Miss Rubbish
Two words: google maps!
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Agreed. That plus a GPS works wonders
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Neptune
 
location:
Maine
Gender: Female
The Albino Explorer
| | | | Re: poison ivy fail
<Reply # 7 on 8/10/2009 4:09 AM >
| | | | Sorry to hear about your misfortune! Once upon a time a friend promised another friend and I an awesome abandoned concession stand in the middle of the woods, so we walked there, and it ended up being a dumb shack thing. Anyway, it took us and hour to get down and back, and back was up a really steep hill. Needless to say, I was annoyed.
The best remody I know of to get rid of itching is to take a hot shower, as hot as you can stand it before skin starts melting off, and that should take care of it.
If you ever find yourself in poison ivy again, rinsing the exposed area off within 15 minutes should prevent anything from happening.
I live in Maine so I pretty much reside in a giant poison ivy patch.
UE Magazine: http://www.uemag.c...home1/about-3.html
http://www.flickr....s/smsailorneptune/ http://smsailorneptune.deviantart.com/ |
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ozarkex
Gender: Male
| | | Re: poison ivy fail
<Reply # 8 on 8/10/2009 4:51 PM >
| | | | In our area of the Ozarks, it's nearly impossible to go anywhere in the woods in the summer without ticks and chigger bites. And unfortunately, Google maps is rarely accurate for some of our destinations. In fact, they've even got trails listed as roads for the map they have of my town.
In my experience, I've discovered that old maps sometimes give me a better idea of how to reach a location than new ones. Check your local library and ask for access to their Sanborn Insurance Maps collection if they have them - you'd be amazed at some of the ruins you can find that aren't visible on current maps or satellite images.
http://undergroundeureka.com / http://undergroundozarks.com |
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yokes
location:
Toronto
Gender: Male
I aim to misbehave
| | | | Re: poison ivy fail
<Reply # 9 on 8/10/2009 5:25 PM >
| | | | manitou and I spent about an hour or so trying to get into the site of an old brick factory that was shown on Google Maps... only to get on-site to see it had been completely demolished. Whoops. We've also driven 2-3 hours to try and find an old sanitorium to no avail (still don't know if it is standing or not).
"Great architecture has only two natural enemies: water and stupid men." - Richard Nickel |
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splumer
location:
Cleveland, Ohio
Gender: Male
| | Re: poison ivy fail
<Reply # 10 on 8/10/2009 8:20 PM >
| | | | To prevent poison ivy, there's a product called Ivy Block that will work. I haven't used, since I'm one of the luck few who isn't affected by it. Yet.
I've never really been lost. I use a compass whenever I'm in a situation that needs it. I also do enough research ahead of time that I have a pretty good mental picture of where I'm headed.
“We are not going to have the kind of cooperation we need if everyone insists on their own narrow version of reality. … the great divide in the world today … is between people who have the courage to listen and those who are convinced that they already know it all.”
-Madeline Albright |
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Oryx
location:
Who knows
:|
| | Re: poison ivy fail
<Reply # 11 on 8/12/2009 2:45 PM >
| | | | I seem to be immune to poison ivy, but a tasty treat for mosquitos. I think the longest I've wandered around trying to find something was about an hour or two. I ended up having a great time wandering aimlessly and damn near forgot what I was doing in the first place. I'm not sure if that's a fail or a win.
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