2009 - A Potentially Explosive Situation

While geocaching today in St. Paul Park, MN, fellow geocacher bowersm and I ran into a potentially explosive siutation.  We were searching in the snow for Ouch!! I stubbed my toe  (GC1R1QF) by pswith5 when we stumbled upon this funky looking orange plastic device.  Inside the plastic contraption was a metal cylinder with an orange wire connected to it.

At first I thought I had discovered the elusive geocache and that it was some strange container.  I wasn't the most gentle as while geocaching I usually get down and dirty.  Upon further inspection, we noticed the orange device had written on the side of it in big, bold, raised letters, EXPLOSIVE.  At that point we realized it probably wasn't the geocache.  I took a deep breath and gently placed the device on the ground.  After some debate about what to do, bowersm and I decided it would probably be wise to report it.  We routed the GPS to the city police department and made a report.  We can only assume the issue was dealt with as the officer on duty taking our report didn't seem interested.

After an exhaustive search on the Internet, we determined that this device is undoubtedly a live blasting cap.  During our search, we also found reports and photographs of various hands and fingers allegedly blown apart by blasting cap misuse.  Real or not, one of these devices exploding in your hand, or worse, in your face, cannot be a good thing.  Be careful out there.

A Potentially Explosive Situation We found the device tucked next to the giant boulders.

A Potentially Explosive Situation The device up close.