Roadtorque

So lets hear the stories. A lot of times our quest for a geocache takes us off the beaten path into new and unusual places. Have you ever seen, or ever felt like you were close to a mythical creature like bigfoot, lochness, jersey devil, aliens, or any of the other rumored creatures?

I've been using this kayak for the last two years and it works great. Handles duel and solo paddling well. Tracks well, is extremely stable and is pretty fast (for an inflatable). Plenty of accessories to add to it if your have different types of paddling in mind. Not so much for white water but great for touring. I would highly recommend this kayak and would defiantly get a second if storage is an issue.

keep in mind they have a very long "break in" period. I think the directions say start 1 hour at a time around your house. I have read a lot of good reviews on these.

Sorry if this question has been ask a million times. The forum search returned no results. I currently have 1 Garmin 60csx and 1 Garmin Us topo map (cd). I am in the market for a Garmin aviation GPSr (495) and the city navigator cd. My question is can I load maps from these two cds onto both GPSr or do I need to buy 2 topo and 2 city navigator cds to make this work? Thanks for your help

I recently tried a sock liner (before switching to sandals). I had different results. They made my feet feel much cooler but it caused my over sock to slide down my foot and wad up in the toe end of the boot. After 3 miles i took my boots off and my over sock was only about 1/2 of the way on. Somehow in this process of sliding down my foot my boot really tore up the sock. Anyway. I too have some boots that need replacing and could have been what caused this. I will have to try it with new boots but I think I will stick with sandals for this summer. I am supposed to do a grand canyon one day rim to rim the end of may and am trying to decide if I should attempt it in sandals or buy a new pair of boots and get them broke in for that hike.

Totemlake after reading the log from the hike you took I would recommend you give sandals a shot. I started thinking about sandals after getting some massive blisters on my feet after one hot hike. I admit I am new to the sandals thing only having tried two hikes in the last week but so far I am a big fan. My feet stay a lot cooler and the problems I was worried about (dirt and pebbles, stubbed toes, no ankle support) have been no problem. In fact the only issue I can see is my white feet might need some sunscreen on the tops as summer moves on. I was looking at pants and a shirt similar to the one you are using in this pic at rei the other day. They were a bit pricey for hiking gear but I may get them anyway if it allows me to extend my hiking season further into summer

Went out hiking yesterday, again in sandals, to try out wearing a button up long sleeve dress shirt. I decided to try this after noticing (last summer) most the construction workers, road workers, yard workers wore long sleeve button up shirts. I figured there must be a reason, so I tried it out. This was only a half hearted test for two reasons. First it only got about 80 as a high while I was out. Second I didnt wear what I considered to be the optimal shirt (light weave, light color, more polyester) instead I went with a dark green 80% cotton 20% polyester blend. However I was surprised at the results. I hiked a bit over 5 miles. For the first mile I had my right sleeve rolled up to my elbow and my left sleeve down to try to compare the two for coolness and to see which arm started to sweat first. I had nearly identical results between the arms so I put the sleeve down. As the hike progressed and my undershirt got more saturated with sweat I began to feel cooler. With the undershirt holding onto the sweat and a baggy button up shirt I almost created my own wind as I walked which helped me stay cooler. When the breeze picked up I felt really good. Conclusion for this hike. I think I stayed a bit cooler, but I dont know by how much. I will try it again with a better shirt on. The big plus was I didnt have to wear any stinky, slimy sunscreen, with that positive note and not feeling any hotter than in a tshirt (possibly a bit cooler) I would call it a success and will try it again. I still really like hiking in sandals and am trying to work up my distance to about 20 miles in them

Well here is an update. I was at a store the other day and found a new pair of tevas for 20 bucks. I picked them up, they seemed nice and had the toe cup on them which I thought would prevent shoveling sand into my shoe. After walking around town in them for a few days I took them out for a 3 mile hike. My number one concern was lack of ankle support. Over the years of hiking and other sports I have rolled my ankles so many times they have become very weak. I always wear boots for the additional support. To my extreme surprise I felt just fine in sandals. In fact I somehow felt more secure in sandals then in a low top boot or shoe. I also could not believe how cool my feet were. Anyway I am a big fan and will keep working my way into longer hikes with sandals. Muel ears. How do the vibram fivefingers hold up in the AZ desert? I was under the impression they were more for kayaking and lite use in water. I thought about getting a pair but figured the desert would eat them up after one outing.

I am pretty interested in your sandal idea. I think that would be much cooler. Do you wear socks with your sandals or just your bare foot? Any advice before I try a small hike with sandals? Thanks to everyone else who has replied. Some really good suggestions. You are giving me the info I need.

Well as summer comes around I usually give up hiking. It just gets too hot for me. This year I am trying to look at my clothing in hope of extending my hiking time into the summer. My questions is how to layer in hot weather. I usually wear a base layer (boxer briefs and undershirt) that are a 50% cotton 50% polyester blend. On top of that I usually wear a cotton t shirt and either jeans or basketball shorts depending on the heat and how much protection I need from the sun/ shrubs and cacti. I'm looking for suggestions on what type of fabric would be best for my base layer and if it should be loose fitting or tight to my skin. I am also looking for help on my top layer. I hate, hate, hate jeans. I have recently thought of wearing pajama type pants or nurse like scrubs for pants the idea of an aviator/mechanic suit has even crossed my mind. They seem to be a lite weave, baggy and cooler than jeans. Shirts I'm thinking of switching to a long sleeve dress shirt only because that is what I see a lot of construction workers wearing in the summer here. Of course a large brimmed hat is a must. I"m talking about temperatures between 90-115. I know all the info like hike in the morning but in AZ you can wake up to 90 degrees. anyway thanks for the suggestion.

There are plenty of other ways to suspend a hammock between two trees. I use webbing and tri-glides. This is about as easy as doing up a belt on your pants. You can read about others here

I would vote for the Garmin 60csx. I have it and it works great. I would counsel you to "study up" on GPS technology. You keep mentioning "Cell phone coverage", this has nothing to do with GPS. The GPS system is designed so anywhere on the earth and any one time at least 5 satellites will be in view. Meaning you will be good with any name brand GPSR. There are things that can play a roll in position accuracy, being in a canyon (Zions national park in the narrows) for example is the only place I have got bad readings.

I just got a chance to do some kayak caching for the first time last week in a borrowed 9.5 footer, it was a lot of fun but a little tough with that size boat when the wind came up against us for the return trip on the second day. Take a look a the lakes, we did 4 caches at Canyon Lake, and the next day one lakeside and two with a hike at Bartlett Lake. There are also a few at Saguaro Lake that are most easily accessed by boat. Here I've just put back in the water at Bartlett Lake after finding GCWXG1 SB: Cool, I will have to find some of those before the lakes get to crowded with summer boaters. What did you do with your boats as you hiked up for the cache?

Yeah, I have an advanced element kayak that I like a lot. Dont get out nearly as much as I would like. I would love to camp out of it on a weekend trip. I've been trying to talk some of my friends into renting their own kayak but so far no takers. I have not found any caches in my area that I can do out of a kayak. I guess that really means I need to create one. Not much advise other than take it easy and work your way into it. One thing I usually forget is when you get where your going your only half way! I have paddled until I was way tired because I wanted to see what was around the next bend. Then I realized I have to paddle all the way back out!

Really when did you give up prancing around mudholes Seriously though, the look like a great pair of boots, I was actually hoping you would chime in because I thought you did a fair bit of snowshoeing. I was looking at this pair online but am afraid they might be too big for snowshoes and too heavy for much hiking but they do look warm and well built. I will have to check out the boots you recommend. They look nice and I have an REI down the road.

Well as we are slowly leaving the winter months behind and approaching spring, the snow is going to be melting in the next few weeks I am looking for people who have tried out a new pair of winter boots this year. Now that you have hopefully had a chance to use them lets hear some reviews. Do you recommend your winter boots? Why/why not?

I'll shop REI first thank you. Their customer service is top of the line, and the return policy is exceptional. Get that from Sports Authority or Big 5 or even Campmor. I dare ya. I agree with Totemlake. I buy REI. To me it seems a bit like stealing or cheating the system to go to a store to hold the product in hand, get the knowledge and time from the employee then leave to buy it else where to save a few buck or two. REI treats their members very well. Maybe its personal preference but I would rather touch the product before buying and deal with people not the internet. REI does have a very good return policy for members. Basically if it fails while in normal use, return it!

Truly spoken like someone who has never hung a hammock on a tree. Most hammock manufacturers go to great length to make tree friendly hammocks. In order to damage a tree with one you really would have to try, or be a complete idiot. In my opinion hammocks are more in accordance with leave no trace than a tent, or you walking around for that matter. You just need to take the time to properly learn how its done.

oops double post sorry

Cabellas finally opened a store about 70 miles away from here and I went to them as they are one of my favorite online camping supplies store. That place is huge but I came away from it feeling anti-climatic about it. REI is geared more towards recreational sports like hiking, kayaking and climbing, whereas Cabellas is geared more towards hunting and fishing. REI is a coop with benefits for the members. Cabellas is not. Each has items the other does not carry or specialize in although they do carry some common items. They both have their place in the market and really are not competitors in this fashion. Cabellas carries a lot of what they do carry. Yep that about sums it up. The only thing I would add is both stores have excellent website where you can read reviews of their gear. I think this is one of the more powerful buyer tools. I always check out the reviews prior to buying anything

I have a pair of Leki poles and have had the same problem with the twist-lock design. I was cautioned about their use in cold weather, but didn't worry about it too much. Until they didn't work on the trail. That was a bummer. After warming them up by hand I did manage to get them to lock. But it took some time (and patience) to do. There are alternative locking mechanisms available if you're not happy with your current ones. I'm really happy with my poles despite the problem. 99% of the time they are great. I just bought a set of the ones you linked for my wife. Nice and light and she can clasp the locks without breaking a finger nail. That's not to say it's easy, but it is doable. I've had a pair of those black diamond poles for over a year now and love them. Cant say anything bad about them. Love the flick lock vs the twist to tighten. I even am quite glad I got the pair with the shock absorber. Out here in the rocks of AZ I feel it working often.

sounds like we need to make some sort of geocache dye bag. Maggot shows up to steal the cache and leaves looking like a smurf!

yes it is in the DD MM.MMM format Potato Finder I think you may be onto something there jholly I will have to watch that. By the way I as stated in post #1 I do have a garmin 60csx. I'm going to have to watch what I do I'm guessing that is it, other than 2 caches I have never had them transfer wrong either.

Thanks for the fast reply. I understand that I should be looking around and not just stare at where the gps points. Sometimes the coordinates a further off then that the most being about ... .. .59 off which could be a ways off and on top of that you have the typical 12-25' error of the GPS anyway. I most the time the transfer is dead on and was wondering why sometimes it was off. Apparently this is a common thing. This only became an issue when looking for two different micro caches on the side of two separate hills that were covered with thousands of large to small size rocks with tons of dirt and gravel. Not being able to find these when a lot of others have got me investigating what could be wrong. You can imagine a micro like this would allow a thousand hiding spots in every square yard. If the coordinates have me off as the obviously do I could search the hill side all day and never find them. I reloaded the coordinates tonight and will go try to find it in the morning. This is a pretty annoying "quirk" and should be fixed. After all a large part of the game relies on accurate GPS coordinates, otherwise it could be done with a compass

I have recently not been able to find a few caches. For one reason or another I decided to check the GPS lat and long coordinates that are posted on the cache page of geocaching.com compared to my GPSr. I realize that a few of my coordinates have been transferred wrong. When I find a cache on the internet i want to search for I push the send to gps button. Everything works fine except apparently every now and then the coordinates that are transferred onto my garmin 60csx gps are a little off(... 33.199 instead of what it should be at ... 33.200). Why would this be and how can it be fixed. Is it a common problem?