Radnord

If there are, geocoin thieves will steal them...

I tend to go by what people say in the logs: Log is full, log is damp, no swag in cache, cache was exposed, etc… My wife has a nano that she needs to check frequently as it is constantly being replaced incorrectly, and as such it lowers the difficulty of the find. Fortunately it is in an easily accessible area.

I agree with many of the concerns expressed here about geocoin thieves. These bottom-feeders are opportunistic and lazy, and as such will look for easily accessible geocachers from which to steal coins. Otherwise the idea sounds very noble and I applaud those who try to assist other geocachers in keeping the TB’s well and moving along.

You've obviously have never heard of Rey del Roble (12, 914 finds)

There is no set protocol; just smile and say hello. There might be people who want you to hold back while they search for the cache, but I have never met them. Everyone that I’ve ever met welcomes the additional eyes and enjoys the camaraderie of conversing with fellow geocachers. There is no right of eminent domain that says one person has the exclusive right to search an area before anyone else. It’s always good manners to ask, but I would be shocked if anyone made such a request of me. Every cacher I have ever met while on the hunt was happy to have the company and cheerful to be able to place a face with those all-too-familiar names that they see in the logs.

What caching scout is talking about is being notified when new cahces are placed in your area. Very handy if you want to get some FTF's. You can also search for caches by the most recently published, but it is by state and not necessarily in your area. You might have to filter through some that you're not interested in.

As skibumsuk wrote, there are many web sites that sell geocoins as well as on e-bay. Many of these sites also sell other geocaching paraphernalia including cache containers, swag, and t-shirts. Just check out the web and the links on the geocaching site - they are everywhere!

It is indeed a shame that the growing incidences of geocoin thefts are forcing people to place replicas into circulation as opposed to the real thing. Because I want the icons, I will track replicas, but unenthusiastically. I am disappointed to find a replica instead of a real geocoin, but since so many times when a cache description page shows an inventory of one or more geocoins, and then you find none, finding a replica is somewhat better than finding none at all. I don't place the blame for replicas on the owners, but on the geocoin thieves amongst us. You know who you are!

I have had several geocoins stolen over the past year and a half that I have been geocaching, and my wife has lost around ten - she has a lot of geocoins. They were all clearly marked as well as a clear description of intent on their home page. Rarely is the act of keeping or misunderstanding intent of a geocoin's mission the reason that coins disappear. With one exception, every time one of our coins has disappeared, there was no log entry that someone found the cache, and certainly no log entry for the coin. Stealing geocoins is a deliberate act, as well as a pointless one. I can't figure out what motivates geocoin thieves. Are they like the creature Gollum, stroking their "precious" in a dark cave? I mean, if you possess stolen geocoins, you can't show them to anyone else. No one else could discover them, or the fact of their theft and location would come to light. Yet, disappear they do. In my neck of the woods, we have a family that has a reputation for being geocoin thieves. At events, they have two cases of coins, one they share and one they don't want people to look at. Why? What's the point? I cannot say with evidence that they are guilty of this, but if every one believes that they are, what's the difference? They have become outcasts; most people won't associate with them any more. In a nearby cache belonging to my wife, we recently were informed that the four coins in the cache inventory were all missing. As this cache is at a busy location, and because some geocachers, especially newbie’s, tend to not employ as much stealth as they should, she posted on the cache description page a note advising people as to what has happened and suggesting that they not leave any trackables in that particular cache. In my mind, all of these events are a crying shame. I guess that I too was naive enough when I first started caching to think that this was a community of like-minded individuals with the same goals of finding caches, trading swag, and moving along trackables, garnering icons along the way. It has really been a disappointment to find that some selfish individuals have their own agenda and are low-life enough to steal geocoins from the owners as well as deprive the community a whole. Consequently, my wife and I now rarely place geocoins into circulation; mostly now we just discover at events. That too is a shame because I would love to see one of my trackables travel all around the world. I still have a few out there that are still in circulation, but I always worry about them falling into the wrong hands. I know that some have taken to making replicas of their geocoins and circulating those instead. From their point of view, I can totally understand, but as a potential finder, I don't like finding a replica, to me that is no find at all. I want to see the real thing. And so it is a shame that people have been driven to this point. As someone posted earlier in this thread, it will soon be where circulation geocoins will be a thing of the past. And that is very unfortunate.

Hwere are some of my favorites: Looking north from Melakwa's Heaven Looking south from Melakwa's Heaven Radman and Wildhare at Melakwa's Heaven Geopups at Bison by the Bridge View fron near cache on Mt. Constitution

At the given rate of increase, it could be that the magic number of 1,000,000 will be reached on December 23, 2012. This monumental event coinciding with the date that the Mayan long count predicts will be the end of the (4th) world, the alignment of the two events is guaranteed to bring about the apocalypse! Bank on it!

I have found plenty of the nanos pictured above. I have also found a couple that were smaller than that. I think that they were intended to hold vital information on a dog or cat collar. They are really small and can hang in a bush, or behind a sign and drive you batty... until you find it. Then you dance with smug satisfaction!

Thats freaking impossible for me to even think about.....and people actually find these!?! Next up....pill caps There are a lot of those in my area. There are plenty of these in my area, and I have hidden a few myself. There are some places where nothing else works. I have, however, seen caches smaller than these nanos. Not shorter, but narrower. Usually velcroed in some inaccessable spot. They can be annoying, but they give you a smug satisfaction when you find them.

Great shots of a lot of great places. I particularly loved the one's of the Goat Rocks Wilderness area. That is an awesome place to hike. Although some parts of the trail are not for the feint of heart. Hey Kit Fox, do we really need petty partisan political rhetoric on this forum? Let's stick to hiking and caching!

Matt; I agree that the site is well laid out. We need to get more hikers/geocachers fom the Pacific Northwest signed up. You might consider posting some links on other backpacking forums like Practical Backpacking (nation-wide) and NWhikers.net. I'm sure that there are many other regional backpacking forums in other parts of the country also. Got to get the word out!!!

I love to hike and have been a hiker far longer than I have been geocaching. I love to combine the two whenever possible. This most recent summer, I went on several backpacking trips and was able to look for caches on some of them, some of the longer trails have no hides on them but some do. In July I went up to Melakwa Lake in the Cascades and found one cache, the other cache in the area was still buried uinder six feet of snow (we had a late melt this year). I went on an eleven-day backpacking trip in August, from the East Fork Foss River trailhead to the Mt. Maragret Trailhead. We found three caches along this trail, but they were all in the first six miles. Also found some caches on Rampart Ridge. I wish there were more caches along trails. To view pictures of the eleven-day hike go to: http://www.flickr.com/photos/28780216@N07/...57606918545579/

Most of what has been discussed here are "norms" or expectations established by the community over time. The three basic rules are still valid, and I think, desirable. Personally, I believe that people who find caches and do not log them are either being lazy or are up to no good. In my area, we have some geocoin thieves who will not log finds when they take a coin that they intend to keep as their own. One has even gone so far as to log a find, and then delete their own log... mmm... pretty suspicious. But I risk getting off topic and so will end now.

I agree that as long as people are not logging multiple finds, they can visit a cache as often as they want. My wife and I frequently use one of our own hides to launch TB's of GC's. My only wish is that people would trade one for one. It is very disappointing to get to a hide that reports to have several TB's or GC's in it, only to find that it has been cleaned out.

I think that this is a very cool idea.

I don't object to micros; they have been some of the most challenging hides I have found. But I do agree that it would be best if the cache fit its surroundings. When I'm hiding a cache, I consider the environment. If it is a wooded area with room for a regular, I will go with that. If it is an urban area where a regular just won't fit, I will go with a nano or cleverly disguised micro. Both types get found often, and I have never had anyone complain about the size of the cache other than to say it was well concealed or camouflaged. I prefer regulars to micros, but you wouldn'y know that from my stats. I have sought many a micro and do feel a certain smug satisfaction when I find a devilishly concealed nano.

My wife and I had a similar experience witha hide we placed last year. It was on county property, but a nearby landowner seemed to think it was his property and regularly accosted people while carrying a gun. We finally just archived the hide; we did not want cachers to have a negative experience while hunting one of our hides. But, as far as giving people choices goes, a warning is sufficient.

I have a hide that is a three-part multi cache in a nature preserve. It is not really that difficult but very aesthetic. It has been in place over a year and has five finds and five DNF's. For some reason, people are reluctant to give it a try. The first people to look for it whined up a storm when they could not find it, as if it were my fault that they were inept. Since then, I have even made it easier, in an attempt to encourage seekers, but to no avail. The hide involves a modest walk of about two miles, probably slightly less than that. I wonder why people are afraid to seek this cache. WP2 seems to be the sticking point for most DNF's but it is really quite simple for a moderately experienced cacher. Perhaps I should up the difficulty level in order to challange cachers. Either that or just tell people where it is! Seriously though, I have more difficult caches that have been found (and DNF'd) many more times than this one. Do you think it is the two-mile walk or the history of DNF's that keeps people at bay? Check it out, it is called "Rush to Guillemot" http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...63-3b2419c6f9d1

Quick to judge, quick to anger, slow to understand... Ah, yes, can't beat the wisdom of Neil Peart. Back on topic... Run like hell, it's probably being guarded!

I agree that there is no set number. I would only advise that you gain enough experience to gleen many ideas of what makes a good and enjoyable cache and caching experience. Also, in order to see some of the really bad ideas that others have tried. This knowledge only comes with your own experience. As you find more and more different styles of hides, you will come to understand what makes a good hide and what kind of hides you enjoy seeking. If you enjoy finding them, chances are others will too. Things to avoid: Placing a cache for placement's sake, poor planning as to drainage during rain, high muggle traffic, poor durability and watertightness of container, unintelligent placement - not near schools, banks, freeway interchanges, or other sensitive locations, and lack of safety concerns. Other than that, if it is a cool container, a place you enjoy and would like others to enjoy, sensible location, and well concealed... go for it! One other thing - please, please, please take the time to get accurate coordinates - your fellow cachers will sing your praises!

Different strokes for different folks... While I do to a degree care about my numbers, it is to measure my own accomplishments and level of experience. I do not try to keep up (or ahead) with anyone else, and I couldn't care less how many finds you have, other than to guage your level of experience. The size of your number will not impress me. That being said, what makes me jones to go caching is the thrill of the chase. I love the searching, and of course, the finding. I also love finding new places and trails that I never knew about before; this is what I like the most. I recently completed a map challenge and when doing so I was the eighth to find. That was fine with me. I know the FTF and congratulated him and was very happy for him. But what I enjoyed about the challenge was discovering every nook and crannie of the county and all of the cool places within. That's what caching is all about.