shawhh

i found several hundred caches with my garmin gps12 before i upgraded to get mapping. it will work fine as long as your settings are correct. be sure you have the correct datum (wgs84) for caching work. be careful when entering coordinates and it should work fine. the unit, since it came about before selective availability was discontinued will not give accuracy less than 10 meters, but the antenna is, hands down, the best of any of the 4 gpsr's i've owned. it will acquire and hold lock under anything! it is a rugged and faithful unit, intuitive to operate, and supports a wide variety of datums and coordinate types. good luck. -harry

I agree with the OP in that I also see the sport going in the wrong direction. When I started this, caches were largely regular sized and good hikes into the woods. I think this website once said "all you need is a GPS and a thirst for adventure". That's what drew many of us into the sport. Now I see the trend going away from that. Now all you need is a GPS and money for gas. I have no problem with well executed micros and if someone is in this sport for numbers, good for them. But what has happened is that the traditional geocache has become an endangered species in many areas and the shopping mall and dog poop park micros are becoming the only kind of cache available. Whenever this subject comes up, there are a number of "If you don't like 'em, don't look for 'em", or "That's what the ignore list is for" comments. Unfortunatley, in some areas, if you don't like 'em you don't geocache because there ain't much else. briansnat, i agree 100%. -harry

yes to all of the above. -harry

agree 100% el diablo. -harry

i'm sure you'll get lots of conflicting advice on this one, but for me, if i put the coords into my gpsr and attempt to seek the cache there can only be a found it or did not find it at the end of the attempt. don't be ashamed to log your dnf's. they provide valuable feedback to the cache owner and become part of the history of the cache itself. -harry

the active oil is easily removed with soap and water. after washing, scratching the itch will not spread the PI. it will increase the possibility that you will get an infection though, so best not to scratch. benadryl by mouth is good advice. topical cortisone cream is also helpful. in severe cases, see your doc to get prescription strength help! -harry

how do you find ticks? for me, the easiest way is to go out in the woods and fields without deet and/or permethrin! almost guaranteed in NC. to remove them grasp them firmly about the body and pull steadily away until they pop out. check yourself after each outing. the worst are "seed ticks", the larval form of the lonestar tick. when you get one you're liable to get a hundred as they swarm up out of the grass! they seem to provoke a longer lasting allergic reaction, at least in me, as far as the itching and burning sensation. they are about the size of a pinhead. yuck! permethrin on clothing and shoes is the most effective preventative i've found. deet is also effective, though not for as long. good luck guys! -harry

i'm certainly not new to this and i agree with you. micro's in urban areas have their purpose, but the woods cry out for a traditional cache. you only have to look at the area around a well hidden woodland micro to see that frustration frequently leads to a trashing of the area near the cache. in addition, a wooded area is the perfect place for a traditional cache in the sense that it provides a trading cache for those who prefer to take something, leave something. please place regular caches in the woods! -harry

the best way to get over your fear of snakes is to educate yourself with facts about their lives. snakes are by and large harmless to us unless provoked (that includes clumsily stepping on their back). as far as the poisonous species in the u.s. think of it this way: 1) snakes are all about the conservation of energy. being poikilotherms (cold blooded) they are constantly moving to adjust their body temps to promote optimal metabolism, and try to stay out of the way of larger animals. 2) they use the venom they produce to bring them a meal. venom takes energy to produce. the snake doesn't want to waste it on a creature they can't eat (that's you). this is why in many cases the bite of a poisonous snake is "dry" (no venom injected). they can meter the amount of venom injected into the prey species (conserves energy). 3)striking a large animal exposes them to a lot of risk. they have no way of knowing if you are a predator of snakes or not, or what your defensive response will be. i have had encounters with rattlesnakes (timber rattlers), copperheads, and cottonmouth water moccasins. in many of these encounters the snake could have struck but didn't. for the most part i have found the poisonous species by and large less aggressive than some of the non-poisonous ones. this is especially true of the water moccasin, who has a totally unwarranted reputation for aggression. to avoid being bitten i'd suggest watching where you put your hands and feet. if you come near a poisonous snake, slowly move away and be on your way. most often poisonous snakebites occur when the snake is being molested (attempting to kill it or handle it). a live and let live policy will almost assure you of not being bitten. should you, in spite of all precautions, be bitten. forget about cutting and sucking, putting ice on the site, shocking the punctures with direct current electricity, and any other such treatments. as calmly as you can go directly to your nearest emergency room. it is extremely unlikely that you will die as a result of a poisonous snake bite in the u.s. spend a little time learning about snakes and forget all the BS out there about them and you can go back to worrying about finding the cache instead of being terrified of snakes. harry

if the sighting of a thought to be extinct bird, one that only lived in the most pristine old growth forests and swamps, one that to a dedicated outdoorsman symbolized the epitome of "wildness" doesn't seem like a big deal to you, then i'm afraid i couldn't even begin to educate you about it. sad. -harry

nah, that'd cut into my pool of potential donors. -harry

i feel sure that there would be plenty of other things to excite my interest. the dnf wouldn't be too hard to stomach. -h

okay, i'm willing to go. however, i'll need a little help on the finances. to help this cache be found, i'll agree to accept donations to defray the cost of the airfare. i'll cover my own lodging and food. if everyone pitches in it shouldn't be too much of a burden. -harry

well guys, i guess we've made the big time. seems we've got a backlash to caching. this is a shame. be interesting to see the end result of the legislation. a bill seldom survives in the original form. just hope it doesn't get worse! -harry

glad you made it another year. happy birthday! -harry

it's all about cache density, difficulty (or a lack therof), and organization. -harry

not caching, but many times hiking i've been out in thunderstorms. first thing is not to freak out. your chances of being struck are small (but real!). don't seek shelter under an isolated tree. don't seek shelter at a boulder. don't seek shelter in the mouth of a cave. don't huddle up in a group. if possible get inside a vehicle or building. if in a forested area, seek shelter in an area of fairly uniform trees (ie not the tallest tree in a woodlot. if in the open stay away from metal masses (a packframe for instance), crouch down on top of clothing or a soft pack and minimize the points of contact with the ground. the reason for a group spreading out is to prevent all of the group being struck. if someone in your group is struck, be aware that lightning burns can be much more severe than external evidence suggests. cover them to help stave off shock and seek professional help. if the victim isn't breathing then cpr is warranted to buy time until spontaneous circulation and breathing can be restored. the best advice is to watch the weather and seek shelter before the storm arrives. -harry

there are a number of nice caches in the wilmington/southport area. if it is back up for your trip don't miss Carolina Coastal Challenge. it is the best! a really good tour and will introduce you to some excellent food along the way. -harry

good luck to the s.c. cachers in fighting this legislation. living near the nc/sc border i've done quite a bit of caching in the state, and indeed am a member of the sc geocachers assoc. the caches in sc are some of the best i've hunted, have taken me to many places i'd otherwise never have seen, have educated and entertained me. it will be a shame if this ill advised legislation is passed. i'll certainly be following along via the scga. -harry

always post dnf's. don't change them if i find the cache later. all a part of the history of the cache and my experience in the activity. -harry

hi occidentalerrant, i'm unsure if they would be available at b. dalton, but both are current so they should be able to order them if you asked. i found them both at REI. good luck. - harry

what briansnat said. -harry

orienteer and geocacher here. personally, i find orienteering to be more challenging, though there are similarities. another good beginner book for orienteering and land navigation in general is "be expert with map and compass" by bjorn kjellstrom. another title on land nav with and without gps is "a comprehensive guide to land navigation with gps" by noel j. hotchkiss. both are easy reads and do a good job of explaining the fundamentals of land navigation. if there is a orienteering club nearby (search USOF) don't be intimidated, as there are courses ranging from beginner to expert. some clubs provide free beginner instruction before the meets as well. try it. i suspect you'll enjoy the experience. -harry

i'll second carleen's thoughts above. cr is passionate about the activity, and doesn't mind expressing his viewpoints. having met him and spoken with him on several occasions, i'd have to say that his only agenda in this activity is to promote the activity. agree or disagree with his views, he has a right to express them. as for tc.com, i joined out of curiosity. not many t'caches in my state right now, but if one came up i'd seek it if it interested me. doesn't mean i don't love geocaching.com. as a matter of fact, i find it to be the best of its kind, well run, inclusive of just about everyone, and able to keep me entertained for, so far, years. let's go out and find em! -harry

a good swamp is a beautiful thing. wild as can be. just hid one in a swamp/marsh myself "wildlife". just be sure that the description makes people aware of the challenge and rate it appropriately and you're good to go. -harry