shawhh

don't be afraid of the dark is located in charlotte. -harry

i'd be cautious using chemicals on your backpack as they may cause the waterproof coating to delaminate. if you need to clean your backpack the best thing to use is a mild soap (not detergent) and water. hang it to dry (no dryers) and store it in a well ventilated place. good luck. -harry

i personally love graveyard caches. there is usually a significant history associated with the graveyards. they are usually quite peaceful and rather than disrespect, i mostly feel a communion with the past when visiting one. certainly a little respect is warranted when caching in a cemetary but when given there is no need, in my opinion, to avoid them. -harry

why so many micro's? simple. they're easy and require little effort or expense on the part of the hider. granted, some are cleverly hidden (just look at the torn up area around a well hidden woodland micro; spoken sarcastically), and occasionally one leads you to a neat area, but the majority i've found were pretty lame and without much to recommend them. oh, i'll continue to hunt them to get them off my screen, but i believe the majority diminish caching as a recreational activity. jmho. -harry

47.5yrs. married x 26 yrs. 2 (gasp!) grown kids. neat thread. _harry

bought a gpsr to back up compass and charts on a 1996 canoe trip in the ten thousand islands region of everglades national park. seldom used until 2001 when i read a blurb in backpacker magazine about geocaching. been caching since june 01. can't believe how this game has grown! -harry

another map lover here! a good topo is just as interesting as a novel. imagination taking you up and over that saddle, plotting a route to that peak, seeing what that drainage looks like based on the topography and elevation. ah, yes, many an hour spent poring over maps. excellent entertainment. -harry

the easiest way is to have a mapping gpsr. failing that the mapquest maps are very good, as are the delormme topo atlas's of your particular state. i used to use a garmin 12 and the delormme atlas together. the delormme atlas's are gridded to allow them to be used in conjunction with a gpsr. hope this helps. -harry

yep, deet will permanently mar gpsr screens, pda screens, laptop screens, watch crystals. you can contact the manufacturer to see how much a new screen will cost, or, assuming you can still see the information, wryly call the marred places battle scars. -harry

whatever, just food for thought. -harry

being ftf is probably the only way to be sure to experience the cache in the manner intended by the cache owner. -harry

well now, that rat snake sure looks like a common garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis). nice pics. -harry

six-spotted fishing spider (dolomedes triton) male 3/8 -1/2 in. (9-13 mm), female 5/8 -3/4 in (15-20 mm) with up to 2 1/2 in (64mm) legspan. the total length of a fishing spider female would be in the neighborhood of 5-6 in. they really are impressive to see all stretched out on a limb as shown in the picture. they prey on insects and sometimes tadpoles and small fish. -harry

watch the site frequently and have a flexible schedule. -harry

junglehair, the spider you photographed is a Fishing Spider. pretty common along rivers and streams in N.C. absolutely no danger to people. pretty neat to see such a large spider, hunh? -harry

yep, took it off as soon as i got it. my 47 yr old eyes can see the detail a lot clearer through the screen with the original protective cover off. just be careful not to drop the gpsr though. -harry

garmin 12xl (1997) garmin 76s (used all the time now) -harry

my condolences to his family and friends. -harry

go under your menu and scroll down to mapsource info and it will show you what is loaded. the default is to use any downloaded map, so unless you disable it you will get that info when you are using your 76s. -harry

small will be fine. -harry

as is frequently the case, i agree with briansnat on this issue. a no vote please. -harry

welcome, hartsville has an active group of cachers, and a number of challenging caches in the area. cache responsibly (use the golden rule), and have fun. see you out there. shawhh (harry)

no, you are not the geopolice. glad to be of help. -harry

know what you mean. hate the little suckers myself, but don't let them keep me in. spray your clothing with permethrin (contact insecticide) and your skin with a repellant containing deet and travel without fear. used per direction both products are quite safe, and when using the combination of both i've yet to get a tick. n.c. where i live is quite ticky during the summer months, so i've gotten lots of experience. good luck. -harry

i always post my dnf's. i never revise the dnf if i find the cache later. it all adds to the history of the cache. just my 2 cents. -harry