simpjkee

Definitly change socks, I had the same problem until I switched to smart wool socks. They are a mix of wool and lycra. I've used them in cold weather as well as in Nevada when the temps are in the 90s without any problems to my feet. I will change socks next time i go for a long adventure. it was 114 today in AZ btw. I didnt think I'd be outside caching as much as I was and I got a little sunburn on the back of my neck in 2 and a half hours. and its only the start of the summer.

Now, about socks. Cotton socks are a disaster in a hot climate. They should only be worn for short periods of time, and stripped off as soon as they get wet. If left on, wet cotton socks will raise blisters on the toughest feet. Cotton contains tiny particles of silica that work like sandpaper on your (now-wet) skin. Cotton socks flatten under compression, particularly when wet, so they lose their padding very quickly. Cotton socks are awful for hiking. Wool socks hold their shape and loft better than cotton, continuing to provide padding even after your feet start sweating. Wool is made of protein fibers that don't contain silica, so there's none of cotton's sandpaper effect. Wool dries quickly and moves moisture away from your feet (to the extent possible). In extreme heat, under heavy exertion, your feet aren't going to be cool no matter what you do, but at least wool socks don't compound your problems. Everything I said about cotton socks goes for cotton undies, too. They're OK for daily wear, but once they're saturated with sweat, misery can't be far behind. Tech undies are a good thing. I've noticed lately that in my 12 mile strolls in Oregon and Tempe, my right foot gets bruised, blistered, and such. Maybe I should try wearing different socks next time I go for a long geocaching stroll. I havent had any issues with my undies. I just wear typical boxers though.

"Cotton kills" is a backcountry hiker's mantra. Cotton wicks out body heat, rather than moisture, so it can aggravate hypothermia, which can set in with ambient air temps as high as 55 degrees. That's why the really serious types prefer synthetics that wick out moisture as efficiently as possible. so if you are hiking in a hot enviroment, cotton would be preferred? Have you hiked in a hot environment while wearing cotton? no. I've only really hiked three times. Then again I'm not sure what constitutes a "hike". I walked 12 miles in Portland, Oregon about 4 weeks ago on "hiking trails". I was wearing new adidas shoes, cotton socks, jean pants, and a cotton t-shirt. I didn't think the cotton bothered me at all. Other than that I "hiked" 10 miles when I was a little kid at my mom's (she's a teacher) 6th grade science camp and about 4 miles when I was at my 6th grade science camp. If this counts, I walked about 12 miles last thursday in Tempe (which included going up a 300 ft mountain on the campus of ASU. I asked the question cuz I never heard that cotton was bad to hike in and then based on the first response it sounding like cotton wouldn't be so bad in hot climates. since I've lived in Arizona my whole life maybe thats why I've never heard that "cotton kills". Thats what I was thinking and why I asked.

Social interaction (chatting) works toward the greater good of society? I've never considered that. I don't know if I agree, but I'll consider it. Cache longevity, for certain. If you want to interact with muggles, then go to a bar. If you want to interact with geocachers, then it would probably be good to avoid getting their caches muggled. Can you imagine what my social interaction would be like if I were in the habit of spilling other patrons' beers whenever I went to a bar? Stay away from my caches. I don't care that two other cachers are placing their own while mine is being muggled. That's not a consolation. On the forums, I suppose. Otherwise, I generally try to avoid it. I'm not that handy with quotes so I'll number my responses. 1. I think interacting socially with people in your community contributes to the greater good of society. Thanks for considering it. 2. I would go to a bar and interact with muggles but I'm trying to save enough money to pay for the premium membership 3. Fair enough. I understand. I think I may underestimate the connection a placer will have with their cache. I haven't placed a cache yet, but when I do I don't think 2 new caches being placed would console me from losing my cache. I would prolly just replace it though. At the same time, if my cache got muggled, I think I would get over it and not tell people to not seek my caches. As far as I know, if you publish a cache, then any cacher is free to seek it unless it's a members only cache. 4. Chatting on the forums is differnet. I'm talking face2face contact. Why do you try to avoid it? The last stranger you avoided could have become a good friend. Why not say "hi"?

Later in this thread you mention that pretty soon everyone is going to know about Geocaching because of the increased media exposure. You are assuming here that everyone wants to know about Geocaching if they had an opportunity. I think there's a healthy percentage of the population that really could care less about it and therefore all the media exposure in the world will not make a difference. Not at all. I assume nothing. I think if geocaching became mainstream, a lot of people wouldn't like it and wouldn't want to hear about it. BUT as it becomes more popular the people who are muggles now may think "wow that sounds like fun", take part in it, and then add to the popularity. Some people I think would even be anti-geocaching. I wouldnt be suprised if someday in the future someone complains that geocachers "keep parking in front of my house" or are "speeding in my neighborhood" or "destroying the landscape in my neighborhoods park" or whatever. I was a huge NASCAR fan when barely anyone knew about NASCAR. I find my experience with NASCAR and geocaching to be similar. People have said the exact same thing you are saying about geocaching to me about nascar. Today there is definately a healthy percentage of people who really could care less about it, but the more exposure nascar gets the more fans it attracts. And media exposure is just one outlet to support geocaching's growing popularity. I think Word of mouth would be it's biggest form of exposure. Anyone I'm not sure why you think I thought people would want to know about geocaching if they had the chance. I do think though that if/when geocaching becomes mainstream, people will learn about it wether they want to or not.

Is the only way to get stats for myself to get a premium membership? I downloaded CacheStats but it said I had to do something that only premium members can do. I have no problem paying the $30 I'm just wondering if satisfying my obsesive compulsiveness is worth $30 or if I should just deal with no stats. All the other goodies are of no interest to me. My GPS won't even download coordinates. Is there a backdoor way to get stats?

"Cotton kills" is a backcountry hiker's mantra. Cotton wicks out body heat, rather than moisture, so it can aggravate hypothermia, which can set in with ambient air temps as high as 55 degrees. That's why the really serious types prefer synthetics that wick out moisture as efficiently as possible. so if you are hiking in a hot enviroment, cotton would be preferred?

I used to be a NASCAR fanatic so I know all about being faced with the sport not a sport debate. My answer was always "who cares. call it what you want. i just now that i like it whether its a sport or not" The same applies to caching

I wouldn't consider myself Bozo status but I have to ask. Whats wrong about wearing cotton?

Guilty.

I'm weird, but that sounds like fun. What caches were those?

Thats unfortunate. The news has gotten people so scared. Too bad its becoming socially unacceptable for a guy to walk in a playground.

25

my responses have been recorded

LOL!!! I need to go buy a gun!

great post. thanks. i'll remember this

Long answer, sorry, but I believe in promoting the game, not hiding it! you are the "alabamarambler"

it's the cover of the "American Idiot" single by Green Day. It fits with the music forums i frequent. when i came here i put it as usual though it doesnt really fit for this site. maybe ill change it.

In this instance definitely the longevity of the caches. If caching goes away there is no other activity like it to replace it. If the opportunity to socialize at this particular cache goes away, there are other places where I can talk to strangers. where do you talk to strangers? I personally have no great desire to talk to strangers, but the original question was asking if it was important to do so. gotcha

If you are caught red handed, then some explanation might be necessary. Big snip there but I was once observed by a couple of male youths (or youts if you like "My cousin Vinny) in a car. I saw them watching us trying to find this micro which we did find. When leaving I walked by the car they were sitting in and took a quick look. Dressed in leather and bandannas I considered myself lucky that we were leaving without any interaction. As I was walking away I suddenly changed my mind , turned and approached the car. The semi tinted window slowly went down. I asked, politely, if they wanted to know what we were doing. They quickly answered "no", with a tone that hinted that what was my business was mine. Not being completely happy with that answer I told them anyway. When I was done they understood that it was a game and that other people were coming to the park to find the cache. The youths drove away before we got back to our car The cache has not gone missing so I guess they were not muggles. uh...uh...2 wut?

In this instance definitely the longevity of the caches. If caching goes away there is no other activity like it to replace it. If the opportunity to socialize at this particular cache goes away, there are other places where I can talk to strangers. where do you talk to strangers?

Don't worry. There are at least 2 new caches being placed for every cache going down. And when I say "cache going down", I'm including every reason not just because a cacher talked to a muggle and the muggle destroyed the cache. On your second note, I completely agree. But I should warn you. It will not be long before everyone knows about caching. Just take a look at geocaching.com's home page. they have a section in the margin dedicated to all the recent news stories telling everyone, who will read, about the sport.

If you are caught red handed, then some explanation might be necessary. Big snip there but I was once observed by a couple of male youths (or youts if you like "My cousin Vinny) in a car. I saw them watching us trying to find this micro which we did find. When leaving I walked by the car they were sitting in and took a quick look. Dressed in leather and bandannas I considered myself lucky that we were leaving without any interaction. As I was walking away I suddenly changed my mind , turned and approached the car. The semi tinted window slowly went down. I asked, politely, if they wanted to know what we were doing. They quickly answered "no", with a tone that hinted that what was my business was mine. Not being completely happy with that answer I told them anyway. When I was done they understood that it was a game and that other people were coming to the park to find the cache. The youths drove away before we got back to our car The cache has not gone missing so I guess they were not muggles. I would guess that they are muggles who never imagined that, no offense, older men played games and more so that older men were not intimidated to approach them. There are a billion possibilities. They may have been smoking the herb and ready to fight had you said something like "I know what you are doing and I'm calling the cops". Instead you said "I'm playing a game". And that may have totally suprised them. Their next reactin may hae been "we don't need to worry about this person". Which brings me to my point. A lot of unfortunate incidents are based on misunderstandings. Good thing that you were geocaching and in a position to show that the misunderstanding was nothing negative, but instead something completely positive.

I'd say overall, for the sake of the longevity of the caches you are seeking, it's best to not be observed, or volunteer much about what you are doing. If you are caught red handed, then some explanation might be necessary. whats better? longevity of the caches or social interaction? Depends on whether or not you own that cache and spent the time and money to place it. Are social interaction and cache longevity mutually exclusive? There is nothing keeping you from being careful when looking for the cache, then chatting up everybody you see in the park afterward. If you want to be approached by strangers, wear a silly hat. I follow you, BUT if I wear a silly hat then people ask me "why are you wearing a silly hat?" I say whatever and they move on. If they say "what are you looking for?" and I say a geocache they not only converse about it, but also consider partaking in the activity. If im wearing a silly hat and someone asks why, no one is going to want to wear a silly hat once I tell them.

I'm from Arizona. What are these "lakes" and "boats" you speak of. And how does one go about renting a "boat".