Mule Ears

"Needs Maintenance" and "Should be Archived" judgments should be based on firsthand information. If someone sees a pattern of DNFs or complaints on the cache page and wants to express an opinion about it, they should email the owner. If the owner is absent, visit the cache and find out firsthand what's going on.

Great pic of the bike atop the giant rockpile at the Bikedog cache. My first offroad cachemobile was a mountain bike. Since I got the Jeep, I don't have to use the bike as much, but sometimes it's exactly the right tool for the job. I recently DNFed Tour de Fantasy Island, a multicache at the Tucson's wonderful MTB playground. Had a blast! Recently did maintenance on my adopted Turkey Creek cache and rode the bike out there. Nothing too technical, just 26 miles (roundtrip) of mild Jeep road through rolling hills. Apart from that, I take the bike along on caching outings where I'd otherwise have to hike old Jeep roads that are closed to motor vehicles. I have two bikes: a Montague Paratrooper folding bike, and a Redline D-460 full-rigid 29er. Don't laugh too hard at the Montague. It's weird, but it works! Good luck in the upcoming race, 007BigD!

Comments like those just help you figure who to seek out for interesting conversation at an event. And who not to.

An example: Tucson has some extremely competitive FTFers. It's not uncommon for a new cache to be found within minutes of publication, and for the logs to reflect that two or three teams converged on it almost simultaneously. So how did this cache, just a few miles outside Tucson, remain unfound for almost a month? It required a hike. If you're fit and willing, you can leave the park-n-grab FTFs to the usual suspects and have the tougher ones all to yourself.

Here in Arizona, real snakes just up and volunteer for the job of scaring Geocachers. Don't know how they feel about rubber snakes horning in on their fun.

They'll probably solve the problem. The lockers use very fine threads. They take more turns to lock down, but offer more leverage for loosening and tightening.

When I first got the poles I was very conscious of using 'proper' technique. As time passed, I developed my own style. Don't worry about it too much; normal arm swing on solid, level ground* will automatically synchronize pole placement with foot placement. Just make sure that you use the straps rather than the handles for support--that's absolutely key. In general, I shorten the poles for uphills and lengthen them for downhills. Going up a steep slope, it seems natural to plant the poles in front as a pair and then step up between them. Think of them as handrails. Going down steep slopes, it's the reverse. Some folks advise lengthening the poles for uphills and planting them behind you for a little boost. I think this idea originates with the technique required for climbing stairs on crutches--if you plant the crutches on the next step up, you may stall in midstep and fall backward. Trekking poles aren't crutches and (most) slopes aren't steps, so this logic is flawed. In uneven terrain, the most efficient use of the poles is just to save a stumble. Keep them at the ready, semi-loose in your hands, so that you can stab one down if you start to fall. This will happen without conscious thought on your part. *On loose sand, like in dry washes here in Arizona, you can add speed and reduce drudgery by using the poles in pairs. Plant them slightly behind your feet as you are walking, then give a short, forceful push. This will turbocharge one step. When you get a rhythm going, you'll automatically alternate between right and left steps. When you get really good, we can talk about running with poles...

At least a 4/4 multi with a 15 to 20 mile total hiking distance. Excellent. The PMOC designation wouldn't provide any stronger bozo filter than the hike. I'd leave it open to all members. Hiking a total of 20 miles is a far greater indication of commitment to Geocaching than shelling out three bucks a month.

What sort of difficulty and terrain are you shooting for? Length of hike? Those factors are more relevant to protecting a treasure chest from being plundered than PMO status.

Absolutely. Caches requiring say three or more hours of sustained hiking often appreciate in swag-value over time. Distance from pavement is a much better indication of cache quality than double-secret platinum premium member status.

The odd phenomenon that has cropped up in my stomping grounds is that the best caches (ones with swanky swag, nice locations, etc.) are open to all, while the caches most likely to be called lame (by standards frequently and hotly debated here) are nearly all PMOC. We became premium members a very short time after finding our first cache. To those who say that PMOC designation rewards folks like us, I say don't do me any favors! Place good caches in interesting locales. Visit my caches and post nice logs with pictures. Throw an event or a CITO. Adopt or fix caches in need. Those all benefit me as an avid cacher. But tracking my page views of your caches via an audit log--that benefits you, not me.

If you have hand or wrist pain, plan to hike long distances on hard, rocky surfaces, or think you might take up running with the poles, then the antishock feature is worthwhile. If none of the above, chances are you'd never notice the shock-absorbing action at all. If you use the right grip, allowing the straps to take the weight, very little shock is transmitted to your hands even without 'shocks.'

With the average waist size approaching 40, perhaps the hiking distance between caches should be increased, and a minimum distance from pavement instituted.

Using trekking poles in pairs is much more effective than using a single pole or staff. They take a lot of strain off the knees during steep descents, ease stream crossings, and help with balance on rough terrain. A single pole can be helpful, but the benefit is nowhere near that of a pair of poles. Here's a link to an illustrated discussion of trekking poles. Pay particular attention to the use of the strap to take the load off your grip. If you use the grips in the 'obvious' way, with the strap hanging loose, you'll trade knee trouble for hand/wrist/forearm trouble.

I just tried it myself--the audit log begins when you assign PMOC status, so you cannot see any visitor activity prior to turning on the PMOC switch. You can't retroactively geo-stalk your cache's online visitors.

There might be a positive unintended consequence: thinning the ranks of parking-lot cachers.

I'm going to use a slightly different interpretation of the question: The farthest-from-home cache I've nabbed in a single-day trip is "North SM Jr," 208.6 miles from my home coords. Grabbed six caches in a loop of 8.3 miles of hiking, 4400 feet ups and downs. Left at oh-dark-thirty; returned home in time for dinner.

Here in the rural west, there are many cases in which a No Trespassing sign (NTS) is not a show stopper. For example, on a 4WD road, an NTS that's not affixed to a gate generally means that you may drive on, but may not leave your vehicle and set out cross-country. Most fences are meant to keep cattle in, not to keep humans out. An NTS near an old mine does not usually refer to the surrounding land, just to the mine works themselves (dangerous places). And you'll sometimes encounter an NTS that is clearly a bluff--someone other than the landowner trying to keep people out of a favorite hunting or rockhounding spot. Cache owners out here are pretty good about documenting these inapplicable signs, but sometimes they forget. In broaching the subject with the owner, it's a good idea to reserve judgment until you have the facts. None of this applies to caches in town, areas surrounded by chainlink fences (as opposed to barbed wire), locked gates, areas near residences, etc. I won't knowingly trespass on private property to hunt for a cache, and I'm squeamish about the gray-area issue of hunting for caches on semi-private property (easements close to houses, parking lots, etc.).

Unless the cross-listing is mentioned in the Geocaching.com listing, I'd never know.

Recent observations suggest that bathing may prove to have been a fad. It, too, seems to be on the decline.

As mankind became less likely to settle personal grievances with deadly violence, the irritating-as-all-getout gene made a comeback. Dark lining to the silver cloud. There's still a chance to stamp it out: bring back dueling.

On topic, I was actually hoping that Geocaching was in fact more a "game" than a "community." Most of the fun I've gotten has been from the "game" aspect, most of the grief from the "community" aspect.

I didn't think you were giving me a hard time. I was just reviewing the particulars because I was kind of startled at this new wrinkle. And I didn't want to leave the peanut gallery with any false impression that a caching goon squad was taking over neglected caches. As for the guy involved in the example I gave, he would be the sort to go ballistic over a perceived slight. The timing of his archivals--right after volunteer maintenance--is certainly suggestive of some sort bee in his bonnet. I'd think that would go double for the folks who are sufficiently disgruntled to switch to the BrandX-o-caching sites. Forewarned, forearmed.

Sometimes it is important to be FTF because it irritates the living heck out of those who always must be FTF. If my local FTF fiends did a little less chest-thumping and endzone dancing in their logs they'd spare themselves my occasional FTF sprees.

Oh. Hadn't thought of that angle, either. Retrieving archived caches for plunder? I really considered it only from the angle of complicating the decision of whether or not to remove an abandoned cache.