Gforce4

Thanks for the input everyone. I have taken a look at the geocaching quidelines to hiding a cache on several occasions. To me, it is pretty clear where not to hide a cache, but is very vague on where to hide a cache. I'm sure they do this because each state/area has different guidelines. I know I can get a little ancy at times, especially when I have had this cache up and ready to go for a few weeks now. I guess I just need to take Trucker Lee's advice and not force it. In the meantime, I'll do some more geocaching and perhaps just stumble across the right spot to put one. Thanks for the info

Ok. I'm fairly new at all of this still. I've already hidden 2 caches, but I have one more to plant. I am completely at a loss on where to plant it. There are tons of great places around here (Southeast Texas), but the problem is that everywhere I can think to put a cache, there is already one located within 500 feet and I have been told I was unable to put mine there b/c of the 500 foot rule. I also thought about a state park, but don't want to have to go though the hassle of getting permits and renewing them and all that. Does anyone know what places are acceptable to put caches and what places do not require permission/special permits? What about city parks? City/state property off roadways, etc... City soccer fields and baseball field areas? (out in the woods of course ) Any info would be greatly appreciated. I have my last cache set up and ready to go....just need a spot. Thanks

I don't feel there is anything wrong with that, just as long as the vase/headstone where the cache was placed was a relative of the cache owner and they had permission to do it and as long as the other relatives are ok with it as well. I kind of think of it as a neat way to let other people see and read about a person that was loved and cared for while alive. On any other occasion, we would have just passed right on by the tombstone without giving it a second glance. However, I can see how others may view this practice as disrespectful. I have used information off of a tombstone as a clue to lead others to a cache hidden elsewhere in the cemetary, but I have never used a gravesite/tombstone as a cache hiding place itself.

We have just gotten started geocaching. We try not to carry too much around with us. We cache with the kids, so we keep it simple. We usually take: handheld gps (of course ) car gps (just got this for Christmas and totally love it , we leave it in the car though when we go out on foot ) Extra paper (in case a log is wet or damaged) pen extra batteries lots of trade items in various sizes (you usually never know what will fit until you get there ) extra ziploc baggies (for enclosing delicate trade items or if you notice water/moisture getting into the cache - be curteous to the owner and bag their log until they can get there to do some maintenance) cell phone (I take mine with me everywhere anyway ) and last but not least, the printout of the cache, comments, hints, etc...

We raid the Dollar stores or the clearance isles at Wal-Mart. We pretty much only cache with our kids and you can find some really nice things for trading in all those stores. I'm like most on here...I can't stand it when people leave rocks, leaves, trash or gross things in the cache containers. One of the last hunts we went on, we found a nasty, moldy old rubber duck. Ewwww! We always screen the cache contents before we left our kids go siftin thru them. I think you should trade up or at least trade even. A lot of times, we'll even get to a cache and see that it is completely empty. I know how my kids feel when there is nothing to trade, we we make sure to leave a few items in the cache for the next kids that might come along.

Thanks y'all I had no idea there was even a glossary. I'm still learning my way around I guess

We are fairly new to this whole geocaching thing. I have noticed that people tend to abbreviate a lot in their comments, cache descriptions, etc... Anyone care to help me out with some of these abbreviations? I have come across a few that I had no clue what they meant. What are some of the main ones used? I figured out FTF means first to find and DNF means did not find.

It doesn't bother me if others give hints or clues to where the cache is in their own comments, just as long as they encrypt that part for those that do not want them. Sometimes, when I am having trouble finding a certain cache, it helps me to read the comments others have left. However, I do not feel that it is ok to give hints/clues in your commenst without encrytpting them. It is not ok to ruin the hunt for someone else by blabbing where it is without encrypting those comments. Of course, if in the description of the cache, the owner asks that you do not leave clues/hints in your comments, even encrypted ones, I would respect his/her wishes. I am one of these people who would get completely bugged when I cannot find a certain cache that I have searched again and again for. I have not done this yet, but I don't see anything wrong with contacting/sending a message to the owner of the cache for a hint. I just recently placed my own first cache and I would hate it if a person searched several times for it and never found it. I think you should search, I mean really search, for the cache at least 3 separate times before contacting the owner about a hint though.

I like it when the DNF comments are left on the sites. If I am up for a challenge, then I like to try and find the one's that have not been found in a while. Also, when I am with my kids, I know the bottom line for them is finding the cache. So, if I notice there are a few DNF's listed for a certain cache, then I'd be more inclined to save that one for when my kids are not with me and until I know that someone else has for sure found it recently.