egroeg

As I read the cache description, the CO is offering TWO ways to find the cache. He has hidden the coordinates somewhere on the cache page (thus satisfying the required use of GPS), or you can attempt to find it from the photo alone. How you choose to find it is up to you, but you can find the cache with the use of a GPS, meeting the reviewer's requirement.

Perhaps the 7/20" ( or 0.350" ?) is the inside diameter and the 5/8" is the outside D?

Hah! I once found a math puzzle cache where, to follow the theme, the CO had twisted the log sheet into a Moebius strip. One side!!

I must be the only optimist around here.

Have you tried preparing well enough that you can actually keep the attention of a group of young men instead of dragging them into the woods just so you can check the box that says "Took them Geocaching"? Fine, maybe some of them have no interest. Why short change the ones that might enjoy this hobby?

Indeed. In fact, a missing cache would be an excellent part of the lesson about Geocaching. It would teach them that you can't find 'em all, but that's just part of the game! It would teach them to log their DNF's as info for the owner and for other cachers. Many lessons there. A real world experience like the ones we've all come to know and love.

In a large county park near me are 10 multi caches. 3 of them are the "read a historical marker to determine the coords for the final" type 1 is an offset cache of a few hundred yards 1 is a 2-stage cache where, at the first stage, you pick up a tool for the gadget cache final. Short walk 4 of them are 2 or 3 physical stages, with a walk of a mile or more. 1 is a 10 stage, 12-mile ordeal that follows the perimeter of the park. Multis with physical stages are common in the other county parks, but the marker type is more common in the urban center of the county, including several that take you on neighborhood tours to get info from the many murals. Seems to be plenty of interest in all kinds of multis around here.

Is it even required that a cache owner list in his description the number of stages in his cache?

I recently backed into this tree while night caching. I was lucky to escape with a couple minor punctures. I did, however, use a few naughty words when it happened.

There is a group of 5 new ones a few miles south of Ottawa, all starting with GC9XQ** If I really squint, GC9XQ8D resembles your GC9X0DS

Most of my ECs came about when I spotted some geological curiosity while hiking around. When I got home, I would read up on what I had seen, and, if I thought others might be interested, I tried to turn it into an EC. The one that I personally found most fascinating was a joint system on an abandoned quarry floor. https://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC49VBX I learned a lot from that one, but I heard too many comments about how hard I made the requirements, so eventually archived it.

Agreed. Most of the postings have been about WHERE or WHEN an encounter occurred - playgrounds (especially when children are present), cemeteries and park-n-rides (especially at night), etc. There have been dozens of threads about police encounters, where similar stories abound. The OP seemingly wanted postings showing that only WHO the cacher was determined the encounter.

This one pops into my head some times when I reach the far end of a long trail and have to head back....

I took a shot at this, and there's an issue: Since there are 6011 unfound caches within 50 miles of home, I set the cache counter at 6500. I get a notice that 1000 is the maximum I can request. Suggestions?

I believe this has been mentioned once or twice, but I would like to emphasize it: On the old dashboard, under Search Options was Search for Geocaches, and two subcategories - "near your home location" and "(filter out finds)". Part of my morning ritual was to click on "(filter out finds)" to see if new caches have come out. (I don't like getting the email notifications since they can clutter up my email, especially if someone plops a new powertrail all over my area.) The old search went out to 50 miles, while the new one is limited to 10 miles. Yes, I can change the filter to 50, but the old way was more convenient. Can you add a feature, perhaps under our Profile, that lets us set some specific filters instead of your default values?

Tan rock. Gray Rock. Is there a lot more of one than the other? And are they different types of rock? Might be a volcanic intrusion. Not uncommon in eastern Sierras.

These are just different options for the same process. When I planned a quick cache run with the goal of scoring several new counties, I used the OpenStreetMap feature to follow a route and could see in which counties the caches along that route lived. If you have the time to travel anywhere in a county, then a list of the most interesting caches might be more useful. Just depends on how you plan to cache on that day.

Switch to the "OpenStreetMap Default" map instead of the "Geocaching" setting. It has county boundaries on it.

My 2 cents: I once found a similar situation - a local EC for a fossil site had the rock stratum misidentified. (The layer he mentioned was several thousand feet below ground level.) Rather than call it out on the cache page, I sent a personal message to the CO with evidence of what I was saying, explaining his error. He was very appreciative, and made the correction. If in your case the CO is resistant to correction, then I would contact the Geoaware. A Needs Maintenance log is a very public way to say someone is wrong, and his embarrassment could bring hard feelings.

So, if we don't define "lonely" or don't even mention the word "lonely" do you think there would be a better chance? Define the challenge as "Find 5 caches where the total months since the previous log is 50 or more". With judicious selection of caches, a cache that hasn't been found for 1 or 2 months might still be used to qualify. 1 or 2 months is hardly "lonely".

I wonder if cachers in some areas might be able to make a stronger argument for this type of cache. Within 50 miles of my home there are 288 caches that haven't been found for over 2 years. By the end of the year, 24 more will qualify. If the challenge is to find, say, 5 caches that have not been logged in over 24 months, then the pool is replenished almost as quickly as it is depleted. And that would be for cachers with NO caches that currently qualify.

If someone with only a few caches logs one of my EarthCaches, I check their profile to see if it is their first EC. If so, I give it a couple days then send my newbie boilerplate: Hi - You recently logged my geocache near xxxxxxxx called xxxxxxxxxx. This cache is a special type called an EarthCache, which is designed to provide an earth sciences lesson. Since you haven't logged one of this type before, you might not be familiar with some of the requirements. While you visit the location, you need to find answers to some questions listed on the cache page, and send those answers to me, the owner of the EarthCache. See the description in the first paragraph of the cache page, or visit https://www.geosociety.org/GSA/Education_Careers/Field_Experiences/EarthCache/GSA/fieldexp/EarthCache/home.aspx for more information. Please let me know if you will be able to fulfill these requirements. If not, by the EarthCache rules, I must delete your log. Thanks egroeg If it is someone with EC experience, I have a different letter that is shorter and just reminds them that they haven't sent in their answers. If I don't hear from anyone after a few more days, they get this: Hello - Since you have not responded to my previous email, nor have you supplied the information necessary to log the Earthcache xxxxxx , I am required to delete your log. If, in the future, you complete the requirements, you can create a new cache log. egroeg

Agree, 100%. I had to skip several ECs early in my caching history because I did not read the description beforehand. Now, it's something I always try to do, even if it's to carry a tape measure or some other measuring device. After doing a couple of ECs where a temperature measurement is required, I spent $5 on a small kitchen thermometer about the size of a pen. Fits nicely in the pack. I also think that a temperature measurement truly can be part of the lesson. I did one where the temperature of a stream changed depending upon how recently it rained, and whether you measured temp above or below a feeder stream. I did another one on Mt Rainier where you picked up a logbook and thermometer at a Ranger station and made several measurements along a hot springs walk. You record the temps in the logbook as part of a long-term monitoring of these springs. Again, part of the lesson.

There's a cache atop an unclimbable 50 foot concrete monolith on the campus of Wright State University. A group of us tackled this cache by getting a line over the top and knocking the cache loose. It was returned with a running line and a release knot. Are the purists saying that only one person can legitimately claim the find? And that all the others should have taken turns knocking it down and then replacing it for the next one in the group? Ridiculous. There's a multi-cache that requires you to collect numbers along the way that are the combination to the lock on the ammo can. Does the first person unlock the cache, sign in, then relock and replace the cache so that each person does the cache "the way it was intended"? Ridiculous. Yes, the original post that described the people who never left home but logged the cache is an example of unacceptable behavior. But in-person group hunts where all contribute are another matter altogether. If you choose to go on group hunts, then be prepared to stretch your "ethics" a bit. How much stretch is, of course, up to the individual.

Another view of urban caching in Pittsburgh... From one of the many bike trails right outside town...