Felinus

Not a good Idea Why? Right now the $3/mo fee doesn't provide too much value to me (I do not even use the pocket queries). It only makes me feel good by knowing I help reduce the expenses incurred by the mantainers of this hobby site. More money would make me feel like I am supporting a business instead of a hobby. Maybe you should try to increase the subscription rate for the $3 membership. Make people WANT to subscribe. Ideas: * Make travel bug maps available to travel bugs owned by paying members. * Make the hint convert tool available to paying members (keep the hints in the encrypted way for non paying) * Give discounted travel bug prices for members. * Give a gift with every $30yr subscription (a TB tag?)

My recomendations (some obvious): 1. Always mark a waypoint of your car, so that you know where you have to return. Marking waypoints of trail intersections can also help. 2. Carry spare batteries (cold temperatures make the GPS spend the ones it has quicker). 3. As the article noted, carry a regular magnetic compass, and a topo map. AND KNOW HOW TO USE IT!! As for the notes on "instances where the lost GPS user was able to aid SAR personnel by providing coordinates via cell phone", I am a bit concerned: * If you are injured, by all means call for help. * If you are just tired, or it is getting too late, don't waste the effort of SAR personnel when you can get out by yourself if you try hard enough. Learn how to find those coordinates on the topographic map you brought (topozone.com provides them for free). The SAR personnel could be volunteers who have to get out of work (at their cost) to go and search for people (some of them reckless). Just my opinions -- Keep finding.

I preffer metal tags. Plastic would be fine if they are embossed (not printed). I do not want homemade tags. I preffer the idea of a uniform tag, easy to identify. I think the shape should remain the same as the current tag (to avoid confusion). I would still want to buy metal tags, even if they cost more. -- Keep finding.

I do not think you should stop geo-caching because of those concerns. HOWEVER, I am happy you POINT OUT those concerns. We should all have those concerns while GeoCaching. Think about them all the time to avoid problems to us and to everyone else. We all have to be EXTRA CAREFULL of not damaging the environment or tresspassing. -- Keep finding.

Although I would like NPS to allow caches on their grounds, could imagine their reasoning. In a couple of caches I have been, I have been able to find the cache by just watching/following the "destruction path" some earlier cache finder created. Not everyone does that. Some people are carefull to create minimum damage, and try to leave minimum/no trace. Lets be carefull. If we all try to show the world we are not damaging the environment, just having fun... We may be welcomed in more places in the future. -- Felinus -- Keep finding.