Navdog

That coin image was reminding me of myself as I was making it. We were up at Johnston Ridge Oct 2nd when they closed the area off. We were planning on hiking the Boundary Trail out to Harry's Ridge, bur some rangers came up to us just as we got to the trailhead and said they were closing the trail for the day because of the winds blowing the small ash plumes toward the area. We decided to go down the road a bit and hike up the ridge above Coldwater Lake, just to the north. Shortly after we left they had the harmonic tremors and evacuated the Visitors Center. Halfway up the ridge we were wondering why all the cars were leaving down at the center. When we saw the media trucks leaving, we knew something was up. Plus that and the half dozen helicopters and FS plane constantly flying around. I was hoping to see something happen, my friend was worried about what was up. We turned around at the four mile mark and were the last ones in the area all afternoon. Made it out just as the sun was setting and the Sheriffs Dept. was waiting at the gate for us.

Here is a rough image idea from one of the St Helen's pic posted before. This would work best if pressed or cut from just the coin material with no color. Yes, I put the hiker in there, as it was meant to depict the mountain today, and having just the mountain would make it rather plain. IMHO. But, I am just your faithful servant.

You do see it on many coins these days, but it is somewhat synonymous to what geocaching is and a good way to portray it on a coin. For this application it's a necessary element to create the depth of field you see on the 2004 coin, it gives the image some purpose other than just a pretty picture, and follows the theme from last year.

Here's a variation on design #1. Added a mountain, could be St. Helens. There could also be an extra line or two of text to balance the lower left side. Just an idea of something to plug in there that's geocaching related. The colors from green to brown on the hills was meant to represent the reach of the river from the Gorge up into the drier area of Eastern Washington.

Thought I'd throw out a coastal image. A representation of North Head Lighthouse. And it's one of my favorite camping spots.

I was wondering when that debate would start. Don't you mean the hiker is standing on the Washington side, looking out across the river, dreaming of all the great caches in Oregon.

Here is a Seattle idea. I would tend to agree. I'm not really sure what Mt. St. Helens anniversary has to do with geocaching. Heck, can you even place a cache inside the monument? Don't mind me though. I just like to play with photoshop. I've left the hiker in there because he/she tends to give the design a little more purpose, adds depth to the image, and helps balance the design.

Here is something from the Columbia Gorge idea posted above. Remember, that if color is wanted, then some details need to be sacrificed to allow for the separation and fill of color elements.

I like the idea of a different design each year. Makes the coins a little more unique. I'm not sure if I've seen that done yet on other geocoins. One option might be to keep the same theme with the hiker, but change the loaction he is in to something like: A costal setting - ocean and trees An urban setting - Space Needle and other buildings with some trees Something to depict the east side of the state This could be done each year a few times before ghanging to another completely different design idea. Another option is maybe have a more abstract/graphical design.

Here is a little perspective for you on the old willow tree.

I haven't found a lamp post hide yet. I'm sure there is one lurking out there near me. When I do find one, it won't be the one I'll remember a few years from now. What I will remember are the caches that have challenged and frustrated me. The best you can do is lead by example and hopefully instill a little insipiration in other cachers.

Do geeky cachers greet each other with "Waas up?"

I think the difficulty rating will determine how long you may need to spend looking for the cache. So, since it is listed under the "conditions" category, I would think it means that the attribute is about how long it may take from your parking spot. It also may be a good way to determine lunchtime cache oppurtunities.

This seems kinda silly. You can find a legal parking spot to start a cache anywhere. So what does the parking icon mean? It doesn't tell me how to find it or how far away it may be. If there is going to be a parking icon then I would suggest Hemlock's idea that it be used as an indication that you can park within a very close proximity to the cache. That way folks who don't / can't walk too far to a cache have a useful tool.

How about an attribute for "Just Do It!"?

Well, if you are a Gadgetmaster, you would already be prepared for most hunts. I think I would pass on this idea. I am always one to practice the "Six P's"... prior planning prevents piss poor performance, but there's a lot of things I want to figure out and plan for myself. That's half the fun of an adventure.

Do you really think a cache posted on any particular listing service means it's a higher quality cache? It's not where it's listed that makes a good cache, it's the person who hid it and the commitment they made to make it "more challenging, funner, and of higher quality".

Sorry you didn't get the support you wanted. Maybe that should be telling you something. It's too bad you can't understand the reason it was archived. There has been overwhelming support for the victims wordlwide, and I am sure thousands of cachers have given freely without the need to post to a cache page that they did.

Finally!!! The worlds first true virtual cache.

Actually, the selfish people are the ones who insist on being able to log a find and get a pat on their back for their donation. A cache page contributes NOTHING to the cause other than allowing this. I think you can take it a step further and see that those who tried to say they only logged a note, are still looking for validation from the geocaching community. A truly selfless act of giving would not require this.

What is more selfish is someone who insists their hobby be included in this disaster even though it has nothing to do with geocaching. A true selfless person would give aid without having to be associated with anything.

If you're looking to make it harder with more infrequent finds, try something other than written clues, maybe something graphical like the idea for this cache. Obviously, digital cameras for each player would be needed. You could also use a benchmark page as a radius point to look for caches within a given distance that the TB may be. There is a link on the benchmark page that lists nearby caches.

I have used E6000 adhesive for many magnet applications and it works very well.

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