TeamK-9

It's quite possible that you simply typed in the tracking number wrong. Trying changing and 0's in O's and vice versa.

This should probably be posted at the Geocaching.com Website Forums But I'll respond to it here anyway. I would personally love to have a section specifically for geodogs and geopets, but I don't know what we'd really discuss. It's a great idea though, but I can't think of that much to talk about...

Westmoreland County here...

While out Geocaching, my brother and I were talking about homeland security. At the time we were on private land that is maintained by the state game commission. My brother was convinecd that it was actually Department of Homeland Security (DHS) territory and that there'd be swat teams everywhere in a matter of minutes. Anyway, he told me of a story of a young man of arab descent taking pictures of a canal in some large city for a college architecture report. I guess he was spotted taking the pictures, and he went to have his pictures developed. It took forever to get the call that they were finished developing. It turns out the photo shop, that several heavily armed DHS agents "delivered" his freshly developed pictures to him...

I'm really more of a surbuban cacher. I like caches out in state parks and forests, and I like longer hikes, but I'd take a nice cache on a nature trail in a suburban park any day...

I actually noticed problems last night. It wouldn't even load...

My slow reading skills made me not realize the almost realizable difference in this screen name...

2 While noteworthy for being your 9,999th post, geociding on a *999 postcount is hardly original. Yah, you should know that. I was the one who invented geociding on a 999 post... It would be unbelievable if he was to utter the dreaded "T" word. Actually, now that I think of it, there's multiple brass instruments that begin with a T Holy CARP! In the time it took me to read through this thread and respond to choice arguments. His avatar changed. Then his post count was reset!!!

Any process on the embroidered/screenprinted hunting/traffic vests?

I noticed it when I printed out the official stash note instead of the one I usually use. Not only does the "hundreds of caches" need to be changed to "hundreds of thousands" But the note still refers to the game as the GPS Stash Hunt. Only twice does it even use the word Geocaching, and neither of those uses imply that the game's name is now geocaching...

I've noticed that when reading local logs, our area our more of storytellers. People in my area like to tell their stories, in depth, and usually it's pretty interesting. Occasionaly, details are exagerated, and just as often, details are completely changed, but it makes it fun. Quite a few logs, people take the space of one or more full logs. Wheras in my reading of pages for caches in other areas, I see one or two lines, as opposed to several paragraphs...

I've found that it works perfectly fine to just print up a bunch of the Geocacher-U geocaching brochures, distribute them and read through them with the group your presenting to. A good part of any presentation is indeed a demonstration, so maybe hide an impromptu cache nearby and explain how it all works. A powerpoint version of the geocaching brochure is on my projects list but lately, I've just sort of being doing little bits of all projects on the list..

I've been looking at the Garmin Foretrexes and I figure that the cheapest one isn't that expensive, and I might be able to convince one of my "race sponsors" to buy one for me as part of the training thing. But like I said, I'm 14, with minimal income, and I still need to pay for a new pair of trailrunners, and a new camelback both of which are necessities for the race which are more important than stuff that might help with training... But someone said I might be able to get a re-radiating? attenna for the Etrex, this could work I guess? Where could I get one, and what would installing/using it require?

The forerunner would be perfect for my uses, as long as it could hold a sat lock. However, I need new shoes and a new camelback before this race, so I doubt that I'll be able to afford a new gps for training...

From what I've read about the Foretrex/Forerunner, whatever it's called, it would meet my purposes perfectly, except for the fact that it probably has a patch attenna similar to that in the etrexes...

I just screwed around a bit, and I noticed the Magellan still doesn't offer as in depth of information as what the Garmin gives. And I sort of would like the better info.

I'm looking for a way to use my GPS for hiking and distance training. Basically, I'd like to be able to track my average speeds, distance, stuff like that. I need something hands-free that I can get out every once and a while just to check on the stuff. My Magellan works perfectly for this use, sort of. It fits perfectly in the cell-phone pocket of my camelback, and it gets good satellite lock while in this position. Unfortunately, to my knowledge, it doesn't offer any of the information that I need. Basically, I'd like something similar to the "Trip Data" screen in Garmin Etrexes. My dad has a Garmin Etrex that he allows me to use occasionally. The GPS is perfect for my purposes, unfortunately, I've learned through experience that when held anything other than perfectly flat under anything other than a clear skyline, it loses signal. So, I guess I'm looking for a way to either get the information I need on my Magellan, or figure out a way to get a better signal on the Garmin without having to hold it in my hand all the time. I don't want to spend alot of money either way. Any ideas?

Wow, you admitted to being off topic in your title. But I don't think is really off-topic... Anyway, that's an interesting story I guess. Strange, very strange... Almost as strange as all this talk of their being a hidden Off topic area in these forums.

Universal Biohazard Precautions

Would cachers have to bring their own climbing gear? Well, anymatter, I'd have to say that you should include on the cache page that the cache requires special equipment, and that you shouldn't attempt the cache without the proper equipment...

Chalk up my vote for "no" I really don't trust the general public with polling features. Usually, they'll give three choices, that are all extremes and no choices in between the extremes, and stuff similar to what Seamus has already mentioned. Polls are a bad idea...

Right now, I'm planning two geocaches. One of them is in a compromisable location. If the neighbors saw 20 cars at the trailhead parking lot in a one week period, they'd be concered. That cache is going to be members only for a month or two to try and limit the number of people who try the cache any given day...

We bought a Jeep Cherokee almost solely for geocaching, mainly because of our need to be driving on "township roads" declared as "undeveloped" which we could not do in our Grand Prix. We've also ended up taking the Jeep out several times a month just to go driving around random places. The other "adventure" that geocaching has turned me on to is a local hiking endurance race. It takes place on the Summer Solstice, you have from sunrise to sunset to make it the whole way from one end of the trail to the other. The trail? Approximately 36 miles through the undeveloped, and developed hills of Pittsburgh.

Do you have any pictures or contact info for the cacher? I'm interested in this, if you'd be willing to PM me anything. A few months ago, there was a thread similar to this, where someone wanted an official-ish note to put in their window. I created one that claimed that the person was a USGS volunteer, but I like this idea better. Right now, I just have a little placard thing that I made up that I put in my window occasionally. It's a sideways piece of paper cut in half with a nice looking thing on either half. They both have the Geocaching and Groundspeak logos on the far left side. One of them says Official Vehicle and one says my handle, TeamK-9. I use the official one when I'm afraid someone might question what the Jeep is doing parked somewhere. I use the one with my handle when I'm in an area where I suspect I might run into other cachers...

I don't think so. Cause: *Whooosh* (The sound of this flying straight over my head)