Morning Dew

Feel free to add your own I'll just leave the car running for this one.... This one has to have been muggled.... It's a short hike and it doesn't say bring a pencil.... Here's an easy one, I won't be late for work..... I've already looked there..... This stupid GPS is reading OFF again.... This guys hides are always easy........ We'll be back before dark..... Just turn left right here and it should take us right to it.... The easiest way in is through here..... I figure we can get find 4 or 5 tonight....

Same thing happened to me on a row of benches. Found a nano and went to my car to deal with the log. Walked back to replace and the panic hit when I realized I wasn't sure if it was the second or third bench down in the row.

Yes, this is the cache. Care to share how you found it? Also, it figures the owner just picked up 11 days ago. I would have been able to see it but I was a little late.

Stopped for a quick cache on the way to work. I don't have my GPS with me so I can't tell you the GC number but I swear it was titled "George W" and the hint was finish the title. The coordinates took me just 2' NE of what was obviously a big bush but had been recently cut down. All the stalks remained but were cut close to the ground. There wasn't a whole lot in the area so I figured this has to be it. I looked through the stalks and leaves for a bit and then took off figuring it had been muggled. I go to GC.com to log my DNF and I can't find the cache? Can caches be permentantly removed for some reason. I was under the impression they remained forever even after the owner archives and/or removes them. It should be located in this cemetery but I can't find it (on GC.com). N42 13.257 W86 04.704 (This is a cache in the cemetery but not the one I was looking for). Thanks.

Geocaching, so far nothing stranger than a fully intact deer skeleton. Strange to see it all perfectly layed out. Now fishing....Let me tell ya. 1. Walleye fishing in the pitch black darkness on the side of river bank. Decide to call it quits around 2:30 A.M. Walking back to my truck on the trail (with head lamp on), turn a corner and standing right in the middle of the trail is a guy 100% totally buck naked. Scared the living snot right out of me. After catching my breath and saying "What the heck are you doing?" I quickly realized after about two words he was drunk as skunk. He said "Gozin' fa ya swimmin'" When I reached my truck it all made sense. There was a bar directly across the street from the trailhead. Last call was at 2 A.M. and unfortunately we crossed paths. 2. I was a volunteer for a program that watches for illegal fishing activities during a peak season. Me and another volunteer are walking down the bank of river and we see a guy fishing in a trench coat with a live chicken underneath his arm. No joke! I litterally had to sit down on a log and think about it for 5 minutes. Finally, I decided I had to do it. I got on the radio to ask the DNR officer in charge "There is guy down here fishing with a live chicken under his arm. Do we do anything about that?" After a few calls back and forth on the radio. He said "I'll be there in a minute!" Needless to say ALL the volunteers, the DNR officer and a DNR officer in a vehicle patrol 5 miles from the river showed up to get a look at this one.

To hike the entire Kal Haven Trail here in Michigan. It's a rails to trails, trail. Not continously but bits and pieces on short day hikes throughout the summer. 3 miles completed so far (actual 6 miles of hiking because it's not a loop) with my 14 month old son on my back.

Not me, I get it every year (or poison ivy). The stuff is the most vile, irritating, life draining stuff on the planet. It makes me insane and I won't go anywhere near it if I see it. I get it so easy and have a touch of it right now, praying it doesn't spread. We can put a man on the moon but we can't take ANYTHING to stop poison ivy or oak. Now, shortly will follow a WHOLE list of miracle cures replies, some will even include links to various Poison Ivy sites and cure websites. And the reason there are 1001 miracle cures? Because they don't work. That's why when you get a headache you take aspirin. People don't suggest: Hot shower Cold shower Bleach Rubbing Alcohol TecNu Zinfel Cortizone shots Cortizone pills Deodorant Calamine lotion IVY dry "Insert Brand of Choice" Headache Cream They say......"Would you like a couple aspirin?"

My least favorite cache but I think they are totally fine and just another great part of this game. For the ones in my local area, I try to hit them at low muggle population times, i.e. weekday 1/2 hour before sunrise. If NO relatively muggle free times exist I might skip it. But I do love a good challenge. Another reason I don't like guard rail caches along bridges. Search...wait for car to drive by....search...wait for car to drive by...repeat. Boring... I just feel too responsible to the cache owner to keep right on searching. I worry that a couple teens will be driving by, see me searching, have some free time on their hands and go back and muggle the cache and because I was impatient, I'm responsible for a nice cache being looted. Probably too paranoid though.

Finders can comment on dif/ter ratings in their logs and the owner can take this under advisement. Sometimes difficulty depends upon experience so there is no one rating that fits everyone. Someone who hasn't found a type before may find it very difficult. Someone who has seen the type before may find it very simple. Yes, your exactly right! This means you 100% agree with the original post. See, if a cache has 99 finds and it has been rated 99 times as a four but the owner rated it as a one, you now know that there is 99% chance that this cache will be level four of difficulty. Of course it also proves your opinion about everyone being unique and different, but we all knew this anyways. A finder input system would go a long ways in cleaning up the numerous 1/1 caches out there. It's great idea. Sifting through 99 logs is of course possible but a user opinion field displaying an average would be a lot nicer.

I'm usually pretty good at figuring out these things but I'm struggling with this one. I found a public Bookmark List that I'd like to reference in the future. I'm trying to somehow add it to my personal bookmark lists in my account but can't figure out a way. Anyway to accomplish this so I have a bookmark saved for this site? I'd rather not save it to my favorites because I use 3 different computers throughout the day, but I guess I could do that. Thanks.

I wouldn't consider this unsolvable to anyone. I think it's an excellent puzzle cache. Not too hard, not too easy. Nice job. I PMed you the solution.

I'm just a rookie but the first and only nano I've found. I simply couldn't believe that a container could be this small and still contain a log. I was pretty pumped when I found it.

I haven't seen it but for my personal level of taste I think you've made it too hard. An exercise in futility is not why I geocache, however I would vehemtly defend your decision to make it is hard as you want. It's your cache. However, I do think the description should include a commnet that it may be unsolvable to some.

I tried to be all sly once and it back fired on me. I was searching some bushes for a cache outside a library that no longer existed (I didn't know it at the time). I was searching very hard and getting a little flustered because this was supposed to be a 1 hide and a regular size container. I didn't realize it but I was being watched and the guy eventually came up to me and asked what I was doing. I thought I was so smart as I instantly told him that my fiance (I'm married BTW) and I had gotten in an arguement right here and she took off the engagement ring and tossed in the bushes. I had come back to find it. He says "Oh my God! I'll help you, what does it look like?" So now I'm caught up in what leads to multiple lies thinking "What if this guy finds this big tupperware container...what then?" It sure is funny thinking back on it but it wasn't at the time. We never found the ring or the cache and I left telling him it was my loss and I never should have been such a jerk to her.

...this is the procedure that they've just got rid of. If the Groundspeak representative is able to take over the cache then pass ownership to someone else, it could be construed to be inferring ownership by Groundspeak. Well, I don't think I'm going to change the world here so I'll let this go with a couple final thoughts. 1. Is it REALLY about legality? Who the heck are we kidding? If this is true GS lawyers must be high school students who are thinking about being lawyers. Imagine if something were to tragically go wrong with a cache. GS is without a doubt a vehicle in promoting that cache and would CERTAINLY be included in any lawsuits. And the money thing could lead to even bigger trouble because they profit from mananing cache listings. 2. And why does a reviewer posting a note that says "It appears that we have lost an owner for GCXXXX would someone like to become the owner? THIS IN NO WAY IMPLIES THAT GS OWNS THIS CACHE, etc, etc. <insert more legal mumbo jumbo> blah blah" imply ownership? Seems pretty clear to me that GS never owned, doesn't own it now and WON"T own in the future. There, the cache listing is now adopted, GS never it owned it and the cache is saved. Wa La! Pretty cool, huh?

I wonder if a better approach might be to put some responsibility on the owner. i.e. if you don't respond to a maintenance request or a SBA request in a set amount of time with a couple official requests then by default a reviewer can put your cache up for adoption. As a cache owner it would be your responsibility to keep your email address correct and to watch your logs, otherwise you lose them through neglect. This way the history of the cache could be perserved in the cases of an owner who abandoneds a cache(s).

Speaking of geolitter. What happens in the case when a hider passes away? We have a cacher with about 40 hides in this area. As I continue to learn more about geocaching I'm guessing there are hiders out there with many more hides than that. God forbid it, but what happens if they are hit by a bus. Now no one can now adopt these? I'm sure the majority if not all have a reference leading back to this website and eventually they will be seen as trash. Right? Perhaps, they would make an exception in a case like that.

Magnetic usually mean the container has a magnet on it. A magnetic keyholder would be a common example for the micro size. So the container will be attached to something metal. I'm no veteran but I'm assumming the majority of these would be "under" something. A lip on a guard rail, a metal bench, etc. Reading these forums will help a lot and so will experience but on a micro you have to think a little "outside" the box. Does the top of that post lift off? Is the tube on that bench large enough to hold a magnetic keyholder inside of it? And so it goes....

Two comments: 1. If everything you typed is true then this is horrible. I love going on a short hike and having the opportunity to do 4-6 caches. Personally, this is the best thing about geocaching for me. I'd rather spend 3-4 hours geocaching in 1 nature perserve / hiking area, etc. and get 4-6 caches than spend 3-4 hours DRIVING all over an area hitting a combo of cemeteries and lake accesses. Not that I don't enjoy these but the trail concept is just so much more appealling to me. 2. My father always told me there are 3 sides to every story. His, hers and the truth. From the sounds of it, you and your wife make some nice quality and creative hides that certainly can be enjoyed by others. Now, your going to pick your ball up and go home? Why? Are you placing hides for ourselves, others or both? The umpire hasn't even made an official ruling yet and your quitting? I believe you can appeal a reviewers decision to Groundspeak and I didn't see any mention of you doing that. And even if things don't go your way, I now don't get to enjoy any of your caches? If this is true, then your probably not placing hides for the reasons I like geocaching. Best of luck...I sure hope they (Groundspeak) aren't going in that direction. I like the hikes.

Would this work? Sorry, I'm new. Creat a cache. Once it's published. Create a "Found It" log and back date it before your 400th find. Perhaps you could even back date it to the day of the deleted log. You don't even have to go there, just create the dummy log. In the log explain why your doing this entry with ALL the gory details, including referencing the old GC#. How one your of physical finds was deleted, the whole story, etc. This should adjust all your stats properly. So now your 400th find is your 400th find. Then archive the cache. As long as the page allows you to back date this should work shouldn't it? Plus you have an accurate record of your travels and how it happened. I'm on your side by the way, howver, it's pretty clear that the hider can do pretty anything they want with their cache page. You can find something twice...it happens all time. I've bet others have found their car keys twice and I'm willing to bet many of them have found them in the same spot twice.

In the field: Delorme PN-20.

As a newbie, I’ll let you in on a little secret. That worry should loooong be a thing of the past because it’s a reality. I really like geocaching and I’m having a blast and have become addicted but one thing I’ve learned from these forums. It attracts a WHOLE lot of petty, argumentative, questioning every little thing, strongly opinionated people. Every other thread erupts into some flame war. And what I don’t understand, is Geocaching basically doesn’t have any rules so why do people post relentlessly about things that don’t matter. Maybe this lack of rules is what leads to these heated discussions. I wouldn’t change a thing though, I like the few rules there are. I’ve learned quickly…don’t mention stats, lame hides, tough hides, puzzle caches, caches with some sort of agenda, small containers, the words “lamp post”, reviewers policies or lack of, etc. The stats arguments are absolutely filled with people with deep psychological issues. Concerned about people posting false numbers in a game with no rules, watching with bated breath others numbers and how they change, judging how they find caches as a group or an individual in relation to their number of finds. WHO CARES. It simply amazes me that anyone cares if someone has 2 finds or 20000 finds. Finally, as a person who has basically “grew-up” in the internet generation and has spent a lot of time on various different forums….Your right on cue with your post. All the “I hate to be snotty….”, “READ THE FAQ BOZO!” people don’t understand forums and they just say this to make themselves feel better. A forum is supposed to be a community of people with similar interests who are all learning together. We all have our personal levels of research that we like to do. Yes, “What is the best GPS” will get asked over and over and over again but ya see….If we all stayed at home and did ALL the research ourselves about every little thing, what the heck would we need the forum be for? There are very few topics posted that haven’t been asked/posted or discussed before. If you don’t accept repetition that provides opportunity for a new look on an old subject then you might as well close up the forums right now because it’s all been done before. And of course this begs the question why does a person who hates seeing old questions get asked again hang out in the “Getting Started” forum? What exactly are you expecting to see here that isn’t in the FAQs or can’t be found in a search? A newbie asking a questions that hasn’t been asked before? Think about that for a minute. My hunch is that it gives the replier a chance to berate someone else and in turn make themselves feel better. Just a guess though.

Coming from someone who is just starting out, I think the advice to know the container before you start is good one. The mind of a finder is strange. We have a local hider who usually lists nothing for the container. It's amazing how it effects me when I go looking. At least for me knowing the exact container I'm looking for makes the cache much easier. However, don't fear micros. They can be easy and rewarding as well. To me its all about good solid cordinates, no matter what size the container is. Having coordinates that are off 90-100' making for a bad experience.

Do the research on the Delorme PN-20. You'll still need GSAK but only one device in the field. It will do it all. Terrain, Difficulty, Description, Hints, Logs (up to a 800 character limit) $299 including the maps. Great device and I love mine so far.

I just recently purchased a PN-20. Personally, I think it's the cats meow. Very comparable to the Garmin 60scx but less money. I paid $299 after the rebate. Also, after you receive the GPS you can call Delorme and ask for their special deal for PN-20 owners and get an entire state USGS topo quad map for $49 (normally $99). To get up and running I just loaded the pre-cut maps for my entire state and it works great. Screen redraw isn't instant but it's very tolerable. I've read you can increase the refresh speed by making the maps more bare bones and of course you can lengthen redraw times by loading in very complex maps. To give you a comparasion, I used it on a 140 mile drive and it give me turn by turn directions percisely through the entire route and the screen refresh rate was quite fast set at the zoom level that seemed to work best for me. A neat feature of the desktop software is that once you have a route made you can tell it to look for ALL POIs within say a half mile of your route and then print them out before your long trip. That way I had every gas station, restaurant, car repair and rest stop at my finger tips listed in order of mileage on a print out. Of course this info is in the GPS but it's so much easier to look at the list for the next gas station and know it's 0.5 mile or less off the highway. However, what I really like is, combined with GSAK, I can paperless geocache. Hundreds of caches at my finger tips with full descriptions, hints and even the last so many logs if I want them. (800 character limit). It also marks geocaches with a closed chest for not found and you can change the symbol to an open chest when you find it. The included software is very powerful as well. I have a hiking trail near my house that doesn't even show on a USGS quad map. I just walked it having the GPS record my track and dumped it back to the software and I now have the route saved on the software and can of course now print out a hard copy map. Also, there is culdesac near my home that every GPS I've ever seen thinks it is a through way and always routes me back to my house through it even though it's impassable. With Topo 7 you can permanently change this so it won't route you through this impassable point. There are some things that I hate about the unit and software but so far the positives far outwiegh the negatives and I believe I've only scratched the surface of it's capabilities. Oh yeah, you asked about signal. Others can answer better (several reviewers have owned both the PN-20 and comparable units like the Garmin 60csx) because I don't own any other unit but I can tell I've been using it very heavily since I first bought it and I haven't lost a signal yet once it is locked on, not even in my own home. Granted, I haven't done any extreme hiking (like in a gorge) but I have taken it into the woods on a one short hike.