Subterranean

There really is no set definition of a pace, and even if there were, every person’s pace would be different. One easy way to avoid this problem is to first include a “pace calibration” leg of the cache. Have cachers walk between two distinct objects while counting their paces. Then, instead of telling them to walk X number of paces, tell them to multiply the number of paces they counted by a given constant. For example, if the distance you want them to pace is 0.457 miles and the distance between the two distinct objects is 0.134 miles, you’d tell them to multiply the number of paces they counted by 3.41 and that’s how many paces they need to walk. Simple! It doesn’t matter if their pace is 10 inches or 1000 inches in length, if they keep their pace size consistent, it will work perfectly. …of course, this post does nothing for helping you find caches that are already placed, but if anyone reading this is thinking of placing a cache involving pacing…

They do?? How about a nice "tread lightly" forum instead?

It's a perfectly good idea, just be sure to rate the terrain 5 stars (a boat is considered special equipment) and expect, overall, a fewer number of people to log it.

Oh, yeah... sure enough. “Some people hide them very well. They’ll cover them with things, they’ll bury them…” Yes, saying something like that in an interview probably should be avoided. It took me three viewings for it to sink in... being so observant is what makes me such a fine geocacher! I still think there's nothing wrong with saying "buried treasure," though, and if I recognized the voice of the person that used it in this video, I'll assume JMBella sees nothing wrong with using it either.

That is a nice piece, and yes it does take a long time to load!! You know… even though you had mentioned that the word “buried” was used, I missed it the first time through. When I watched the video again, I noticed “buried treasure” mentioned twice, but not by the reporter… by two different geocachers! I really had to pay attention to even notice. I think “buried treasure” is simply a figure of speech that most people don’t necessarily take to mean literally “buried” …just like they don’t necessarily think geocaches are literally “treasure.” “Buried treasure” is just a colorful way of referring to hidden caches and I don’t think it must be avoided. By the way, who are some of the other cachers in the video?

Hmm... are you asking what "outside the box" means when used as a figure of speech... such as was used here (in the second main paragraph) or here (near the bottom)? To "think outside the box" means to think more creatively or unconventionally. It isn't anything specific to geocaching. I hope I haven't misunderstood your question. Does this help??

Wow, those gnome caches are really cool! It would be great to be hiking through the woods, thinking you're about to find yet another ammo can, and be rewarded by finding something like that. They'd have to be placed/constructed really deep into no-man's-land, though... any muggle to casually walk by would certainly go check it out.

I know that in my area (Wisconsin) it would not be difficult at all to find someone who would not only email you hints, but be enthusiastic to the point of coming along with you the next time you hunt for it! If you decided to do this, you could have any questions answered, and hints given, on the spot... or you could even play a "hot/cold" type of game.

Great list, Prime Suspect. Here's another acronym I've seen used by cachers once or twice; hikers use it more commonly. "PUDS" = Pointless Ups and Downs (i.e. hilly terrain).

I would have thought that all caches that are in a hole in the ground created by digging with a "shovel, trowel, or other pointy object" wouldn't be allowed (such as a fake sprinkler head or fake drain). From what I've learned, however, exceptions are made... therefore, I guess this issue is considered on a cache-by-cache basis?? The cache in the existing hole in the ground and the cache buried in sand would be okay, I'm thinking, because no tool is used in placing them. Good topic... I too, am curious.

...Or even just the first part of their name. A drop down menu will show up giving you all the usernames that begin with what you've typed. This is a great feature for when you can remember that someone's username is cacher something but can't remember that it is actually cacher bob, for example.

Great advice.

From the Geocaching Listing Requirements/Guidelines: From the eBay pictures, it looks like you'd need to create a hole in the ground of an exact size and depth into which the fake drain container would be placed. A cache like this shouldn't get approved.

I don't mean to be a buzzkill, but it looks like that fake drain is supposed to be mostly buried in the ground.

Here's where images can be uploaded to your cache page.

Glad I could help. It’s so rare that I contribute anything useful (this was the first time, I think). Thank you for the opportunity. Seriously, I like your idea of adding a column to display the start date and time. It would be especially convenient if these columns could be sorted. Each page (maybe only the first page??) of topics could also have the capability to be sorted by number of replies, number of views, alphabetically by topic starter, etc… instead of always just by “last action.”

It looks like Subaru will sponsor “Earthcaching.” Combining this with the recent Yellow Jeep TB promotion... I fear we're beginning to see the tip of the overcommercialization-of-geocaching iceberg.

Try holding the pointer over the topic title for a few seconds without clicking. The start date and time should pop up... unless it doesn't work with certain browsers???

This won't work if your browser's pop-up blocker is enabled.

Check out this topic for a discussion and a few links that should help you out.

That seems strange. I know that if a log is edited within the first fifteen (?) minutes after being posted, the “edited” stamp doesn’t appear. Is that what you’ve experienced that has made you think some cache pages don’t add in the edit stamp??

That certainly would work. I had thought of the printing and taping method, but never considered that you could buy “sticker paper.” Still, it may be easier and more professional looking to have stickers pre-made and available through this site …in the same vein as using the “official geocache” stickers might be, instead of using spray paint and stencils to label a cache.

By "package," I of course meant the bunch of benefits that come with being a premium member… not a tangible package (as of yet, at least). Yours really is a good idea, too. I was thinking less of how Groundspeak might make more money and more of how the labeling of caches and use of welcome notes in caches could be promoted.

It would be great to make the welcome note (a.k.a. stash note) available as a sticker. All caches should include this note, so why not sell them in various sizes as stickers that can be placed on the inside of caches?? Another thought I had… since it’s important for the stash note be included in all caches and for all caches be clearly marked on the outside as being geocaches, how about including a number of “official geocache” stickers and the soon-to-be-created “stash note stickers” in the premium membership package? Maybe, every time a membership is created/renewed, ten of each sticker is sent to the subscriber???

The “600 pixels wide” limit can be misleading. By “wide” they mean the horizontal measurement of the picture… regardless of whether the picture has a landscape or portrait orientation. If you have a landscape picture that is 840 pixels across by 600 pixels vertical (some would consider this 600 pixel measurement to be the width), for example, the picture will still be resized to 600 pixels across by 429 pixels vertical (assuming that the file exceeds 125kb in size). I find it most convenient to just be sure the file size is under 125kb. That way I can size the pictures to 600 by 840 pixels no matter what the orientation (I prefer not to make them much larger than this… I hate it when the page has to be scrolled to see the rest of the picture).