Mushroom finder

Wow, not sure where your cache area is, but around here that sort of cache would be just begging for a Needs Archived log since it clearly does not meet the definition of a Traditional. One of those would fall into my "I think a Reviewer needs to look at this." bin. I don't know, one of these has been listed for 6 years and has nearly 160 logs and as far as I know no one has complained about it being listed as a traditional.

In my area most that I have seen are listed as mystery although I see no reason why they should be. Honestly, if all of the information is presented in the cache listing and there are no puzzels or questions to answer then there is no mystery period. Go to location, follow tacks to cache, simple as that. Should actually be a traditional in my opinion, it's really no different that those caches whose coords take you to a parking lot and the description says "follow hiking trail to the big rock on your left". I did a fire tack trail cache just two days ago that was listed as traditional and there is another one less than a mile away that is also listed as traditional. In your case where your tack trail leads to a container with coords to a second tack trail and then another, it's clearly a multi. Still no mystery since you've presented all of the information up front and finders don't need to do anything but show up and follow your trails. I know others will disagree with me on this one but there are some who will tell you that it needs to be listed as a mystery because not everyone reads the cache listings. Personally I think that's a load of ****. If people choose to look for caches without reading the listing then that is their choice and it shouldn't be your responsibility to categorize it in a way that's more convenient for them to filter out just so they don't have to read the listing. Listing something as a mystery that isn't really a mystery WILL cause your cache to get skipped over by many who would probably have gone for it if listed otherwise. Again, this is just my opinion.

It looks like the guy sure is into power trails along roads. Only looked at like the first 10 pages of his 90 pages of cache listings but I did count 55 caches placed in one day. Seems to me that if you are wanting to do the same old boring guard rail placements named after every song on every album of your favorite bands, or every episode from every season of you favorite TV series because you are unimaginative enough to come up with something creative, or that particular section of guard rail is uninteresting enough to inspire something original, then yes, the guy is definitely blocking you. However, I'd say it's a safe bet that if you venture off the roadways at all he won't be blocking you.

It's some form of cache art. I like to think of them as do it yourself crop circles. Don't know if you noticed, but there is a big smiley face some miles to the SW of that big frowning face you linked to. I've only noticed one in my area so far and it is a big cross like the second one you linked to.

Thanks for the opinions. I think I will go with the themed container, although it will take me a day or two to make. What I have in mind is definitely not a micro, but more along the lines of a themed object with a hidden (and waterproof) compartment. I'll make the compartment as big as possible but it will likely be only be big enough for a log and some coins.

Thank you all for the replies. You've all expressed pretty much the way I felt about it too but I just wasn't sure how others might feel. I know that I much prefer to find a full blown cache myself, but the log only types have never bothered me any as long as the location was nice. I haven't done very many mystery caches myself and certainly none that required a lot of effort so I don't really know if I'd feel differently about finding a log only type after putting in that much effort. No Home Depots, 7-11's or dumpsters on this one Briansnat. I like to think that I'm one who got the whole "language of location" concept from the get go. None of mine are what I would consider urban hides. Even my most lame cache still requires a decent walk or bike ride to get to.

I'm getting ready to release an unknown/mystery cache that I have been working on for several weeks. This should be a good challenge and will require a good deal of research as well as some advanced field calculations. It very well could take several hours or days of research and multiple trips to more than one location to figure it all out but I think finders will enjoy it. I already have my cache page set up and all of my waypoints accounted for and I'm down to just putting the cache itself onsite. This is where I need some opinions. I originally had a medium size L&L loaded with quality SWAG that I was going to use. But I've since come up with an idea for a different container that might be more fitting for the area and ties in with the theme of the mystery but it could only contain a log book and possibly some coins. My question is if you spent days doing research (not all of it possible by internet), had to determine and find specific locations and/or objects without the use of a GPS, maybe had to learn some new techniques to figure out coords, and had to make multiple trips to figure everything out, would you be disappointed or feel cheated if the cache only contained a log book when you finally found it?

The idea of reporting a stolen geocache to the cops is laughable to me, at least where I live. 5 years ago my old room mate's utility trailer was stolen from my fenced front yard. When he ran out to stop them they stuck a gun in his face as they drove away. The response from the cops was "You've got a better chance of finding it yourself than we do". 3 years ago my kayak was also stolen from my property. The cops wouldn't even take a report. A few months later I found the culprit driving around with it in his pickup. I called the cops as I followed him home (ironically just three blocks from my home). The guy's story was that he borrowed it from a friend but he didn't know his friend's name, where he lived or his phone number. Even though I had my original store receipt and photos of the kayak, he was told to keep it since I had never officially reported it stolen. 2 years ago my 1 year old Honda mower was stolen from my shed. Again, they could not be bothered with a report. Last year a drugged up guy tried to kick in my front door while my wife was home alone one night. I was due home from work any minute so my wife thought it was me and opened the door! Luckily the guy ran away but not before trying to get in her car first. The cops promised they would be right out. That was at 11:30 PM. At 8:00 AM after waiting for them to show up all night and three additional calls, I gave up and went to bed. We live less than a mile from the police station BTW. I can only imagine the hysterical laughter that would come through the phone if I called to report that someone had stolen the tupperware container full of army men, Happy Meal toys, bouncy balls and squirt guns that I left under a rock in a public park.

Maybe it's someone who feels that "lame" micros on trailhead signs are "blocking" better placements nearby so he/she devised this evil scheme to potentially persuade CO's into archiving their stolen cache rather than replacing it so the troll can hide their own. It would be interesting to see if any new caches pop up in the immediate vicinity of any of the targeted caches that do get archived.

When I first started I used to print the cache page and take it with me. If I was doing more than a couple of caches it was a pain in the behind. After a while I realized that the only info I really used from them was the cache size. I have an older Etrex also and what I do is after I have loaded caches, I go to each one and highlight the "note" text box (this is the box where the cache name is displayed) and type in the size. You could also add D/T rating if you want. To access the info in the field all you have to do is select "note" at the bottom of the navigation screen. Selecting "data" puts you back on the navigation screen. The only catch is you can't add more characters than are already there. So let's say the cache is a small and a D-3, T-2. The text box on the GPSr only says The Waterfall by CacherX, just delete the CO name and add the info you want in it's place. So now it becomes The Waterfall Small 3/2.

I'll respectfully disagree with you there. I find "cache and let cache" generally works very well for me. My enjoyment usually depends very little on how others play the game. There are some basic guidelines, but, to a large extent, people have wide discretion to shape geocaching into an activity that best suits their individual preferences. If they want to "phone a friend," they can. If they want to cache in large groups, they can. If they want to claim a find for a cache they helped hide, they can. If they want to find a puzzle cache that someone else solved, they can. None of this really effects how I choose to play the game. Well said Rockies. I always get chuckle out of those who create angst for themselves out of things that neither directly or indirectly effect them or anyone else. I also laugh when people quote "rules" when there are no rules at all. They are called guidelines for a reason and it would behoove some folks to look up the definition of that word. Requiring the physical log to be signed before claiming the find is ridiculous and impractical. The bottom line is if you found it (or what's left of it) then you found it. I didn't sign a log on several of the caches I've found but that doesn't change the fact that I found them. I've found a few that were missing their log book, a few that were too full to fit even so much as my initials on, several whose logs were wet soggy lumps that could not be signed. I've forgotten my pen, lost my pen, and even had a pen that worked fine in my car but wouldn't write when I got too the cache. If I don't sign the log for whatever reason, I always mention it in my online log and I've never had a CO delete my find or ask for additional proof, and if they did they'd just end up on my ignore list. Personally, I think the biggest mistake Groundspeak ever made was calling Geocaching a game. IMO it's not a game at all, but an activity, a past time, perhaps even a hobby, but definitely not a game. Unfortunately, anytime the word game enters the equation(on anything, not just geocaching), competition becomes the driving force for many. Spouting of rules, allegations of cheating and "holier than thou" attitudes are what spoils the enjoyment of other participants, not someone logging differently than I would. I cannot lie though. Clearly another smiley is all I care about and I will go to any lengths I have to to get it. Just look at my stats, they speak for themselves. How could I possibly have gotten 104 smilies in just over 3 years without cheating somehow.

Ummm, I have hidden two caches withing the last month whose cache sheet contained that exact verbage. Groundspeak is not the only place to download log sheets and stash notes in various formats, I'm just sayin...

Sounds like it could have been part of a Poker Run at an event. I've never been to an event but I'm pretty sure many of them do temp caches that are only available to event attendees that aren't published online.

Just carry it in. If someone asks what you are doing, tell them, you may just introduce someone to their new hobby. If it's in an area where you are likely to encounter multiple people while placing your hide, consider going at an odd hour when there aren't as many people around. To me, nothing catches my attention more or raises more suspicion than someone who is intentionally trying to conceal something they are carrying while trying to look inconspicuous.

Every situation is different and every person has a different idea of what constitutes a find. Some people say it's not a find unless you sign the log, even if you had the cache in your hand. Others seem to think it is acceptable to log a find just because they were close to ground zero. While I personally don't agree with either extreme, I do think there are situations where it is acceptable to log a missing cache. Let me first say that if I fail to find a cache I have no problem posting a DNF, and I feel that people who blatantly log bogus finds to boost their numbers only cheat themselves. However, I personally have logged a find on two caches that were missing. While I realize that some wouldn't consider them finds, in my eyes they were. The first one was a micro in the woods that had several DNF's in a row, yet no action had been taken by the CO. One previous finder had posted a pic of the cache in it's hiding spot, so when I got to GZ there was no doubt I was looking in the right spot. The cache had been destroyed and was mostly missing but I found some bits of it's remains at GZ (small swag item and some camo tape). I posted my findings along with a pic and logged it as a find. I also offered to change it to a DNF if the CO preferred. This at least prompted the CO to disable until they could replace it, and when they did I went back and signed the log even though they didn't request it. The other was a rural cemetery cache. The hide was inside a hollow spot in a tree. I spotted a piece of wire hooked over the edge of the hole. When I pulled it out it was a little wire basket made to hold a film canister but the canister was gone. Now I don't make a habit of maintaining other people's caches and I would never throw down a film can just because I couldn't find a cache. But in this case the cache was clearly missing and I did find it's holder still in it's hide. The cache page mentioned that the cache had been placed while driving home from someplace, so I figured there was a good chance the CO wasn't from the area and it could be a while before they could make a maintenance trip. I happened to have a film can in my car and I felt that replacing it was the right thing to do in that case. I later received a very nice email from the CO thanking me for helping out. Turns out it is the second time it has gone missing from it's holder and they think a pac rat is the muggle. I realize that some might not consider these ligit finds, but to me they were. I found the exact spot where the cache was, experienced what the CO wanted me to see or experience, and found what was left of the cache. I didn't feel that I had cheated in any way and neither did the CO's. The point is everyone caches differently and for different reasons. What I may not consider to be a ligit find may be a very real find in the eyes of someone else and vise versa. Cache and let cache, and if you find yourself getting upset about how others play, perhaps you are taking things too seriously.

I actually tried something similar to your first idea a couple of years ago. I bought a pretty expensive submersible dry box and loaded it with probably $15-$20 worth of really good SWAG. This was a multi-cache that required the use of a boat to reach. The final led you to the center of a remote cove on the lake. There was an old steel pipe sticking out of the water there that was driven into the bottom. The cache was attached to a cinder block that slipped over the pipe. It was deep enough that the cache could not be seen from the surface. I figured that having the cache slide up and down the pipe would eliminate cache migration issues. There was nothing at the pipe to indicate that a cache was hidden below and there was nothing to pull it up with. About 30' away there was a tree branch that overhung the water and I had an old cruddy looking fishing bobber hanging as if it was just a snag. In the cache page I asked finders to please CITO any trash near the cache site. My hope was that finders would boat out to the spot and not find anything on the pipe and figure that it was no longer there and then decide to CITO a bit before they left. If one were to untangle the bobber from the tree branch they would discover that it was attached to a thin stainless steel cable that was weighted with lead sinkers to keep it on the bottom. Pulling it up led you back out to the pipe where you could then pull the cache up. I thought it was a clever and tricky hide. I went out a few days later to set up stage 1 and I decided to double check the final and when I got there the whole thing was gone. Decided that it was too much time, effort and money to start over so I abandoned the whole idea. With your idea, my concerns would be if it is visable from the surface it is likely to get muggled. And, unless you have some way to ensure that it gets re-sunk in the same spot you will get some (possibly significant) cache migration after several finds and maybe even due to current after a heavy rain. It's worth a try though.

Maybe it would be best to wait until the cache actually gets found before assuming that someone is going to break the park rules for a FTF. It looks like you made it very clear in the listing what the hours are. If someone does indeed go in after hours, I see nothing wrong with posting a note log reminding cachers in a firm but polite way to please respect the park hours in order to ensure that geocachers remains welcome there. Deleting logs is just going to cause a bunch of drama, and really, who needs that.

I don't know, I'd say it's too nit picky. The thing to remember is that the accuracy of any GPSr can vary greatly from day to day, location to location and can be severely affected by tree cover, cloud cover and other environmental conditions. Whenever I find one that seems a bit off I have to remind myself to check the current accuracy of my unit. The other day I found one that was about 50' off, I checked and the present accuracy of my unit was 32'. Now one could reasonably assume that if my unit was off that much at that location, then the CO's unit could very well have had similar accuracy at that location as well meaning that it would not be unreasonable for the cache to be anywhere within about 64' from where my unit put me. On one of my own caches I have gotten several logs indicating that the coords were off anywhere from 40' to 60'. But I have also gotten logs on the same cache that said the coords were spot on. This was my first hide and for the first two years I literally went and checked on it after every single find. The first time someone posted about the coords being off I went out and re-averaged the waypoint and it was the same that I had recorded initially so I didn't sweat it. I re-check the waypoint every time I go out to the cache and it is always within 5'- 10', yet I still get the occasional log indicating that it is off. Recently I went to check on it and guess what, 58' off! Went back the very next day and it was only 7'off. Even though some people say it is off, they still were able to find it and it has very few DNF's, so I don't feel like I need to change anything. I guess what I'm getting at is if you feel that the caches in question are too far off the mark, go ahead and post a note (not a NM)on the cache page. But unless there are multiple other logs indicating the same issue and there are a bunch of DNF's, I wouldn't expect CO to change anything. Now on your 15' deal, I realize it's not so much a distance issue to you but rather a safety issue since it is in the middle of the street. Don't take this the wrong way, but if my unit is indicating that GZ is out in the middle of the street, common sense is gonna tell me (and probably any other cacher with any degree of experience)that it is not there and I'm going to be concentrating my search along the sides, on signs, guard rails, lamp post, etc. without ever stepping foot out into the road.

The State Parks are all owned by DNR rather than MDC. Not sure what their official policy on caching is but I know for sure there are caches many of the State parks including Knob Noster.

Just received my July issue of the Missouri Conservationist magazine. The Conservationist is a monthly magazine put out by the Missouri Dept. of Conservation (MDC). MDC owns and manages several hundred thousand acres of conservation areas statewide for hunting, fishing and other outdoor recreation. MDC officially opened it's doors to geocaching in 2009 which provides us Missouri geocachers with countless opportunities. The Conservationist had a very nice five page article on geocaching entitled Modern Day Treasure Hunting, A Geocaching Adventure. There is an online version available at the following link if anyone is interested in reading it. http://mdc.mo.gov/conmag/2011/07/modern-day-treasure-hunting

It's a military surplus container used to make small geocaches with perpetually wet logbooks, as no one knows how to close it properly. DING DING DING!!! We have a winner! Ah but the same can be said of ammo cans, lock & locks, pelican boxes, bison tubes, match containers and any other waterproof container that someone fails to close properly or breaks. I have found wet logs in all of the above mentioned containers. I have found probably 4 or 5 caches in decon containers and (knock on wood) none of them have had wet logs. Ultimately, no container is 100% fool proof, and there in-lies the importance checking on your own caches often.

I know many have mentioned different versions of the swiss army knife. If choosing a SAK for caching, might I suggest choosing one from the Signature line as these come with a retractable ballpoint pen in place of the tooth pick. No more logging excuses people. Some even have a built in LED flashlight.

:P :P There is at least one gun show (sometimes more) every month in my area and surplus stuff is readily available at them. Not a chance I would pay the prices they were asking, but apparently other local cachers must have.

There are a few things I find disappointing, like the things people consider good SWAG, or when someone makes a really lame hide in a pointless location when they could have made a really great hide less than 100 yards away. But the only thing I find truly annoying is when a previous finder either fails to re-hide the container, or intentionally leaves it partially exposed to make it easier for the next cacher because they thought it was too hard to find.

So I'm getting ready to hide a few new caches and decided to use a .30 cal ammo can and a decon container for two of them. There is a small military surplus dealer in town so I stopped by to pick some up. I hadn't been there for three years but the last time I was there .30 cal ammo cans were $6.99 and decon containers were about three or four bucks. So I went in and asked for a decon container and they guy asked me weather I wanted the regular one or the geocache version. I ask what the difference is and he says the geocache version just has a note pad and a pencil in it. I ask about price and he says $10 for a regular and $30 for a geocache!!! I think my jaw hit the counter top. I didn't even bother to ask about ammo can prices but I did notice a couple of .30 cal cans sitting on the floor with price tags of $24.99! Don't think I'll be going back there again.