CurmudgeonlyGal

But if you can bushwhack with little trouble (or destruction, which is almost always the case unless you're just a clod), often times it makes the trip a lot shorter. michelle

That would be kind of cool. I would do that since it wouldn't require me to have any extra equipment or put anything at risk. I'd sign a paper logbook... michelle

Just to press home a point. Digital Frame Virus There ya go getting all 'real-world-y' on us... michelle

From the TOS: For all physical caches, there must be a logbook, scroll or other type of log for geocachers to record their visit. Some thoughts: How many people would be willing to take their computer to a cache? Personally? I would never, ever take my computer with me to a cache. Ever. How many people are computer literate enough to understand what they were supposed to do with your thumb drive once they opened your cache and found nothing but the thumb drive? Have you read the Getting Started forum? Just entering coordinates into your GPS is a major issue for some people. How are you going to keep your thumb drive IN the cache? "Hey, look, a thumb drive! I'm gonna trade this shiny lame' belt for it!" Woo hoo! (Heck, people walk off with the actual paper log-books more often than you would think!) There is a rather large faction of cachers who cache with nothing but their GPS and the information they move to it through GSAK (or other methods)... those of us who cache like that would not be prepared to 'log' your cache. (And might even be a wee bit upset to go out and look for it, find it, and then realize the ALR prevents them from doing so.) Because your cache requires special equipment to log it might be rated inappropriately and/or you would have to classify it as a 'mystery' cache due to the ALR (additional logging requirements). That is, if you can get it past The Cache Gods since it won't have a paper log inside of the container. (Good luck on that.) Don't get me wrong, I completely support the idea that not every cache should be log-able by every cacher. 100%. I just think the execution of this one might be a little tricky... and a lot of people would CHOOSE not to log it or be unprepared for how you would have to log it. But... I don't think you'd get this one off the drawing room floor (although I perfectly accept that someone might have already done this somewhere!) michelle

A topic that frequently comes up here... My coffee comes in a paper bag... which I empty into a lock & lock that sits on my counter. (Proof that they are good for things OTHER THAN cache containers - sacrilege!) While the paper bag may not be a great container (lest you think someone would NOT put out a cache in a paper bag... think again) I'd have to give you the point for the 'Maxwell House' plastic cans, or any other plastic/metal coffee can being better than that. However, unless you're in a rain-free zone, they suck as a long-term solution to safe and waterproof cache containers, EVEN IF you put everything inside of your container into a blue-and-yellow-makes-green baggie. Water will get in and even if your log stays safe, it's gonna smell like h*ll. Spend the extra bucks. Get better coffee... and better containers. michelle

This is especially true if you merely want to have your say, but don't want anyone to disagree with you. Now you're just being a pessimist. Stop that. michelle

To the cockroach cooking chef... creative and educational micro's are always enjoyable. I'd even make a conscious effort TO find one if it was in the cards Heck, I created a creative and (un)educational micro once, myself. (Shh, don't tell anyone!) I truly don't disparage a great idea... but given a choice I would drive 30 miles out into the sticks on a gravel road in my over-$4-a-gallon gas guzzling suburban to find a box in the woods rather than .5 paved miles to pick up a tin or film cannister stuck behind a freeway barrier. I do think, however, that if someone enjoys the longer hikes/larger containers, why not hide caches like that? You mentioned it yourself, as did I... and many others. If you, personally, don't enjoy finding micros, why hide them? (My working theory being that there are plenty of people who DO enjoy finding them... AND hiding them to pick up the slack.) michelle

Likewise. Also, as a cache finder, I prefer to leave logs like this, and not this. To the OP: hide the types of caches you'd like to find. If you don't enjoy looking for a match container in the pavement jungle, why hide one? There are P.L.E.N.T.Y. of folks out there who will pick up where you left off. Addendum: don't hide poorly coordinated match containers in the forest either, ok? michelle

Somewhere near the Armpit of the Universe, WA: 05: 42 10: 104 25: 246 50: 1253 It's somewhat interesting to look at the 'types' of caches in this run-down for me. I live approx 50 (driving) miles from the nearest 'big city'. It would take me longer to drive to any ONE of most of the caches in the nearest 10 and 25 mile range than it would be for me to drive the 50 miles to the next town up, pick up a minimum of a dozen caches and drive home. michelle

Because they feel the 3/4 length, 1.6lb sleeping pad does not do the job for them. Personally, I made a very conscious decision to carry a full length, self-inflating and insulated sleeping pad which weighs 1.6 lbs instead of carrying a 3/4 length, self-inflating and insulated sleeping pad which weighs 1.0625 lbs. Even more frightening is the fact that I'm thinking about getting a different full length, insulated (NOT self-inflating) sleeping pad which weighs 2.0 lbs. michelle

Imagine that. michelle

Vinny is just so cute... and stalkable! michelle

I would think that generating an email to the cache owner, personally, with a well thought out, and perhaps, 'generic' and 'kind' note that can't, in any way, be misconstrued as being anything other than a query as to cache status, and of course mentioning that you are planning a trip to the area, would be a much better approach than posting a note to the cache page. If you don't hear from the cache owner, then find someone else who's found the cache recently and drop them a well thought out, and perhaps 'generic' and 'kind' note... blah blah blah. There's no reason to take questions of the sort your asking to a cache listing. You (and your responders) are clogging up what may be potentially helpful logs for future searches with your inanities that pertain exactly not-at-all to finding the cache itself. If I was out in the field looking for a cache and found the last five logs full of people haranguing each other when I actually wanted some useful information I'd be pretty darn unhappy. Also, 'geo-stalking'? Hardly. michelle

If there is some way TO cheat, someone WILL cheat. Solution: care less about how others choose to 'play'. Sometimes it seems like it is so completely outside of the realm of possibility for most folk to leave the drama behind. michelle

You lose the self-important distinction of being FTF? You get cheated out of the FTF! OMG! SOMEONE CHEATED AND GOT THE FTF!! -=- geocacherweirdnessstory: Round these parts, and lo those many years ago, when normal notifications would come out for 'new' caches 50 miles east of here, we were able to arrange child-care, get the info, go pick the other person up and drive an hour to the new cache location and still get the FTF... all that stopped when the 'local-to-the-cache' nut-jobs started complaining about how difficult it was to get FTF's in their area because the non-locals were coming in and getting them. Oh. Sorry. Freak. michelle

This one puzzles me. Is he saying that only non-premium members can be TFT? I know some folks resent the idea of others paying for the service, but I've never seen a penalty* before. *OK, penalty may be to strong a term for this, whatever. And how do you 'prove' that you 'didn't use' the service? And what if you have the service, and get FTF, anyway? Does being a premium member automatically invalidate your find if you're first? Does he take your smiley away? Award the 'congratulations' on his cache page to someone else? What? What? What? It's silliness, and indicative of someone who has control issues. michelle

Only the people who care about getting the 'recognition' of being the FTF. Hey, maybe we need a NEW icon! Someone post this in the Geocaching.com Website forum, quick. michelle

I had to check the calendar to make sure it wasn't a Monday. michelle

Deja vu.

As long as you expect exactly what you had last year... you'll be good to go! michelle

The cache approval people do that kind of stuff all the time - sneak in there and steal all the FTF's from us normal, paying-for-the-privilege folk. Gosh. I'm just kidding! michelle

I see this more as a issue of you actually caring how someone else chooses to log their 'find' or 'attended' caches. Why does it matter to YOU, Zor, how someone logged a cache you worked your a** off to find? You know you worked your a** off, you logged your cache and you got your smiley. Move on. Getting overly worked up about how other people cache... well, I'd suggest upping the dosage on the blood pressure medication right now. I still don't see much difference in logging an event you own .vs. logging a cache you own. Same smiley. Play your 'game' (hobby/sport/whatever you want to call it) the way that makes you the happiest and let everyone else do the same. michelle

WalMart has been noted to have the aforementioned 100% DEET in their camping section from time to time. It used to look like this. michelle

This type of thread always makes me think fondly of TravisL. If any cacher should have the right to log his own caches... he's the man.. michelle

I guess I'm not following your logic on this one: You can log an event you own and 'attended'. (1 smiley bonus point) but... You can't log a cache you own and 'find'. (0 smiley bonus points) As long as you're padding your numbers, who cares how you do it? Just so you understand where I'm coming from (because I'm sure I haven't said it enough), my personal MO is that I don't support logging your own events (or any events as finds/attended) or logging your own caches. As far as why GC.com 'allows' you to log your owned anything - do you really need THAT much 'policing'? Is a little self-restraint that hard to come by these days? michelle