Ichabod

Don't bother with the movie.... the book is a page turner and a quick read.

I think the percentages of cache placements and hides: traditional, vs. mystery, etc. says a lot about a cacher. Here are mine: Finds: 68% traditional 17% multi 15% mystery <1% Earth Cache Hides: 43% traditional 28.5% multi 28.5% mystery What about the rest of you?

I have a 60CS as well and use rechargeables. I haven't really tracked the hours, but typically, I only change out batteries every three to four weeks. I use a power supply adapter while in the car, so only run on batteries from the car to the cache.

I figure if my five year old and seven year old can withstand the perils of caching, it should be fairly safe for you! I think that taking your dad caching is a great idea... Incidentally, I have met a lot of great people while out caching, both geo cachers and muggles.

As others have pointed out, and you are discovering, this is a VERY nebulous area. I went through this with a recent cache placement that was on school district property that is a very large green space next to the school. The green space is multi-use and many people walk their dogs there and go bird watching. I don't know how it works elsewhere, but schools are often used as parks around here on off hours. This school even has "scoop and leash" signs, to give you an idea. The cache was more than a quarter mile from the building and required passing through thick brush to get to, but the reviewer would not approve the cache because it was "too close." I moved it another 500 feet into the green space, and it was approved. It really just depends on the particulars of your situation and the school in question.

...wait... I'm confused... there are places where you can cache when it's NOT raining?

I have a feeling that you will get about 50 different answers to this question

A few years back I was helping maintain part of the Pacific Crest Trail which has regular traffic of horses and other pack animals. I felt a slight sting just beneath my adams apple, and thought I had brushed up against a thorn or something, a little while later, a felt a small "bump" in that spot and it continued to hurt, so I grabbed it and pulled it out to discover a lovely little tick! Thank goodness it came out whole.

I used to get Poison Oak terribly when I was young (I spent a lot of time tromping through the woods) but hadn't had it in years until just recently, after clearing some brush off my property. I am just as allergic today as I was then... ugh. What is interesting, however, is that no one else that was helping me was affected, including my daughters running around in their bare feet! This leads me to believe that I can literally get PO from the air this time of year.

That is very cool. The segment hasn't aired out here yet...but my tivo is set to record []

Most caches in this area are found within a couple hours of being published.

My brother (waorgany) doesn't visit the forums much. He is currently in Baghdad and has placed and found several caches there. He said that the number of caches in his area has grown greatly in the past few months. Here are some of the caches in that area: Baghdad Caches

That is hillarious!

...you solve impossible puzzles and uncover wicked hides with ease... only to wake-up and realize you've been dreaming.

Thanks to all for all of the excellent suggestions and comments. Unless I am able to obtain permission of the Principal, I will likely try to move the cache to the far side of the green space, more than a quarter mile away, or to another nearby park.

You keep saying this, so I need to remind you that the guideline regarding caches at elementary and secondary schools was just added in February 2005. Any caches on or near school grounds that you may have found should fit into one of the following categories: The cache was hidden before February 2005, and is thus "grandfathered." The many bomb squad callouts and security incidents at such caches resulted in the guideline change. The cache was placed with very clear evidence of permission from the school district (not the assistant soccer coach or the janitor). The reviewer overlooked the fact that the cache was near a school (maps aren't always accurate, and neither are cache owners), or decided that it wasn't "too close." So, back to my original question... how close is too close? Or what distance is required for an adequate buffer zone?

Not at all. The area in question is a large multi-use green space. There is no question that during school hours the cache will be inaccessible, but on off hours this is a great spot. Here is photo of the area. The green space starts about a tenth of a mile from the school and extends another tenth of a mile west. I have contacted the principal to see what she has to say, but as I have pointed out, I have hunted other caches in this area that are MUCH closer to schools than this, some of which require crossing school grounds to get to them.

Personally I would have started a new thread for this, rather than dig out an old one like this, came about an inch from replying to a message from 2003. I don't *think* there are any hard and fast rules about how close is too close. My guess is that the reviewer is twigging on your 'don't hunt in school hours' comment. If you feel the need to say that, then maybe it *is* too close. So, would hunting it in school hours cause alarm? If yes, then you are too close to the school. If no, then I think you are far enough. Maybe take a few pictures from the cache site, looking back towards the school, and a few from the school looking towards the cache site. Give the reviewer an idea of exactly what the area is like at 'ground level'. Just a thought anyways... **edit** just reread what you wrote... So you have to cross school property to get to it??? No I probably wouldn't hide anything there. Are you even allowed on school property without having official business there? The reason I posted the non-school hours info, is that the only way to get to the green space is to cross school grounds. Many people bring their dogs there in the evenings and walk through the green space after hours, but when school is in session, the students have it to themselves. When I was a student in the school, 30 years ago, we built a nature trail around the school and through this space. It was created with the expectation that it would be used by the community and not just the school.

I am in the process of getting a cache approved that is near a school. The initial response from the reviewer was that it was too near school property. I've searched through the forums and found a few threads about this, but my question is, how close is too close? The cache placement, which is the final of a multi, is in a green space adjacent to the school and is more than .11 miles from the building. I made it clear in the description that hunting the cache during school hours was a bad idea, since you would have to cross school property to get to it. I have hunted other caches in the area that are much closer to schools than this, and I have always waited for an evening or weekend to hunt such caches. Thoughts?

I was a Life Scout when my troop literally split in two in the early 80's, and since I had friends on both sides of the rift, that was sadly the end of my scouting career. I found the Scouts to be an extremely rewarding and useful experience and look forward to introducing my children to that experience.

If I have to drive... my 2003 Honda Civic Hybrid, otherwise my feet, or better yet, my old mongoose MTB with GPSr handlebar mount

This is exactly right. A single, 6 foot 3, bearded man, snooping around urban areas is far more noticeable, than several such hunters. I think nothing of trotting off ten miles or more into the mountains by myself, but place a micro cache on a street corner, and I will tremble in fear I always try to bring my daughters along to urban caches. They make for excellent distraction.

My dog jumps up and runs for the door at the sound of my GPSr powering up!

That's not as easy as you might think. Long story short; Last July, we had an experienced hiker get turned around and hiked north instead of south as intended to find his way out, and stayed lost on the trails for 4 days until he found a road. He only went out for a day hike with just a little water and some beef jerky, shorts and a windbreaker and was on well marked trails on the way in. He was "found" very dehydrated and hungry and had no clue where he was even on the paved road. The point is he underestimated how easy it is to get turned around even with his level of experience and oh yah, by my reckoning, he over estimated his experience even though he was able to fall back on survival skills. He didn't take a map or a compass. And in the PNW, you can't always depend on seeing the sun. It sounds to me that he was very inexperienced. While I am in favor of travelling light, I don't advocate being unprepared, and preparedness is different for everyone. If I am by myself (and there are a lot of people tha say that in and of itself is asking for trouble) I will go with much less, because I know my own limits, but if ANYONE is going with me, I will take far more, because I don't know what their limits are and pack for them as well as me. A few years ago, I took my wife on a four day trek on Mt. Hood. As we descended on the fourth day, to a trail that was near a road, we came up on several groups of people, hiking in from the road. One woman looked at us, in 50 pound packs, and said, "You brought your house!" I guess she thought we brought all that for the same mile and a half hike she had just made Be careful of making assumptions when you don't know the whole story. He was an ex-marine with survival training. He had a better chance of finding his way out than the average person and a better chance of surviving than most folks in similar conditions. My point, though, was even people with the best of training can get turned around, become confused and get lost. Again, this was in the middle of a great summer with the sun out and he still became confused with compass direction. Some of the drainages will look like you're going down when you're really going up. My assumption comes from here "He didn't take a map or a compass." Going into any area I am unfamiliar with, or any area I am familiar with but will be hiking more than a mile, I consider these essential items.

I agree, but my question was more to how to help caches where the owner didn't plan ahead. I find myself, when re-covering one of these, trying to not make it look like a Pile o' cache: using the least amount of material to cover the cache, or using unobtrusive material: moss works well, etc.