pugsley&wednesday

Hey, all. I'm in Illiois and just stumbled across a geocaching page on the site for my local forest preserve. Didn't know they had a page for that. It gives info for required permissions, allowable locations, etc, and an application to place a cache. The local site for Kane County is http://www.kaneforest.com/recreation/geocaching.aspx Basic tip: Check the website for your local forest preserves and park districts before you hide -- you might find everything you need all in one place. Anybody else have some good hide tips to share?

The most common thing we've found is wet -- and moldy -- log books. Pugsley is highly allergic to mold, and some of those wet caches could result in a trip to the hospital. Illinois cachers really don't understand the use of plastic bags without holes in them, or containers that actually seal.

You can get some extremely strong magnets at Sciplus.com. Dirt cheap, you can get a lot of them. Their donut magnets are best, but the smaller rare earth magnets are pretty amazing too. They also sell all kinds of containers and stuff that you can use for swag. For logbook ziploc bags, you can check the jewelry section of your local craft store. They sell the small ones that are often used for selling merch at craft fairs.

I have also found the occasional hollow pine cone on an oak tree. Make sure you know whether the tree is the right type for the seeds, cones, etc on and around it.

For a small container, how about a tiny hand-stitched book or a meander book? You could use a piece of write-in-the-rain paper, maybe use decorated Tyvek for the covers. I'm loving the puzzle book idea, too. Sudoku, please! You could also try a Jacob's ladder toy. No on the ribbon idea. Too much bleed through.

Actually, the cops should have gone after the couple for filing a false report of a crime. That is in fact a misdemeanor. You may want to find out if that was done. The other thing you will most certainly want to do is contact the cache owner. Caches on/near playgrounds always pose problems for adult cachers, and that may need to be noted more clearly in the description of the cache. The owner will also want to make certain he has the appropriate permissions for the placement of that cache. When Pugs and I have hidden our (admittedly few) caches, we have contacted the park district or other property owners to obtain permission. We have given them a description of geocaching, and information about our specific cache and its location. That's actually the first thing that jumped out at me when I read the rules of caching for the first time. Making sure that the property owners know about the cache is a big help in preventing situations like the one that happened to you. In your place, I would use this as an opportunity to teach your daughter, but I'd also use it to help educate other cachers out there. Sometimes they can be pretty clueless.

just remember, the game isn't always about the container, either. You could get creative with a multi, basing it on local history or some favorite theme. Those have been some of the most memorable ones for Pugs and me. The dates on buildings, or the coordinates of local landmarks, pretty much anything can be a clue to the next cache. I am begging you, though, as one cacher to another, do not under any circumstances, place another bleeping micro in the bleeping woods! I will come after you for that! Worse, Pugs might come after you...

Wow, is everybody in this forum such a survivalist? Pugs and I are mostly suburban cachers. We keep a small pack in the car with the following: Gardening gloves - a pair for each of us fine tipped pen for signing those tiny nano logs. tiny ziplock bags and a spare blank log - in case we come across one that's soaked. Standard first aid stuff - wipes, bandaids, painkillers, stuff for bug bites, antihisthamines. Bug spray Small swag Pocket pack of kleenex A short length of dowel - for those caches in the forest preserve on the way home, when you really need to poke around inside a fallen log. We print out notes on any caches we want to hit, and keep them on a clipboard. That's pretty much it. Y'all are scaring me. Darn. Sorry for the double post. Haven't been on in a while, forgot what I had posted earlier.

http://www.sciplus.com/ They carry all manner of containers, from the necklace pill containers to full-sized ammo cans, dirt cheap. To protect your log books, I recommend going to the jewelry section in a craft store. They have packs of those tiny plastic ziploc bags much cheaper than the geocaching websites. (Sorry, Groundspeak!)

We can do 15 miles at Starved Rock without breaking a sweat. Starved Rock's trails are all either paved or boardwalk. If you want to hike the canyons, head a short distance away to Matthiesen. Winter is also amazing time to be up at the Rock, because it's on the Bald Eagles' migratory path. There's an island in the river just across from the visitors center that is home to at least 20 nests. The best time to go is when the river is frozen. When that happens, the dam is the only place where the eagles can get access to fish, and one winter we counted several dozen of them in the air. Just a note, though...If you are subject to an emergency while hiking, remember that the Oglesby EMS will NOT stop to hit a couple of caches on the way to the hospital! Warning! This canyon eats ankles!

I think we have a winner... http://www.kcby.com/news/local/104280414.html

im new to geocaching also, well my family and i are new. well i came accrossed this thread as well and i was wondering about what type to stick in caches. well im glad that there is a sense of humar about most things that people come accrossed. i wont do discusting things , im thinking about maybe doing some things somtimes that are cool yet things u dont see all the time or not very often. I'm very new also. I have hidden 3 caches so far. I have been trying to leave trinkets that would appeal to men, women and children/adults. I'll tell you though -- what's good swag to some may not be for others. I'm 46 years old and I left my small Yoshi car/action figure in one of the caches. I loved that little thing.. it was a prize at one of my friend's recent partys. So toys aren't necessarily just for kids. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I load my caches with stuff I would like to find and stuff my 3 yo niece and 9 yo nephew would like. I have left chewing gum in one cache so maybe that wasn't such a good idea. I love the idea of leaving toys that anybody can play with. I'm in my...er...not going to say how old I am, but one of the faves for swag was a pack of those paratrooper army guys from the party store. Everybody loves toys that can fly. Cost under $2.00 for 10 of them. Also like to pick up tiny swag at toy stores and the dollar store when we go - anything, Got some whistles, a toy compass, (a apropos, don't you think?) a couple of small magnifiers...nice and cheap and fun for all ages. I also own a button press, so I make badges, key chains, and purse mirrors which can be left in a cache if it's a bit bigger than a film canister. --One of the rules is no food. Too easy for bugs to get at it, and also too easy for food left out in the middle of nowhere to spoil. --When you place swag, try to remember that parents take their kids caching, and that church groups and scout groups are out there hunting too. Keep the naughty stuff at home. Apart from that, it's your choice what to leave in a cache. Creative, funny, silly, practical...anything will be appreciated by somebody.

...and it's the cache full of AWWW for the win!

I'd have to agree with the other posters here about caches not being logged. Hubby and I hit quite a few caches while out on a road trip, and we had to wait until we could find someplace with an internet connection to log them. As to the caches being damaged, there are a couple of points to be made: 1. It sounds like these caches were 'muggled", that is to say, that 'muggles' or people who don't know about geocaching, found the containers and mucked about with them. This does happen. If you look on the forums, you'll see some amusing stories about it and a few disgusting ones. 2. When you log your visits to these caches, log them as found. Then submit a second log using the 'needs maintenance' option in the drop-down list. This lets the person who placed the cache know that he or she needs to take care of it. Believe me, even though we only have 3 hides to our name (so far), we appreciate it when somebody lets us know that our log book got wet or the bison tube got stolen. As far as getting some help on the finds, first, try looking up the local caching groups in your area. Second, read the notes carefully, decrypt any hints given, and most of all, pay attention to the comments that other people have made when they've logged their visits. Print out the works and take it with you. You'll get a lot of good hints like, "look up or "This lion has a very "bushy" mane!" (yes, it was near a lion, in a bush). The little icons in the notes will also tell you about the size and type of the container, ease of terrain, and difficulty of the find. Third, just keep doing it. You will quickly get used to the types of containers hidden in your area and how to spot them. Oh, and just to give you a little hope, there is a good way to go caching with young kids. There are often family oriented GPS events at local historic or natural sites. For example, in my area, the Morton Arboretum has a geocaching adventure for kids in conjunction with its Animal Houses exhibit, and the Naper Settlement living history site has an ongoing family-oriented GPS event, with the caches placed at different locations within the settlement and changed every few weeks. The will loan or rent a gps unit to anybody that wants to participate. These are a lot of fun, the whole family can learn something, and some even have prizes. Check out your local parks, historical societies, and caching groups for info on these.

DANG! GUILTYGUILTYGUILTYGUILTY..... Started saving aspirin bottles and have gone to local big-box storess with a photo counter just to get empty film cans.

Wow. Looks liek people here are mostly caching in the Rockies, or Death Valley at mid-day. Hubby and I mostly do suburban caches, some in forest preserves or parks, a few earth caches in state parks, etc. For suburban/park caching, we take bug spray, garden gloves, mini mag light (for looking into dark holes), bandaids, pen, and small swag. Needless to day, we also take along the GPSR, spare batteries, and the usual back pocket or purse items like phone, wallet, glasses and keys. IF we're going to the state park for the day, we take along water bottles, snacks, sunscreen, hiking sticks, camera, and a bigger first aid kit as well as a few CITO bags. Sometimes I also take along a garden kneeling pad so that I can get down on rough ground to snap photos without putting dents in the knees or posterior. Okay, it may be ecessive, but it's lightweight and saves my ancient bones.

I'm getting really depressed reading these replies. I live in a town that's locally known as a wealthy place, and the people here leave used mctoys with tooth marks and slimy dirt on them. I don't think that I have ever seen a signature item, apart from one poker chip. About the most decent thing I saw in a cache was a set of beads and cording to make a bracelet, packed into a small ziplock. Somebody put some thought into that. Also love to find geocoins and TBs. We take road trips once in a while, and I get a kick out of helping to move them along. Hubby and I tend to hit the stores that have inexpensive but cute small items. One local kitchen store had a number of animal led flashlight thingies, and we've left a couple of those. We've also left the squished penny souvenirs from a local Illinois attraction in caches in other states, and one party store in the area had packs of the plastic paratroopers. Flying toys are always fun, even if you're old enough to be retired. Hey, anybody have some good ideas for creative sig items?

Looks like a lot of folks here are recommending full mountain backpacking gear, while others cache in work clothes. The best answer is: It depends on the location. If you're going out into a state park or other wooded area, jeans, good hiking shoes, and generally things you would wear on a hike. If you're going after a quick one on the way home from grocery shopping, just wear normal clothing and sneakers. In either case, I find a pair of gardening gloves to be indispensable. You may have to fish around the base of a lamp post or inside a hollow log. Either way, EEEW! Trust me, gloves are a must. You can pick up a cheap pair just about anywhere. For day hikes and woods caching, I go in jeans, t-shirt, and either hiking boots or solid athletic shoes. I keep a bag with gloves, bug spray, bandaids, a CITO bag and a small amount of swag in my car, and toss in the phone, wallet, and keys when we head out. Don't forget the water bottle and the camera!

True, if you count gardening gloves, a flashlight and a pokey stick. Cache was under wet leaf mould in the woods. Yech! Also, gotta love those 'open tupperware inside a rotting log' caches. The next cacher has gotten injured while trying to find a cache.

Just thought of another one for my list. You know you're a cacher when... **The cashier at the crafts store knows you because you're always in looking for those tiny plastic ziploc bags in the jewelery-making aisle...and you're a big, tough-looking guy.

The clue said look under a metal protusion. WTF? Logging a dnf, moving on.

Hubby learned not to say "it's over this way" when I was the one holding the gps. He also learned not to say "I think we can cross the creek here" when I had already found a foot bridge. He needs to learn more of What Not To Say. In fact, I'm thinking of using that roll of camo tape, but not on a cache...

Probably the worst thing to find in any cache container is plain ol' water. I've seen a couple of cheapa** tupperware substitutes out here placed near creeks, and the hi-tech neanderthals who palced them idn't take into account that CREEKS RISE, or that WATER FALLS FROM THE SKY. Log books were soaked and slimy, and every trade item was covered in mold. Hubby is deathly allergic to mold, so I don't let him pop the tops on those (*(&^% plastic containers any more. Not unless these stupid suburban cachers are willing to pay the hospital bills.

I dig the idea of a PCV combat or LARP quest mixed with caching, but there are a few catches: ** A con is a temporary event. How would that work with placing caches, which are usually a long-term thing? Would they be removed from the hotel at the end of the con? You micht want to check out the info here on how to do an event cache. **If there's going to be combat, don't forget about the insurance issues involved. You'll need waivers and all the legalese sorted out. **Not every con goer can afford GPS units. Heck some of them have to skip meals and all but sell blood for gas money to get there and back. You might be better with letterboxing for this. Give your players sigils to use on the scrolls. Hubby and I were actually introduced to letterboxing and caching at a local con about 2 years ago. The actually held a panel on it. At a pirate themed con, no less. We were interested, but couldn't afford a unit. Then a local living history museum started a little geocaching thing for kids, with loaner units. We went with a buddy and his two kids, but my great big old kid had the most fun. The next weekend, he came home with a Garmin box and a stupid grin on his face. Dang him! That thing is crack! Now he's trying to lure our gaming crew into it! My Locate Object spell has a digital readout now and gives a bearing accurate to within 30 feet! AAAAGH!!!

*When you pray you don't get pulled over by the cops because you don't want to try explaining all the electronic gear, the ammo can, the camo-covered items, and the pointy stick in the back seat of the car. *When out in the woods you see a bush shaking, and hear giggles and moaning, only to think "Dang! They beat me to GC3X4RT!" **When you and the hubby decide you need to head to the grocery storeto get stuff for dinner that evening, and you ask,"Well, could you get out the e-trex and download a couple of caches first? We don't want to waste a trip!" **When you get back from the grocery store with a bag full of mctoys and realize you forgot about dinner. **You went out and bought a new purse, just for geocaching and hiking. Only you can justify it by not calling it a purse. "But honey, it's a nice rugged canvas messenger bag, with room for a water bottle and everything..." (oops, I shouldn't'a said that...) **When asked what you would take with you to a desert island, you list your wallet, phone, camera, gpsr, and Swiss army knife. **You object when some 10 yr old Harry Potter fan calls you a muggle. **When fellow cube zombies at work start bringing in unused Tupperware containers and old key chains and useless junk for you to use as swag. **When you gtry to give the hubby driving directions, and he asks for the bearing. (That could just mean he's ex-Navy, though...) **You head to the paint aisle at Wal-mart, only to be disappointed that they don't have any cans of camo-colored spray paint. You decide to go to the craft aisle to see if they have camouflage stencils. **you are also disappointed that your local scrapbook store doesn't have any geocaching themed embellishments to compliment your FTF photos. You ask if they can stock Groundspeak licensed items. **You hide a cache practically on your own doorstep hoping that local cachers will come by and say hi.