Team Cache-away

I think that if you check back in previous posts, you will see that Keith Watson has a similar thread going. Perhaps we should all stick to one petition, rather than dividing our voices.

I prefer multi caches or a good traditional. The key to a truly enjoyable cache is one where the car/truck must stay way, way ,way behind. A cache with a 5K hike/bike in and is very well hidden, would rate high with me. Bruce Almighty cache series is number one on my list of must do caches. I agree with others that have responded to this post, a micro in a parking lot is a waste of good batteries.

Check out Skootamatta Madness, GCHWW4, (shameless promotion). Even if you don't do the cache, the Skootamatta and Moira rivers are there in the Tweed area.

From what I can see from the previous posts, everybody has come close to proper use of a compass, but not quite there. To fully utilize your compass, you must understand declination, sometimes refered to as variation. Is it east or west? The amount of declination will change every year, as the magnetic pole is not stationary. If you purchase a high quality compass and learn to use it properly you will find it to be quite accurate when used in conjunction with a paper map. Contact a local orienteering club, Outward bound or the Boy Scouts for instruction on compass use. It is possible to use a paper map regardless of wether your compass is adjusted to True or Magnetic, just ensure your gpsr is the same.

Sounds to me that you are not much of a winter person. Perhaps you should wait until spring to search and spend the winter indoors planning some very devilish caches.

I agree with the use of the compass. Being an EXPERT with a paper map and compass may not help find the cache sooner, but it may well help you find yourself and your way out if need be. Having spend many years in SAR, I've often looked for the "experienced woodsman" whose batteries had died on his GPS and cell phone. The type of compass you choose is also important, if it is designed to clip onto your zipper, it is a zipper pull not a compass. Buy a proper compass, spend $60 to $100, and then learn to use it. Check out local SAR groups, orienteering clubs or your local college and take a night course. Think of it as life insurance.

14 years as a SAR Tech (Search and Rescue Technician) in the Air Force. now work as a Paramedic in Ontario. Not hung up on letters behind my name, or job descriptions, just do what has to be done.

Just heard on the 11 a.m. news on CJBQ radio that the dog was a Labrador, they didn't mention the colour, not that it matters. The size etc. between a deer and a dog in this part of the country brings into question the hunters ability to identify his target. Thankfully it was not a child in a brown coat!!. Anyway the news also reported that the dog, although seriously injured will survive.

Good question as to where I heard the story. The local radio stations have been carrying the story, CJBQ 800 AM, CJOJ 95.5 FM and Cool 100 100.1 FM, as have the local papers Belleville Intelligencer and the Trentonian

In a rural area known as Oak Lake, Just north of Trenton an unfortunate incident has occured. A woman was walking her dog along Fish and Game club road, this road is well travelled and has numerous houses along it. While walking her dog, the dog was shot by hunters, the woman is reportedly and understandably quite upset. According to news reports, charges are pending. So please exercise extreme caution when out caching, or wait until Sundays to do your caching.

It depends on where the cache is. If it is a drive by micro in a city park, no problem because there are many foot trails there already and yours won't be noticed. If it is a cache in a rural area or conservation area you can create a few blind trails that actually lead to nowhere, this can mislead someone for a few minutes, or you can search just prior to a snow storm. What I try to do is take the least expected or round about route, and try to move around as little as possible, pay attention to when the cache was placed and try to picture the surrounding area as it was then. where would the likely place be to put a cache. Hope this helps. Also see the Canada forum, there is a current thread related to winter.

I have already ready posted my thanks on the Geocaching.com site, but if anyone here is also responsible for the cache size bars, thank you great work!!

Just noticed the cache size bars, Thank you to whomever is responsible.

I thought the story was well done. It depicted the sport as a good, clean family activity. A nice way to spend the afternoon with family members of all ages. The area where the story takes place is obviously a park, which clearly indicates that people with mobility problems may participate in some aspects of the hunt. Like I said before, the press is not going to go away, if they are going to cover the sport, this is the desired type of coverage.

The sport of Geocaching has grown so fast and spread so far in such a short time it is bound to attract attention. Those that may be attracted for the wrong reasons will shortly become bored and move on. It may take some time for the sport to level out. In 2000 the pendulum was on the one side with no one involved, now it is swinging to the other side with many people participating. Many people will leave, some may leave because they believe the wrong type of people are geocaching. Others will leave because they are bored. Those that stay and play will be the most satisfied. they will be part of a sport that has matured and shaken off the growing pains. Through all of these changes the press will be there watching and asking questions. The press is not going to go away. We can present ourselfs as a fun clean family type activity, or we can allow the press to tell their story of geocachers out in the bush destroying the environment looking for caches. The choice is ours to make.

My opinion would be not to skimp on a compass, buy the best you can afford. If you are not familiar with compass use, go to a better outdoor store like Mountain Equipment Co-op and follow thier advise. Also you should carry a paper topo map of where you are going. If you are doing serious back country caching, and you have planned ahead, read the map and have an emergency "bail out" bearing that will get you to a road etc, you will be okay. Plan for WHEN the electronics fail, not if.

If micros are not a category unto themselves and should be identified as a micro, then how do you explain Locationless, or virtual, or "What's in a Name". Those are certainly far less a cache than a micro but have thier own category. As for the cache type, it would still be displayed as a regular cache, only the size on the cache page would indicate small, regular or large. As virtuals have the little ghost, micros could have a film cannister.

When I get the weekly cache notification, all the caches are listed as regular or multi, then when I open a particular cache page I find out it is a micro. This is quite annoying as I don't like to do micros. I understand that micro denotes the size of the cache, but it would be nice if in this case it denote the type of cache not the size. I believe that a micro is in fact a type of cache unto itself. Any cache not able to hold trade items would be a micro, cache sizes then could be small, regular and large.

Thanks Cache Tech, I will try the other forum. I quess what I really meant to get at was that perhaps a micro cache should denote the type of cache rather than the size. It appears that the majority of micros are in urban areas and handy for travellers. When I search for a cache within a certain distance of my residence and find an interesting one that is listed as a regular cache, I am expecting a real cache, whereas if it were listed as a micro I would pass it by.

Why is it, that when I search for a cache or when I am e-mailed with new caches they are listed as regular or multi, but when I open the cache page it is an annoying micro?. Is there not some other way of listing these caches?. I am sure that some people may well be interested in micros, not sure why though. Many people are not interested in micros, so why not put them into a separate category?

Being a proud Canadian is more than just flying the flag for week and watching a parade on a day off. It is something we should practice every day. Do you shop at Canadian companies or the big American box store?. Where was the clothing made that you wear?. Where was the pet food for your dog or cat made?. Canadians produce almost everthing we need in our day to day lives. Granted some things are produced off-shore or to our south and there is no alternative. but we should be asking and demanding for "Made in Canada", we should be holidaying in Canada, our kids should be studying more Canadian history. My kids can tell me all about the killing of the bison on the American plains, but know nothing of the Beothuks. Being Canadian means knowing who we are, where we came from, and where we are going. It is the willingness to stand up and proudly affirm our nationality and support fellow Canadians in thier endevours. It is the strength of knowing we are a sovereign nation and can make our own choices and not be led or browbeaten. So, stand up, wave the flag, roar to the world, We ARE Canadian!!!

If you are looking for a vest, try Mark's Work Wearhouse. I just got the flyer and in there is a 100% cotton duck vest with 8 pockets, two of which are bellows style. The price on sale is $39.99, regular is $49.99. Available in brown or black.

Perhaps with a good paper topo map you could have a look at the area prior to your arrival, plan an alternate route to the cache and avoid the heart attack all together. As for those that refuse to use paper maps and have a compass with them, and insist that thier battery operated technology will not fail, Good Luck. Search and Rescue crews are used to having thier lives interrupted. Technology is great, but you better have a back up system.

Well, where to start, the CITO for Belleville is complete. There was a good response by the local media, with three different agencies in attendance. Cachengrabs wife made sure we were well nourished for the tasks at hand, coffee, muffins and fresh fruit. The temporary caches placed by Cachengrab were very effective and fun, they were excellent demonstrations for the press, and wonderfull commemorative T-shirts of OGA - CITO - Belleville for the cachers. Of course right at the start time of 10:00 a.m. a thunderstorm moved through, which was good for keeping the dust down. When that had cleared and the rain had slowed down to meer showers and the downpour of biblical proportions had stopped, we got started. Armed with large garbage bags, gloves and MI5's pickin' stick, we ventured ahead. Two hours later, with all of us wet to the skin, but with sense of humour intact, the Bayshore East Trail was litter free. There were enough donated prizes, that at the end of the day, everybody left with something as a token of appreciation. For all who attended this event you should feel proud of yourselfs, although conditions were not perfect the ultimate goal was attained and as Geocachers you proved that environmental protection is more than just words. You did your part to provide the citizens of Belleville a litter free recreational trail. Thank you to all who attended for a successfull event. Bigger and Better next year, MI5 pickin sticks for everyone!!!