MI_CO

Cache owners who are obviously placing caches which only a handful their closest friends can find. For example, I went to do a SQ cache without reading the clues beforehand. One of the clues took you to a section, and the clue was "at this location, look for the headstone who's first name is the CO's favorite uncle's first name." Really? If you do not know the CO, what their actual name is, let alone the CO's favorite uncle's name, you cannot possibly find the cache. Of course, the small handful of 'find it' logs were all gushing how great the puzzle was and how great the CO is, and how they enjoyed the private birthday party weeks ago. While I am on puzzles, I once did a letterbox that was (again) in a cemetery. At one location, the direction was 'to look for a cross to the north.' Honestly? In the Greek Orthodox section I was in, EVERY headstone has a cross! It was like a clue that said to stand on the edge of a forest and look for a pine tree! I also do not like, nor do I look for, caches that are placed in dangerous places (like a guardrail on a busy highway or hidden deep within a Hawthorne tree). Not a sin, but a MAJOR peeve, any cache that says extreme stealth is required due to abundance of muggles. Extreme stealth is just another way of say "I hid a cache in a place I shouldn't have and the jokes on you if you choose to find it."

Like others said, depends on the difficulty of the cache. The higher the difficulty, the longer I will search, and may take a couple trips -- BUT only if the cache piques my interest. If it is a low difficulty cache and I cannot find it, I will check the Geocaching app and see if it has not been found in a while, or if the most recent posts are several DNFs. I will add my own to alert to CO to check on the cache in case it is truly missing and quickly move on. If the cache has been found a lot recently, I will spend about another 10 minutes on it, and then move on.

I know quite a few people who have set up accounts for their dogs so I am guessing there is no age limit for humans! Of course, a one year old dog in people years is seven years old in dog years...

I cache light poles after the first hard freeze. No bees or wasps anymore! BTW - I also do any cache with the word 'mosquito' or bug spray recommended after the first hard freeze until the spring thaw! What's up with Tennessee and dangerous light poles? Don't they know how to properly ground them? I am sure every other state in the US can help train them...

For me, I am OK with the reflective tacks hunters use, and cachers use for night caches, as long as they are used on mature trees. These tacks are thin and short so they do not penetrate past the bark and damage the tree. I am not a fan of nails used by cachers. Of course, a landowner can do whatever they like on their private property, I just don't have to agree with it. Back in my consulting days, I worked with a major electrical utility client and it was illegal to put a nail into a wood utility pole. The reason was for the safety of the utility repair workers. They need to quickly and safely scale the pole and if there are nails in the pole, their cleats cannot grip and it can cause an injury. It also was for when old poles needed to be replaced. The poles were put through a tree shredder and shredding a pole filled with nails turns the poles into weapons!

My 2009 Saturn Aura XR, my trusty Schwinn (complete with fenders, rack, and pretty basket in front - it is a sweet ride!), and, of course, my feet! For my feet, I either wear my Reeboks, or Merrell hiking shoes. Cache a lot in the mountains the past few years so mainly my hiking shoes.

I personally enjoy cemetery and Spirit Quest caches. I have learned so much local history and lore through the stories in the descriptions that I would never had known otherwise. I lived in Michigan for years and the cemetery caches I have done, and I have done a lot of them all over the state, have included fascinating background stories, whether about a pioneer in the area, a tribute to a veteran or military unit, or just a nice memorial write up of a favorite relative or good friend. Over 90% of the actual cache placements are along the edges of the property, or off the property altogether. None are ever placed on a grave, or in an area where graves will be trampled or disturbed. Where I lived, and still have a home, about 30 miles northwest of Detroit, there are several very large cemeteries. Although parks abound in the area, many people jog in these cemeteries, quietly ride their bike, or walk on the winding and meandering roads. They are always very respectful, just like the cachers, and I like to think those laid to rest there like the company and activity. I now live in Colorado, and the old pioneer cemeteries in the mountains are beautiful and fascinating, and the description write ups range from funny, to thought provoking, to educational, and always fascinating. The grave placements can be haphazard to accommodate trees, boulders, slope, etc., and the stones are great, everything from a simply carved marker, to elaborate works of art. Just like some cachers will not do puzzles, or high terrain caches, if you are apprehensive about cemetery caches, just ignore them and move on. There are plenty of other caches to do!

It all depends - I know, really specific!! If it has been raining for days and I want to just get out of the house for an hour, I will do some close-by, urban, cache-n-dashes in the rain. Sometimes I will want to do a series of caches 50+ miles away from home and plan on a Saturday or Sunday to do it. When I do these types of caches, it is to explore an area I am unfamiliar with and will make a day of it. Go out for breakfast, hit a convenience store for some coffee and snacks (and AA batteries if my warehouse club stockpile is exhausted), and head out. I have found my best stories, most unusual occurrences, and most memorable people met along the way during rain are the best! ETA: I live in in CO and cache in the Rockies. While a cache series may state '50 miles' as the crow flies, it may be 80+ miles as the roads go. Switch-back curves, steep grades, high-altitude,and meeting people along the way that are literally from across the US and globe (we are popular for tourism), makes my '50 miles from home' statement a bit of an understatement.

We are all good at different things! I can see how the quotes appealed to you, having art degrees. The math appealed to me, have engineering degrees! With the exception of the Fitzgerald quote (my all time favorite 'classic'), I had to Google all the other quotes, and was unfamiliar with over 75% until I found what the source was! After finding the source of the quotes and pub dates, I could do most of the math in my head. When approaching puzzles, here are my basic tips: 1. Don't over-think! 2. Take as many clues as possible from the description, cache name, and in this case, the fact that the creator is a high school student. The math will probably not go beyond high school math (and it doesn't), some is jr. high math. 3. Google is your friend! Especially when looking up quotes, song titles, movie release dates, terms you are unfamiliar with. 4. If you find a puzzle that is driving you crazy, and you just can't leave it alone, attend an event get-together. Usually cachers in any area will meet up once a month at a local coffee shop or the like to meet each other and discuss caches, and puzzles come up often. You can get some helpful hints and puzzle solving techniques at such casual meetings.

Now for the reason for my GPS. Back in 2008, I worked for an exclusive IT consulting firm. 2008 was the company's 30th anniversary. As a 'thank you,' everyone who was US-based received a GPS unit as a gift, as opposed to the usual anniversary gift, like a jacket, shirt, or desk clock. I told my brother what the awesome gift was, and he said, "You could go geocaching." He never geocached, but some of the guys he worked with were fans so he was familiar with it. Well, I did an internet search, found the Geocaching website, and have caching ever since. The original GPS I received was for urban use and driving directions and not particularly well suited for geocaching. After deciding I liked caching, I bought a Garmin Venture HC to take out in the woods. I still have the bright yellow Venture HC and use it today. Just when I was thinking about upgrading my GPS to a more sophisticated unit, smart phones were introduced, and I now use both my phone for driving directions, maps, and the GPS to find the cache once I have arrived at my destination. I definitely need both since I do a lot of caching were cell service is not available. I use my little Venture all the time and take it with whenever I venture out in the wild, even if it is a groomed nature trail, if for nothing else, to make the location of my car!

Hysterical! I moved to the Denver area three years ago. Both my sister and a good friend, who are both really, really bad with directions, always get lost and I know when either one ventures out on their own to the store or whatever, a phone call is coming. I ask them: Are the mountains on your right? You are going south. Are the mountains on your left? You are going north. Are you looking at the mountains? You are going west. Are the mountains in your rear view mirror? You are going east.

My two cents... If too many alarms, silent or otherwise, warrant investigation by hotel staff or the police, the person setting off the alarm is charged with the cost of responding to the alarm. With all the hidden cameras, capturing license plate numbers, etc. makes it really easy to identify the offenders. If a cacher is uncomfortable with this, just don't do the cache. I personally question the ethics of the cache owner. As far as reviewers go, they make judgement calls. There is a cache in my area that is a skirt lifter smack dab in the middle of a public elementary school parking lot (literally 50 feet from the bus drop off and about 200 yards from the entrance to the school), yet the reviewers here do not see this as a violation or problem, no matter how many notes are sent. The state I moved from 3 years ago consider this a MAJOR violation, and would never allow a cache to be placed on school grounds. Here, it does not seem to be a problem.

I was extra careful while caching in the Pike's Peak area - but sigh - only sighting was this sign... https://www.icloud.com/photostream/#ADJtdOXmbkULA Sorry for the link. Forum did not like my .jpg extension so had to add as media. I will get the hang of this eventually!

My two cents... If the caches have been around for a few years, have a lot of favorite points, and are fairly maintenance free, keep them. See if there is a local cacher who is willing to provide minor/temporary maintenance on the cache if required (you will be able to tell by the logs) until you can provide proper maintenance. If the caches are 'cache and dash' or in a popular spot, archive and free up the space for someone else. I speak from experience here. I moved from my home state to another 1200 miles away three years ago. While I make it back home for the holidays and a couple of long weekends during the year and fully intended on visiting my caches and provide any maintenance, a few days or even a week back home is totally consumed by visiting family and friends and leaves NO time for traveling around doing cache maintenance. After my second trip home the first year I moved, I collected the containers and archived all of them.

I admit to leaving "Thanks for the cache" when logging from my phone (I do spell it out, not that it makes that much difference). It does not mean I did not like the cache, but to sit around and one-finger tap out a long message on a smart phone isn't going to happen for me. I do spend the time to tap-tap-tap out a message when I have done some maintenance on the cache, like provide a fresh log, or if I come across something unusual while doing the cache. I rarely log caches from my computer after caching any more, I log as I go along from my phone. With more and more people caching with smart phones, I think the logs are going to be shorter because of the amount of time it takes to tap out a message as opposed to using a traditional keyboard. If the cacher is in their 30's or younger, they grew up with text messaging use 'text speak' acronyms even when using a traditional keyboard! While it was nice when people left longer logs on caches I have hidden (under another cache name), I never deleted a TFTC log. Never had a '.' though.

Thank you, thank you, thank you! When I first wanted to change my cache name, this feature was not available. Thanks, again! Hopefully what I have in mind isn't already taken (just a play on my original name).

I had some very concrete thoughts on this thread, and after reading several pages (did not go through all 15), my thoughts have already been stated. Charging 99 cents for the app. Spending money, no matter how nominal, makes people do some research before buying. If the app is to remain free, limit to 10 caches, and require a valid email. Prior to the free app opening, EVERY time, place a disclaimer that the person must agree to that states "Caches are placed and paid for by volunteer members of the caching community. Please respect the cache and the people who placed them." I wonder how many free app users think that Groundspeak pays people to place caches, and pays for the containers. I also believe that Groundspeak should have a live strategy meeting/conference call with GoTo Meeting/or the like with members of the Geocaching community who are IT professionals (and there are a LOT of us here) who specialize in application development, user experience, business/system analysis, and have already conquered the problems around free apps in the business world. The professionals will attend on a voluntary basis, and will help generate/guide Groundspeak toward a solution for the uproar. By asking for volunteers, it would save Groundspeak BIG bucks over calling in consultants to do this for you.

When I started caching, I picked my caching name because, obviously, I lived in Michigan and was an avid golfer (spent most of my free time golfing, with the occasional geocache thrown in). Well, I now live in Colorado and haven't golfed regularly in three years. If I go to a local event, people think I am visiting from out-of-state. I have mentioned at I am thinking of placing some caches locally, and am asked how I will maintain them living 1200 miles away. Anyone else feel this way about their caching name? Any way to change my name without losing all my finds (and premium membership)?

I run into about 10 fellow cachers I do not know a year since moving from my home state to my current state, which is a popular vacation destination (both winter and summer). Pretty cool, actually, have met fellow cachers from all over the US and from other countries while on the trail and hunt. Either I or the other person will simply say "Geocaching?" If I say that and they give me a blank look, I just say, "My mistake, have a good day" and move along.

Some of my favorite, most memorable, unique fun caches have been multicaches! My only add to all the good info here is to start with a fairly simple multi, two or three stages that are all within walking distance, like in a park, short city block, or along a nature trail. I have done multis that have 10 stages and have you driving all over the place to the next location. While these can be fun, they also require a time commitment for one cache find, and it s*ucks when you get to stage 8 and cannot find the next step! Look at the difficulty/terrain rating for 1's or 2's to start out with.

Wow, I live under a rock. Never heard of or knew what a chirp cache was until I read Lieblweb's reply!

I would say depends on the event. If it is a simple, monthly Meet and Greet at a local coffee shop for an hour, then no caches. If it is once a year annual picnic, or big Geocaching anniversary (like the 10 Years of Geocaching events), then in my area several people will get together and place some new caches for attendees to find after the event. If it is something like a weekend camping trip, where most of the attendees don't live in the area, then no caches are placed since there is a high likelihood that the attendees haven't already cleared out the caches in the area! That said, this is just my experience. Like others said, no caches have to be placed.

Depends on where you cache. If it is mainly in urban areas, where the cache containers are small, micro, and nano, the containers are simply too small to place a travel bug in. I find travel bugs more in rural areas, where the containers tend to be larger. Also, I find more travel bugs in popular tourist areas, where people will drop them off while on vacation. You can also look for 'travel bug hotels' where many travel bugs can be found. Usually the 'hotels' are large enough, and well hidden enough, to hold multiple bugs.

My list generally involves puzzle caches: People with no spatial reasoning or math skills who put out impossible puzzles that only make sense in their minds. For example, one cache owner I know, who has 10,000+ finds, tried to do a letterbox. No kidding, the first clue: At posted coordinates, look for the cross and project 100 feet to the west. Well, the starting point was in a cemetery. Do you know how many crosses are on head stones and statues in a cemetery? It was like saying go to Christmas tree lot and look for a fir. Caches with a high difficulty rating that are obviously placed just for the amusement of close friends. The hint is usually something like, my (cache owner) middle name. Well, unless I know you really personally, I only know your caching name. But my #1 rant -- cachers who complain about the lack of quality, interesting caches who have never placed a cache themselves! Thehy like to b*itch about others, but never placed something themselves. I have only placed 8 caches, a series of caches, but the planning, location scouting, want to have a variety of caches (multi, puzzle, etc.), and write ups, and container acquisition/prep took 10x the amount of time than I thought they would.

Just remember, every 'crappy' cache you have come across was considered a 'great idea' by the cache owner! Too subjective to rate. If you do come across an inappropriately placed cache, or one that is in really bad shape without response from the owner, report it to your local reviewer for consideration for removal. Since you have discovered what types of caches you like doing, limit your caching to only those types. Maybe ones with high difficulty or terrain, maybe ones in rural locations (use the map feature for this), or those with high favorites numbers. I know cachers who only do puzzles, others who only do multi's, others who only do difficulty ratings over 3, and some that only do quick cache and dash because they like to find 20 caches every time they are out caching. All these people are passionate about caching, just have different likes/dislikes. You could also host an event, and have pre-planning sessions with interested, fellow cachers, and place caches in unique locations. This may spark events by other cachers in your area to do the same, so you have new interesting caches to find, yourself!