GPSKitty

913

Ha! We checked that one off our list a few weeks ago! Ed & Julie I was lucky enough to be able to do that one in July after only 5 months of caching at the time. I have relatives in So WA and I talked them into (relunctantly) drivng me over while I was visiting on vacation.

I had been caching for about 9 months and had somewhere in the neighborhood of 170 finds before I got my first FTF. Then I got 4 in a row! But it was a new series along a trail and I was lucky enough to be on vacation and I was the first cacher to hit the trail.

You and I have to have a talk, piggy.

We can only hope.

Yeah, it's a great obsession....I mean, hobby. Welcome to the club.

You find trash in caches because there are inconsiderate fools out there. Even geocachers can be really crummy sometimes. Also, sometimes a cache is found by a non-cacher and they might put trash in just to be mean. Who knows? I remove things that are obviously trash, or things that may have been nice when placed in the cache but have become ruined by dampness and mold.

I found a shabby pear (or was it a peach) -shaped sponge. Don't ask me why anyone would manufacture such a thing, let alone leave one in a cache after it had become nasty and raggedy. Maybe it was really, really cute when it was new....I don't know. But it wasn't cute when I found it. I think some people empty out their junk drawer at home and distribute it amongst caches.

I log my DNF's and I do it proudly. This recent one, I DNF'd THREE times within a few days. Lower Arroyo Caching Trail #3 Several other cachers also came up empty, logged their own DNF's and now the owner will check on it. (The cache owned by one of the cachers that I mention in my log, "Find a Job at City Hall" by the Mannings, was the first cache I hunted and my first DNF. I knew that the owner would see that I was a newbie and not be unduly alarmed that the cache was missing. In fact, she emailed me with an offer of a hint, which I declined. I wanted to find it on my own. And a day or two later, I did just that. ) And if you ever happen upon cache page logs from any caches by Igbay Oobay, you will find plenty of DNF's from me. But I kept going back til I found them. I don't understand cachers who have some sort of shame or embarrasment when it comes to admitting they didn't find it. I've logged DNF's on caches that EVERY previous cacher said was an "easy find". On the other hand, I've had easy finds on devious cammo'd caches that even very experienced cachers had a hard time finding. We all have different abilities, we all have bad days. But we shouldn't feel shame if we don't find a cache. Are we being judged and nobody told me? Is it a contest? I just go out there to have fun, see new places and then report back on the cache page....whether I find it or not.

what kind of pie? How nice is your yard? Will I be staring at a patch of weeds or are we talking nice landscaping?

Mine too. A lovely shade of seagreen.

Now THERE'S an idea. Go out looking like a homeless person. Be sure to mumble to yourself and be seen arguing with a tree or lamp post. No one will come near you. In fact, they will quickly vacate the area, leaving you to search in peace.

I am completely baffled as to how people can get so worked up and offended at something so inconsequential. You'd think the sky was falling. There are much larger things to get upset about, if you so desire. This sure isn't one of them.

I cut my caching-teeth on micros because that's what is in my immediate suburban area. It helps to read the prior logs. If people are making comments about how devious it was or how cool the cammo was, then you will have extra difficulty finding it. But for typical micros think Velcro as well as magnets. If there is a bench or a newspaper vending machine at ground zero, take a peek under it. It is hard to find micros when you are first starting out, but some of us don't have much choice. It CAN be done, just cut yourself some slack and realize you will probably log a few DNF's in the early days of hunting. I recently encountered some micros by a cacher known for evil cammo jobs. If I had hunted his micros in my early days of caching, I probably would have given up the game, figuring I'm just not cut out for this. But I had several months experience under my belt and I welcomed the challenge. Some of them took THREE tries, but we had a blast doing them. Most of all, remember to have fun.

Go to the cache page and look up in the right corner. It will say "Log your visit". Click on that and then choose from the drop down menu whether you found it, did not find it or if you are just logging a note. Make sure the date is correct. I can't help with the second part of your question though. Sorry.

Yeah, that's what I tell myself all the time. I can stop anytime I want to. I just don't want to. "Geocachers Anonymous" meetings are on Wednesday nights. Maybe i'll see you there, or maybe I will be too busy out caching. Welcome to the addiction.

After you make 10 posts in the forums you are miraculously transformed from a tadpole into a full-fledged "geocacher".

Here I was thinking that we don't have them around here, but now I'm wondering if they are those black birds with yellow bills. Remind me of crows but smaller. I just started noticing them a few years ago.

Ask me what? That's a little too weird.

Very good, Young Grasshopper. You have been taught well.

double, or even triple *shudders*. Icky. This is why I carry (or try to remember to carry) gardening gloves in my cache bag. Handy for sticking hands into nasty or unseen spots.

I'd be interested and willing to do it.

If I ever get lyme disease, I hope I take it half as well as you. Wishing you a speedy recovery.

Woo hoo! Most excellent, especially considering you are a relative newcomer. I give it a gold star. I am much impressed.