utahrc

The "rule" has always been "don't trade crap." The people that trade crap already know it is crap, so adding anything further will not be productive.

I was wondering about this. I ran into another cacher at a cache site yesterday. I found the actual cache, we both signed the log, and was surprised when he later posted a note rather than a find. I guess he didn't feel like it was a legitimate "find" since he didn't locate the container on his own.

Not too muddy there. The spirit of the game is to find caches. It's OK if the entity that finds the caches is comprised of more than one person. Your hypotheticals are all OK and very different than the person discussed in this thread.

I just checked the specs. At nearly 9oz it's a bit too chunky for me.

Something like that has already been done. There are mirrors on the moon's surface that can reflect laser beams back to their source.

Um... It couldn't really be a geocache, as a geocache by definition can be located with a GPS. So basically you're suggesting that NASA put a box of stuff on the moon just to put a box of stuff on the moon. I doubt they'll be convinced.

I don't disagree. I do feel that as guidelines, there is room for common sense and local interpretation to dictate exceptions.

Please. I do self-police. I just don't let GC.com decide for me what is appropriate in MY neighborhood.

No, not that simple. Lots of different individuals and organizations involved in the management of the land where geocaches may be placed. There's no practical way to get everyone to agree to knives, so GC.com will continue to have a blanket prohibition against them.

I like the data cable because, as stated earlier, it allows you to enter a lot of waypoints at once. This is good for keeping the closest xxx caches to my home available so I can grab a cache on the way to work or while out shopping without having to plan ahead. It's also great when you travel - generate a list of the closest xxx caches to your destination or route so you can catch them on the way. For the little extra cost involved in getting a data cable-ready GPS, I wouldn't consider anything less.

I'd just say "I'm just playing with my GPS." It's honest, and they might think you're weird, but so what?

As an end user, it is not our right to decide to blatently ignore the guidelines. The cache in question clearly violates them and should be archived. The guidelines say not to place knives in caches. I didn't do so. There is no rule that geocachers must report violations of the cache rules, nor could such a rule be enforced. I also can't currently say what the contents of any given cache is. The "knife cache" has had several visitors since I was there and may no longer contain knives. I'm not "blatantly ignoring" anything, I'm just choosing to not be known as the local geocache cop. If I come across something that I feel to be dangerous, I'll remove it. If I come across something that just violates a guideline, I'll probably look the other way. I just barely started this hobby and it seems a bad time to make enemies of the locals. Perhaps after I've got a hundred finds under my belt, attended a couple events, and placed a few caches I'll be more willing to go out on a limb. If you're that concerned about the contents of my local caches, you can put together a query pretty easily to find where they are, then scan the logs for trades involving inappropriate objects and send archive requests to the admins yourself.

Don't you think that cache should be reported, since it doesn't meat the guidelines? I didn't say which cache it was, or even if I had logged it, but I see the one you linked does show a couple of knife trades after my visit. In any case, I don't object to pocket knives and I don't feel a responsibility to report caches that violate that rule. A lot depends on where the cache is located. For where this cache was found I don't think it was such a big deal. If I had a real concern, I'd probably point it out to the cache owner rather than to GC.com.

Hard to say. Depends on the cache, the cemetary, the community. I suppose some deceased cachers would be honored to have a microcache or virtual at their grave site and I presume that visiting cachers would behave appropriately. Some cemetaries are all but forgotten and any visitors are welcome, provided they aren't vandalizing the property. Which particular cache are you referring to?

I recently came across a cache that was almost entirely pocket knives. Probably 8-10 of them, all brand new. It wasn't somewhere that kids could get to on their own and it didn't strike me as particularly dangerous, but I thought it was interesting given all the recent talk about knives here.

I'd think it would be hard to get a good look at the display mounted inside the frame where a waterbottle is normally found. Why not on the handlebars?

So, if you find narcotics, do you trade up based on street value or wholesale value?

I use the magnetic compass on my Vista all the time. It's great when you're getting close to the cache. The memory is also important to me - I have Metroguide maps for the entire state of Utah installed, and topo maps for about 1/3 of the state. I don't really use the altimeter and it's generally so close to the GPS altitude measurement that it seems redundant.

Good question. I love my compass. I could live without the altimeter.

I've got a Vista, which is the same as a Legend, except that it has 24 MB of RAM (vs 8 on the Legend), plus a magnetic compass and barometric altimeter. I've been very happy with this model. I don't think you're likely to find many people who have been unhappy with their Legend/Vista.

I got the Vista so I could have cool mapping stuff. Now I want cool COLOR mapping stuff.

If you're heading for SOUTHERN California, then it sounds like you're going where he wants to go. I'd be surprised if he's still there in April, though.

A newbie with 500+ posts?

That seems like a weak brush-off of the general consensus that WH didn't do anything as nasty as he is being accused of. The cache page did not expressly state that FTF was reserved. They only said that they EXPECTED (emphasis theirs) the lad to find it first. My reading was that they considered him such an accompished cacher that he would find it quickly. I would never have assumed it was improper to FTF this one, because the lack of an explicit request not to seemed to imply that it was OK. It was definitely not unambigous about this point. I hope I never get flamed so nastily for such an innocent misunderstanding, or anything else for that matter. You just don't talk to other human beings that way. If I'm angry I can express myself without being verbally violent. I would hope others would make the same effort.

The eTrex is pretty popular and will work great. If you've got a bit more money and can afford it, I'd pick up the $150 eTrex Legend. The Legend adds maps, twice as many waypoints (1000 vs 500), WAAS (can increase accuracy), a LOT more track points (for recording "breadcrumbs" of where you've traveled), and a computer interface cable. For me the extra $50 is a no-brainer and Legends keep their value pretty well so you can consider it an investment.