PandyBat

Oh man! I would be freaking out to come across the scene in Mopars second picture in the woods. There's a guy that lives not too far from me that does this kind of stuff in his front yard. Weird stuff made of rocks and sticks all over the place, hanging in trees, etc. I like Carleens idea about starting my own rock cairn somewhere to make people wonder what the heck was going on in that spot...lol

Darn it! There goes my idea! Thanks for the info. It's really getting harder and harder to find a new hiding spot or a new idea for a cache around here.

Is there a such thing as a temporary cache? Like one hidden at a fair that's in town? It would be retrieved and archived after the fair left town. Are those types allowed?

I heard that there's nothing left to talk about at GC.com because the old-timers have already discussed it before. They're anxiously waiting to "markwell" you on it. Might as well close up shop, there's nothing left to talk about here.

I have yet to come up on a milestone cache, but when that time comes, I am going to do one that would be unusual from ones I've done before. The boat one sounds cool. In weather like this, you could do other things before or after finding the cache like fishing, swimming, etc. Whereas on the 13 mile hike, about all you could do to celebrate afterwards would be to camp for the night. I'd do the boat one if it was me.

You're kidding, right?? Of all people to be talking about necessary and unnecessary responses......

This thread is a prime example. Funny thing about the whole thread is, I don't find any of the unnecessary responses funny.

By golly, this is a really great piece of advice! I've been looking through some sights I found on Google for this subject and there are TONS of things you can do to lighten a pack. I NEVER KNEW! Thanks so much for informing me about this!

Sounds like I need some moleskin for sure. Never knew it existed. Also sounds like I could get rid of a few things in my first aid kit. I'm trying to lighten my backpack up a little. Thanks for the lessons in the other things. The information will come in handy.

You guys are great! Thanks for all the helpful information. Hopefully I can get this pack down to a more feasible weight. I tend to overdo the preparedness thing...lol

My backpack is getting pretty heavy. I have to carry a little extra for my daughter so any minimizing I can do to get weight out of my backpack would be a blessing. I'm starting out by concentrating on getting my first aid kit, my water supply (carrying bottles right now) and the snacks lightened up in my pack. Those seem to be the heaviest things so far. But I'd like suggestions for other things too. I pretty much carry anything I would need for an overnight stay in the woods if it ever came to that. I'm also trying to get everything in water resistant/proof containers (mainly ziplocs) in case of rain or losing my footing around water. Anyone have tips or tricks for what they do with all the stuff in their backpack to make it lighter to carry?

I've been reading some old posts about first aid kits and snake bite kits. One thing I don't seem to understand is moleskin. What is it and how do you use it? I've never even heard of it before. What are steri-strips? Also, in reading about snake bite kits, I've found out that the one I have is pretty much useless. I have one made by Coghlans that I bought and threw in my first aid kit without actually looking at it beforehand. I just dug it out and was amazed at how little is actually in there........some blades, an iodine tube and a piece of string. Not sure what I was expecting to be in there but was expecting there to be more to it than that. I read on this page that these types of snake bites kits aren't that effective. Ok..so in reading more, I see that the Sawyer Extraction Pump is the way to go. I am worried about snakes this time of year. With my daughter with me, that worry is ten-fold even though I've taught her the usual about watching where she walks, not reaching into things, etc. I'm going to get one of those Sawyer Extraction Pumps. Is there anything you can buy to treat poison ivy out in the field? Like right after you find out you just stepped through a big mess of it? I am not allergic but my daughter is. The quicker I can get the oil off of her, the better. What should one do in that situation? What about spider bites? I've never thought about getting a spider bite while out hiking but its certainly possible. What can you buy to treat a spider bite? Or what do you do, first aid wise, for a spider bite out in the woods? What's the best remedy for heat exhaustion besides water? Is that what people take salt tablets for? Sorry for the silly questions but they were just things I was wondering about while reading through the old threads that I didn't find the answers for. Thanks in advance for the comments and answers.

Oh man! Did it get approved?? I knew you were going to hide one but didn't know it was out there yet! Gotta go do some searching now.......

I'll never stop being a newbie. There's always something new to learn.

Good thinking....I never thought about how it looked to others that might see someone getting into it. Your comment made me feel better about doing ones like this in the future. What's your idea for the lock? Is the combination part of the coords or is this part of a multi where the combination is in another place? Heck...where's the dern cache page anyway? I wanna see it...lol

I agree, fizzymagic. Every thread might as well be an extension of the Abject Silliness thread after the 3rd or 4th post. I get sick of wading through the silliness to get to the meat of a topic. I haven't had any dealings with my approver yet except for our postings in an email group. Even in the email group he seems nice and always ready to help. From what I've seen of the other approvers here, they seem to be a nice bunch of people and are fair in their dealings. I was a moderator of a website with forums for several years, so I know what a thankless and frustrating job it is. I applaud them for the work they do for all of us!

That's a good one, Criminal! I would be scared to attempt it though for fear of having the cops called. Is that one a light pole or something? Did you have to get permission to hang it there?

Mmmmm.....morels are my favorite!

I hope this wasn't a slam against women bowfishers, bons? LOL

Wow! That's pretty awesome! You may very well have brought another group of geocachers into the game. I myself am patting you on the back too. Off topic: I would LOVE to geocache in Alaska. To me, that looks and sounds like it would be one of the coolest, most beautiful places on earth to geocache. My next location would be Australia. I have always wanted to visit Australia and I WILL get there before I die...lol

Please...I am not embarrassed about a DNF. I know it's not a black mark against anyones stats. If it was, no one would leave a DNF. I don't know if anyone else plays like this but I started geocaching by doing the ones closest to my home and working my way out, mileage-wise. I am able to make several trips to a cache if it's close to home. As I get to those caches that are farther away, I will have to decide if I would be able to go back if I didn't find them the first time. If I didn't find the cache and decide not to go back, then I will log a DNF for it and be done with it. My DNF's are going to show up more often as I do those caches farther from home because there's a better chance of me not getting to go back to them in the future. I see no point in logging a note for a cache that I didn't find and that I have no plans of going back to in the future. I would mark it as a DNF. I also see no point in logging a DNF for every attempt at a cache, which misleads the people that only look at the smileys or frowns as a indication of whether a cache is still there or not. Basically what I am saying is, a DNF is a finality to the cache adventure......for me. If I've done all I could do to find the cache and ultimately couldn't find it, I would log a DNF and be done with it. Anything in between (writing notes) is just my story about my adventures in finding the cache.

Why? You went to look for it and didn't find it. Whether it was because you just couldn't spot it, or it was stolen, you still didn't find it. That is what a DNF is. I don't see the point of changing it to a note. You had a DNF, its a part of the cache's history, so just let it be. I'm glad to see you got the point! A lot of people don't. Even in this thread I read some people who say they log DNF though it "kills them" or they have to "swallow the bile". What's with that? There is no shame in it. DNF's are a part of the sport. If you found it EVERY time, then where would the challenge be? How can you find something that is not there to begin with? I would rather leave a note about the cache possibly missing rather than leave a DNF for every trip that I make out there to find it. Eventually, I WILL go back and find it. That's how I play the game. Some people go out once, don't find it and never plan on going back. Those people should log a DNF. I try to "journalize" my adventures with each cache by posting a little note about it for the cache owner after every trip to find their cache. So it would be misleading others to see a bunch of DNF's for every trip that I made out to the cache. They would automatically assume that the cache is not there and not go after it, when in fact it very well could still be there. It's either a FOUND or DNF...pretty cut and dry for me. Leaving a DNF means I give up, you stumped me and I am not coming back to find it later. Writing the notes in between is just a journal of my adventures in trying to find the cache.

Anyone that hoards one is just robbing themselves of a chance to win in the essay and photo contest for those YJTBs that is seperate from the main contest. If they want to keep one and not enter that portion of the contest, that's fine with me.....more chances for others to win.

Yep....that's how I do it but not always because I will often make more than one trip to find a cache. I posted a DNF on one recently that I made three trips to find. I logged the DNF because I thought it had me stumped. Found out later that its possibly missing. If it's confirmed missing by the owner and they plan on replacing it, I will change the DNF to a note and make another trip out there to find it after it's been replaced. If they archive it instead, I will leave it as a DNF. I always leave a note when I make a trip out to a cache but don't log it as Found or DNF until I give up on looking for it. I shouldn't have to log a DNF for a cache that wasn't even there to begin with, no matter how many times I was there and especially if I plan on going back to find it later. Only when I give up on it, will I "officially" log it as a DNF. Also, if this one just happened to be out of the 200 mile radius I have set for myself and I didn't find it, I would log it as a permanent DNF because chances are I wouldn't be back to find it later.

Love the hamster version!