Skip_
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Posts posted by Skip_
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I can't really say I'm a numbers ho. I've been doing this crazy geocaching thing now for slightly over two years and I just hit 75 today. It's about the experience. I would like to weigh in on this though with a point or two, at least one of which will be made by analogy. I love analogies.
Anyway, let's compare geocaching to golf for a minute. In the game of golf, which I don't really play anymore, there are people who go out and take mulligans. You know, do overs. Also they take gimmes. The ball's close enough to the hole so they figure why bother putting it in the rest of the way and giving themselves a chance to screw it up. After taking a mulligan and a gimme on a par 4 hole, these people will happily mark down their score without taking the mulligan into account and assuming that they'd have made the putt they took the gimme on. Would this thing hold up in tournament play? No way. Do the people who do it enjoy themselves? They probably do. Does it effect others who are playing on the course who decide they don't want to play that way and not take mulligans and gimmes? Not really. Do people in the club house know who keeps honest score? Most likely. Do the people who don't keep honest score know deep down inside that what they put on their scorecard isn't really all that valid? Sure they do.
Okay, so what does it matter in a game where there are no tournaments and no officially sanctioned records or anything? Numbers are just that. They let you know what you've found, but they don't speak for the type or difficulty of those finds. They give a rough idea to others as to what you've done, but a much more tangible sense of accomplishment to you as an individual most likely. They don't really matter all that much though, so what someone else does with their "scorecard" shouldn't be of overwhelming concern.
Of course cache owners should be able to decide and be the final arbiter for what they believe constitutes a find at their cache. I only have one cache and really have no time to print out a list of logged finds and audit the logbook against the logs on the site. I couldn't imagine what someone with multiple caches would have to go through to do that. The only way I'd take a look at things is if there were something that seriously appeared amiss. If someone logged that they were where they thought it should be, if someone signed the outside of the container, etc.
I wouldn't really complain all that much if public stats went away, but people could still compare them if they wanted to. The biggest solution is not to care what someone else does with their "scorecard", don't go after parking lot micros if you don't like them, and just go out and have fun.
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Thanks for all the help so far. Of course I wouldn't go out into the woods after dark without some redundancy in my illumination. At least on a walk where I'd need it. In familiar territory where I'm not looking for something specific I've been known to rely solely on night vision.
What are your thoughts on the hybrid types? I'm seeing some with LED/Xenon and Princeton Tec has an LED hybrid with a 1 watt LED that they claim rivals a halogen or xenon bulb for brightness and distance. They're not all that more expensive than the Princeton Tec Scout.
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I just did some looking for caches close to where I work, and found that a night cache has recently been placed. I've been thinking about getting a head lamp to add to my caching equipment for a while anyway, and this seems to be a reasonable excuse. I'm not looking to spend a ton of money on one and would like one with LED's and that's waterproof. I came across this one that seems to fit the bill. Does anyone have any experience with this model, or any other suggestions?
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I guess I still don't understand the obsession with numbers some people have. I guess if finding as many as you possibly can in the shortest time possible is fun for you, go for it. A find is a find, though, and the fact that I only get one find for a harder cache or a multi in no way diminishes my pleasure in the hunt, nor my sense of accomplishment for finding a more challenging cache. What would be next? Deducting points for using a hint?
My advice, for whatever it may be worth, is to go out,enjoy the hunt and have a good time. Don't worry about numbers. It's okay to keep track, but when you are able to have as much fun with a DNF as a find then you have discovered the true zen of geocaching.
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Gosh darn it! Right away
My travel bug is M.I.A.!
So we'll see what happens, but it las last seen in River's Edge. It is a tad disappointing to be honest. It was one of the first ones i put out (it was the second actually, put out the same day as the first). Oh well, hopefully it will turn up somewhere!
That's pretty sad. Such a short life, but no reason to give up hope. Yours is definitely cuter than my missing one (For that matter, you're probably cuter than I am too,) and more attractive to the kidlets too probably. I don't know many kids who become obsessed with used beer caps from homebrew.
Seriously though. It's less than a month since it's been dropped and just because nobody noticed it in there doesn't mean it's not there. Also, some people take their time logging stuff for whatever reason. I didn't lose hope for mine until two months plus after it was brought to an event and taken but never logged. Keep the faith! There's no need for an obituary yet.
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I was last to find this one. Thankfully it wasn't due to any ineptness on my part. It was a great adventure, and I'd much rather see word scrambles and stuff than hideously complex math problems for puzzles.
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You probably logged it as a found rather than a note when you did the virtual TB drop. I'm not sure if you can, but you may be able to edit the log and change it from found to a note. If not you can always try to delete the log then add it again as a note.
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Free is what I paid for mine, and my next one will be too. I got my first one, a Magellan SporTrak, with points from sales incentives, and I'm less than 200 points from a Garmin GPS V.
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Lots of things can happen with TB's and their goals. One of the most common is someone will let loose a TB without any information with it. Sometimes someone will pick a TB up and drop it off elsewhere in the same trip. Without the info page with the TB, they may not know where it wants to go until they get back home and log it on gc.com.
Also, TB's seem to take meandering paths no matter what, but if they survive the dangers of the trip, they generally get to do what they want to. Sometimes it's not a straight line. Also, some people will move a TB closer to a major highway even if it's further from its ultimate destination in order to make it easier for someone to pick it up if they're on their way through.
Thanks for being consciencious about TB's from the start. TB owners appreciate that sort of thing.
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Hey, look! A test!
1. It's OK to place food in caches if:
a ) It's well wrapped
b ) it can withstand extremes of temperatures
c ) it tastes good
d ) All of the above
e ) None of the above
C. Otherwise you wouldn't be able to leave ice cream in caches!
2.If you are placing a cache on private property
make sure you:
a ) do it late at night so nobody sees you
b ) camoflage it well so the property owner won't find it by accident
c ) ask permission
B. How dare they let property rights get in the way of my fun!
3. An admin has failed to approve your cache as posted, so you:
a ) post a note in the forums ranting about how unfair the approvers are.
b ) call Jeremy at home and discuss it with him.
c ) Try to work with the approver to determine a way to make it acceptable.
B. If that doesn't work, revert to A.
4. When choosing a cache container:
a ) make sure its cheap in case its stolen
b ) make sure its easy to open
c ) make sure it's solid, watertight and an appropriate size.
A. In case the property owner in question 2 finds it despite your best camo job!
5. The best places to hide caches are:
a ) in garbage strewn lots under a sheet of
rotten plywood
b ) cool spots like railroad tracks, bridges or
military installations
c ) in an area that others may find
interesting
A. That way people can find plenty of stuff to trade if they forget to bring stuff with them!
6. When choosing trade items for your cache:
a ) always use broken toys from the bottom of
your kids toy chest since its all about the hunt anyway.
b ) dump discards from your junk drawer in the
into the cache
c ) thoughtfully chose items that might be of interest to adults and children
B. I don't have kids!
7. When using old food containers as cache containers always:
a ) wipe the inside clean with your t-shirt
b ) shake out the crumbs
c ) run it through several diswhasher cycles and soak it in bleach, Oxy Clean or baking soda for a few days.
D. Don't bother with any of that. Leave some of the food in them as a FTF prize!
8.After placing your cache you should:
a ) leave it be, it will take care of itself
b ) visit it every few years
c ) Perform regular maintenance and respond promptly if someone reports a problem.
A. There are always people who'll take care of stuff if I ignore it! It works at work, why not with geocaching?
9. If a visitor reports a problem with your cache:
a ) post a note asking that the next visitor fix it.
b ) let it go. Some people actually like caches with soaked log books and 2 inches of slimy water inside.
c ) Visit the site at the next possible opportunity to check on the cache
B. See question 8.
10. If your state park implements rules regarding cache placement, you should:
a ) Ignore them. Rules are for fools.
b ) place a multi with the first leg outside the park
c ) Follow the rules
A. If private property rights don't matter, why should I care about stupid rules on public property!
11. If your 1 difficulty cache has several consectuive "not founds" you should:
a ) Ignore it. They were probably newbies
b ) Ask someone who found it before to check on it for you.
c ) Promptly check for yourself to see if its still there.
A. Some people just don't have enough mad caching skillz to find my hide!
12. If you choose not to replace your missing cache:
a ) Leave it active so others can still enjoy the hunt
b ) Disable it and leave it that way for at least 2 years.
c ) Archive the cache
A. Hey, maybe someone will just put a new container out there if I leave it long enough!
13. If your local park bans geocaching:
a ) screw 'em and place your cache anyway
b ) try to discuss the benefits of geocaching with the park manager
A. See question 10.
14. When placing a cache deep in the forest:
a ) use a micro and hide it so well, people have to turn over every rock and log to find it.
b ) hide it well enough so it won't be accidently discovered, but so a geocacher can find it.
A. It's not my fault that you can't find a film canister stuck in a crevice between two boulders in a large glacial deposit! You just have to look longer and harder!
15. When placing a geocache in a popular city park:
a ) use a big ammo box, stuffed full of goodies
b ) use a PVC pipe, or mortar shell
c ) use a small cache container, or micro and hide it carefully.
B. Mortar shells look cool and kids will love them!
16. When placing a cache in an environmentally sensitive area you should:
a ) walk on your tip-toes
b ) forget about it and look elsewhere
A. If a plant doesn't like my cache, it can move!
17. If you notice social paths and trampled plants around your cache you should:
a ) leave it. It will make it easier for others to find it.
b ) post a note on your cache page asking people to be careful.
c ) move the cache to an area with a more durable surface.
A. Maybe people will stop complaining about my woodland micro now!
18. If you find a denned bear in the cave where you placed your cache you should:
a ) hide there with a camera and take pictures of the look on people's faces when they see the bear.
b ) grab a stick and drive the bear out of your cave.
c ) disable the cache until the bear has left the den for the season.
A. Maybe they'll make the front page on gc.com!
19. Your encrypted clue should contain:
a) Important information about parking, trespassing issues and special equipment that might be required.
b ) Several paragraphs, describing in detail which trails to take to get to the cache.
c ) Information that will help narrow down the search area if the finder is having problems.
A. They check everything before they head out! They'll need serious climbing gear to get to the bear cave!
20. When placing caches on vacation:
a ) Make sure its placed in an interesting spot
b ) Ask local Geocachers if they mind
c ) just don't do it.
A. There sure is a lot of neat stuff in this garbage strewn lot!
Do I pass?
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The vast majority of the time I'm alone, but I don't really mind. I've always enjoyed taking walks in the woods by myself.
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Test again.
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This is only a test...
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What, me pun? I can barley stand the things. In fact, usually I'malt-ogether disgusted by them.
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Well, my first TB commemorating my first batch of homebrew seems to have died an early death, or at least gone missing. After travelling quite a distance in a few hops, it was brought to an event cache and whoever took it from there hasn't seen fit to log it for over two months. It's a beer cap with a small hole punched in it to accomodate the TB chain and tag. If anyone sees it, grab it, but I'm losing hope as the days continue to pass with no sign of it.
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While I never got a firm diagnosis, my case was one where strong suspicion, early detection and antibiotics worked wonders. A couple days after starting the antibiotics, the general malaise I was feeling went away, replaced by the malaise caused by the antibiotics. I was on a two week course, and the rash, which was small and stayed that way, faded within a week or two of stopping the antibiotics, which from what I read on WebMD is normal.
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All Prizes Must Be Awarded
Recently, a number of game sponsors attempting to register their promotions in Florida, have had their sweepstakes filing materials rejected because of failure to include a provision in the official rules stating that "all prizes will be awarded." According to §849.094(2)©, "it is unlawful for any [game promotion] operator to...fail to award prizes offered." This provision has particular significance in instant-win promotions because it means that any leftover/unclaimed prizes at the end of the redemption period must be awarded in a random drawing, and this must be stated in the official rules. Internet programs are impacted as well, because such programs usually have language that allows the sponsor to cancel the program due to electronic malfunctions, bugs or errors. If such Internet language is present, there must now be language in the official rules stating that prizes that are not awarded due to reasons that are beyond the control of the operator will be awarded by some other mechanism-such as a random drawing.
So McDonald's has an instant win thing and they give away a million free small fries. They'd have to keep[ track of how many are claimed, and any unclaimed ones at the end need to be awarded in a random drawing? Between that and the conspicuous print of full rules everywhere, it's no wonder companies exclude FL from their promotions. These companies aren't doing anything to deserve a boycott, in fact they're participating in a boycott of running their promotions in FL because of onerous laws that would cost the company more to comply with than the business their promotion would generate. That's not a bad thing, it's just a sound business decision.
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Welcome to the addiction, obsession, or whatever it is. You'll undoubtedly find places in your own back yard that you never knew were there.
For me it's mostly about the hunt. Sometimes I'll trade for something, and I'll usually leave something if I take a travel bug. Most of the time I'll leave boot laces, mini biners, inexpensive things like ponchos that you can find in a Wal Mart camping aisle. What you trade is up to you, but you should trade up or trade even. Most times I don't trade, just enjoy the eploration, discovery and the hunt.
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The best things I've found in caches so far have been a couple very realistic little plastic frogs. Sure they're not worth a lot of money, but this isn't something where you go out searching for a cache in the hopes of striking it rich. Or, in pirate talk:
Avast, me 'earties! Thar be no dubloons in caches! Arrrrr!
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Of all the reasons for this bill not to be passed, by far the most compelling is things like trespassing and vandalism are already against the law. Let people, and I use the term loosely, who vandalize cemeteries get prosecuted under existing vandalism laws.
I've seen a number of historical cemeteries because of geocaching, some of which probably wouldn't get much in the way of visitors were it not for the nearby caches. People gone for many generations are once more remembered, if only their names, when they were born and when they died. Much better that than be forgotten.
It seems like every time someone makes a valid point as to why this bill shouldn't pass, a new reason is pulled out of a hat. The real reason is power, control and making it seem like something is being done, when nothing need be done aside from investigate any crimes that have taken place and prosecute them under laws already in place. I'm pretty sure that any vandalism isn't the result of geocaching or geocachers. New laws won't stop it, since it's already against the law and the people doing it don't care. People who are willing to break a law aren't going to be stopped by another one.
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I wish I had the money for flying lessons right now. I don't though. I guess I'm a perpetual hopeful/student pilot.
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Does setting your alarm at 6AM to get a FTF count as a sickness? If so, someone call the doctor!
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Most recently it was Fizzy Fuzzy Big and Buzzy by The Refreshments, but it really all depends on my mood.
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I haven't got any serious injuries, but had the worst of the bunch today. I bashed my knee against a rock and it hurt like a whole string of words that I can't post in this forum.
When I got home I found that I'd sliced my knee open on the rock through my pants, even though my pants weren't damaged at all. I know, it's pretty tame. I'll try to get a more spectacular injury. I promise.
Signing Container Rather Than Logbook
in General geocaching topics
Posted
Do you object to the flagellation of deceased equines?
Just because I came upon this rather late, I'll just add that if anyone signs my cache container, their find will be null and void. Luckily I'm not worried about that happening though.