CrafterCat

I'LL SECOND THAT!!! I'm currently suffering through the single worst case of poison ivy that I've EVER had... But finding the cache was worth it... Sad, isn't it. Thanks for NOT putting the cache there. Zanfel cream is now available for treating poison ivy after you been exposed. Its expensive but it works. More info on Zanfel I just want to let everyone know that I went out lastnight and bought some Zanfel. IT'S AWESOME. The rash was significantly reduced (and almost gone) this morning after just one use. No more itching either... And no, I'm not being paid for this. that's good to know...that it works. So far, I've been exposed to Poison Ivy many times in my life, but have never had any adverse reactions to it. But knowing the stuff works is good info for my family and friends who might get it! Thanks. As to all the hoopla about placing caches near poison plants....hey guys! It's just a game!

My problem is my knees and ankels. I often have trouble navigating through wooded areas that have lots of little dips and holes. So my son cut me a maple pole that has a little jog in it in just the right place for my hand. I haven't debarked it yet, but I will probably have to soon. It isn't too heavy and very strong and had helped me along through the woods many times. I never go caching without it.

Oh, I really like that idea! As for changing avatars, I worked on mine for several weeks before I got it just right. Originally, the cat face was drawn in black, but people said it looked like the Grinch, so I changed it to white. I like the one I have now, and have no intention of changing it. But I don't have a problem with others changing theirs, either! Hey! Its a free country, and there is the ability to change it built in to the site, so, I say, change away, any time you like!

(besides working, and doing things to keep my life going) reading geocaching forum posts, looking for things to use as swag, or crocheting things to use as swag, or helping to put together a local caching event, like this weekend's campout (Welcome Summer NMG Geocamping Weekend - GCP1AR). And yes, my avatar was made on a picture of a doiley I crocheted, my own design, btw.

I think we do have a good system already, my thought is that sometimes, people don't rate them corredctly. What may seem easy (1/1) for you might not be as easy for me. I am slightly terrain challenged, (knee and ankle problems) so I usually look for caches with a terrain rating of 2 or less. But the very first cache I ever found wouldn't have been a find for me if my son wasn't with me to help me along the trail to the cache. Some people don't use the cache rating system, they must just say, oh, it's easy for me to get there, so it's a 1.5 That's just plain inconsiderate of the people who have physically challenged bodies like mine! So, bing a newbie at the time, and not being able to get to some of the more terrain difficult caches is rather disheartening, and would have made me chuck the whole business, if my son hadn't been there and encouraged me and helped me along.

One pass with your dirt bike, even on an established trail, does more damage than 100 people searching for a typical cache. I have to agree, we have lots of trouble with dirt bikers in our beautiful North woods of Michigan. The scars they leave on the land are very visible, and disturbing from the ecology point of view. Geocachers never do that kind of damage! But most of them stay on the designated trails. So I have to say that some people need to get this all in perspective! I f they want to ban geocaching, they definately need to ban dirt biking and off road vehicles. Next will come snowmobiles and cross country skiing, and snow shoeing! The land is ours, right?

New England n00b: I agree with you.As for the language, english is not my mother language, sorry about my mistakes.I guess you are not better in Greek !

I have found that it depends on where in the state you are. In Michigan, the parks people down state (say...southern part of lower penninsula) don't like geocachers. They also carge to place a cache...I think it's $75 each cache placed. but in the upper half of the state...most of the parks and DNR love us! As long as you stay out of sensitive areas...like Kirtland warbler nesting areas, you are okay. And our local caching club just had a very good cito event this past April in a Grayling city park. There has been some talk about making it harder for cachers to place caches, etc, but that is mostly in the State Parks in the lower half of the state.

I showed my Mom and Dad, but Dad didn't think much of it. Mom's hooked, though.

It wasn't one I found, but a caching buddy was telling about finding one that someone had put dog poop in! A definate leave this one alone cache!

You tell your hubby that he CAN buy something electronic for you for your anniversary...as long as it's a Garmin!

Did you just use the words "purple" and "camo" to describe the same object? yep! cammo pattern like in the green/tan/brown/black cammo, but there is purple/grey/white/black on it. You've never seen those different cammo patterns in denim colors? or orange/limegreen? Well, mine's purple...my sig color. Some of the local cacher folks refer to me as 'the purple lady'.

I have a purple cammo bucket hat (from Army/Navy surplus) that has our local "Northern Michigan Geocachers" patch on it and my own patch that I made with my avatar and nick. I usually get weird looks because of the purple cammo hat, and then when they are close enought to read the patches, they either grin or look puzzled. (But most realize it's some kind of club.) I've had a few ask what geocaching is. There have been no times I've met other geocachers on the hunt. Could be that the area is mostly woodlands, and population (of geocachers) more sparce than other places. But I did get a chuckle out of that 'dance'

I have also heard of people getting a $50 ftf prize! Sheesh, the person is more flush than I am! I could never afford to leave $50 in a cache! But I have left things...ftf and stf prizes that people seemed to like. My first cache as an example: I crochet, and I had made these really nice lace bookmarks. I left 2 in the cache for the prizes. The last one I just put out had a store-bought Tweety key ring as ftf prize...it fit the theme of the cache.

Yeah, that is a very cool thingy to use. My computer tech son has our laptop set up to use the gps to show our location on the Streets and trips program. It's cool to see the little car move along the map as you progress on your trip. Very neat!

Ours is a Garmin 12XL. We have it because 6 years ago, my hubby got it as a service award from his work. At first, it was just a new toy that we took on road trips to the city, using it to keep track of our mileage, and speed. But now we are geocachers. I have one problem with it, though. Sometimes it points you in the opposite direction to the cache waypoint, so I use the distance to waypoint feature then. If it keeps counting down, then I'm okay. ( I know, that was sorta...duh) but you see what I mean? I too, would like that one that fastens on your wrist like a watch...much smaller and lighter. I often use the 12XL with a lanyard around my neck so I won't drop it!

The last one I found had one of those hints that could be in this catagory. It said: at the base of a pine near a rotting log. Well, every 5 feet or so there was a pine tree with a rotting log by it! I guess you gotta have gps accuracy of 1 to 5 feet for that hint to do you any good! We had 25'! We did find the cache, but the hint was useless!

very funny! gorme cookware? kyak?

It's too bad that it had to happen when you were out having fun caching! Not that it would be any better to happen another place and time! But I would say to not let it get you down....for too long! Get your stuff back in shape, and Cache on! Life is too short to spend time being depressed and upset over something like this. You gotta pick yourself up, and get going again. Good luck to you in the future, and I'm glad you posted this, it is a wake up call to all of us! Thanks! Sue

Here in the 'pinky' area of Michigan (that's NW portion of the lower penninsula) we are very fortunate to have lots of cachers and lots of caches to hunt for. But in our beautiful Upper Penninsula, were the people and cachers are few and far between, there are not many caches to hunt. I know that the area around Sault St. Marie is very cache-sparse. And the caches there are nearly all owned by the same guy. If it wasn't for him, there wouldn't be much caching done around there! But encourage other cachers in your area to place some, and you will soon have a cache-rich environment. As for boring countryside...it's all in the eye of the beholder! Here in Michigan, we have hills, rivers, lakes, and flat farm land, cities, small towns, bays, and veried wildlife! You just need to know where to go to see what ya' want to see! It's been my experience that if you look long enough, you will find something interesting! Cache on!

All I said was to hold him down and scare him! not harm him in ANY way! Sheesh!

I agree with teamsanddollar...many sig items are way nicer and better than those Mc junk and dirty golf ball trade items! Some day I'll figure out something that I can use as trade/sig item that I can either craft (hehehe) or buy that will go with my nick. I think the sand dollar is just fine.

I had a fairly new cacher post a dnf on my cache page and he described the area he was looking in, and practically gave it away! asking if he was close! I encryped the log, but it still is in the clear. I'm thinking of deleting the log! I emailed him and told him he was close, but there is no indication that he's tried again.

Hubby and I were on the road on our way out caching last Sunday about noon (which is not when you usually see deer here in NW lower Michigan) when a big doe (white tail deer) jumped out and ran across the road in front of us, with her little fawn right behind her. We always toot the horn at deer...it seems to keep them going away from the car, but doing that spooked the little fella, and he folded up and laid right down in the middle of our lane in the road!!! he just collapsed like someone folding up a tent! there was someone in the oncoming lane, also, and we both just stopped and waited for the little guy to get up the nerve to follow his mama. He finally did, and we shrugged at each other and drove on. Afterward, we were kicking ourselves for not having the camera with us to take the picture, but then, we probably would have just sat there, watching, facinated with the little guy, and forgot to snap any pics! Sheesh!

If you are a little apprehensive about what to do, it is always good to find someone that has been caching for a while, and ask them to take you with them the next time they go caching. Then just watch what they do. Hopefully it will be someone who knows what they are doing!!!! hehehe But most of all, don't sweat it...have fun and Cache on!