Old_Philosopher

I left SEA in late '67. Missed all that fun in '68. Glad you made it back in one piece. (I may be assuming too much there...appologies if I am)

As a footnote, and back to the OP from 6 years ago (!), I have one thing to add. I think what military service DOES instill is a certain personal discipline and mental toughness. There's an old saying that goes, "You have to learn how to take orders, before you should give them." Beyond that, especially those who have served overseas, have a keen appreciation for what we have in this country. Most people think it's a cliché to say, "It could always be worse." G.I.s know it's true!

I wish more people could grasp the concept that our Government is not our Nation! Having traveled all over the Globe in the military, it really bothers me that a lot of folks talk about how much "better" things are in other countries. If they could only see the reality of being "middle class", or "poor" in the rest of the World, they'd quit all the complaining! I'd pick a shack in Appalachia before I'd choose Africa, or Asia...let alone the Balkans.

Don't want to hijack the thread, but I agree. I salute Our Flag...not the occupants of the various offices at the time. Peace, Bro....

Eight years in a Tin Can. Better man than me. Hats off to ya, matey!

Just getting started in geocaching, and no GPS. I have a solid background in orienteering, and love maps. It's been a fun way to refresh my skills, and find a few treasures. I also have a background in imagery interpretationn and analysis. I worked with aerial photography, and now we have pubic satelite images! (Thank you Google Earth!) The most accurate locating (I believe) is done with the UTM coordinate system mentioned previously, but I've been lacking the 1m acetate grid I'm familiar with. Thanks for the obvious suggestion of creating one with a photo editor. I think the person is correct who said they could probably buy a GPS for the cost of all the maps and scratch paper! But hey, that would make it too easy. (sic)

USAF 1965-1980 Air Intel Ops Tech Photo Interpreter Managed a Mapping, Charting and Geodesy library for awhile. Maps are your friend.

You're right! I should have done a topic search. Sorry 'bout that.

Eloquent analysis. Thanks for the reality check.

Interesting choice of words. I guess not wanting to spend time researching a cache, gassing up the family car, and ending up in a garbage dump violates my 'entitlement mentality'. My point exactly. Following a clue to a gut pile, or litter of needles doesn't qualify as 'quality time' to me. I don't expect anyone to "cater to me". I only hoped that people involved in geocaching regarded it as another opportunity for outdoor recreation...not maliciously directing people to hazardous locations. It doesn't sound from other posts in this thread that many folks "like" some of these locations. I'm sure the folks who show up with their families at a social gathering are sincere, down-to-earth people who share a love of adventure and recreational opportunities. I seriously doubt that the individuals who would cache in a dump, or doper's hang out would ever show up at such a gathering. I've got to add that I'm a little disappointed in the "like it or lump it" attitude from someone who's been in the "game" so long.

The other side of the "do you log what you find" thead.... Do you feel that there are people who log false "Found It" reports? For what ever reason (stats, embarrassment, etc.), do you think there are false claims of finding some caches?

Wow... I'm new to this "game", and this thread has surprised me...sort of. My daughter recently found out about Geo Caching, and we got pretty excited. We looked up some caches near us, and found 3/5 of our first selection. We also read many of the posts thanking the CO for their site selection, and how charming the surroundings were. Cool game! How better to attract a stranger to a spot you particularly enjoy, and share the experience? Now I'm reading about sociophobes (a word I just invented..feel free to use it) placing caches in spots that have no socially redeeming qualities at all. That not only speaks ill of the mentality of the CO, but degrades the "sport" as an enjoyable excuse to get outdoors and experience nature. Wow, again...I guess there is no activity which doesn't attract the dregs. Sad.

Thanks for saving me the time to think for myself. I appreciate the help.

I'm new to the whole scene, and would like some insight into various abbreviations used, rather than puzzle them out over the next month. Could someone post the most common abbreviations found in logs? (e.g., TFTC "Thanks for the Cache", etc.) It would be most appreciated.