J the Goat
-
Posts
1394 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Posts posted by J the Goat
-
-
Rather than looking a the OP as a call to archive all old caches, I prefer to read is as more limited request.
Wow, that's not even close to what the OP stated.
archive any cache older than 2 yearsWe need to not only Archive those old not longer frequently hit caches an put out new exciting ones
Time to Rejuvenate the Geocaching Maps with Re-Populate it with hundreds NEW Caches in EVERY AREA around the world...get rid of the OLD!
B.
Ya Toz, while what you said makes sense, it's a bit of a stretch to reach that conclusion from the OP, at least from this spot in the valley.
K, back to my snacks
-
-
-
For the love of everything that is hole-y, please don't hide another LPC. The fake bolt on a sign on a hiking trail, or even at a local baseball field, or fishing hole, something....
LPC caches aren't difficult. They're not creative, they're generally a waste of whatever container you put there. I certainly appreciate your attempt at making it different, but believe us when we tell you it's been done to death.
-
Not my failure this time, or even my cache, so I hope that's OK, but I saw this cache get archived this morning and I enjoyed the log history so much that I had to post it somewhere. I think the entire cache log belongs in this thread. I'd recommend jumping immediately to the first log, and working your way up: http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?wp=GC35ZQB
-
-
I would add the location of the rest area as an additional waypoint, and add a bit about the amenities in that waypoint description.
I think this is the way to go. You can add in the attributes so people will get the cache in their pocket queries if they use the filters, but the waypoint will be your best descriptor on the matter.
-
Micro. If the actual cache fits only a log, it's a micro. I'd be pretty peeved if I showed up with my kids expecting to be able to trade swag and found a bison tube was all there was. List a micro.
-
To say "it should have been posted better" is just like saying "it's not our responsiblity to know, it's their responsibility to make sure we know." By maybe, say..... handing out a flyer with the rules? Maybe?
No. To say, "It should have been posted better" is like offering constructive criticism in an effort to avoid a repeat of this horribly devastating tragedy. No one who offered that bit of advice is suggesting, in any way, that the park staff's decision to leave what any sane geocache hider would consider critical information regarding a location, (little things like, you must be in a group, you must pay an additional fee, you must sign a waiver, you must pout if you are too slow to grab the FTF, etc) off of their cache page in any way exempts the FTF crew from their responsibility to follow the rules.
If it can be demonstrated that the FTF crew violated any rules, (it hasn't happened yet), then I will join you in your finger waggling, though I'll probably stop there, as I'm not seeing any evidence that the FTF crew had any way of knowing they were in violation. Supposed rules spelled out in a supposed flyer that no one can produce?... No "Off Limits" signs posted... No closed gates... Just a bunch of caches posted on a mostly public website by park staff who elected to not include these supposed new rules on the cache pages.
Finger waggling, yes. (If they broke any rules)
Torches, pitchforks & screaming mobs, no.
First off, I like your style once again CR. I pretty much agree with every bit of argument shredding you've done throughout the thread, and also agree that monster chasing pitchfork weilding mobs aren't appropriate for this situation. Thatnks for the thoughtful responses that go beyond "the caches were published so FTF is fair game" type of vibe that some others are putting off.
I don't however agree with the highlighted statement above, or not completely at least. There was a quote earlier regarding the park rules and the area restrictions, although I didn't take the time to read back through entire thread to find it so I look silly bringing it up
What it boils down to, for me at least, is the CACHERS responsibility to know the rules. That doesn't mean they should be crucified for not following rules that could have been posted better, but my gut feeling (oh boy, here we go) that's only supported by, well.... my gut feeling, is that these cachers knew what they were doing and that they shouldn't have been doing it. That holds absolutely no water in a discussion like this and I get that, but it is what rings in my brain as what happened, on some level. Malice aforethought? Probably not. Complete disregard for some rules that are clearly easy to get around with the expectation of nobody being the wiser? Probably. Did they dodge the group event on purpose? Maybe not, they may not have known. The entrance of the restricted area is where this whole thing rubs me the wrong way.
You're not quite as dumb as that bag of hammers you're always talking about buddy, maybe all that gator-dodging has sharpened your wits a bit
-
Either there is some confusion about the meaning of 'bushwhacking', or the definition has been updated/changed and I wasn't consulted.
In my book, 'bushwhacking' means traveling on foot through a vegetated area where there is no trail or obvious path.
Personally I wouldn't call it a 'bushwhack' unless it was a somewhat significant distance (like 2-300 feet at least).
While you may indeed feel like whacking the bush behind the strip-mall where a cache is supposedly hidden, this is NOT the classic definition of a 'bushwhack'.
Such a cache is more properly labeled as an 'SBH' cache, (Stupid Bush Hide) a close cousin of the LPC.
:laughing: :laughing: -
I generally wave a machete over my head when caching in Central Park. It gets rid of all kinds of pesky things...
That's you? I'm the dude swinging a weedwhacker like a baseball bat. Nice to meetcha.
-
Not much for me. Most parks and campgrounds prohibit cutting vegetation, I believe mostly to keep people from taking flowers or cutting down trees for firewood. But even if they didn't I wouldn't do any trimming of bushes or ground cover, it's just not right.
This. I'll use my trekking poles to move stuff out of the way, but that's about it.
-
Another idea: Make the key a TB. Name it the Japanese word they're figuring out, rather than making it a combination for a lock. Then they have to search for the TB before going to find the cache. I've found a cache that I had to track down the TB before hunting the final. I had the key in hand before I went on the search, there was no question if the key'd be there. Only difference was there was no question of which TB was to be looked for. Come to think of it, there were multiple TB's out there with the same key for the cache...
If you go this route, get a friend to set up the TB for you so people don't just go look at your TBs in your profile and brute force the cache in this way.
This would change it from a multi stage puzzle to a single stage puzzle, so not sure you'd want to do it for this cache. Maybe make it the 2nd in a series?
I'm not a fan of the TB key/combo thing. I've only done one, and it was a mess. There's huge potential for huge hastle on caches like that. Bugs get lost. Taken across the country. Kept by a newbie cacher. Then you need replacement tags and keys. If you're willing to do the work on them, go for it. It's probably not something I'll ever set up myself though, and likely not one I'd do again unless I found a key by accident.
-
[snip]
Does this sound responsible to anyone here? Just askin.
DW, I do think this is a bit out of context. Irresponsible trail use is different than blatantly ignoring park rules for an FTF.
As an answer to the character question (broadly defended through devils advocate positions) The example post was from one of the pair, whose activity gave rise to this discussion.
I ask, does this look like the means of caching of someone who follows ORV park rules in the pursuit of finds and/or first to finds? This is why it is a cautionary tale.
Sure, go out and find caches, but employ sense, abide park rules and when caches are placed in new areas and there are clear EVENT signs posted, ask.
Had that pickup truck truly run into difficulty on technical trails (and some back there really are) how do you defend the pursuit of Geocaching? Luck was with them, but it isn't with everyone always.
I understand where you were taking it, but my understanding of this thread was a general cautionary tale using a specific example of something that shouldn't have happened. Park rules were ignored by geocachers and it angered park staff. Whether that was them, or me, or you, that's what happened. Folks are trying to defend the offending cachers, but what it boils down to is that rules weren't followed, in turn creating some bad blood (even if temporary). Anything brining up past logs turns the thread more into an attack on the the cachers in question instead of pointing out the negative impact of their actions, at least IMHO.
-
Also to add, be ready for this cache to get very few finds because of it's complicated and involved nature. If you're okay with that, go for it. If you're looking for a cache that's visited more frequently, tone it down a bit.
Good luck
-
Excluding the "not allowed" for the transations and "must find" within a certain amount of time, I think it's a very challenging, good idea. Telling people what they must do and putting a time limit on things may even prevent the cache from being published. If you can make the combination so the solvers aren't able to use google translate, that's one thing. Telling people they're not allowed to probably isn't allowed. Now I've confused myself
-
I need some help. I don't even really know how to ask my question because I don't really know if these are coordinates. Here goes anyways. When I'm on geocaching.com and I select a geo cache there are a series of letters and numbers at the top right of the screen on the computer for the cache. An example of one is GC1VZHA and another is GC2HWNQ....What are these??? Are they another form of coordinates. If they are how do I go about inputing them onto my Oregon GPS? Any help on this would be appreciated. I have been wondering about those for a while now and I can't seem to find an answer because I'm not sure how to inquire about them. Thank you.
Those aren't coordinates, those are GC codes; a specific ID number assigned to each geocache. They won't help you find the cache once you're looking for it, but you can use the numbers for reference or to help you remember which cache was which.
The coordinates are near the top of the listing and will look something like N39 00.123, W123 22.456
-
Perhaps this log entry, from a cache deep in the 4x4 Upper Ranch (not the Hudner, which only opened this past weekend) could illustrate the sort of FTF mentality we're talking about.
Finally!!! Had to get this one. It was begging to be found. I had to get access to a vehicle. Noone wanted to go. I finally talked to my neighbor and he agreed to let his son drive me to Hollister in his truck....AFTER I helped in do a 'little' work in his vineyard. Well...that took awhile...and it was raining! AHHHHHHHHHH!!!We finished the vineyard work and headed down to Hollister and I was very happy/surprised that it really hadn't rained there.....so the ground was actually dry! Nice!
We headed up to the cache area...in an old beater truck (2wdr!) with bald tires. Well....that wasn't a good idea but we had to get the cache. We got stuck several times and eventually had to abandon the truck and finish the quest on foot. We got to the cache area and found it pretty quickly. Nice! We had to hustle because we heard the grading tractor below us and we were afraid of what would happen if they saw an unoccupied truck out there!
We headed out and played in the obstacle course area for twhile and that was fun too. Nice day to play in the mud!
The best part was when we went over a big bump a bit to fast and got some air. One of the batteries came loose and hit the hood and there were sparks all over the place! It was the 4th of July for a split second! Priceless!
Thanks for the cache....it was a great one!
#XXX for us and FTF #XXX
Does this sound responsible to anyone here? Just askin.
DW, I do think this is a bit out of context. Irresponsible trail use is different than blatantly ignoring park rules for an FTF.
-
Geocaching.com will be going offline temporarily for a site update on Thursday, April 12, 2012 at approximately 10pm PDT
Does anyone else find it odd this update is scheduled for 10 PM, rather than am? A typo or correct? I guess we'll find out later this morning.
I noticed that too. It's either a typo, or a big update that will affect fewer people's using of the site at that hour than in the morning. That's my take at least, and with all the power, influence, and authority I have around here....
-
However, it would appear in this instance that the cachers in question ran onto the field before the game started, and ran up the score,
Actually, it appears that the cachers in question strolled out onto a field because nobody bothered to tell them it was closed. Then they were publicly vilified for their sins.
It is difficult for me to view this in any way other than the two in question were just extremely selfish, or at least their seemingly rather single-minded competitiveness drove them to do things that they should've known better than to do.Here's where you lose me. If there is nothing in place to communicate what is, and what is not, acceptable behavior, (say, for instance, signage telling them to keep out), how were they supposed to know better? They paid their fee, entered an area that was seemingly open to the public, and found caches that were posted on a mostly public website.
Not exactly a sin, from where I'm sitting.
Or perhaps the flyer they were handed on paying their fees that they have the responsibility to read prior to doing anything else? Yes, I've ignored flyers that I thought I've read before. That doesn't mean I'm not responsible for the rules and regs in said flyer. That, and this restricted area wasn't newly restricted. I'm sure that if anything changed, it was the allowance of ANYONE in the area, so wouldn't it make sense to read the information on the newly opened area before entering it?
I'm not anti FTF. Go ahead, race your little hearts out. The bottom line is that we're all responsible to know and follow the rules of the locations in which we're caching. To say "it should have been posted better" is just like saying "it's not our responsiblity to know, it's their responsibility to make sure we know." By maybe, say..... handing out a flyer with the rules? Maybe?
-
Thank you for your quick (and positive
) replys. In that case I´ll start finding out which caches I was at and log those where I actually participated in the hunt and not simply went along for the company.Good idea, and welcome
-
Okay, I'm approaching eight years geocaching. I have 82 hides. 75 still active. Some urban micros. Some short hikes. Some long hikes. Some evil mystery caches. We strive for interesting or scenic areas. (Unless, of course, you find views of major cities to be 'dirty buildings'.)
Twenty to thirty finds a month is the norm. And so, we are quite astounded! 58 finds on 28 caches since Good Friday!!!! That's definitely a record for us! Some have not been found since last year... Looks like a father and two sons exploring the historical park, and a few other local caches, and fourteen finds by a distance cacher bagging local peaks. We are quite astounded!
Well if you ever get desperate, you're welcome to fly me out to your locale and I'll happily bag all your caches
Seriously though, that's pretty cool.
-
I didn't think I had anything to add to this thread, but here goes:
Found it01/07/2012This cache ended up being a bit more of an adventure for me than I had anticipated. This cache is VERY close to the exceedingly nice Hobs Park Visitor Center. The Visitor Center is amazingly nice - it is new, modern, it has interestng exhibits and programs, and the staff is awesome. They have trail maps and geocaching information available in the visitor center, and the stff there is friendly and VERY happy to discuss geocaching - this has to be the most geocaching friendly park I've ever visited.
After picking up some trail maps, we decided to start with this cache, hey, it's RIGHT HERE, and may as well try to warm up a bit before trying some of the ones with longer hikes. Well, I'm glad I started with this one, because we hike over to ground zero, and I more or less just collapse. My vision goes blurry, I am nauseated, and I almost pass out - I felt like I'd been hit by a truck! I'd thought I was having an attack of hypoglycemia, so my wife walks back over to the visitor center, and one of the staff gives her a bottle of pepsi. She brings it back, I drink it and feel somewhat better (I can at least see again.) My wife finds the cache, we sign the log, and I go back to the visitor center for a while to rest up. (The staff at the visitor center was just incredibly kind during all of this.)
The cache itself is cleverly camo'd to blend in with the surroundings. It is nicely maintained, and had nice stuff in it, although I didn't trade anything. I considered taking the travel bug to Oklahoma, but I was doing pretty well to get myself back to the visitor center by that point!
I'll definitely return to find the other caches in this park - I'd definitely like to get further than about 600' from the visitor center!
Edit: added a favorite point to this cache because the staff are so awesome!
I ended up in the emergency room that night with very low blood pressure, severely dehydrated, and overwhelmingly nauseated. As best we can tell, I succumbed to some type of local virus that had been going around. The onset of this thing was the fastet I've ever experienced - I literally couldn't have been affected any faster if someone had hit me in the gut with a baseball bat.
This ended up being the only cache I found that weekend. I had big plans to cache in that park, and around Eureka Springs.
Glad you were/are alright Mr. Benchmark.
-
Here is the log from my most memorable failure while caching:
slukster found Haunted New York - 567 Hudson StSaturday, 19 December 2009New York
Out caching on a cold, windy, 20+ degree day. This cache was one of six I had planned on grabbing before meeting up with some friends at my favorite watering hole "Down the Hatch" on W. 4th St. I was running late meeting up so I decided to leave this one for after the 1pm - 6pm all you can drink and eat (chicken wings) special. This was a major mistake. By the time I got out it was even colder than when I got into town and the snow was a blowing. Not to mention I couldn't walk a straight line anymore so I was unsure if my geosenses would be working. Even now the clue still doesn't make sense to me but that might be the impending hang-over talking. So after searching for around 20 minutes I somehow found the cache. Yipeeee!! So I went over to the doorway of one of the buildings to get out of the snow to sign the log. Did I mention I hate nano's? Getting the log out usually isn't a problem but getting it back in is always tough. So after several attempts and a couple of drops of the container I finally got the log back in. A quick return to its excellent hiding spot and homeward bound I go. But I had problems getting it to stick back where it belonged. And after the second attempt the container fell to the ground, into the snow!! Oh ....!!! I started looking everywhere on the floor but I could not find the tiny container! Did I mention I hate nano's? I was looking for 10 minutes when I looked over my shoulder to find the waiter and some customers from the restaurant right by GZ looking at this crazy white guy searching in the snow for what? I shrugged my shoulders at them and continued my search. Finally the waiter came out and gave me a flashlight to help look. When he asked me what I was looking for I mentioned geocaching and he said he had heard of it. After another 10 minutes a patron came out with his flashlight to help me search for the stinkin' thing. Finally after 25+minutes of seaching in the freezing cold I had to give up to catch my train home. I stopped in the White Horse Tavern to use the bathroom on the way out. Nice place!!
team pelagori, forgive me for having lost your cache. It is out there somewhere. I will contact you to arrange getting you a new container. In the mean time, I have learned a valuable lesson. Go caching BEFORE making my way to Down the Hatch.
***THE CACHE IS LOST***
:laughing: :laughing:
:laughing: 
) replys. In that case I´ll start finding out which caches I was at and log those where I actually participated in the hunt and not simply went along for the company.
I need help deciding what size my new cache should be.
in General geocaching topics
Posted