[Have I misunderstood the concept of Travel Bugs?]

It's called dipping, and people do it to add milage to their travel bugs.

[T-Shirt Slogans]

Geocachers do it with government satellites.

 

I fell down a hill and got rocks in my pants, what's your excuse?

 

High Tech Treasure Hunter

 

Geocaching: My junk for yours since the year 2000

 

GPS: $200

Backpack: $45

Tank of Gas: $60

Climbing back down a mountain in the dark using nothing but a pen light with 4 people you met online last week: Priceless!

[The kindness of strangers]

Pretty cool all around. Might be cool of you to make some sort of tribute cache. Maybe email Lisa and see what her favorite animal is, or ask her to name it for you, something like that, then acknowledge her thoughtful actions on the description page?

 

You probably already had similar ideas, sorry I'm just putting on "paper" what was already going to happen.

 

Or don't. Either way, congrats on the preform!

[How to register cache finds when using Garmin]

Pretty sure it's got to be one by one.

[Developing Geosenses]

No problem with it, just making an observation. 'cause I'm an observant fella. now where did my coffee go...

Ah, it was the rolling eyes emoticon that threw me off. Just making an observation Oh, was that your coffee I drank? Oops, sorry.

 

Edit to add : I expected that post from StarBrand, to the point that when someone ask that kind of question, I just wait for him to reply

 

Ya, I regularly forget that my sarcastic wit gets lost in text. In my limited time on the forums, I've noticed Starbrand being one of the several helpful ummm.... old timers? Regulars? Whatever...

 

Just need to remember that sarcasm is all in the voice. Can you hear me now?

[Advice for making mini survival kits (for swag)]

And I don't know if salt applies to the "animals will try to eat the cache" problem with food being put in. I did see at our local dollar store some mini multi tools a while back, that might be worth checking out.

[Developing Geosenses]

I think I read this EXACT reply sometime in the last week. Somebody has a template...

If other posters are allowed to keep asking the same question, why isn't he allowed to make the same reply? After all, the advice is good.

 

No problem with it, just making an observation. 'cause I'm an observant fella. now where did my coffee go...

[Developing Geosenses]

one problem I am running into is many of the closest caches to me are tiny (micro) hidden in forests. I was sitting within 2-3 feet of the exact coordinates of all of them, looked up and down and dug through leaves and stumps and everything... so far I am 0/10 this week (my first week)... hopefully this weekend I will get a chance to go looking for the lock n lock/ammo can types that are only a few miles away.

 

I guess thats a disadvantage of living in a small town with lots of forest everywhere

 

There are those, and I am very quickly becoming one, that don't see this as a disadvantage. Micros in the forest are just wrong, unless you're setting them as part of a multi. The longer hike/drive/walk caches are far and away my favorite, and while you can't nail 30 of them in one day, the experience, for me at least, is much better.

 

You'll get better, try to find someone to go with you, either another local cacher or a friend or spouse. That way you can share your good time with someone else, and get a second set of eyes looking for the cache.

[Developing Geosenses]

For starters - don't over rely on the GPS to find the cache - only you can find it.

 

Here are some general hints:

 

Look for caches with a difficulty of 2 or less for your fist few caches. Stick with regular sized caches for your first few. Micros can be quite hard to find sometimes. Stick to areas you are familiar with. Look for anything out of place or unusual. Look for unusual piles of sticks, grass, leaves, rocks, sand, etc. Feel where you cannot look. Think vertical, not all caches are on the ground. Look up or at eye level. Look for traces of previous searches to zero in on the spot. Think like the hider - where would you put a container in this location? Look for things too new, too old, too perfect, not like the others, too many, too few. Change your perspective - a shift in lighting can sometimes reveal a cache. Keep in mind that many micros are magnetic or attached to something (via string, wire etc). Slowly expand your search area to about 40 feet from where your GPS says ground zero is. Bring garden gloves and a flashlight - they help! Be prepared to not find the cache more often then you think.

 

Most of all - have fun!!

 

I think I read this EXACT reply sometime in the last week. Somebody has a template...

[How do I handle multi-caches with money?]

I like all the ideas posted above. Ten $50 prizes or 50 $10 prizes sounds like a stellar idea. I more enjoy the idea of spending the money on people who actually need it.

 

You could even spend the money and make some wicked cache containers, and put those into larger containders for the FTF. I still don't see the purpose of putting all 500 down in one shot. I do understand not putting a check or cash into a cache though. If the multi is that involved, it may take a while to find, and who know what damage could come to the prize. A gift card is a good idea, and would work just as well.

 

Tell you what, come place another one out in california, and I'll beta test it for you

[How do I handle multi-caches with money?]

Actually, if there is no requirement to log the final and the codeword is just to claim the ftf prize, there are no issues. I'm not suggesting this is a good idea, but as long as there isn't anythimg that says a code is required to log the cache, all should be well. Heck, if it's not clear, the prize might not even be claimed.

[How do I handle multi-caches with money?]

I think it's a horrible idea personally. 500 clams is a lot of money, at least it is to me. I'm not quite sure why you would give someone that much money for following a multi, but I guess it is your perogitive. I suppose the best way to do it would be to leave a laminated slip of paper with a codeword and your email address, and when somebody finds it, somehow convey to them to take the laminated slip of paper and send you an email to receive their FTF prize. You can't really make the meeting with you the final stage, on account of then you would have to meet everyone who goes after the cache in the future.

 

Let me know when it's posted, I could use a bit of extra change...

[Geocaching at Work]

I cache at work all the time. I work on an ambulance, so on our down time I get to cruise around and knock out whichever caches are close.

[Best ways to secure a cache]

Mass quantities of apoxy.

[Virtual and locationless caches]

 

I have long maintained that Waymarking would be deeply accepted if finds over there counted in the find count here. But that is pure speculation.......

 

I would probably be more interested if Waymarking and Geocaching was more blended, but I wouldn't want to count the Waymarks *with* the Geocaches... just right alongside them. I don't like dealing with a separate site, especially since the other site suuuuuuuuuucks.

 

I'm still pretty new to caching, and not very computer savvy, but I have to disagree with this statement. There are way too few u's in there.

 

I like the idea of Waymarking, and would actually do a lot of it if it weren't for the the website itself.

 

My understanding was that terracaching required sponsers (or something similar) Is that the case?

[Starting a travel bug question.]

i have a question i pick up a TB on my outing and i know thta i am to drop it off in a different cachind place but am i to track it or how is a person to do this ?? me newbe so i ask this ?

 

when you log your find on the computer for the cache, you also need to take the tracking number from the TB. There should be a list of trackables on the cache site, click on the one that you found and enter all the information needed. After you get that done, it should be listed in your inventory so when you drop it off, you can just click on it's name at the bottom of the log page and it will be logged into that cache.

[new caches]

I used to get a highlighted *NEW* beside the new caches when I logged in. now there is nothing to indicate. Is it just me or everyone?

 

My guess would be that there are no new caches in your area.

[Just getting started]

Winter caching is always excellent especially in Canada...It's so much easier to trek around in snowshooz than to fight the summer bugs..!!

 

So often this is true, but if you donate a little of your blood to the summer bugs they can occasionally be bribed to give you a lift to the next cache!

 

Must be from Florida...

[Geocoin drops in member only caches]

Conversly, placing trackables in remote or rarly visited caches seems to me like poor form as these caches usualy end up being more like purgatory than a stop-over.

 

I like to think of travel bugs and coins as visitors to a cache. That being said, if there's a trackable that's goal is something ambiguous like "want's to visit lots of caches" or "will protect the cache and other bugs..." I imagine that they want to visit cool caches like I do. I'll place them in remote caches if they're cool to bring those caches to the attention of future holders of the bugs. Most of them I move along quickly to easy locations to grab.

 

Cool coins are also much less likely to disappear in a remote cache, as there are fewer people who will visit so there is statistically less chance that the coin will be gaffed. It also seems that those of us who like to find the aforementioned caches are less likely to steal the coins. Maybe not, I dont' know for sure.

 

I also like the idea of resident coins.

 

I'm done now.

[What to put into found Caches]

I generally only trade either if I see something useful or if the kids see something they want. That happens a lot. Even then, I make the executive decision as to whether or not we can take a specific piece of junk.... er, trade item

[My plan always go awry]

For the most part, my caching focuses on quality adventures. A tiresome mantra I like to spew is that I'd much rather spend all day in search of one quality cache, (as measured by my highly biased aesthetics, of course), than spend the same amount of time dashing from lamp post to lamp post, cranking up my numbers. Because the caches I prefer hunting for are typically not mindless park & grabs, some planning is often required. Being an old, fat, crippled guy, I prefer to make these quests with friends, so my planning often involves convincing a group of otherwise sane people that wading nipple deep, for two miles, in an alligator infested swamp, for just a single smiley, is somehow a good idea.

 

Wanna go?

 

Heck ya, when are you headed to California?

[My plan always go awry]

On topic, I only plan on a general area unless there are specific caches I want to hit that take special planning. Anything that requires more than about 30 minutes of hiking/walking is what falls into this catagory, and that is because of the 3 and 4 year olds that are usually seen caching with me.

[My plan always go awry]

*Note* I think printing out the notes are cheating. I mean come on we are already using a friggen GPS. I just remeber the hint for each cache. It makes it alot more fun that way. I am in this for the hunt, not to rack up my number of found caches.

Meh. I cache blindfolded, Kenny G playing full volume through my earbuds, one hand tied behind my back and wearing two left shoes 3 sizes too small, by calculating my coordinates through observation of the satellites on a piece of cardboard and a pen without any ink.

 

Sissy. I get into full scuba gear (flippers too) and empty the tank 3/4 of the way then blacking out the mask and coating the inside with pepper spray. I then procede to the nearest fire ant hill with a hornets nest strapped on my back, and I start caching from there. That's what real men do.

[Geocaching for the Visually Impaired]

I was at an event recently, in the North West Park in CT, and they have a braille trail. Maybe you could set one up at your camp? The hints for finding the cache could be in Braille, on signs on the trail. The trail can be marked with posts with ropes between, to show where the trail goes. Get some cachers to help build it! Have an event. Get help. Instead of hiding the caches in trees, or other such places where critters might be hiding, hang them in the air at chest height, or on posts, or in such a way as they don't have to stick their hands where something might bite that they cannot see. Or don't give vague hints. Check your local lumber mill, if you have one, ask them if they will donate rippings, or wood strips, 2" x 2" should do it, for the posts to make the trail, they don't have to be fence strong, just strong enough to hold a lightweight rope between them, and paint them so they last longer, at least the end that goes in the dirt, you can dip them in a paint bucket. Use an outdoor paint. Then use 50lb test kite string, or something thin as the trail marker to run their hand along to follow the trail (are you getting this picture?) It doesn't have to be expensive. Just an idea. And ask for donations from local vendors, hardware store, etc....

 

All other points on this post aside, and there are some good ones, I'd like to give Plane props for coming up with a stellar idea. It might not work out, but what a great one. An event aimed at setting up caches for the blind? Very nice man, very nice...

[Is This Solicitation?]

We have a virtual in the area that requires, as part of the logging process, to do 30 mintues of trail maintainence on the way to a traditional cache that has information needed to log the virtual. There is no request about any sort of maintainence of the cache itself.

 

Thoughts?