BBWolf+3Pigs

So, about 48 hours of travel & almost halfway around the world for a FTF - veeery impressive! And don't tell me it was for business! I FTF'ed a cache on Guam about 3 weeks after it was published! A great hike through the forests, up a hill, past an old brick dam, and up to a view of the city. Great cache.

If you cache in areas that allow hunting, I would make it a blaze orange vest.

I have a puzzle cache which has yet to be solved/logged after 12+ months.

I don't log my FTFs (or any cache really) from my phone. I log when I can. Sometimes that means 5-10 hours later (due to work or other commitments).

But in another thread, an unresponsive owner is enough to start the process. If the owner cannot be contacted, isn't it the same thing?

That's one thing I can't understand. We can hide them in mall parking lots, but not in an RV parking lot. Aren't they both "commercial"? At least in this case the CO took the step to get permission. See post #4. Inside the mall = inside the business; not so for the parking lot. For an RV campground, the parking area IS the business. And, people are paying for the right to park overnight there with an expectation that random people won't be wandering around. No... I disagreed. Mall parking area are inside of the place of business. You dont do campground business in the parking lot, you do it in the office. No need to get so PC about it. I agree with SwineFlew. You are splitting hairs. I suspect most plaza/mall owners expect people use their lots for conducting business within the retail/office locations within the plaza. I'm sorry to hear that the malls where you live charge money just to get a parking spot in the lot. That must stink at Christmas time when you need to go shopping a lot. So the parking lot is not part of the business? Tell that to the business owner.

That's one thing I can't understand. We can hide them in mall parking lots, but not in an RV parking lot. Aren't they both "commercial"? At least in this case the CO took the step to get permission. See post #4. Inside the mall = inside the business; not so for the parking lot. For an RV campground, the parking area IS the business. And, people are paying for the right to park overnight there with an expectation that random people won't be wandering around. No... I disagreed. Mall parking area are inside of the place of business. You dont do campground business in the parking lot, you do it in the office. No need to get so PC about it. I agree with SwineFlew. You are splitting hairs. I suspect most plaza/mall owners expect people use their lots for conducting business within the retail/office locations within the plaza.

That's one thing I can't understand. We can hide them in mall parking lots, but not in an RV parking lot. Aren't they both "commercial"? At least in this case the CO took the step to get permission.

(Ah....the event is in Ohio)

The old "Cliffsides and Grapevines" events in our area were similar. They would just re-enable every time they would get together to do some climbing. They didn't move all over the place though. Are they trying for Mega or Giga status?!

If cachers approached and worked with the Parks Department, were they not acting within their right as concerned/affected citizens? Why do they need any sort of approval from anyone? First , it is not a Parks Department.And, secondly State Law does not allow for Public Business to be conducted in a private setting. We have what is called the Open Public Meetings Act. But it would probably take me the better part of the day to explain the nuances of that law to you. But simply put, all business of the State or its subdivisions that administer public funds , except for those specifically exempted from the law, must conduct their business in an open meeting. An open meeting is one announced and scheduled with a printed agenda for a specific time and place allowing for public comment. It would perhaps have been better if those persons ostensibly speaking for "All Geocachers in NJ" had solicited some form of input from those who form membership in the clubs, but even to this late date no one has stepped up and said, Oh yes a group constituted by Joe, Jane, John and Bill met with the Parks Personnel and formulated a policy. None of that has happened. As it currently stands there are more questions regarding the policy than answers. First and foremost in my mind is the identification of and removal of abandoned caches. Again, why does anyone, interacting with whatever agency is involved, need to consult anyone else, be it a club, or group or their neighbor? Was the policy publicly posted with an allowance for public comment? What's to stop ANYONE from submitting comments? You make it sound like no one is allowed to give their two cents without approval from any of the local caching groups.

If cachers approached and worked with the Parks Department, were they not acting within their right as concerned/affected citizens? Why do they need any sort of approval from anyone?

Is this a good thing or a bad thing?

From the guidelines: So the three previous examples should not be hidden, regardless of location.

This is why I am glad their is no formal organization in Rhode Island.

Is that a bad thing? (IMO, no it isn't a bad thing) What do the three caching groups and "self governance" have to do with anything? We have no "formal" group in RI and have no issues with the local DEM.

"Vegetation, stones, logs, etc shall not be disturbed when selecting a location." So no unnatural piles of sticks for camo? "Cache containers must be non-breakable." So no lock & locks? Ammo cans only?

I'm not sure how I would feel about that. On one foot, we'd end up losing lots of caches. On the other foot, there'd be lots of new spots opened up for new caches to be placed. The area I live in is pretty saturated right now and good spots are hard to come by unless you opt for private property (I have a couple) or you venture farther from home to place a cache. Must be a regional thing...but isn't it usually "on one hand...on the other hand..." ? Let's face it - you don't see eye to eye. But don't go toe-to-toe waiting for the other shoe to drop. These similar phrases fit like hand and glove. Don't boot his wording. And for you sci-fi fans... On the gripping hand...

If you see me disable it, with only one DNF on the page, this thread happens. You may not know the full story. So if the CO is sick, in the hospital, on vacation, etc, and didn't respond as quick as the cacher liked, you are going to disable a cache just because a finder wants to know for sure a cache is still there?! That makes no sense. He didn't even go out and try to find it!

Hitting an event, and hopefully grabbing a paddle cache. Since I live in Rhode Island, this will be fun. Hoping to extend my paddle-cache streak to 21 months in a row!

I hope that never becomes the norm.

Could be. Especially for "resurrection caches" - caches that haven't been found in over a year.

Maps may also provide better trail information than a smartphone map or similar. Our DEM has paper maps for the Wildlife Management Areas which include fairly decent trails. I also have paper maps (which are actually a type of plastic so they are waterproof) that has very detailed trail maps. When I am heading into one of these WMAs, I will plot the caches on the map in pencil (which erases easily) so I know what trail to take. Some areas have a multiple of trails, and a wrong turn could lead you in the total opposite direction.

I guess another form of responsiveness would be a 4WF suggested and just delete DNFs. A question I have...how did the reviewer even come across the caches in question? They don't DNF notifications (like they do NAs). Was he going through all caches in his area looking for these things?

No it isn't. Isn't a valid question to debate? Or Isn't the right thing to do? No, it isn't the right thing to do.