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diggingest_dogg616

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Everything posted by diggingest_dogg616

  1. I would guess either the solar storms that have been talked about recently. If I don't use my Google Sky Map for awhile then it acts weird and doesn't know where it's facing or anything, but I think that's more of an accelerometer issue Anyways, to get it working again I have to do these big figure eights with the phone (trying not to drop it or throw it ). That probably won't work if it is a solar storm issue (which is probably the case all things considered) but maybe you'll need my goofy figure eight trick someday Probably not, but I can pretend Oh, also, the GPS on my phone will act weird if I'm like, under or almost under a bridge.
  2. That's kind of weird. You should be able to go to the cache page and then scroll down and under the description and hints are the logs. You weren't the first one to do a log were you? Congratulations on finding your first cache!
  3. Congratulations! May I ask what he helps with? Like, is he a mobility assistance dog? Just wondering Service dogs are really neat. I know a guy that has a dog that helps with his diabetes and another guy with a mobility assistance dog (I think the owner has cerebral palsy but I'm not 100% sure). Really neat what they can do!
  4. I think if it fits and no one stated it's not a cache for swag, then go ahead Seems to me some caches aren't really expected to have swag, but it would be a nice surprise to find something (even I don't end up taking anything)
  5. Wow! 11! Great work! You guys must've had a ball!
  6. All I really care about is that I get the basic stuff for free I don't want access to premium caches without paying for it. I don't need pocket queries at this point in time. I don't need to filter caches at this point in time. I don't need statistics. A lot of these would really handy, but I don't really *need* it right now. I've flaked out with this hobby once. Maybe I'm mega cheap but I don't want to spend 30 bucks and then not cache the rest of the year. As long as I can have what I have now, I'm pretty happy. I believe in "levels". Free should be enough to get by. Anything above that should cost something and 30 dollars isn't too bad. I've read on here that some people get enough money from recycling CITO stuff to pay for a premium membership! I have plenty of "free" caches to keep busy for a looong time!
  7. Actually, no it is not. It is part of humanity, though. +1 It's just how people are. It's amazing how many people want you to do something for them for free and it's like "Do you go to the grocery store and pull this on the cashier?" You have to realize there's not a lot you can do about what other people do and move on. You can't control what other people do. What you can do is either play fair (trade up or even) or throw out obvious junk items and replace them and/or restock empty or junky caches
  8. those sound scary, I would like to see a pic to be sure I don't run into any! Here's one page with a couple of traps. This is another page with a video. I have a brochure somewhere about other kinds of traps (some are really awful and make my stomach turn ) but I can't seem to locate a webpage for it. Dogs can get in a lot of trouble with traps. I work in a veterinary clinic and last Monday we had to put a dog down that had been in a trap Out here, the traps are supposed to be checked every 48 hours (because of things like dogs running around) and this trap doesn't sound like it was checked for 3-4 days. The dog had a femoral head resection last year (we removed the head of the femur) because she had a dislocated hip and severe hip displasia and the body will create an artifical joint so between her crappy back legs and her injured front legs, she only had one good leg. Anyways, part of her foot started dying and there wasn't enough to save so the only option was to take it off. The owner didn't feel that she could really live with one good leg so euthanasia was elected. Please, please, please if you have a dog keep an on him or her. No one should have to go through that. I hope no people ever accidentally get caught one! That's terrifying! I was hiking with a friend once and we heard gunshots that were very close to us. I mean, it wasn't like a gun being shot near you, it was a gun being shot AT you! I haven't been around guns since I was 5 or 6, but I heard a "zzzzzing!" sort of noise and I knew immediately knew the bullet was somewhere near by. A sheriff deputy later said all we could do in a situation like that was to hit the dirt and get outta Dodge So... watch out for traps. And if you hear a weird "zzzing!" type noise, get low and get away quickly! If you can yell or otherwise safely signal that you're present, hopefully you can be heard and they'll stop shooting. (This guy had his ear protection on and couldn't see us on the top of the hill)
  9. I agree with the "if you didn't sign, you didn't find" sentiment. There are a lot of caches out there that you could "find" and not sign the sign the log. You don't have to have that find. You won't die. If you have to post something, post a note. "I saw the container but couldn't get to it". Go back another day or just leave it alone. I haven't had to anything really extreme to get a cache yet. There was one so far I couldn't couldn't just reach over and snag. It was on this piece of concrete that was like, four feet tall at least. It was tall enough that I had to put my back to it and put my hands on the surface and hop up, putting one of my feet on the vertical bit to try and give me more "oomph" and then I was sitting on the concrete So I rolled over and got the cache and then hopped down in reverse of how I got up (there were large rocks everywhere so it was all too easy to turn an ankle if you just leapt off ) I thought it was kinda fun I went out this past weekend and I knew where a cache was based on the gallery (scandalous! ). The hill was covered with snow and pretty steep. I'm gonna go back when it's not covered with snow, or otherwise wet and/or frozen Really, if you don't actually get to the cache, you're kind of cheating yourself if you log it. Some of things are part of the experience of getting it. The cache up a tree that you didn't get to but "found" is a lame story compared to actually climbing the tree!
  10. I'd kind of view a DNF note to be more like "I got there and there muggles *everywhere* so I bailed" like, you meant to find it, but didn't really get to look and a DNF log to be more like "I searched high, I search low, I expanded my area, I looked under rocks, I looked under tables and I couldn't find a freaking thing". Just my personal stuff
  11. I don't know if anyone's really to blame. Maybe they liked a location and it's just not suited for you. However, if the location is too difficult for you... then it's your fault. I mean, if the cache is located at the top of a giant sand dune that's almost vertical then yeah, it's not a piece of cake. If you get to the hill, look at it, then start climbing and then *continue* to climb, you don't really have a right to complain :/ After going up part way you can easily decide if you really want to struggle upwards for a container of random stuff. No one promised it would spectacular. I think as long as you can access the Google map of the cache and look at the satellite image and still pursue it, you only have yourself to blame If no one mentioned it was a puzzle cache or required extra effort or whatever, then I guess that could be the CO's fault but why place blame? Does it matter at the end of the day? I really hope I don't get bent out of shape at a surprise puzzle cache If you decide to complete the puzzle I don't think you can really whine too much. No one put a gun to your head and forced you to complete the puzzle. Hey, it happens. I don't think there's a good way to make sure something meets your expectations and what you like, but why get bent? If everything else about the cache is okay (log book and so forth), then does it matter? It may not be your cup of tea, but it just might be someone else's. Again, I hope I don't reach the point where I get super bent about a cache because it wasn't up to my specific standards If whatever you didn't like was mentioned on the cache page, then it's your fault. Kind of "look before you leap". I think it should be enough to give a good idea of what's going on. You have the difficulty rating... if it's a certain difficulty (I don't know, maybe a 2.5 or a 3 or higher) perhaps state why? "Oh, there's this hill you have to climb" or "needs rapelling equipment to access". There are a few cemetery caches around here and in neighboring counties. I like knowing if I have to go in or if the cache is accessible from the outside. I also really like knowing what I'm looking for, even if "micro" ends up meaning a 10-20 dram pill bottle. At least I know it's small. I also like to know about certains dangers. Exposed cliff faces? Poison ivy? Killer bees?! I mean, if I wander over and there's something I don't like that I wasn't informed of, I'll just go. Whatever. If I can deal with it, great. Little adventure. I guess that depends on the individual. If you have certain standards that have be met, then you should do some research until your requirements of "yes" or "no" are met. If you're willing to wing it, then fine. Right now, I'm just going through the D/T rating, the container type (regular, micro, etc), the cache description, probably the gallery if one is available, some logs, and then a Google map satellite image so I have a general idea of where it is. Some people may want more, some people may want less. To each their own I think there are a few things that cachers must beware. Things happen. Not everything is perfect. Not everything is clever. I think there are certain things a CO does owe a cacher, such as the most accurate coords possible. There are a lot of things that can be out of a CO's hands. I think a few of these scenarios don't really require "blame". Why blame someone? Just take it as it is and move on A few of these scenarios require you to blame yourself. If you hate it, why keep doing it? Masochistic much?
  12. I think it does. Doh. Criminey! I didn't notice that either! Well... I suppose it's far from my first time replying to really old threads that have been bumped (I've caught a few and stopped myself but I have a lot of room for improvement! ) I found pretty much the same definition for "cache maggot" that you did GeotaggedBloger. Someone that just vandalizes caches or steals them
  13. I haven't hid anything yet. I have been thinking of "if I hid a cache, where would I hide it" and haven't come up with anywhere yet. I'd want it to be a nice place that you could explore at least a little bit or even just a nice place to have lunch or enjoy a sunset I'd also want my hide to be a good one. Not like, a tricky little fake bird but just a clever hiding spot that is clever but not absurdly difficult. As for why I got into this... well, I know the how but I don't recall why I thought this was cool I guess I just like having another use for my GPS unit and having a good excuse to go outside and at least walk around. I think it's pretty fun finding things too I like swag, but it won't make or break anything. Actually, I think I'd rather have a good cache (clever container or cleverly hidden, nice spot) with no swag than a cache with crappy swag. I found somebody's signature item the other day and I thought that was so neat! Just a wooden nickel, but I was so taken with it. I'd kind of rather find something like that (although I had a dream night before last that I found a cache and a brand new GPS unit was inside and I wanted it so bad but I had nothing to trade up or even and then it turned out to be like, a really simple little kid GPS unit and for some reason I couldn't get it back in the cache ) I think what I like best is when I get my dad to go with me It's totally something I can do on my own, but I like it when Dad is there. Maybe someday I can cow my mom into coming along too
  14. Wow!! Did you create this list yourself? That's a lot of work! I haven't heard of a lot of these before. I like "blair witching", "hedwigged", "in-laws", and "plasma bandits" Perhaps one should be created for "Dursleys" I had to do an emergency google for that one when I read it on another thread
  15. It isn't? You still can't sign the log as required by the guidelines.Log full is absolutely a valid reason for a NM. In most cases, cachers will mention if the log is almost full, so the CO can take care of it proactively. If it gets to the point that it's completely full, a NM is warranted. Exactly the attitude that makes NM logs worthless. Geez. Talk about petty. 'Kay, my post came off wrong and I apologize. It appears I lost my train of thought and just blanked out somewhere What I meant was this: I'm looking for caches, right? There's a little icon over yonder that states the cache is in need of maintenance so I see why this cache needs maintenance. 1. Cache needs maintenance because the container is just trashed. There are things living in it. The log is destroyed. It's just nasty. It's been like that for months and no one has bothered to fix or archive it. The owner seems to have disappeared. Hmm... I think I'll skip trying to find this one perhaps. 2. Cache needs maintenance because the log book is full or got wet somehow, but otherwise cache is in acceptable to excellent condition. Hmm... perhaps I shall find it. What I meant was that a full log book, while worth mentioning and saying "needs maintenance", isn't going to totally destroy a cache unless yeah, people get sick of adding their own paper and the state of the cache just declines because of that. My (rather poorly written) comment was intended to say that a lot of the needs maintenance logs that I notice are due to logs being full or nearing capacity. I don't find that to be a reason to be deterred from finding a cache. Yes, it needs mentioning. Yes, it needs maintenance. Cache full of spiders that have made the container their new home? I'd be deterred. Cache just has full log book? I'd not be deterred. It was in response to NM logs deterring people from finding them. I was only trying to state that for me, it depends on the maintenance needed. That's what I was getting at. I apologize for my incoherentness. I seem to do that a lot. In my original post, I stated I did an NM because a container was missing. I am not above posting a NM log. I've mentioned in found logs that logs were getting full or that someone has added a piece of paper to the log book. I wasn't completely aware of how the NM feature worked. Today was my first time trying it out because that cache had no NM logs for whatever reason. Other caches that I have found with logs in need of replacing already had an NM log that hadn't been responded to. Perhaps I should have posted another one, but what's done is done. I suppose if I have to I can go find that cache again to make sure there is still a need for maintenance and post an NM log afterwards.
  16. Well, I'm in a unique position. I fly airplanes for a living so I can be in Sun Valley, ID in the Morning and Maine in the evening with a stop in Alabama for lunch. My job affords me a great opportunity to see many many caches, but I'm always worried about plants mostly and animals and crazies with guns and an invisible property line. I've been in the thick of flora and wondered to myself if any of these plants are going to make me unable to fly this afternoon. <snip> That is a unique position! I still think books are handy, but I am a nerd I'll echo The Invisibles and suggest this book regarding plants and animals that would be worrisome It covers "North America North of Mexico" I don't know what to say about property lines and gun-toting crazies Sage advice is definitely a good thing
  17. Yay! I've never noticed the '?' over there So... if it hasn't been found recently does it get taken off the list? Not an important question to answer... but just something that came through my head.Yes, if it hasn't been found recently, then it will get taken off the list of "beginner caches". Also, if there are problems reported, then it will get taken off the list of "beginner caches". And although this is less likely, if its size is changed to micro or if its difficulty is increased enough, then it will also get taken off the list of "beginner caches". Aha! Thank you very much! Very, very helpful Thank you!
  18. As a cacher, if I see "needs maintenance" then I check out the cache page and see if I can find out why. I did an NM post because the cache page stated there was a container involved and when I found it, I only found a zip lock baggie (with the log), so I posted an NM because I thought the CO would like to know and "Needs Maintenance" would hopefully get more attention then "Found It", in case my "Found It" log wasn't worth reading or something I definitely didn't intend to be obnoxious or drive others away from searching for it If there's an NM log and it's because the cache is pretty much trashed, then perhaps I'll skip it. A lot of NM logs seem to be along the lines of "Log full, so I added a piece of paper", which isn't detrimental to the cache like a faulty container or moldy log book :/
  19. Being not smart I had to Google that to find out what it was (and it worked!) Very nifty! Glad I learned about that today.
  20. I post DNF logs. If I really, really look for a cache and I can't find it, then I post DNF. If the last log is DNF, then I think "maybe it's not there" or "maybe they're not looking hard enough". If there are few DNFs then I start thinking more along the lines of "it's not there". If the cache owner has seen a string of DNF and went back out and checked and said it's there, then people aren't looking in the right spot and it's trickier than you'd think. Here's my stats: Found: 17 (don't laugh ) Also includes 1 Earthcache DNF: 6 NM: 1 (Found it today and the description says there is a container but all I found was a zip lock bag with the log) NA: 0 I think there's one DNF that could have been an NA. I looked and looked and couldn't find it. I'm fairly certain the bushes it was in have been cut down, but I'm not certain enough to say 100% beyond a doubt that it's gone I feel that DNF=failure for some people and that it's not about what they didn't find, but what they did. If they play that way, then okay. I can at least understand where they're coming from. The more I'm on this forum board, the more it seems that there is a huge stigma with posting NA logs. Some people seem to get bent about NM logs It seems a lot of people "give up" trying to do NM or NA because they're afraid of being attacked or are just tired of being attacked It seems like all they're trying to do is help and then words like "cache cop" are thrown around. When I did my "Needs Maintenance" log, I was a little hesitant, but I did it because if there is supposed to be container and there isn't, then perhaps the CO would want to know. I'm not trying to "get up in their business" or "dictate" or "take over" or whatever. I just want to let them know. I don't want it archived. I just want to help. People stop helping when they feel like they're being harassed about it
  21. I don't have any pictures of anything that I've taken myself, but I do have a suggestion for the original poster Buy some guide books for your area (and I'm not being snotty with you, I really, really mean that in the most helpful way possible!). I have a few from Audubon I'm in the desert Southwest, so I have a nifty little guide that pertains to desert Southwest that has plants and animals in it. Not all are deadly, but it's sometimes nice to know what a certain lizard is when I'm staring at it I also bought a couple of small "wilderness medicine" and "wilderness survival" books. I think I could figure out most of that kind of thing on my own, but I feel better knowing that if I freak out and have a brain freeze then I have my books This does seem a big topic to tackle for a thread. Is there like, a caching wiki page with info like this on it? Not to dog on it, but I see this being 40 pages long with repeats of "poison ivy" every 2 or 3 pages (and few will be as good as knowschad's). I'm not going to go through 40 pages of posts like mine that don't add anything I do think something like this is a really good idea though!
  22. It's 50' in, you need a flashlight, that constitutes special equipment. Maybe terrain is not a 5, but without a flashlight, the difficulty is 5. Scuba gear is special equipment. A boat is special equipment. Tactical tree climbing gear is special equipment. A flashlight is pretty ordinary equipment that I always carry with me and anyone can pick up at the local dollar store. I would rate this cache any where from 2.5 to 4 terrain rating depending on how hard the cave is to access. I agree with ZeLoneWolf. A flashlight shouldn't be "special". It seems like most people carry a flashlight for caching and if they don't, then I've seen a lot of people use the light from their cell phone screen. If I see a 5, I ignore it because I think it's either extremely strenuous physically or you have to have "special" equipment like scuba gear or be able to do some spectactular rock climbing with ropes and harnesses and so forth. I wouldn't want to skip over this because I thought it was like, real spelunking when really the hardest thing (provided you fit) is if you're claustrophobic :unsure:
  23. I visited the cache page and it seems like this camera has been down since at least 11/12/2010. A quote from someone who logged it with a non webcam picture states : This was from 1/5/2011 (a little over a year ago). There are an awful lot of people who logged this with pictures from other devices. I don't know how I feel about it Part of me feels that that is fine because it's still listed as a cache to go find and hey, you really were there. Part of me feels that it is cheating because you're supposed to have a webcam pic. So I don't know. I guess that's up to you what you do and what you're okay living with I do feel that if posting a regular picture of yourself at the spot or a picture of the now deceased webcam causes so much alarm then the cache should definitely be archived. There are posts going back to November 12, 2010 saying the webcam is down and on January 5 of 2011, someone said the cam in question isn't even listed on the site anymore. I think it's really sad that people get attacked for logging an NA Either this cache needs to be archived or it needs to become something else so people can still log it like they're doing.
  24. I would like to be the first to find something. Not everything, just... something. I'm certainly not going to go balls out and find one though. If I get to it, awesome! If I don't, well, I can still find it, just not first The high find count... I don't know Sometimes I feel intimidated by these people with thousands of finds. I haven't been doing this a long time. I don't really try very hard to find a lot either. I want to find more. I don't think I'll ever get into thousands unless I'm doing this when I'm 50 I get wanting to find it first or find a lot, but that's not really me
  25. If you scroll down to the bottom of a cache list, to the "Highlight beginner caches" checkbox, there is a "?" icon. If you click it, the following "help" popup appears: Yay! I've never noticed the '?' over there So... if it hasn't been found recently does it get taken off the list? Not an important question to answer... but just something that came through my head. Thank you!
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