eagletrek

Frankly the idea is neat however, I worry that someone else might mimick you without ensuring all the safeguards are in place and may actually cause someone harm. But then again, someone already has mentioned the term "Natural Selection."

And all the time I thought it was due to interference caused by the "Mothership" as it used the sunset to disguise it's passage to and froe through our atmosphere!!!!!

This practice is just lame, but that's just my humble opinion!!!!!! The folks in my area who have done it use the acronynm ATHLN (Assisted The Hider, Logging Now). No matter which way you slice it, it's still baloney!!!!

As I've been reminded before, don't dictate to others how the "game" should be played. If I elect to post short logs and use "cut and pastes" that's my choice. Are you allowed to complain???? You sure can!!!! Do I have to listen and/or care???? I don't think so!!!!! Sounds like we got an "ego thang" goin' here!!!!!

Only if you can spell meter correctly, Mate!!!

Ouch!!!!! That's like having your you-know-what caught in your zipper!!!!!! Attention to detail will ensure you don't get your strap caught between the lip and a hard spot!!!!!

If your GPSr is equiped, just plug in the Google grids and then change the format to the proper dd.mm.mmm. Or you can just use the "conversion" function on one of the cache pages.

I don't know how many folks are experienced with these highly technical pieces of equipment!!!!! I had about 20 years of experience with them. The black ones, training kits, and the green ones, actual decon kits never had gaskets. If closed properly, most were somewhat watertight. While I would not wanted mine to leak, back in the day, it was not a show stopper. The contents of these containers were packed in a watertight packages. Old Army!!!!!!!

I geo-solo, so I can't ever be accused of caching with a dog!!!

I waited until I had about 200 finds before hiding my first cache. It wasn't because I couldn't post accurate coords but that I wanted to see a wide variety of caches before hiding my own. I thought I at least owed that to the folks that had hidden so many great caches for me to find. That said, some folks like jumping in with both feet without really having mastered the basics. BTJMO

Some of the best training is experience. I shoot in IDPA events whenever I can. IDPA = International Defensive Pistol Association. Read this article. It effectively simulates some real world experience just by the adrenaline rush and loss of manual dexterity that occurrs with that rush. The courses themselves have little to do with the real world, but the rush you get and the difficulty you have reloading, clearing malfunctions, and just thinking clearly in the moment are quite valuable. If you're buff, try shooting IPSC. The International Practical Shooting Confederation is NOT for everyone. Only the buff need apply. Not my cup, but an option for those serious enough to graduate from IDPA. As training goes it's a whole lot better than PAYING to listen to some ex-cop/ex-military blowhard talk about their firefights in Nam or down in the hood. LEARN by DOING. Don't bother with videos and seminars. Some comments on some of your statements: I couldn't agree with you more on your statement that "some of the best training is experience." However, experience involves incorporating practical knowledge and practical exercise. Without practical knowledge, which can be taught in a "classroom setting" all the practical experience in the world is worthless. In the military we call this the crawl, walk, run method. Once an individual has been schooled in the basics, hands-on practical exercises are the best way to reinforce the training. However, as stated by pcunningham, one needs to be careful about what procedures are being reinforced during the practical exercises as they may result in "negative" training. I've been involved in military live-fire exercises where safety considerations have outweighed combat reality and resulted in "negative" training. You state IDPA "effectively simulates some real world experience just by the adrenaline rush and loss of manual dexterity that occurrs with that rush." Are you positive about that? Have you been in an intense firefight where the guy next to you has just had the side of his face blown off? I don't think there's anything out there that will adequately prepare you for that in the shooting arena. Just some thoughts to ponder. I'm a firm believer in "you fight like you train." There are too many real world examples of negative training to deny that fact. I stated earlier in this thread, that if you don't practice reloading from the configuration that you carry most often, you might as well leave the extra rounds at home and save the weight in your pack. Make that first shot count and don't think you can spray bullets to make up for lack of skill. Yes I'm quite positive that IDPA helps in training for those of us fortunate enough to have not had the experience of live combat. It helps you learn your body's reaction to shooting in a pressure situation. I'm quite sure it's not very much like the real thing, but I hope I never find out first hand either. I read and watched videos and attended firearms training seminars as a student and at the instructor level for many years before I shot IDPA. I knew about the 75% loss of manual dexterity that happens in sudden stressfire situations. No amount of study prepared me for the intense physical reaction to actually shooting under stress. IDPA proved the theory through practice like no amount of classroom and independant study had before. I would urge anyone that plans to carry regularly to shoot IDPA at least once to experience their own reaction to shooting under pressure. Umm, yea.... Well, no I've never been in a firefight. I don't believe I made any statements that IDPA shooting would prepare one for real combat. I qualified my statement by using the word, "some." Let's take a moment for me to clarify my message. This thread is about cachin' armed. To me, if you don't understand the mechanics of your weapon (how to load, fire, and quickly clear malfunctions) and the theory and laws behind what is and isn't a justified use of force, you shouldn't be carrying a firearm in the first place. So, taken as read that these criteria are covered for this thread about cachin armed then YES, IDPA is the best possible training/experience you can get (that I know of) to understand how YOU might possibly react in a stressfire situation. That is valuable knowledge that you can't get from a book, a DVD, or in a classroom. Go back to class if you think you need it, but after my first IDPA event, most of what the experts had to say about their own experiences meant very little to my own. Most experts give you the basics, some useful tricks and tips, and fill the rest of the space with stories and experiences that are unique to them alone and of very little use to the student. Hey, it sells books and DVDs though. Go get your own experience shooting IDPA and borrow someone else's Massad Ayoob or Jeff Cooper DVD. You'll save a few bucks. Well I guess we agree. Never said that practical exercise, in your case IDPA, was not a good thing however it needs to be incorporated with practical knowledge, some of which may come in the form of classroom instruction. BTJMO. BTW, you've now got me interested in IDPA!!! It looks like it will be something else which will vie for my time.

I own one of these and I alternate between it and a Molle shoulder pack depending on climatic conditions.

I own one of these and I alternate between it and a Molle shoulder pack depending on climatic conditions.

Why not, when you are able to get around again, take your old GPS and some friends and go back and see what bush or hole the kids hid that new GPS in when they realized it was useless to them and would only get them caught? As long as not broken or the LCD sun cooked it should be just fine even left outdoors for a while. Need to read all the posts. He has his 60CSx back.

Yeah, "Never Mind!!!!!!!"

VIAGRA??????

My Row Versus Wade cache can spend weeks or even months under water when the Navidad River is full. Good ol 50 cal. I would estimate it has gotten submerged at least 10 feet under floating on the end of it's tether judging by the flood debris line. It stays dry as a bone though. My Banjo Music akaWhy is Daddy Crying Terracache is closer to the flood line. It hardly gets wet but it has moved to the end of the tether. Can you believe it, I'm agreeing with Snoogans!!!!! A good tether and container are the trick. I use 550 cord for my tethers and if the cache is in a flood prone area, a 7.62 or .50 cal ammo can. My final for "Treasure of the Black Pearl" is now under about 8 feet of water and that's factoring in a four foot tether. Unless the tree it's tethered to washes away, it should be good to go but only time will tell.

Not trashing others???? If that was your intent, why did you only delete the hider's identity in your original post and not LOE's????? Yeah, right!!!!!!! I don't know how you play the game up north but don't try this stuff in Central Texas.

And how is this post tied to the OP's thread????

There shouldn't be any angst here if this is the way it went down! wasn't archived at the time. I now know why Texas kids are failing the TAKS Test!!!!! I suggest you read the logs for GC112MA in chronological order. I have and here's the deal: 17 APR 07 LOE logs find and comments on condition of cache 22 MAY 07 Another cacher logs find and comments on condition of cache 24 MAY 07 LOE posts "Needs Maintenance" note 27 MAY 07 3caseyhunters archive the cache 31 MAY 07 LOE recovers the geo-trash and states he'll drop it off in another of the owners caches Now tell me that the cache wasn't archived before LOE policed up the trash. GET YOUR FACTS STRAIGHT!!!!!

Yes... and yes. michelle WOW!!!! After reading your story, they should call you Miss Congeniality!!!

I clean them up and place them on a self in my den where I can sit back and admire them!!! What's that you say????? I'm not supposed to take them?!?!? Whoops!!!!! My bad!!!!!!!

While the discussions about "situational awareness" may have been a "little grating," maybe, just maybe, they may have taught you something that may save your hide next time. We, who don't learn from our mistakes are bound to repeat them. That said, I'm glad you're on the mend and caching again.

In about 3 years of caching, I've been stopped 3 times by law enforcement but I never felt they their inquiries were unwarranted. First time was by a county sheriff who was checking out my car which was in a parking area of an old Corps of Enginneer park at 0330 hours in the morning. I think I took the guy by surprize when I emerged from the woods. After an exchange of pleasentries, I informed him what I was doing and provided him with the URL off the bottom of my cache page (yes, I'm one of the folks who's not paperless). He thought I was crazy for be out at this time of the morning but I told him it was the best time to get the night cache in the area. After telling me to be careful, he left. My second experience was with a local policeman. He was checking out what I was doing along a trail. It appears this area has been used in the past as a quick escape route for folks who have vandalized houses in the area. After explaining what I was doing the officer left as he was already familiar with geocaching. My last encounter was probably my best. It was in the New Mexican desert just west of the Texas border and about three miles north of the Mexican border. I was traveling down a dirt track when I noticed a vehicle following from a distance. He kept pace with me for about 15 minutes while mantaining his distance and then closed in while turning on his lights. As he approached I noticed the U.S. Border Patrol markings. The officer pulled me over not to prevent me from caching but to warn me of the not-so-good activities in the area and to ensure I was okay. After providing the warning and wishing me luck with my caching we departed our ways. It was good to know there was someone out there concerned enough to warn us "good guys" about potential problems we could encounter in the area. All my encounters have been good so far.

What a great point!!!!! That's why some of us don't "Geo-Herd." By going solo, I know that I "found" the cache and was not just "along for the ride." Geo-Solo!!!! It's the only way to know that "you" really found it!!!!!!!!