sparc77

I'm glad I left my GPSR at home then. I didn't know they were forbidden last summer when I went to Ekaterinburg. Too bad too. There is a monument just outside the city that marks the boundry between Asia and Europe. Great spot for a cache, if anyone is headed in that direction.

I'd just leave it as piratess. I really don't think anyone will take it the wrong way. I mean who would call him/herself a pirate who actually was? As for the tire covers, the last one I had posessed a pull string in the back that allowed it to go over most tires (albiet the fit was sorta snug on my over-sized-Rich-Mountain-4x4-trail-climbing-set. There are presently 4 caches on that trail, and it has become something of a GA geocaching ironman/woman marathon to try to do them all in one day. scenes from Rich Mountain http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?ID=18900&log=y&decrypt= http://www.geocaching.com/seek/log.aspx?IID=f62f78a8-8292-4ab7-b18b-956e71f542d9&LID=111270 http://img.Groundspeak.com/cache/10433_300.jpg

quote:Originally posted by Mark 42:But... why not just a sticker on the existing one, that way you know it will fit your particular tire. I really don't have a problem with that as long as it won't fade, peel or wrinkle. Stickers on glass or metal have a solid backing, and are less likely to do that kind of thing, but tire covers are flexible and a sticker is much more likely to peel away. And unless you plan to get "big-foot" tires, most covers have a certian amount of elasticity to allow them to go with a range of tire sizes. I still like the idea of the covers. A cover with the Groundspeak character on it would be a much better improvement over the cover that came with my Jeep.

Is that kind of thing a problem where you live? We generally don't have that kind of problem. Most people who are on the trails are generally not interested in such mischief. I can see how it might be an issue with urban/suburban caches, but in the rural areas, most hikers, horse riders, etc. have pretty good integrity. While I can appreciate your concerns, and being aware of your surroundings is good practice, to assume that someone is going to go out of their way to follow me just to raid a box filled with dime-store knick-knacks (especially if it will involve a 5 mile or more round trip hike) to me it sounds like paranoia. No offense.

I was thinking it would be neat if we could get the good folks who provide the geocaching merchandise to offer up spare tire covers too. Anyone else think it's a good idea or bad idea?

I am working with a couple of Geocachers around the country to set up a series of linked virtual multistage caches that will follow the events of the Civil War. We are looking for folks who would be willing to do a little bit of research and help us to set up virtual caches. We already have people to work on Gettysburg and Chicamauga

I am working with a couple of Geocachers around the country to set up a series of linked virtual multistage caches that will follow the events of the Civil War. We are looking for folks who would be willing to do a little bit of research and help us to set up virtual caches. We already have people to work on Gettysburg and Chicamauga

FYI: In the last couple of months, some headway has been made in GA...Mostly thanks to Eric and the GGA Steering Committee. By way of explanation, the GA Park Service wasn't really being too anal or anything. They had some legitimate concerns. For example, they often use state prisoners to clean parks and geocachers often leave items in caches that could be used as weapons. Nevertheless, at least on a trial basis, it seems that a cache will be placed at Tallulah Gorge. Like Erik, I do a little caching in NC and Tenn since I live only about 10 miles from the three corner point where all three states meet.

We've discussed this and its many perturbations. We've heard from Erik, and his experience carries a lot of weight in GA. I wonder what Jeremy and co. think about it.

Another possible container would be a sonar bouy case. You can get them at military surplus stores. They are about 2 foot long cylinders and about 4 inches diameter with watertight latching lids. I saw one recently in Tennessee. It was a downstream stage of a multistage cache in a river, so I can't elaborate much more on what cache it is. It was not always underwater as it was planted on a small island in the middle of a whitewater river that is flood controlled, so at various times of the week, it is subject to high energy water.

Another possible container would be a sonar bouy case. You can get them at military surplus stores. They are about 2 foot long cylinders and about 4 inches diameter with watertight latching lids. I saw one recently in Tennessee. It was a downstream stage of a multistage cache in a river, so I can't elaborate much more on what cache it is. It was not always underwater as it was planted on a small island in the middle of a whitewater river that is flood controlled, so at various times of the week, it is subject to high energy water.

It's true, that for a large number of people and cachers, it really wouldn't be necessary. I know that the massive multitude of metro-caches in and around Atlanta are probably no more than 15 minutes form any number of cacher's I know, and I could just pick up my cell phone and give a call if I needed it. This is more aimed at remote and slightly difficult caches like the ones in the Rich Mountain area. It is quite possible that after me, the next nearest cacher may be looking at a 70+ mile trip just to get here. The cluster in this wilderness area is a total of 6 caches that can only be reached by foot, horse, 4-wheeler, or a very SERIOUS 4-wheel drive truck, (no average 4-wheel drive vehicle will survive). The hike from one end to the other is about 10-12 miles (if you include the rocky mt caches too) and part of that trail is restricted to foot traffic only. The premis of this idea, in addition to safety and rescue, was also one of assistance. Some folks may not be interested in hiking all the way across, then have to turn around and hike back to thier car. Instead, they could drop thier car off to the endpoint and the buddy could give them a lift to the starting point. As for the witness concept...I hadn't even thought of that. I would encourage a cacher to try at least twice, perhaps with extra clues and hints from previous visitors. I might be willing to help someone find a cache if they at least gave it a good hard try on thier own once or twice. So it is a good point that near the urban areas, the buddy system isn't really too necessary, but in the remote rural locations, it could be a great tool for helping out and safety. Just yesterday, I almost needed a my buddy (in this case it was my wife). I was bushwacking up Sugarloaf Mt in Tennessee with a metal container in my backpack (hmmm now what could that be all about?) and my dog, walking iun front of me, caused a low limb to swat me in the chest and sent me tumbling down a steep incline. It could have been very ugly had a tree trunk stopped me after about 10 feet. I was lucky. And just imagine my irritation as I watched my favorite walking stick slide down down down and out of sight. I found it on the way back down, thanks to the track display on my garmin.

Here in Georgia, we have been tossing an idea around and are beginning to get some good responses within our state. So we thought it would be a good idea to put it out on the floor and see what the rest of the world thinks about it. A Cache Buddy is a volunteer who lives near a cache or cluster of caches (usually difficult ones but not necessarily). This person has been to the caches and know the locations and how to find them. The purpose of a Cache Buddy is to offer a degree of support for fellow cachers who may experience difficulties such as automobile troubles, getting lost, injury, etc. Our trial grounds are the Rich Mountain Wilderness Area. This is a cluster of about 6 caches with difficulty 3.5+. There is a jeep trail that goes across the mountain that has claimed numerous axles and differentials (I have even seen a busted gearbox). In addition, there have been reports of hikers who have experienced health problems and sadly enough even a fatality due to heart failure. A person who is going to attempt a difficult cache solo might feel more at ease if they knew that there was a Cache Buddy that they could contact before hand and arrange some sort of verification. This could simply be to have the Buddy drive by the parking area and check to see that the cacher's car has departed before sunset or even a phone number for someone to call if they get into trouble (assuming they can place a call) The Buddy would also be a person who (if necessary) could call the ranger station or strike out and lead a rescue party (it helps to have a guide who knows where the hiker was going and how to find it). And of course the Buddy may simply just be needed to give a dead car battery a jump on a cold, rainy evening. So how do we identify a Cache Buddy? At present we simply mention them in the text--see Solaros Cache--but in the future, we hope to be able to put an icon next to the Buddy's log entry (maybe a little flag or something) to identify them as a Cache Buddy. Then someone who is planning to visit the cache can shoot them an email through the system and the Buddy and cacher can correspond to arrange whatever support the cacher would like. This program is a voluntary one, and the Cache Buddy is not obligated to drop everything and wait by the phone for a call for help (unless he agrees to do so), but will work with the cache hunter to agree on what the hunter needs the Buddy to do and what the Buddy will be able to do. There is, of course a point of honor in that if a Buddy agrees to do something, he/she should make every attempt to follow through. Likewise, if a cacher asks a Buddy for help (say to let him park his car at one end of the trail and get a lift to the other end) then the cacher should not take such aid for granted and if he should change his plans, should let the Buddy know immediately. We think this has the potential to be a good step forward to Geocaching, and would like to hear your thoughts. Thanks for taking the time to read and respond.