eaglespirit0

Geez, I never realized how MANY cemeteries there were until I started geocaching ....... most of the modern ones don't have geocaches, but a lot of the old township cemeteries and family plots have geocaches located to showcase them. One of the most peculiar is one located in Hawley that links a small town to a national figure: http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...17-048f805d17da

Yeah ... unfortunately, the largest (and one of the more beautiful) parks in Washington DC is Rock Creek Park. Rock Creek Park is also a national park, so that means no caches in it. If I could recommend something ... don't geocache the Mall. Sure, you'll pick up about a good 20 caches, but it's just not fun. And if you're going to do it, do it at night. I'd suggest hitting Old Downtown and getting the caches there ... a much more enjoyable afternoon experience. Or you can go to Burke Lake Park in Fairfax, Virginia ... there's a nice set of caches there. - JD

As I said, within the confines of the District there are only 75 caches, most of them being Virtuals. There are MANY more in the surrounding area, including Bethesda, Rockville, Reston/Arlington, Fairfax, etc. If you want that number, you can do your own research. I don't have the time.

There are only 75 caches in the actual District itself, most of them being virtuals.

The Boy Scouts of America sells a relatively easy to use and functionable compass for around 7.50 - 15.00 (They are all the same -- it depends where you stop/where you live) You can probably pick one up at any Council Center's Shop or any other scout shop. They're great!

I was wondering when this is as I'll be down in Ocean City around this time ---- unfortunately, we are leaving the day before the event. Hope it is a blast!

Not only are the practices hokey, but they also decrease the integrity of the hobby into a bunch of people sitting behind a computer and logging caches. The two base premises of geocaching: 1. Find a cache. 2. Sign the logbook.

Not to be self-gratifying, but my log at BrianSnat's Great Falls of the Passaic sums up what geocaching is to me .... http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...d3-1a2efdf050eb

As much as I respect your opinion and you as a cacher, I cannot help but disagree. I understand that my degree of a "lame cache" may be completely different than your degree of a "lame cache". However, I don't understand any reason for actually liking quick cache and dashes that you receive nothing from. I don't understand how someone could choose to avoid caches that require even of a quarter of a mile round trip. I don't understand what the appeal is to find a magnetic hide-a-key in a guardrail or a film canister under a lamp skirt. What I do understand is these caches are quick for those that don't have a lot of time (understandable) or they are good caches to eye up if one wants to quickly boost their numbers for whatever reason. I don't like micros, I understand that. But I like micros that have redeeming qualities -- two of my top ten favorite caches are micros because they brought me to somewhere historic / scenic. A lot of other micros are good caches that I will show to friends. But maybe about a quarter of the micros I have found have been those that have been tossed somewhere. What has alarmed me is the increase in new caches like these. True, medium/large sized caches are not disappearing, but at least in my area, they are not being hidden as much as this new micro trend. I counted myself and I believe I posted the numbers in this thread somewhere. I do not believe this: I believe that people place caches on accesibility. It's like micros, if its easy to hide, it'll chalk one up for my hidden record -- I followed that strategy too, before I realized I was contributing nothing to the community other than poorly-hidden micros (that were at least in scenic/historic locations). Too many cachers, at least in my area, have started hiding caches before they've even found five or six. One of them, Elangomat191, is doing a great job at finding interesting and historical locations. However, most of the other ones haven't found anything other than a lamp post or guard rail micro: how can they really know everything, or at least a small portion of the joy of finding caches? I am not trying to make this into an anti-micro argument. What I am trying to do is make this into an anti Micro-Spew argument. Micros do not damage the sport, but an excess of uninspired micros do. -JD

No, I proposed a hypothetical situation which is more or less real instead of being hypothetical. I always wanted to get all of the caches in a 10-mile radius from my house before I went to college. I initially had fun finding puzzles, going on moderately difficult hikes, or searching for intriguing camouflages. Every few weeks a new cache would come out, sometimes it would be good, or sometimes it would be 'meh. But with the exception of one, none of them were parking lot micros. Since maybe February or March of this year, every week at least about one or two new micros in parking lots or thrown off the road appear. It seems everything else is more or less something thrown on the wayside by geocachers who are only finding these parking lot micros and believing that this is what the hobby is about. There is no challenge, no fun, or no value to these caches. Maybe I'm missing the point, but I don't understand how people can actually make an argument to actually keep on spewing caches like these -- with the exception of racking up their numbers. Choose ... would you rather find: Carey's Mountain or DC's Wally World? What's even more sad is the former, which was hidden in early 2002, has only 12 more finds than the latter, which was hidden last month. I do like both cachers, but I don't understand how people can actually choose parking lot caches over hiking caches as their "favorite cache hides" ..... and they do.

My argument is not of the usefulness of a variety of GPSr programs provided by this site and other programs. My argument is about the recent increase of new uninspired, down-right "lame" caches that bring you to nowhere interesting nor historical and a decrease of well maintained, historical, innovative, and inspired geocaches. Also, new cachers, for whatever reason, have a tendency to find examples of the former than the latter and believe that this is what geocaching is about: not hiking, touring, or sightseeing, but getting as many geocaches as possible. No use of computer programs can correct this. For instance, I took a rough count of all of the caches that have came out this year alone in an 11-mile radius of my house. These are my results ... Micros with a Combined Total of Less than 5 (This Being The Addition of Difficulty and Terrain) -- 24 Medium/Large Containers with a Combined Total of Less than 5 -- 4 Any Container with a Total of More than 5 -- 9 Of all of the new caches in the area, about 65% are more or less micros in parking lots, guardrails, or spewn in randomn parts of the woods. I have not been the best advocate for anti-Micro Spewing, but in the last couple of months its gotten more than frustrating. I had an obsession of getting a personal one-day record. After realizing that I was not having fun going from parking lot to parking lot, I stopped and planned my days around a few, good caches. Once in a while, a cache from a long time ago will pop up on my GPS and I'll go for it. But other than that, I have no interest in touring randomn strip mall parking lots, guardrails, or the likes. If that's what this new community (myself included, finding the sight in 2004) as a whole wants to do instead of finding historical locations, beautiful viewpoints, or having a nice hike through a variety of terrains, then fine. But it's disappointing. Just like Wal-Mart, it's not about the quality --- it's about the numbers.

Yes, it is a bad thing. After 20-or-so Wal Mart hides hidden under the same way with the only variant being the location of the light pole, you get sick and tired of it. After 20-or-so newbies (who, ironically, have found only all 20 Wally World Caches in a 10 mile radius) each hide 20 or so micro film canisters in randomn places off the road with no intrinsic or historical value, you get sick and tired of it. Then when a cacher, who has found all 20 Wal Mart Caches and all 20 Multi Caches goes and micro spews 20 caches in a variant of a wasteland, you get sick, tired, frustrated, and peeved. So, now, you have 60 new caches and 60 more finds ...... and the only thing you can do with that is brag that you have those numbers. You can't validate it with a great caching story, you can't really (or at least I hope not) say that you got exercise/historical,geographical insight, nor can you really claim you had a lot of fun. But you can claim you found 60 lame caches. Congratulations.

As a cache finder finding a cache of an uknown geocacher, I try to put as much effort into finding the cache as I assume they did hiding it. I don't feel the need to empty water out of a cracked, old film canister under a lamp skirt as much as emptying water out of a new film canister with laminated instructions placed in the vicinity of a historical marker. I don't feel the need to avoid muggles when the cache owner probably drove up to the nearest lamp skirt and plopped a randomn micro, not even batting a lash at any potential muggles. I do feel the need to avoid muggles when it is obvious that the cache hider put much effort into his cache -- be it backwoods or an ingenious urban hide. I don't dislike micros, but I hate uninspired caches at bus stops, Wal-Marts, Cracker Barrels, guardrails, etc. I go into every hunt expecting the greatest. Unfortunately, achieving that seems to be at best occasional nowadays. - JD

The SGL's near Hawley have been notoriously plagued by hunters who more or less have an extreme dislike for geocachers. The area has also been victim of a few local SGL officers who have taken it into their own hands to make rules about cachers on game lands without state approval. - JD

It's inevitable that any good, practical, clean sport or past time that anyone does will eventually be ruined or tarnished by someone else, either intentionally or unintentionally. With that being said, I would drop the entire conversation. People thrive off of the attention and the mob that they are enciting and it will only encourage them to do it more. So don't itch, moan, complain, or come up with a number of radical solutions. You're just egging them on. . . . . . and personally, I have a day set up to do all the dirty martini caches. Have a nice night folks. - JD The 18 Year Old Who Still Doesn't Have a Clue

Hey Guys, I would be up for another event and although it was more lax than anything else, Greg and I had a great time at our picnic last year. However, I know with myself that I am going on a summer camp staff, going to camp school, packing and planning for college in Washington DC, and staffing a ten-day leadership seminar. In between all of that I'm going on a trip to Michigan, Ottawa, and Delaware. It's going to be a busy summer. However, before I go to college, I would love to go camping ... and if I can't go camping with the Boy Scouts, I'd love to go with a group of geocachers. I'd be game for an event, however, I do not feel I have the full capabilities, resources, and time to coordinate it. - JD

18, started caching when I was 17.

I agree with mtndave -- there have been attempts at groups but nothing has ever really happened. Pretty much the norm is to find a "gaggle" of cachers who work together and often go on trips together. That and stumbling upon each other or talking online is I guess the norm for our camraderie. There is the occasional event. Of course, I'm not speaking for everybody, but that's what I have noticed. We don't hate each other nor are we anti-social, I haven't met an NEPA cacher I didn't like. Nay, I have liked every cacher I have came across. Hope to see you around! - JD

Perhaps I'm biased because I'm a Boy Scout or perhaps I'm biased because I am unable to make a rational thought, but I am rather (rightfully or not) disturbed at the bashing of an organization taken on by people in this thread and the writer of the travel bug logs. I've never found it justifiable to give backhanded compliments -- it's just not tasteful. I respect others opinions but find it hard not to constructively criticize those that don't take in the holistic perspective -- the BSA doesn't exist to be homophobic. With that said and keeping in mind this threads existence isn't based on the validity of the forementioned program, I think it's sad to see the day when grown, supposedly level-headed adults take their anger out on a group of 10-year old children who probably don't even know what a homosexual person is. Perhaps this grown person should, well, grow up. Sorry about your bug loss.

Bigfoot @ Sparta WMA I never really believed into Bigfoot today -- while I'm still skeptical, whatever I saw, was not anything I've seen of my 18 years of existence on this planet ...

Maybe a little bit grown-up, but I started caching when I was 16-years old with a couple of friends. Now, a year later, and 18 years old, I have over 400 finds. I guess that's not too shabby. I credit it to parents believing I should have a certain level of harmless freedom and a lot of trust -- and also getting an early seniors license due to my impeccable record.

I notice a lot of quips, complaints, rebuttals, comments, etc. about people who don't do their share in the geocaching world because they don't hide enough caches or they don't hide enough quality caches. I have hidden a total of eight physical caches, and to be quite honest, save two of them, they all pretty much suck. I had high visions for them and believed they were in the best interest to the caching public. However, with further retrospect, I would never want to find one of them. I have creative ideas, interesting locations, and a working mind; yet, I just can't seem to place a cache that lasts a long time, is fun to hunt, and maintains quality. The thought is there, it just doesn't pan out. I suppose you could tell me, well go find more caches, but with over 400, I've seen everything from a plastic bag to heavy-duty ammo cans. So ... Is there anyone else out there who will admit to not being able to place higher-than-caliber geocaches? What would you prolific hiders suggest to people like me who, although they have the best interest of the community in mind, just cannot put an effective cache together for the life of them? Thank-you so much, I look forward to hearing your comments/suggestions/gripes/rants/tired opinions/emoticons and hope you and yours a Happy Holiday season. - EagleSpirit0

At the National Scout Jamboree, there were numerous cache hides on fire hydrants for their offical geocaching courses. Sent me and another geocacher looking around for quite some time. - JD

Being only 17, I don't think 394 caches in a little over a year is that bad. I guess it's a combination of the desire for adventure and parents who realize that harmless adventure like this (as opposed to drinking, drugs, etc.) is actually a growth experience for me. Not to mention my acute sense to pick something out of the ordinary -- with the very frequent exception. I either find it quickly or take forever.

I both agree and disagree. I enjoy when I can do a multi on a long cache and/or multiple caches along one route. However, I don't mind walking 1-2, even 3 miles for a single cache. Why? It's the ends and the journeys that jutify the means. If it's a scenic/historical hike with a scenic/historical endpoint, I enjoy the moments along the way. Maybe I'm seeing this from a common backpacker/trekker perspective instead of a family perspective, but I don't find the adventure in the cache -- I find it in the journey to the cache. Just my opinion. - JD