halffast

I understand that nobody so far has disscouraged me from logging the marks on the NGS site.I myself Have discouraged myself.I am fairly new to the benchmark part of geocaching and I myself have decided to wait until I know what I am doing before I comit myself to the NGS site.How long that will take only time will tell.Right now I am not comfortable enough to do it.I will still visit these forums to learn what I need to.Thanks for all of the comments.

Halffast, regarding AB4180, if you would decide to log it with the NGS, your GC.com log would supply needed information to the next surveyor who might want to use that survey marker. Meaning it has position coordinates that a surveyor could enter into a handheld unit and then go find the station mark. If the surveyor can't use a set of coordinates, why is he a surveyor? I doubt most surveyors will complain about what format the coordinates are in, given that they are familiar with all the common formats used in the common handheld units. It's a good bet they will not complain about getting any assistance in locating a marker and finding out its condition. Some of the folks here forget that making it easier for the next person is reason enough to log with the NGS. Keeping it simple and accurate is all that is needed. Surveyors use the NGS database to determine which if any survey marks are close to the area where their next project will be. If there are "recent" coordinates given for a mark that will save them time searching for that mark. Saved time = saved money and that makes them happy. Logging on the NGS just to change the color of the county is nice, but is aimed at the GC.com group and not the professional surveyor. Just remember that the first requirement of benchmark hunting here at GC.com is enjoyment. If you want to log with the NGS and help change the colors of the map do so and take no offense at those that sometimes get "EXCITED" at having another GCer logging with the NGS. They forget sometimes, that It may be your first posts here in the forum, but you may already know what is required to log at the NGS. Don't let their over-enthusiasm get to you. Evan Williams Thanks EvenI posted here I guess to see if I could possibly get into logging on the NGS site seeing how I am recovering some old marks from the 30s and 40s but It dosn't seem I am needed so I will just keep logging onto the Geocache site for now.Maybe later after I have found all that I can in the 3 counties near me I might try the NGS site on my own.No problem.

Hi, Halffast, I worked very hard on my previous response to make it encouraging, while, at the same time, attempting to convey that logging with NGS is a separate (and more serious) part of the hobby. I hope I did not offend you, or make it sound impossibly difficult. One way to "ease into" NGS reporting is to submit only those marks which you have found and identified by the stamping on the disk. If it has been more than one year since the last NGS entry, a simple "RECOVERED AS DESCRIBED" or "RECOVERED IN GOOD CONDITION" can be valuable to professional surveyors. If something obvious has changed, the report might say "RECOVERED AS DESCRIBED, EXCEPT THE GULF STATION IS NOW DEE'S CRAFT SHOP" or "MONUMENT IS LEANING 20 DEGREES TOWARD THE WEST, BUT DISK IS INTACT." As submitters gain experience and get more familiar with NGS terminology, the range of reported finds (or not found's) can be expanded. And there are plenty of experienced folks to help with the wording and arrangement of reports. The Forums are great because you get more than one person's input. Shirley's post is an excellent example. As she pointed out, whether or not you report to NGS is not critical. We're glad to have your participation on geocaching.com/mark. So, keep those good finds and photos coming! -Paul- As I said I read through the forums and learned a lot about how to log a mark.From what I read I need to let geocachers know if they can find the mark.The water tank can not be logged so I let them know.The one I put the coords in the log was for those who are not from the area.It took a little time for me to find the post office with the coords on the site.They were off quite a ways.I no that posting new coords on the NGS site is a no no .All they want to know is if the mark was found and the condition.Some of the logs on the geocache site I went back and edited after reading the forums to change them from destroyed to not found.I know these marks cannot be found but because I didnot find them doesnt mean they were destroyed.They are under 50 foot of water or under the Hwy that was widened.Alot of the marks around here was placed in the 1930s and 40s.and have not been updated.It is exiting for me to find a benchmark from way back then with the mention of the mark being so far from a wagon trail or on the old Hwy that no longer exists because it was rerouted but the marks are still in the forest somewhere.I sent in my application to volunteer for the National maps corps and am waiting for acceptance.I will try that and see how it goes.

Thanks for the info PFF...The marks you mentioned ( AB4180 & SV1248) Was logged that way so geo-cachers were informed on what to expect if they looked for them.Like I said I am new to finding and logging Benchmarks.I have read all the forums and all the FAQs in the forums on this subject.I was hoping to join in and learn how to submit logs to the NGS .It sounds like I made a mistake for ofering to help up here in my part of the world.Which I was willing to learn how I could help but I think after your reply I will just log them onto the geocaching site and let you professional benchmark hunters do the rest. Happy hunting

Howdy from Colville Wa. I am new to benchmark hunting and was brousing the forums checking it out.I noticed on the Map there is a white county near me.I have found a few marks in that county that I logged onto the geocache site..If I log them onto the NGS site it would help change the color right?

There is a cache not far from me but into Canada that has been dissabled since May of 2006.It was dissabled due to flooding in the area(very good reason)....It must be a really bad flood.See GCVDWC...I have caches that will be buried under many feet of snow but I dont dissable them.Some cachers love to try and find winter caches.I have found a few in the dead of winter.The only time I do dissable them is if they might need maintanance.

Somebody has to be FTF and it doesnt matter who.If you enjoy it than do it.

there is such an easy answer....It would be me...OOOPs I wasnt there.

I always carry 2 cache containers with me.First one is stocked with cheap swag for drive ups.Second is stocked with better quality swag for the hiking caches.I made a 3 mile hike to place a cache at an old cabin.It was a bad day with the Hail storm and the thunder booming,the lightning striking so close the hair on my arms stood straight up because of the stadic electricity.I made it to the cabin and was almost back to my truck when the flash flood hit.I thought I was going to be stuck in those Mtns until it was over but I made it back to The blacktop road finally.When I got home I reallized I had grabbed the container with the Cheap swag.Now I have to return and replace it with the better swag.This time maybe the weather will be better so I can explore the area.

Within 15 miles of my hometown there are 91 caches and 49 are mine.All others I have logged.When I started there were only 2 in that 15 miles.

When me and a friend started caching I had to go with him.He had a GPS and I didnt.I looked for a saturation of caches in an area so we could find a bunch in a day.Mostly in big parks..He always seemed to want to be out in the boonies and we might find 3 in a day.I didnt understand why he didnt want to be in town and log more caches.Now I tend to stay out of town and find less but have more fun doing it.There are fewer muggles to worry about so you have more time to read the other logs and check the area.I have met more cachers out in the boonies than I did when in town.

I like seeing the old homesteads and cabins.There are quite a few in the forest around my area.Last year I did a A-Z cabin series at drive up cabins around our forest.This year I have placed a couple of hike in cabin caches.There are still more hike ins to find.

I always send a welcoming email and offer them help if they need it.

Just Drive over to Colville Wa. for a weekend.I have a series of caches (A-Z Cabin series) Start with "Cabin Fever" GCW8G8 , It will explain how to log it and give you all te waypoint numbers to all 26 of the Cabin Caches.

This just happened to me.I was watching a cache that hadnt been found yet.It had been placed several months and only 1 cacher had tried to log it without success.I got to the cache site as other people were just leaving.I asked if they had found anything interesting and they told me they had found a geo cache but the logbook was soaking wet and they couldnot sign it.I went for this cache to get the FTF.I ripped a couple pages out of my notebook so they could sign it and get the FTF.They had a film container so we put the paper in it so the next finders could have dry paper to sign.Even though they could not sign the wet logbook they were still FTF and I was 2nd.End of story.

I leave a saw tooth with my name stamped in it.

I am still old school.I find a nice straight stick on the trail.When I finish my hike it goes in the back of my truck.I sand it down and varnish it and then give it away as a FTF prize.

If I didnt revisit caches to pick up or drop off coins I would hardly ever be able to cache.I have to drive 100 miles to find caches I havnt logged so revisiting caches keeps me caching.I go back to the cache page a couple months later and delete the TB drop logs so it dosnt saturate the page to much.

I think it has slowed down close to my area.Only 4 new caches this year and 3 were mine.

I take my 5 year old grandson caching with me.When we have to bushwack I put him on my shoulders.I have carried him for over a mile at times in the dense forest.Im not sure if this would work for you.Kids seem to like the ride.

I will be in Utah the end of the month.If it is close to the area I will be I would like to check it out.Email the coords to me....Thanks

The locals around here know they should let me get FTF or their cache will be no more.I can wait weeks to go FTF a cache and they wait.One was placed 10-12-06 and because I dont have the boat needed to get to the cache it hasnt been found yet.They dont know I dont have any way to get to the cache site.They are still waiting for me to go and get it.

It always sucks when a cache is muggled.I alway replace it with good swag and hope it doesnt go MIA again.If it does then I move it at least 100 feet to a new hiding spot.The next time it gets Archived.

He has the FTTTF (first to try to find) but you got FTF the cache.

I packed a 3 gallon bucket full of swag to the top of a mountain.(7 mile round trip)It has made it through 2 winters.As of now there is still snow along the trail.If I ever have to replace the container I will use a 50 cal. Ammo can.I just hiked a 50 cal.Ammo can deep into the woods to an old logging camp(3 miles in)I just put it in my backpack and took a little hike.Peice of cake.