chamois-shimi & special K

Does anyone know if there's ever been a cache on Hobbit Trail or Hobbit Beach? I've been scouring the db and can't find any that are current, anyway. It seems like a really good place for one, just thinking on it, but I can't remember what the land manager is, etc, for the spot.

I think that when I get around to hiding a cache, I would rather that the folks in charge of the land I'm putting it on know it's there than don't know it's there. That way, if an employee finds it they'll (hopefully) leave it in place rather than taking it to lost and found like they (rightly) would any abandoned property... or throwing it away, instead. If another recreationist on the land finds it and they turn it in, the land manager will know what it is and why it's there, instead of just shrugging and chucking it. And also, hopefully, if someone reports a suspicious-looking box under a tree, the land manager won't send in the SWAT team to blow it up. Perhaps an overly optimistic expectation, but one can hope.

I certainly won't be placing my first cache for a long time, since I don't have a GPS yet. But it's fun to think about and plan for!

I think the main thing might be that someone placing a cache is installing a permanent fixture in the park, not just visiting and then leaving, taking all their things with them. People coming to look for the existing geocache aren't altering anything more than someone playing frisbee or soccer, but the placement of a geocache where it isn't wanted would, most likely, be seen as nothing more than littering to someone who doesn't understand the game and what it's about and what the cache is for. I received another phone call from the Salem Parks folks today, from someone a bit higher up the food chain, and he said that in order to place a cache, I need to contact the guy in charge of events in the parks, fill out a permit, and pay a $15 fee. So it sounds like they're making it official. Maybe if this even they want to have gets off the ground, local geocache folks can speak with TPTB about that sort of thing. It sounds as if they're making it kind of an arbitrary designation, instead of figuring out what geocaching really ought to fall under, because geocaching isn't an "event" any more than "walking through the park" is an event, really. Now, if a bunch of geocachers got together, reserved a picnic shelter, spent all day in the park, played games, hunted for caches, ate cupcakes and cheetos, and put up signs- that's an "event". Seems like they need to hash this out a bit more, but I don't feel like I have the authority to speak to them about it, seeing as I'm awfully new to this whole thing.

Wow, the things you never knew! Special K likes to play disc golf at Champoeg- been there a few times myself, on adjunct.

Probably not, but they'd probably remove the cache if they found it. I like the idea of a no-fee permit process, much like the National Park Service's backpacking permit process (generally speaking- I think there might be a few high traffic areas that do charge fees on top of park entrance), and the National Forest Service wilderness backpacking/hiking permit process.

If the Parks guy calls me back again for some reason, maybe I should refer him to the Benton County parks folks- although I'm sure that they've already done that kind of research if they're working on a formal policy. Thanks for the link to the forum discussion- I'd stumbled across a similar post that someone else suggested be continued elsewhere and looked for it, but couldn't figure out where it'd gone to! Shellburg Falls sounds like a great place- I'll have to check it out just on its own merits, thanks.

Interesting to know how things can change in such a relatively short period of time! It's doubtful I'll end up placing a cache anytime soon (I need to find a person I can borrow who has a good GPS to bring along, before that can happen) but there was this just one particular place in BPPark that I love to go and hang out and cool my feet in the creek on a hot day and read a book- and I'd love to share it with others.

On a related note, I spoke with the folks at Salem Parks today, and they said that they do not currently have a policy in place concerning geocaching, although they are working on drafting one. I had to route through 3 different people on the phone before they found me someone who knew what geocaching was, heh. Part of the draft includes informing the Parks Operations Division of the location of the cache, and one possibility in their formal policy would be charging a permit fee (the quote I got was $15) for placing a cache in a Salem city park. At first thought, it doesn't seem like such an incredibly bad idea- it would ensure people took their caches seriously and did a lot of caretaking and stuff, because it doesn't seem like people would want to lose that investment. However, it IS $15, and I imagine there are folks who would balk at it. However, I'm still pretty new to geocaching. Any other thoughts?

*laugh* A bit! My dad brought his GPS with him at Christmas, so we found 3 that way, and the other 11 that I (or K and I) have found have all been due to the combination of map and hint. Heh. I've definitely run across a few that you pretty much really need a GPS for, though!

There's a lot in Salem, I see! I've found a couple, so far. But I'm curious as to why there's only one in Bush Pasture Park... and something like what, 13, in Minto Brown? I've spent some time ambling about BPP and playing croquet and looking at roses and taking photos, and there are definitely some other likely locations, I would think.

How about a new geocacher who still doesn't have a GPS?

This is one of my dad's favorite hikes, although the last time he and I went up there, we had no clue about geocaching. http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...a4-12ba2cd8141e