Highpointer

If you find a travel bug in a cache, but you don't have another one with you, then please take the travel bug. Travel bugs, unlike other items that one may find and take from caches, are never supposed to be kept by the geocacher. Thus, if you find one or more travel bugs in a cache, take as many as you like and move them to different caches. I rarely leave more than one travel bug behind in a cache, as I feel that it is better to distribute travel bugs to a wider variety of caches. If one had to replace a travel bug removed from a cache with another travel bug, then travel bugs would move a lot more slowly, because geocachers may not have another travel bug with them when they find a cache with a travel bug inside. If I do have another travel bug with me, I will usually replace a travel bug that I do find in a cache with another travel bug from my inventory. However, if I find a travel bug in a cache that appears to be exposed, too easy to find, requires a high level of "stealth", is in a popular public park, shopping area, or other location frequented by many non-geocachers, under shrubbery tended regularly by groundskeepers, or in some other location where it is likely to become lost, stolen, or removed, then I will not put a travel bug in such a cache. Such a cache is not a good cache for travel bugs, and the travel bug should never have been placed in the cache in the first place. Geocachers should avoid putting travel bugs in such caches, as the cache may become lost at inopportune times, resulting in the loss of not only the cache but whatever travel bugs were in it at the time. Ken Akerman (a.k.a. Highpointer)

If you find a travel bug but the travel bug was not logged into the cache that you found it in, then please do the following. Using the six-digit on the travel bug tag, claim the finding of the travel bug to put it in your inventory. Go to the web page of the cache that you found it in and enter a "Note" entry and log the travel bug into the cache. This will earn the travel bug credit for its visit to the cache. After you do this, return to the travel bug page and re-claim the travel bug to put it back in your inventory. Move the travel bug to another cache and make sure that you log the travel bug into the cache. In addition, make sure that you write down the travel bug tag number, or enter the travel bug tag number in your PDA, after you drop a travel bug into a cache and save that number until you enter your cache findings. Therefore, if someone grabs the travel bug and claims possession of it before you can log you cache finding, you can still drop the travel bug in the cache that you put it in if the geocacher who found the bug fails to drop the travel bug in the cache. If you have to retroactively drop a travel bug into a cache, then please send an e-mail to the geocacher who actually has possession of it to notify them to reclaim the travel bug and put it back in their inventory. Ken Akerman (a.k.a. Highpointer)

I believe you are helping any travel bug by moving it to another cache. If you are traveling in a direction that is different than the directional goal stated on the travel bug, then simply send an e-mail to the travel bug owner requesting if you can move the travel bug in the direction that you want to go. If they do respond, then they will likely write that it is fine to move the travel bug in the direction in which you are traveling. If they don't respond, then it is likely that they are no longer actively involved in geocaching or no longer have in interest in the travel bug. In that case, then I feel you are free to move the travel bug anywhere. For example, I acquired this travel bug at an event cache in Prescott in July 2004 - it was still waiting on the table unclaimed near the end of the event. The tag on it stated it wanted to go to Roswell, NM. I was going on a trip to Washington within the next two weeks, and I wanted to collect a few travel bugs to bring with me to put in caches in the northwestern USA. Because Washington is farther from Arizona than Roswell, NM, I e-mailed the travel bug owner to request if I could move the travel bug to a cache in Washington. The travel bug owner replied and said that it was fine to move it to Washington. I moved it to this geocache the foothills of the Cascade Mountains that is one of the 10 best caches that I have found to date. It my opinion, this is an ideal cache location for a travel bug drop. Ken Akerman (a.k.a. Highpointer)

Because so many cachers are responsible cachers. It's the irresponsible ones that cause most of the problems. (or angst) It seems to me that responsible geocachers take travel bugs and move them to another cache. To me, it seems like it is irresponsible to leave a travel bug in a cache without taking it. Travel bugs are designed to be moved from cache to cache and should not be left behind in a cache. One of the reasons why a geocacher should take travel bugs in a cache is because if the cache becomes lost or stolen, and there are travel bugs inside, then the travel bugs become lost as well. Thus, the more time elapses with a travel bug in the cache, the greater the probability that the travel bug will become lost. Also, one of the responsible things that geocachers should do is not put travel bugs that are highly exposed and are likely to become lost or stolen. I prefer to put the travel bugs that I find in caches that require some effort to reach, like a hike or a scenic drive in a rural area. This provides a reward for the geocacher who finds such a cache. Also, such a cache is less likely to be found accidentally by non-geocachers and less likely to become lost or stolen. Ken Akerman (a.k.a. Highpointer)

Whenever I put a travel bug in a cache, I put the cache on my watch list to see when the next geocacher will visit the cache to get the travel bug. However, it appears to me that many geocachers visit a cache with a travel bug inside and don't take the travel bug. Why do many geocachers pass up the opportunity to take a travel bug in a cache? Ken Akerman (a.k.a. Highpointer)

Take all the travel bugs and move them, especially if you are travelling overseas.

I see that some geocachers, when reporting travel bug exchanges in their cache log entries, write the six-digit tag numbers in the log entry. For example, some geocachers write a log entry that may read something like this: Exchanged travel bug #000000 for travel bug #111111 In my opinion, it doesn't seem like a good idea to include the six-digit travel bug tag number in a log entry. Perhaps geocachers who have never found the travel bug could use these six-digit numbers to make false or erroneous log entries for these travel bugs. Is it appropropriate to include the six-digit tag number of travel bugs in cache log entries? Ken Akerman (a.k.a. Highpointer)

Whenever I see a travel bug in a cache, I take it. I enjoy moving travel bugs, and I don't understand why many geocachers pass up the opportunity to pick up and move a travel bug. If you pick up a travel bug and you would like to take it somewhere, but if you are not sure if the location you want to take it to is appropriate to the bug, then send an e-mail to the travel bug owner and ask if it is OK to take the travel bug to that location. For example, I saw the travel bug UFO JOE at an event cache in Prescott recently. The travel bug has a tag attached to it, stating that its goal is to go to Roswell, NM. All of the other geocachers at this event passed up the opportunity to grab this travel bug because none of them have any plans of going to Roswell soon. I picked this up near the end of the day because I like picking up travel bugs and I know that I could move it to another cache within two weeks, even if it is not significantly closer to Roswell. I am going on a trip to Washington this week, and I am collecting travel bugs to take with me, including UFO JOE. However, Washington is farther away from Roswell than Arizona, so in order to make sure that it would be appropriate for me to move this travel bug to a cache in Washington, I sent an e-mail to the travel bug owner, jeepers2. The travel bug owner sent me a reply stating, "UFO Joe can go to Washington!" Thus, I will be moving UFO JOE to a cache in the Seattle area, Puget Sound region, or near Mount Rainier National Park, sometime between July 21 and July 26. There are many active geocachers in that part of the USA, and summer is the prime geocaching season in the northwestern USA so it will likely be picked up quickly. Thus, whenever you see a travel bug, pick it up and log it. If you are not sure where to take the travel bug next, send an e-mail to the travel bug owner. Usually they will appreciate this consideration. Most travel bug owners probably prefer that their travel bugs be picked up consistently and stay moving rather than being left behind in a geocache. Also, if you do send an e-mail to the travel bug owner, and they never respond or it appears that they no longer participate in geocaching regularly, then it probably indicates that they no longer have interest in the travel bug. Therefore, in such cases the original stated goal is no longer valid, so my opinion here is that you are free to put the travel bug in any quality geocache located near wherever you live or where you travel. :D Ken Akerman (a.k.a. Highpointer)

If I picked up a Jeep travel bug that was released in my home state, is it appropriate for me to move it to a cache in another state that is more than 1000 miles away?

In Arizona, I have earned a reputation as a geocacher who likes to find and move travel bugs. However, many of my fellow geocachers on Azgeocaching.com criticize me for this practice. Therefore, why is Centris congratulated here for amassing a high travel bug find count, yet I get criticized by many of my fellow geocachers for picking up and moving travel bugs more frequently than most geocachers? Note: I always try to move a travel bug as soon as I can after acquiring it. I try to log my travel bug findings as quickly and as accurately as I can. I try not to put travel bugs in caches that are exposed or have a high risk of becoming lost or stolen before the next geocacher visits it. Sometimes I do put a travel bug in a hard-to-reach cache, but I feel that provides a good incentive for another geocacher to make a visit to that cache, and if I could find the cache, then it couldn't be too difficult to reach. (I'm not Superman and I'm just an ordinary guy). I only claim travel bugs that I have actually found in a cache and/or have moved to another cache. I don't claim finds on travel bugs that I may have seen at an event cache and I wrote down the tag number, for example. (I know many geocachers who do this to pad their find numbers). Ken (a.k.a. Highpointer)

I believe that travel bugs should be spread out to multiple caches, rather than placing multiple travel bugs in a single cache. My personal opinion is that there shouldn't be more than one or two travel bugs in a cache at any given time. If I see more than one or two travel bugs in a cache, I pick up the excess travel bugs and move them to other caches as soon as I can. Ken (a.k.a. Highponter)

I say it is OK to revisit a cache to get a travel bug, as long as you can move it promptly or move it to a new location. If I am planning a long trip, I like to collect travel bugs so I can move them outside the area where I live. If you see a travel bug placed in a cache, that, based on your observation, is highly exposed or likely to get lost (such as a cache in the shrubbery of a city park or greenbelt), then I recommend that you go get the travel bug. As an experienced geocacher, I know there are some geocaches that I would never put a travel bug in, because such caches have a high probability of becoming lost. If the cache becomes lost, then any travel bugs inside become lost as well. Some inexperienced geocachers, however, may not realize that some caches are likely to have a short life expectancy, and thus they may put travel bugs in caches that are not appropriate for safe travel bug drops. I know some people disagree with me, and I admit that I have earned a reputation in my area as someone who goes out and collects travel bugs. However, I feel that it is better to keep the travel bugs safe and to keep them moving rather than having them stay in one place for a long time. Whenever possible, it is better to move travel bugs to different parts of the state, nation, and world and earn mileage rather than having them muddle around the metropolitan area. It is also hypocritical, in my view, for geocachers who are obsessed with their "find counts" of geocaches found to criticize someone who enjoys finding travel bugs as well as geocaches themselves. Ken Akerman (a.k.a. Highpointer)

I disagree with prohibition on vacation caches. There are many outstanding areas that are deserving of having many caches, but they don't have caches because there aren't many people living nearby and none of them are active geocachers. Therefore, these areas need the help of visiting geocachers to place quality geocaches. Ken Akerman (a.k.a. Highpointer)

I will like to start a discussion to determine what is the best and worst places in the USA to live for geocaching. This discussion may be helpful to people who are considering a move to another part of the USA or another part of the world. According to Geocaching.com, it appears that California may be the best state to live in if you are a geocacher. There are over 11,000 geocaches in the state. From some locations in California, there are more than 4,000 caches within a 100-mile radius. On the other hand, if you are a geocacher living in North Dakota, it will be difficult to find many caches. As of today, there are only 115 caches in the entire state of North Dakota. That is fewer caches than the number of caches just within the city limits of many large cities. Therefore, I will nominate California as the best state to live in for geocaching, and North Dakota as the worst state to live in for geocaching. What do other geocachers think about this? Ken Akerman (a.k.a. Highpointer)

Is it appropriate to write any critical or non-complimentary comments about a cache when making a log entry? I have seen many caches and sometimes I do find caches that have, in my opinion, a problem with them. For example, the cache may be too exposed, the container is of poor quality, or the cache location has lots of trash. Is it appropriate to put these types of comments in a log entry? Ken Akerman (a.k.a. Highpointer)

If you want to reduce the chance of a potential thief finding your cache by logging onto geocaching.com, I recommend that you make your caches Member's Only. The rogue geocaching thieves would have to pay the membership fee to find those caches, and such thieves are not likely to pay the fee.

I recommend that you visit Tucson Travel Bug Mansion (GCJ418), get some of the travel bugs in this cache, and bring them back to Massachusetts. Right now there are more than 10 travel bugs in the cache. Ken Akerman (a.k.a. Highpointer)

What is wrong about placing some caches outside your "home area," if it is an area that doesn't have many caches? Without the contributions of urban cachers, many remote rural areas wouldn't have any caches. Geocachers who live in cities should travel more to the rural areas surrounding their cities to help improve the cache density of these areas. Ken Akerman (a.k.a. Highpointer))

If you want to try a multi-cache where no hiking is involved, consider Fortune Cookie. It is not in Chandler, but just to the north in the Town in Guadalupe and City of Tempe. If you are a baseball fan, consider Angels Spring Training in Tempe. There are no caches with difficulty or terrain greater than "3" in South Mountain Park. If you see a cache in the Park with a listed difficulty greater than "3", then it is described inaccurately. Diablo Point is perhaps the most difficult cache in the eastern portion of the Park and is a good example of a "3" cache in the Park. Ken Akerman (a.k.a. Highpointer)

I recommend South Mountain Park, because there are many caches there and most of them require some hiking to reach. If you are in Chandler, use the entrance at 48th Street north of Elliot Rd. in Ahwatukee. One cache you can start with is Diablo Point, one of Arizona's oldest caches (placed in the last century ) and find other caches close to this one. For the caches nearest the 48th St. entrance, go to Fire Closure 1 (a micro just off the entrance road before reaching the parking lot) and Lost Childhood (probably the closest cache to the parking lot). If you would like to learn about the history of Chandler, visit the virtual cache Chandler Historical Museum.

The above topic title is potentially controversial and provocative, but it brings up a theme I would like to discuss in these forums. It appears to me, living in the Phoenix metropolitan area, that there is huge number of urban caches, but the cache density outside of urban areas is very low. It appears that many geocachers are not willing to make an effort to go on a hike or travel outside the city in order to place a cache. Many geocachers, to be blunt, are lazy - they will make many easy urban caches, but they are unwilling or unable to go on a hike or travel a few miles outside their homes in order to place a cache. Therefore, while the big cities have an abundance of easy or non-physically challenging chances, there are fewer caches for people like me who like to hike and explore the backcountry. It appears to me that the overall quality of geocaches has become lower since I began geocaching. Geocaching, in my opinion, is becoming more like regular city activities like to going to work or shopping instead of a being the adventurous activity that I believe it should be, and what it appeared to be marketed as when geocaching was in its early days. Therefore, what can I do to inspire geocachers to place more geocaches that are not not drive-ups and are located outside the cities? If you live in a big city like Phoenix or Tucson, you have many geocachers to find. However, if you live in a smaller city like Prescott, Stafford, Payson, or Flagstaff, then there are far fewer caches near your home, even though your home is located in an area where the outdoor recreational opportunities are superior to the big and crowded big city. Ken Akerman

On Dec. 23, 2003, I purchased Garmin MapSource United States Topo, Version 3.02, with serial number A0562182, at REI in Tempe, AZ. During a recent trip to New Jersey, I brought this software with me to learn how to use it. However, since I got home, I have been unable to find Disk 2 of 3, Eastern United States. I do have Setup Disk 1 of 3, Western United States, and Disk 3 of 3, Alaska & Hawaii. Is it possible to obtain a replacement copy of this CD? If any of you do own this software, would it be possible to make a copy of Disk 2 of 3 and you could send it to me, and I will repay you for reproduction and shipping costs? Thank you. Ken Akerman (a.k.a. Highpointer)

quote:Originally posted by BrianSnat:Part of the problem is that it's illegal in many states to be found with empty alcohol containers in your car. A full, unopened case is fine but an open, or empty container could net you a major fine. Doesn't a law like this actually encourage littering and discourage recycling? What if I am camping with some friends and drinking beer. If we leave the empty containers at our campsite, we are littering and breaking the law. However, if we put the empty containers in our vehicle and drive home with them, we are also breaking the law. This is a Catch-22 situation. What am supposed to do with the empty cans and bottles of beer that I have at home? I prefer recycling them, but if I put them in my vehicle and bring them to the recycling center, then I am breaking the law. One respondant said that I could be breaking the open container law if I have a six-pack with only five beers. So what if I get a six-pack, stop at friend's house and give him a beer, and drive home with the rest of the beers? Is this illegal? This kind of law makes no sense to me. Ken Akerman

I hope to go on one or more geocaching trips to the Sedona area this year before it gets too cold. I've been doing a lot of geocaching in the Prescott and Payson areas this summer and one weekend day in the Flagstaff area. I also spent several weekends outside of Arizona. I did several geocaching trips in the Sedona area last year, but many new caches have appeared since then. Be patient - Highpointer will eventually get to this cache.

quote:Originally posted by Tsegi Mike and Desert Viking:Personally I think this was just a scam to cheat us in the Phoenix area. Arizona seems to encourage that sort of thing. What is it about Arizona that seems to encourage that sort of thing? Ken Akerman (a.k.a. Highpointer)