Kryten

I was afraid that I might meet a rabbit %20"]here but fortunately it was not at home.

It's a great idea if a little simplistic. The whole area of FTL (first to log) has been ignored, so it is also necessary to record the various combinations, FTF and FTL, FTL but not FTF, FTF but not FTL. Then we need to decide if Co FTL is possible, for this we need logs to be timestamped, accurate to one micor-second should do, with automatic detection of simultanious logging. Then we can have Co FTL and Co FTF, Co FTF but not Co FTL etc. Then we can publish tables of the various possibilities, oh what joy shall be ours.

Sometimes caches are archived because the landowner was not asked for permission and when they found out about it, insisted that the cache was removed. It's best to check this is not the case before grabbing that empty spot

Unfortunately i's also quite common practice for travel bugs to go "missing" at events after people "forget" to log that they have taken them. Many TB owners therefore request that their bugs are not taken to events so it's worth checking the TB's page to see if this is the case.

Readable dates at last and after only 10 years of asking. It's a pity that DD/MM/YY isn't one of the available formats but maybe they will correct that before the year 2020.

I once had a cache called "Alas poor Yorik". He lived under a flat stone slab in the centre of a hollow tree stump and was a plastic skull. Other than the cache name there were a few other clues on the web page as to the nature of the cache including an invitation to "dig up an old friend" Cachers were however advised not let young children seek Yorik alone. My favourite log was one that said something like "After recovering the shock of meeting Yorik he joined us for a picnic but didn't eat much". Strangely although not having any legs of his own he still somehow learned to walk.

When I first started I wouldn't have believed it, but remember, caching is open to everybody, including selfish idiots.

The problem with puzzle ideas based on "street furniture" is the unbelievable pace of change. Wording on signs change or are the signs themselves are removed, in this case you would also be vulnerable to a software upgrade in the beeper units. I once went after an "all day" multi-cache in a forest. One of the locations was derived from a series of numbers to be found on the side of a telephone pole, but even in the middle of a forest, miles from anywhere, change had come. I found a stack of poles waiting to be removed and the route of the trench where the replacement fibre-optic link had been buried.

If, in a well saturated caching area, you come across an apparently ideal but empty spot and find yourself saying "I can't believe there's not already a cache here!", it's probably one of the following. 1. There is already a PM cache there. 2. The landowner has previously refused permission. 3. Proximity clash with nearby caches/stages. 4. Someone else has already submitted a cache which is currently awaiting approval.

There's no need to go paperless using a single device. Get a cheap Palm PDA on e-bay, install CacheMate and you're good to go. CacheMate holds all of the cache pages, recent logs, decryptd hints etc.

The short anser is don't do it. The cache placement guidelines say "Listings must contain accurate GPS coordinates. You must visit the geocache site and obtain all the coordinates with a GPS device."

I made a similar cache but found a major problem with cachers who weren't bright enough to solve the puzzle. They just forced the thing open in their desparation to get that smiley.

I found a puzzle cache which featured lots of questions about bridges. The dummy co-ordinates were on a modern concrete bridge over a freeway but I found the cache not by solving the puzzle but by assuming that the final co-ordinates was probably close to a bridge too. I then went to a really interesting old disused stone built bridge about half a mile away and used the clue once I got there. I had no qualms about claiming the find and if I had been FTF I'd have claimed that too. A find is a find.

This is the one change I look for after every site update. I'd happily forego new maps, souvineers, favourites in exchange for readable dates.

Since it's not geocaching, the participants should simply take their new activity and log elsewhere.

I went after a 5/5 while totally unequipped. The arrow pointed out over the edge of a cliff so I went along the edge for a while until there was break in the edge with a scree slope below and there I started to descend. I then worked my way along with a sheer vertical clff above and the steep scree slope below, evey so often I dislodged a stone which would set off down the slope bouncing as it went until eventually reaching the bottom it would impact with a loud crash onto the trunk of a fallen pine tree which lay menacingly with it's snapped off limbs pointing in all directions. The slope grew steeper and by now the only way to proceed was to use rocks which were sticking out of the dirt as hand and foot holds. At first there was a regular series of them but eventually there were no more and so I found myself stuck with one handhold and one foothold and it was then that the rain started and the dirt began to soften. Gradually my foothold worked loose and started it's downward journey to meet the tree, quickly I redistributed my weight but was now supported by only one hand on a stone approximately at waist height. I could'nt go forward and there was now a big gap backward. Then I felt the stone under my hand start to loosen and realised if I didn't do something I would be impaled on the tree any minute. I pushed against the stone and threw myself backwards, stretching above my head with both hands to grab a stone sticking out of the dirt, if I missed or it didn't hold I was going down the slope but fortunately neither of those things happened and I was able to slowly make my way back to safer ground. Had to DNF that one

Like cemetery caches, cache trails have the capaity to attract unwanted attention from the outside world due to the selfish activities of a small number of cachers who can't see beyond their find count. Their activities are an absolute gift to politicians looking for a bandwagon to jump on. The acceptance of the power trails could turn out to be the biggest mistake made by TPTB in recent times.

Surely it is time for powers that be to resolve the contradiction that an activity which they insist is non competitive continues to maintain an individual score for each participant, time to bin the find count perhaps.

To save on the planets resources we just need to go to the next logical step and revoke the cache density rule. Take 1000 film cans and place them all in a large container and post the co-ordinates. Those who like this sort of thing can then sit all day and log each and every one to their hearts content without causing any problems on the roads. Even better, why not just credit 1000 finds for logging the main container.

The wildlife trust may still have a valid complaint if you take cachers to out "of the way" places on their land where they don't want much footfall. Best to make use of their own paths, sign boards etc.

Yup, Groundspeak also allowed me to change my user name to one that already existed because it had never been validated.

The location a cacher would select to place a TB hotel is by virtue of it's location and concealment, also the ideal spot that a motorist "caught short" would select to alleviate their problem.

This threads needs moved to the UK forum. A cache of this kind is in danger of being refused on the grounds of being too "commercial". The presence of the name of the business in the cache name is usually not permitted and it would be best to contact one of the UK reveiwers who can advise on ann acceptable form of wording.

Cache no. 7 is a notice board (no cache container) within an area of "Site of Special Scientific Interest." You need to be very careful about attracting cachers to a Site of special Scientific Interest (SSSI) since most are the habitats of endangered species and sensitive to increased footfall. Permission has been granted for such locations in the past but you need to work with the authorities to ensure this. Best to move this topic to the UK forum.

I recently acquired a small circular magnetic "grabber" with built in LED flashlight, mounted on a telescopic shaft. Don't leave home without one.