lizs

"Trustys???" lol... me thinks that should be "trustees." (and no editor caught that in the article? hmmm...) My take: If people or groups don't want caches in cemeteries, aren't there enough other places to put them? I love historic caches greatly - and there is a wonderful Civil War period multi-cache in a Savannah, GA that I'd highly recommend to anyone, with its narrative and tour of war sites. It is done right. Although I can't say that the placer had permission to do it (it's a virtual... ahh, I miss virtuals, too!). I think anyone placing a geocache should have right on a standard, mandatory form WHO approved a cache and that should be posted online. Virtually all land is owned by somebody. It would save a lot of headaches down the road. Do cachers in Johnson County Texas have permission to place caches in these cemeteries? It would seem not. I can't help but feel the cemeteries are within their legal right here. For example, many cemeteries have rules about removing flowers or items placed by a stone within two weeks of Memorial Day. A cache is something that also was placed in the cemetery. There's a similar rule for national wildlife refuges, at least where I live by the Upper Mississippi. You can't leave property on the refuge for over two weeks. It's meant to keep tenters from permanently living there. However, it also translates to not placing geocaches on the refuge. Another point: Bottom line, you can't guarantee other cachers' behavior. I do not place a cache at a historic barn in my area because, no, I can't guarantee people won't be skulking around their place at 1 a.m. I know a lot of cachers who love night caching. I also have seen a ton of cachers who don't read clues or hints or cache information. Example: I have a multi-cache on a river (an excellent series with rave reviews) that I said could ONLY be found by paddling the river. BUT one person logged, geez, you have to go across private property to get to one of the caches. NO you don't - and if he had read and/or obeyed the cache info, he wouldn't have been there. He walked right past people farming to do it, too. So then I come out the idiot, like I didn't know what I was doing by placing it where a person had to trespass. Nope, I was just trusting the cachers will do what I or you think they will do. You can say what you like about cachers in general, but it's that crazy family or group out there at night, hooting and hollering and poking around stones and letting their dog dig a hole that will leave the lasting impression. Also, many cachers do tear things up looking for caches. There's a nano in my area behind a veterans memorial plaque that sticks away from the monument. I could see that people have moved parts on light fixtures, etc. It will probably be headed toward the fate of a town monument in another area town. It was not in the best shape to start with. Now bricks are falling off it and it's been badly picked over and damaged. The cache has just been archived cuz the cache went missing. Best thing that could have happened to save the monument. All are points to think about. Geocaching is not the total panacea many here make it out to be in reality. Talk to the cemetery people. Maybe you can work it out. Maybe not. And if not, please show some respect for both the decision and cemeteries. Thanks!

Not sure if I ever posted on here or not (too lazy to read all posts; yeah, that's HOW I AM, lol) lizs - SE MN. 35 miles southeast of Rochester; 20 miles from Iowa border; 35 miles from Decorah. (get that GPS and mapping software out and figure it out!! ) Mostly, I want to see my new avatar. LOL!

These are some good questions I'd like to see answered. Also, when you say $30 for an M500, is that new or used or what? (I knew veeeeeeery little on this) 1. Someone is selling what I take are used M505s etc, loaded with some geocaching stuff - but not cachemate or gsak - and selling for around $50.... or almost $70 for the M515. Good deal? 2. Do you recommend color or non-color screens? 3. What's the advantage of more memory (16MB on the 515)? 4. What kind of things can you add with the SD card memory? 5. And as asked before, can you put photos on and edit? (I just have digital camera, not camera phone) 6. What kinds of programs can you put on these Palms? 7. Can you do wireless? Although I don't have wireless on either PC or phone - and would not get with phone. Sorry, a few more questions.

Caches are few and far between up here where I live. Entering them one by one or on a note pad is all that is needed. I have yet to do any geocaching (I'm really ashamed by that...after being here for 3 years already) however I will be doing some next summer. There is now an organized group of geocachers in my area that I now belong to. What I really want is the cheapest PDA to view topographical maps and to hook up to my GPS so that I can view my progress over the terrain. I know absolutely nothing about PDAs or Pocket PCs. If I knew where to start in my shopping for a used or refurbished one...that would be perfect. Yes....the PDA will also serve as alarm clock when camping, taking notes, keeping adresses etc. All the stuff that the M500 or the M505 already do. It does not have to have mp3 capabilities. Colour would be nice to have though. If I can connect my digital camera to it so that I can edit my photos while camping....that would be great...but not really a necessity. I will probably buy a few games (chess, solitaire etc) to add to the unit. There are so many units to choose from and my knowledge of them is poor. Their price has drastically lowered in the past while and from what I have read, they will become almost obsolete due to the fact that most people are buying cell phones that do the same thing and more. Cell phones up here do not work as soon as we go about 20 miles north of where I live. There are no named roads, villages, towns or anything, north of where I live....lol. Only logging roads, snowmobile and VTT trails, logging camps and outfitters.

I've posted quite a few photos on the geocaching website over the years. It seems there should be some easy way to pull them up in a "lizs" gallery on the "My account" page, but I'm not finding it. Can you help me? My GPS was stolen. I'm a columnist and am doing a column asking people to look for a yellow eTrex. And I'd like to show some fond geocaching memoriesl (yes, I know the photos are low resolution). My hard drive crashed at one point and I don't have all my old shots. Seemingly, I have not taken new shots with a close-up of the GPS. anyhoo, can I bring up all my shots posted here at one time, in one fell swoop? thanks!

I see RAGBRAI is going through Gunder! Which is a couple miles from where I grew up. I'd almost do a cache there, but instead will just advise you to look at the old DX station and the old creamery there. Kind of Norman Rockwell-ish, in a dilapidated way. LOL! It's just a wee wide spot on the road. OH... and stop at The Shanti for the FAMOUS Gunder Burger!!!

Which GPS units take memory cards? Typically, what kind do they use? And do any units REQUIRE them, or is it just to put in more maps, etc? Sign me "Back in the market for a GPS" thanks!!

Wow, and I only just bought my mapping software this spring. THAT SUCKS!!!!! Hadn't planned on getting a new GPS, so looking at mapping software and its relationship was nowhere on my radar. I guess I also didn't explain I'm a backpacker and offtrail explorer, oops. So city maps are the last thing I need. I want topo and trails type software/maps. I suppose I should search this forum and see if I can find the best software/GPS combination for that. Also, I am very unfamiliar with things like needing what sounds like extra memory for a GPS??? I mean, I have a 512 MB compact flash card for my digital camera... but just don't know what's expected and what's a ripoff (which require additional purchases) for a GPS!!! AAAAACK!!! It's a steep learning curve forced upon me!

My old Garmin eTrex was stolen from my vehicle. So am looking to get something new. Would prefer Garmin, but I'm open. I'm really HOPING to find something that will load my mapping software, National Geographic TOPO! I have: --Back Roads Explorer, with its umpteen CDs. It’s Version 3.4.0. -- National Park Maps, which says it is Version 2.7.7 I can currently manually plot waypoints from the geocaching site. I can draw routes and get approxmiate mileage (which I recently used on the Upper Iowa weekend canoe trip... a very nice feature to trace that river route and get mileage). It will do an elevation profile, too. But I don't have anything with topo maps showing on the screen. DO ANY GPS MODELS USE THE "TOPO!" SOFTWARE OF NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC?? Man, I hate to have to buy software. I was looking at the Magellan Sportrak and it seems to have topo stuff, but reading elsewhere it seemed to say it really just had roads. What's the scoop? And... any recommendations?? Thanks! lizs

I have a cache that hasn't been logged since *FEBRUARY 8!!* Wow, unbelievable!! Do it and what you'll find is unbelievable scenery on the Upper Iowa River... a place to camp out... and fall colors! This is it>> http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?ID=30319 (just wanted to let you know)

I have a cache that hasn't been logged since *FEBRUARY 8!!* Wow, unbelievable!! Do it and what you'll find is unbelievable scenery on the Upper Iowa River... a place to camp out... and fall colors! This is it>> http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?ID=30319 (just wanted to let you know)

FYI... Minnesota State Parks are coming up with some policy. A ranger in a park near where I live (moved from NE IA to SE MN) is one of three park officials working on it. I'm not sure when it will be put into place, however.

Will be heading to South Dakota this fall. I had looked forward to finding the cache at the ghost dance location near Cuny Table. I was just looking for that cache and couldn't find it? Is it archived? Or was it on national park land and removed? I do understand there has been some encampment in that vicinity by Native Americans protesting park removal of fossils in an area where there were Native American remains. Where is the cache? Even if not an "official" cache, can someone in the know please send coordinates? I'm really into history and look forward to finding the sod house and other remote caches (that's what Jeeps and legs are for... lol). I was really looking forward to this one....... help? If not wanting to post here, please write lisapbia@(removethis)yahoo.com Thanks! I like exploring the reservation, and shudder in horror at what this country has done to the Native Americans.

Aha! Found one last fall on the shores of Mark Twain Lake near Perry, Missouri. I see it says "Army Corps of Engineers" on it. So I guess it can't be logged. I didn't find it in the database. Link to photo of it: http://community.webshots.com/photo/54997291/54997462nTfnrf

Here's what I wrote. Am posting to both Midwest and Great Plains forums. You may find yourself quoted in here. I took out some personal attacks on the letter writer, you'll note..... ADDITIONALLY, I have been contacted by Chris in Mankato, who said the topic would be addressed by the Minnesota group at their next meeting, who may well write another response and post it in our paper at that time. TITLE OF COLUMN: What will tons of geocaches do to the environment? I’d like to thank Chris Ingebretson of Harmony for writing a Letter to the Editor last week regarding my Jan. 27 “Journey vs. Destination” column, which dealt with my hobby of geocaching. For those not “in the know,” geocaching makes use of a GPS unit to seek what might be considered “hidden treasures.” Ingebretson pointed out I hadn’t mentioned environmental concerns with geocaching, which will be addressed shortly here. I’ll also note the efforts by area geocachers who are trying to work within the framework of park services. First, however, I don’t feel I gave a full history of the activity of geocaching. I’d like to quote from an article by Bob McEowen in Rural Missouri magazine, a publication for rural electric cooperative members in that state. McEowen explains it well: "Geocaching — pronounced “gee-oh-cash-ing” — challenges participants to locate hidden ammo boxes and Tupperware containers using a handheld GPS, or global positioning system, device. The exact coordinates of these caches are posted on the Internet and geocachers spend evenings, weekends and family vacations searching for them. "Although few caches contain anything of value, the allure of finding the unknown has attracted thousands of players. The game is little more than two years old and already there are nearly 40,000 caches hidden in more than 160 countries. "The key to geocaching is the GPS device, which receives signals from the U.S. government’s 24 navigational satellites and displays the longitude and latitude position of any spot on Earth. "Geocachers use the devices, which cost from $100 to about $300, to both determine the location of caches they hide and to guide them in their search for others. "In May of 2000 President Clinton signed an order, which granted civilians access to the same clear signal the military and other government agencies used. While once the GPS units used by fishermen and hikers would get them within a football field’s length of a coordinate, overnight they became accurate to 20 feet or less. "Taking advantage of the improved civilian satellite access, GPS enthusiasts in the Pacific northwest begin hiding containers of toys and trinkets along trails and in parks and challeng-ing others to find them. Two months after Clinton’s order the geocaching.com Web site was in place and a new pastime was born. "The rules are simple: Find the cache. If you take something out, leave something in its place. Record your name and any swaps you make in the logbook in the cache. Go back to geocaching.com and enter your find on the page that describes the cache. "Most caches contain little more than keychains, small toys and other souvenirs. Some also contain a “travel bug,” which is an item attached to a special tag bearing a serial number. Travel bugs travel from cache to cache, usually with an intended destination, and their progress can be tracked on the Internet. "Virtual caches guide geocachers to a monument, tombstone or other landmark to answer a question posed on the Web site. Other variations involve offset- and multi-caches, in which the coordinates provided lead the searcher to more clues. A new aspect of the game has geocachers searching for survey bench-marks." There, now that’s a great explanation of the hobby of geo-caching. In his Letter to the Edi-tor, Ingebretson said I hadn’t clearly pointed out the wear and tear put on the environment by a great number of geocachers tromping through the woods – and perhaps very fragile places – to find what also is called simply a “cache.” He was quite correct in calling me to task for failing to mention concerns involved. Saying he had been a national park and Minnesota park em-ployee, Ingebretson wrote: “Our country's state and federal governments have had the wisdom to set aside public lands for parks. These parks are usually created with a vision of accomplishing two goals: to provide recreational opportunities for visitors and to protect the natural, cultural and historical resources that make the park spe-cial. Geocaching is one of the many events where these two goals crash. The National Park Service has made geocaching illegal since at least the year 2000. It became illegal in Minnesota State Parks in July of 2002.” To this day, many geocachers regret they did not have the foresight to address the concerns about the hobby before it was banned in Minnesota parks. A check into the www.geocaching.com’s forums reveals a group concerned with the environment and also hoping to use the sport of geocaching to teach people about the outdoors and the environment. A poster going by the handle “Dbleess” of Bellevue, Nebraska writes: “… Guidelines for geo-caching already emphasize that placers should avoid impacting the environment. We are out to improve, educate, and enjoy, not destroy. We are asked to clean up the environments we visit, not damage them. (Carry your trash bags people - cache in; trash out.) I think (it was) overesti-mated the traffic an average cache can generate. … A good starting point for an education would be (individual) persons. … Then work on the state people… Most state people understand that there has to be a balance between use and protection and geocaching is in that scheme an asset, not a liability. (Keep it that way people in all that you do.)” A gal who goes by “spinwebby” and lives in Central Iowa – and who also formed a group called Great Plains Geocaching – wrote to the chief of the Iowa park system, whom Ingrebretson also had contacted. Spinwebby reports the parks chief sent her this letter: “We do not have any information/policies on geocaching at this time. Given its apparent increase in popularity, we may have to establish specific policies in administrative rules in the near future. Until that time, I want all geocaching activities to be coordinated and approved by park staff and their respective district supervisor. Nothing should be hid or placed in a state park without the knowledge of the local park ranger or manager. I'll be glad to visit with you if you would like more information. Thanks for contacting me, Kevin Szcodronski, Interim Chief, Iowa State Parks.” Ken Braband – a former Iowan and a member of the Wisconsin Geocaching Association writes: “… We are taking a pro-active stance here in Wisconsin to work in close cooperation with the DNR State Parks managers to develop a geocaching policy. So far, things are going well in Wisconsin. The DNR has expressed support for geocaching because they understand what it's all about and because we – the Wisconsin Geocaching Associa-tion – are pledging our support to help self-police the activity.” “Spinwebby” additionally writes: “I’ve offered to help establish mutually agreeable rules that help protect the (Iowa parks) land, but still allow geocachers to enjoy the parks. I'll stay in touch with him (Kevin Szcodronski.) But for now, the rule holds.... Contact the park ranger/manager for permission to stash!” Geocachers increasingly realize the role they must play as good stewards of the land. As a new, fledgling sport, the placement of caches far outran any regulations. Now, as the sport matures, stipulations for cache placement come into place. As with any activity, there may be a few who insist on doing things their own way, which can ruin it for the rest of us. But, for the most part, geocachers are united in support of better land use rules. I’d like to thank Chris Ingebretson and his Letter for the Editor for giving me a chance to address this issue. Lisa Brainard is a reporter for the Republican-Leader and also plans trips for Hawkeye Stages. She can be reached at: lbrainard@republican-leader.com

Here's what I wrote. Am posting to both Midwest and Great Plains forums. You may find yourself quoted in here. I took out some personal attacks on the letter writer, you'll note..... TITLE: What will tons of geocaches do to the environment? I’d like to thank Chris Ingebretson of Harmony for writing a Letter to the Editor last week regarding my Jan. 27 “Journey vs. Destination” column, which dealt with my hobby of geocaching. For those not “in the know,” geocaching makes use of a GPS unit to seek what might be considered “hidden treasures.” Ingebretson pointed out I hadn’t mentioned environmental concerns with geocaching, which will be addressed shortly here. I’ll also note the efforts by area geocachers who are trying to work within the framework of park services. First, however, I don’t feel I gave a full history of the activity of geocaching. I’d like to quote from an article by Bob McEowen in Rural Missouri magazine, a publication for rural electric cooperative members in that state. McEowen explains it well: "Geocaching — pronounced “gee-oh-cash-ing” — challenges participants to locate hidden ammo boxes and Tupperware containers using a handheld GPS, or global positioning system, device. The exact coordinates of these caches are posted on the Internet and geocachers spend evenings, weekends and family vacations searching for them. "Although few caches contain anything of value, the allure of finding the unknown has attracted thousands of players. The game is little more than two years old and already there are nearly 40,000 caches hidden in more than 160 countries. "The key to geocaching is the GPS device, which receives signals from the U.S. government’s 24 navigational satellites and displays the longitude and latitude position of any spot on Earth. "Geocachers use the devices, which cost from $100 to about $300, to both determine the location of caches they hide and to guide them in their search for others. "In May of 2000 President Clinton signed an order, which granted civilians access to the same clear signal the military and other government agencies used. While once the GPS units used by fishermen and hikers would get them within a football field’s length of a coordinate, overnight they became accurate to 20 feet or less. "Taking advantage of the improved civilian satellite access, GPS enthusiasts in the Pacific northwest begin hiding containers of toys and trinkets along trails and in parks and challeng-ing others to find them. Two months after Clinton’s order the geocaching.com Web site was in place and a new pastime was born. "The rules are simple: Find the cache. If you take something out, leave something in its place. Record your name and any swaps you make in the logbook in the cache. Go back to geocaching.com and enter your find on the page that describes the cache. "Most caches contain little more than keychains, small toys and other souvenirs. Some also contain a “travel bug,” which is an item attached to a special tag bearing a serial number. Travel bugs travel from cache to cache, usually with an intended destination, and their progress can be tracked on the Internet. "Virtual caches guide geocachers to a monument, tombstone or other landmark to answer a question posed on the Web site. Other variations involve offset- and multi-caches, in which the coordinates provided lead the searcher to more clues. A new aspect of the game has geocachers searching for survey bench-marks." There, now that’s a great explanation of the hobby of geo-caching. In his Letter to the Edi-tor, Ingebretson said I hadn’t clearly pointed out the wear and tear put on the environment by a great number of geocachers tromping through the woods – and perhaps very fragile places – to find what also is called simply a “cache.” He was quite correct in calling me to task for failing to mention concerns involved. Saying he had been a national park and Minnesota park em-ployee, Ingebretson wrote: “Our country's state and federal governments have had the wisdom to set aside public lands for parks. These parks are usually created with a vision of accomplishing two goals: to provide recreational opportunities for visitors and to protect the natural, cultural and historical resources that make the park spe-cial. Geocaching is one of the many events where these two goals crash. The National Park Service has made geocaching illegal since at least the year 2000. It became illegal in Minnesota State Parks in July of 2002.” To this day, many geocachers regret they did not have the foresight to address the concerns about the hobby before it was banned in Minnesota parks. A check into the www.geocaching.com’s forums reveals a group concerned with the environment and also hoping to use the sport of geocaching to teach people about the outdoors and the environment. A poster going by the handle “Dbleess” of Bellevue, Nebraska writes: “… Guidelines for geo-caching already emphasize that placers should avoid impacting the environment. We are out to improve, educate, and enjoy, not destroy. We are asked to clean up the environments we visit, not damage them. (Carry your trash bags people - cache in; trash out.) I think (it was) overesti-mated the traffic an average cache can generate. … A good starting point for an education would be (individual) persons. … Then work on the state people… Most state people understand that there has to be a balance between use and protection and geocaching is in that scheme an asset, not a liability. (Keep it that way people in all that you do.)” A gal who goes by “spinwebby” and lives in Central Iowa – and who also formed a group called Great Plains Geocaching – wrote to the chief of the Iowa park system, whom Ingrebretson also had contacted. Spinwebby reports the parks chief sent her this letter: “We do not have any information/policies on geocaching at this time. Given its apparent increase in popularity, we may have to establish specific policies in administrative rules in the near future. Until that time, I want all geocaching activities to be coordinated and approved by park staff and their respective district supervisor. Nothing should be hid or placed in a state park without the knowledge of the local park ranger or manager. I'll be glad to visit with you if you would like more information. Thanks for contacting me, Kevin Szcodronski, Interim Chief, Iowa State Parks.” Ken Braband – a former Iowan and a member of the Wisconsin Geocaching Association writes: “… We are taking a pro-active stance here in Wisconsin to work in close cooperation with the DNR State Parks managers to develop a geocaching policy. So far, things are going well in Wisconsin. The DNR has expressed support for geocaching because they understand what it's all about and because we – the Wisconsin Geocaching Associa-tion – are pledging our support to help self-police the activity.” “Spinwebby” additionally writes: “I’ve offered to help establish mutually agreeable rules that help protect the (Iowa parks) land, but still allow geocachers to enjoy the parks. I'll stay in touch with him (Kevin Szcodronski.) But for now, the rule holds.... Contact the park ranger/manager for permission to stash!” Geocachers increasingly realize the role they must play as good stewards of the land. As a new, fledgling sport, the placement of caches far outran any regulations. Now, as the sport matures, stipulations for cache placement come into place. As with any activity, there may be a few who insist on doing things their own way, which can ruin it for the rest of us. But, for the most part, geocachers are united in support of better land use rules. I’d like to thank Chris Ingebretson and his Letter for the Editor for giving me a chance to address this issue. Lisa Brainard is a reporter for the Republican-Leader and also plans trips for Hawkeye Stages. She can be reached at: lbrainard@republican-leader.com

I wrote an e-mail back to the guy (was a GUY, not a gal) who had written me, explaining how people are approaching park officials and trying to create rules/conditions acceptable to both. I also said I would elaborate further in writing a response to the issue in my column for next week. His response was a sheepish one, something like: Sometimes us park officials get a bit uppity and need to be knocked down a notch or two. I didn't realize geocachers were talking with land use managers. (am posting this to both Midwest and Great Plains forums) I will also post what I write. My intention was not to create widespread hysteria and kneejerk reactions in my response to receiving the letter from this guy. I feel bad it was a column of MINE that set this off. However, I understand the need for policies and am behind it 100%. I just wanted to get word out that if land managers had not yet been approached in Iowa, the topic was being broached by someone outside the GPS ranks... so it would be a good time to jump on the topic and be pro-active. Thanks.

I wrote an e-mail back to the guy (was a GUY, not a gal) who had written me, explaining how people are approaching park officials and trying to create rules/conditions acceptable to both. I also said I would elaborate further in writing a response to the issue in my column for next week. His response was a sheepish one, something like: Sometimes us park officials get a bit uppity and need to be knocked down a notch or two. I didn't realize geocachers were talking with land use managers. (am posting this to both Midwest and Great Plains forums) I will also post what I write. My intention was not to create widespread hysteria and kneejerk reactions in my response to receiving the letter from this guy. I feel bad it was a column of MINE that set this off. However, I understand the need for policies and am behind it 100%. I just wanted to get word out that if land managers had not yet been approached in Iowa, the topic was being broached by someone outside the GPS ranks... so it would be a good time to jump on the topic and be pro-active. Thanks.

Hey, you folks putting caches on PRIVATE land. Did you get permission??? Could be in for some major problems otherwise. If the state parks in many places are against having geocaches on their land -- or at least looking at -- I can only imagine how happy management would be at Silver Dollar City or Precious Moments!

This is my column, which ran Monday, Jan. 27. Also, I should note, I have run other articles on geocaching. However, I don't think I went into land use stuff there either............ Journey vs. Destination Column Column title: Wind chills and caching: Things to do (and not do) when weather turns cold Brrrrrrrrrr! Can you believe this streak of cold weather we’ve been having?? As what had been an unusually mild winter turns subarctic, the bitter temperatures seem even worse than normal. It’s Thursday morning as I write this. Last night was predicted to have been the worst. The tempera-ture is around –12 as I write at my cozy computer nook, additional space heater at my side. Please tell me it’s not my fault for this cold snap, now in its second week. After all, it was about three weeks ago that I ordered a new sleeping bag with a temperature rating of –15 degrees. My idea was this: so far, my zero-degree sleeping bag was leaving me a bit chilly in my tent when outside temperatures were in the teens. I figured, “Minus 15-degree bag?? Yeah, I should be toasty in the teens.” So the bag arrived. Temperatures dipped, as if to say, “OK, you wanted that bag. C’mon outside. We’re gonna give you the posted temps for that bag. C’mon outside. Try it out.” Nope, no thanks! I’ll wait for temperatures in the teens or twenties to try it out. And then relegate my zero-degree bag for even warmer weather. Heck, I used it during an overnight of 65 degrees near the Colorado River a couple years ago. Of course, it was just thrown loosely over me, unzipped, with arms, legs and feet sticking out to capture some cool air. I think the problem with that sleeping bag is that its loft might have become compressed a bit. Both my bags are insulated with goose down. However, if you leave a bag compressed in a stuff sack for too long, it can lose some loft. Anyway, enough on that. Sunday I decided it was time to get outside (just not sleep overnight outside). A new geocache had been placed at the Volga River Recreation Area, a state park near Fayette, Iowa. It had not been found yet by anyone and I like the thrill (?) of having a “first find.” Geocaches are containers hidden outside that hold little treasures. They are placed using a GPS unit to give latitude and longitude coordinates. Then, the geocacher looks for locations to hunt on www.geocaching.com The containers might be Rubbermaid or Tupperware… or quite a few use ammunition cases. They need to be sealable, waterproof and ideally immune to an animal that might chew on them. The treasures can be anything. Usually there’s a notebook and pen or pencil to log the find, and often it’s in a sealed baggie for extra protection. Treasures might include toys, coupons, coins and more. The idea is this. You find the container, log your find in the notebook, take a treasure and leave some treasure to replace it. Sometimes there are things called “Travel Bugs.” They are logged separately. You try to move them to different geocaches (or “caches”) and track their movements. Some are given destinations to reach. So, anyhoo, Sunday I headed out, despite a very cold day. With the cache near the Volga River and former town site (now a campsite for horse people) of Albany, I had to climb to bluffs above the river. I went up the easy way, backtracking and taking a gentler slope up the bluffs. After finding the cache, I decided to see if there was a way to go down the bluffs. At a break in the rocks, I saw there was and that I could do it by being careful. For added safety, I made sure there was a tree within grabbing distance of each step. What fun! I also saw there was a “crack” maybe 1.5-2 feet wide at a different location and perhaps 20 feet high that led up the bluff It looked like it would be a bit of rock climbing for those without gear, because I think you could “chimney” up it, that is, use your feet and arms to brace yourself between the sides to climb up. I’ll look forward to trying it on some warmer day, with more people along. Then I headed to the Brush Creek Canyon State Preserve at Arlington, a place I’d first visited a number of years ago. It’s on a somewhat confusing, unmarked, dead end road. A lot of geocachers had had problems reaching it. I arrived and headed off cross-country. Then I saw the funniest site of the whole day. There was an opossum clinging to a tree, possibly 20 feet high, the tree only around 10-15 inches in diameter. It just stayed there, immobile. I’ve seen ‘possums in my garage and ‘possums squished on the road, but never in the wild. Camera at hand, I took a few shots of it. Soon, I found the cache in a weird, camouflage-colored PVC pipe. The way it was set up, I couldn’t unscrew the top to get it open. Oh well, no problem. I have photos of it to prove I was there. The final cache of the day was at Dutton’s Cave, a Fayette County Conservation Park near West Union. I’d been to this one twice before and hoped the third time would be a charm. The first time I had no GPS along, just thinking I had good ideas as to hiding places. DOH! The second time, I got to where the obvious hunt was going offtrail, but it was summer and I was wearing sandals and shorts. Nope, I didn’t want to fight with poison ivy! On Sunday, I found the cache pretty easily. This one was in tough shape. Water had leaked into it. Things were moldy. Upon returning home, I posted a note that the owner should check the cache and possibly replace it. Over all, a fun day spent hunting caches. In protected areas, it was pretty calm. Wind chills were obvious on the ridges, where the breeze blew hard and made my cheeks turn red. That’s OK when active, just don’t make me sleep outside in that. Even with the –15 bag. Lisa Brainard is a reporter for the Republican-Leader and also plans trips for Hawkeye Stages. She can be reached at: lbrainard@republican-leader.com

I posted this on the Great Plains forum (where Iowa "officially" is listed)... thought it was of concern to MN cachers, too....... ----------------------------------------- Hello, I'm in NE Iowa. I write a column on my outdoor adventures for a paper just across the Minnesota border. I just received a copy of a Letter to the Editor, which will be appearing in the paper regarding geocaching. Not only did this person address Minnesota state park issues, he also SPOKE TO IOWA PARK OFFICIALS ABOUT IT!! I don't know if Iowa geocachers are talking to Iowa park officials about policies, but it looks like now would be a good time to kick it into high gear, since they have just been approached....and at high levels, too. Here is the letter, for the most part: Dear Ms. Brainard, I am copying a "letter to the editor" which I am mailing to the River Valley Reader, below. Dear Ms. Brainerd/ River Valley Reader Since the time I moved to Southeast Minnesota, I have enjoyed reading your Journey vs. Destination column. Last night I read your column in the January 27th edition of the River Valley Reader. I commend you for getting out during this last cold snap (I'm ashamed to admit my black lab pup and I didn't venture any more than a mile down the Preston-Harmony Valley trail during the chill). However, I have some concerns about your nonchalance attitude towards Geocaching. As a former employee of both the National Park Service and Minnesota State Parks, I have a rather dim view of this "sport". Our countries’ states and federal governments have had the wisdom to set aside public lands for parks. These parks are usually created with a vision of accomplishing two goals: to provide recreational opportunities for visitors and to protect the natural, cultural and historical resources that make the park special. Geocaching is one of the many events where these two goals crash. The National Park Service has made geocaching illegal since at least the year 2000. It became illegal in Minnesota State Parks in July of 2002. There are good reasons for this. Many geocachers plant caches in locations with no regards for the resources of that area. Their cache has to withstand the elements, which often times means they are partially buried in the ground to keep them anchored. In planting a cache, the resources of the area can be seriously disturbed. Next, the location of the cache is posted on a website, like the one you listed in your column. This in turn leads to steady traffic in that I checked out www.geocache.com, and looked for some caches in some of my favourite hiking areas. I saw many descriptions such as “dangerous to get to!” and “steep slopes off trail”. Many times the reason there is no trail in a steep sloped area is because of that slope. By planting a cache in that area, your welcoming traffic that can and will cause major erosion problems. I was curious about the stance Iowa State Parks has on Geocaching, so I contacted Kevin Szcodronski, Interim chief of Iowa State Parks. As of yet, Iowa has not developed a policy. However, he stated, “We are increasingly becoming aware of the activity. My initial reaction is that we will eventually have to regulate it to at least assure the activity does n Kevin gave my name to the six Parks District Supervisors, and asked them to contact me with any geocaching activities they knew about. Tim Yancy responded saying that he had denied a permit for geocaching at Pleasant Creek State Park. His basic concern was that the applicant was vague about where he was going to plant the cache and that he wasn’t going to be onsite to monitor activities at the cache. Tim was concerned t When your column covers an activity that I know very little about, it often gets me interested in that activity. I am worried that this will happen with your geocaching column. People will go out without the proper knowledge, rules, and etiquette, and will abuse our resources as a result. Please understand that I am not against recreation on public lands. Nor am I against you writing about the enjoyment you have in your recreational activities. I myself am an active hiker, caver, and kayaker/canoer, who enjoys your column thoroughly. But with this great freedom we have, the right to recreate on public lands, comes great responsibility. During this time when state park budgets are the grimmest in decades, our responsibility increases. As the legislature cuts monies to our parks, it is up to us to make wise decisions, so as to not damage resources any more than is necessary. The money to repair the damage caused by careless users is simply not ther I urge you that whenever you choose to write about an outdoor recreational activity, you take the time to explain to your readers what impacts these activities have on the resources around it, and how these impacts can be kept to a minimum. Take the time to encourage readers to study up on local regulations before they partake in these activities. Provide your readers with the resources (state and local WebPages, telephone numbers, etc) where they can have questio From one land-user to another, (signed by the person) ----------------------------------------------- Sorry about all this. I will post my column next, so you can see what I wrote about........ As far as the letter, I will respond to it and talk about what cachers are doing to address the questions. If any of you would like to respond and be quoted with your actual name, I'd be happy to take a look at your comments. Thanks!! Lisa

This is my column, which ran Monday, Jan. 27. Also, I should note, I have run other articles on geocaching. However, I don't think I went into land use stuff there either............ Journey vs. Destination Column Column title: Wind chills and caching: Things to do (and not do) when weather turns cold Brrrrrrrrrr! Can you believe this streak of cold weather we’ve been having?? As what had been an unusually mild winter turns subarctic, the bitter temperatures seem even worse than normal. It’s Thursday morning as I write this. Last night was predicted to have been the worst. The tempera-ture is around –12 as I write at my cozy computer nook, additional space heater at my side. Please tell me it’s not my fault for this cold snap, now in its second week. After all, it was about three weeks ago that I ordered a new sleeping bag with a temperature rating of –15 degrees. My idea was this: so far, my zero-degree sleeping bag was leaving me a bit chilly in my tent when outside temperatures were in the teens. I figured, “Minus 15-degree bag?? Yeah, I should be toasty in the teens.” So the bag arrived. Temperatures dipped, as if to say, “OK, you wanted that bag. C’mon outside. We’re gonna give you the posted temps for that bag. C’mon outside. Try it out.” Nope, no thanks! I’ll wait for temperatures in the teens or twenties to try it out. And then relegate my zero-degree bag for even warmer weather. Heck, I used it during an overnight of 65 degrees near the Colorado River a couple years ago. Of course, it was just thrown loosely over me, unzipped, with arms, legs and feet sticking out to capture some cool air. I think the problem with that sleeping bag is that its loft might have become compressed a bit. Both my bags are insulated with goose down. However, if you leave a bag compressed in a stuff sack for too long, it can lose some loft. Anyway, enough on that. Sunday I decided it was time to get outside (just not sleep overnight outside). A new geocache had been placed at the Volga River Recreation Area, a state park near Fayette, Iowa. It had not been found yet by anyone and I like the thrill (?) of having a “first find.” Geocaches are containers hidden outside that hold little treasures. They are placed using a GPS unit to give latitude and longitude coordinates. Then, the geocacher looks for locations to hunt on www.geocaching.com The containers might be Rubbermaid or Tupperware… or quite a few use ammunition cases. They need to be sealable, waterproof and ideally immune to an animal that might chew on them. The treasures can be anything. Usually there’s a notebook and pen or pencil to log the find, and often it’s in a sealed baggie for extra protection. Treasures might include toys, coupons, coins and more. The idea is this. You find the container, log your find in the notebook, take a treasure and leave some treasure to replace it. Sometimes there are things called “Travel Bugs.” They are logged separately. You try to move them to different geocaches (or “caches”) and track their movements. Some are given destinations to reach. So, anyhoo, Sunday I headed out, despite a very cold day. With the cache near the Volga River and former town site (now a campsite for horse people) of Albany, I had to climb to bluffs above the river. I went up the easy way, backtracking and taking a gentler slope up the bluffs. After finding the cache, I decided to see if there was a way to go down the bluffs. At a break in the rocks, I saw there was and that I could do it by being careful. For added safety, I made sure there was a tree within grabbing distance of each step. What fun! I also saw there was a “crack” maybe 1.5-2 feet wide at a different location and perhaps 20 feet high that led up the bluff It looked like it would be a bit of rock climbing for those without gear, because I think you could “chimney” up it, that is, use your feet and arms to brace yourself between the sides to climb up. I’ll look forward to trying it on some warmer day, with more people along. Then I headed to the Brush Creek Canyon State Preserve at Arlington, a place I’d first visited a number of years ago. It’s on a somewhat confusing, unmarked, dead end road. A lot of geocachers had had problems reaching it. I arrived and headed off cross-country. Then I saw the funniest site of the whole day. There was an opossum clinging to a tree, possibly 20 feet high, the tree only around 10-15 inches in diameter. It just stayed there, immobile. I’ve seen ‘possums in my garage and ‘possums squished on the road, but never in the wild. Camera at hand, I took a few shots of it. Soon, I found the cache in a weird, camouflage-colored PVC pipe. The way it was set up, I couldn’t unscrew the top to get it open. Oh well, no problem. I have photos of it to prove I was there. The final cache of the day was at Dutton’s Cave, a Fayette County Conservation Park near West Union. I’d been to this one twice before and hoped the third time would be a charm. The first time I had no GPS along, just thinking I had good ideas as to hiding places. DOH! The second time, I got to where the obvious hunt was going offtrail, but it was summer and I was wearing sandals and shorts. Nope, I didn’t want to fight with poison ivy! On Sunday, I found the cache pretty easily. This one was in tough shape. Water had leaked into it. Things were moldy. Upon returning home, I posted a note that the owner should check the cache and possibly replace it. Over all, a fun day spent hunting caches. In protected areas, it was pretty calm. Wind chills were obvious on the ridges, where the breeze blew hard and made my cheeks turn red. That’s OK when active, just don’t make me sleep outside in that. Even with the –15 bag. Lisa Brainard is a reporter for the Republican-Leader and also plans trips for Hawkeye Stages. She can be reached at: lbrainard@republican-leader.com

Hello, I'm in NE Iowa. I write a column on my outdoor adventures for a paper just across the Minnesota border. I just received a copy of a Letter to the Editor, which will be appearing in the paper regarding geocaching. Not only did this person address Minnesota state park issues, he also SPOKE TO IOWA PARK OFFICIALS ABOUT IT!! I don't know if Iowa geocachers are talking to Iowa park officials about policies, but it looks like now would be a good time to kick it into high gear, since they have just been approached....and at high levels, too. Here is the letter, for the most part: Dear Ms. Brainard, I am copying a "letter to the editor" which I am mailing to the River Valley Reader, below. Dear Ms. Brainerd/ River Valley Reader Since the time I moved to Southeast Minnesota, I have enjoyed reading your Journey vs. Destination column. Last night I read your column in the January 27th edition of the River Valley Reader. I commend you for getting out during this last cold snap (I'm ashamed to admit my black lab pup and I didn't venture any more than a mile down the Preston-Harmony Valley trail during the chill). However, I have some concerns about your nonchalance attitude towards Geocaching. As a former employee of both the National Park Service and Minnesota State Parks, I have a rather dim view of this "sport". Our countries’ states and federal governments have had the wisdom to set aside public lands for parks. These parks are usually created with a vision of accomplishing two goals: to provide recreational opportunities for visitors and to protect the natural, cultural and historical resources that make the park special. Geocaching is one of the many events where these two goals crash. The National Park Service has made geocaching illegal since at least the year 2000. It became illegal in Minnesota State Parks in July of 2002. There are good reasons for this. Many geocachers plant caches in locations with no regards for the resources of that area. Their cache has to withstand the elements, which often times means they are partially buried in the ground to keep them anchored. In planting a cache, the resources of the area can be seriously disturbed. Next, the location of the cache is posted on a website, like the one you listed in your column. This in turn leads to steady traffic in that I checked out www.geocache.com, and looked for some caches in some of my favourite hiking areas. I saw many descriptions such as “dangerous to get to!” and “steep slopes off trail”. Many times the reason there is no trail in a steep sloped area is because of that slope. By planting a cache in that area, your welcoming traffic that can and will cause major erosion problems. I was curious about the stance Iowa State Parks has on Geocaching, so I contacted Kevin Szcodronski, Interim chief of Iowa State Parks. As of yet, Iowa has not developed a policy. However, he stated, “We are increasingly becoming aware of the activity. My initial reaction is that we will eventually have to regulate it to at least assure the activity does n Kevin gave my name to the six Parks District Supervisors, and asked them to contact me with any geocaching activities they knew about. Tim Yancy responded saying that he had denied a permit for geocaching at Pleasant Creek State Park. His basic concern was that the applicant was vague about where he was going to plant the cache and that he wasn’t going to be onsite to monitor activities at the cache. Tim was concerned t When your column covers an activity that I know very little about, it often gets me interested in that activity. I am worried that this will happen with your geocaching column. People will go out without the proper knowledge, rules, and etiquette, and will abuse our resources as a result. Please understand that I am not against recreation on public lands. Nor am I against you writing about the enjoyment you have in your recreational activities. I myself am an active hiker, caver, and kayaker/canoer, who enjoys your column thoroughly. But with this great freedom we have, the right to recreate on public lands, comes great responsibility. During this time when state park budgets are the grimmest in decades, our responsibility increases. As the legislature cuts monies to our parks, it is up to us to make wise decisions, so as to not damage resources any more than is necessary. The money to repair the damage caused by careless users is simply not ther I urge you that whenever you choose to write about an outdoor recreational activity, you take the time to explain to your readers what impacts these activities have on the resources around it, and how these impacts can be kept to a minimum. Take the time to encourage readers to study up on local regulations before they partake in these activities. Provide your readers with the resources (state and local WebPages, telephone numbers, etc) where they can have questio From one land-user to another, (signed by the person) ----------------------------------------------- Sorry about all this. I will post my column next, so you can see what I wrote about........ As far as the letter, I will respond to it and talk about what cachers are doing to address the questions. If any of you would like to respond and be quoted with your actual name, I'd be happy to take a look at your comments. Thanks!! Lisa

Iowa is NOT a Great Plains state and should be with the Midwest listings. Glad someone else finally noticed it. Originally they had Minnesota down as a Great Plains state, too, but Minnesotans complained and got reclassified to where they should be. LET'S DO IT!!!! I mean, c'mon, Great Plains start beyond Iowa's western border. Don't confuse flat lands with Great Plains. Or come visit me in the NE corner.......lol.

Iowa is NOT a Great Plains state and should be with the Midwest listings. Glad someone else finally noticed it. Originally they had Minnesota down as a Great Plains state, too, but Minnesotans complained and got reclassified to where they should be. LET'S DO IT!!!! I mean, c'mon, Great Plains start beyond Iowa's western border. Don't confuse flat lands with Great Plains. Or come visit me in the NE corner.......lol.