carnyhunks
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Posts posted by carnyhunks
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My first Geocaching experience was in 2008, right when the activity had gained a lot of traction.
One of my extended relatives asked me if I had heard of Geocaching. I forget the exact explanation he used, but I was very intrigued.
My cousins and I hopped in the car and joined the search with my relative.
I didn't find any of the caches (they were all micros), but the people with me did. I signed my name and the rest is history.
I think the best way to get muggles into it is to talk about it.
I usually bring up the names of trails I walk and mention Geocaching.
They either give me a puzzled look or a "Yeah I've heard about it."Also, there is a trend on Tik Tok that I learned of recently, so a lot of younger people are being introduced to it that way.
Last week, I found a cache in front of some muggles. They asked what I was doing and I explained Geocaching to them.
They responded positively, so I might have helped a "wizard" discover themselves!
My favorite is to just ask a muggle if they want to go Geocaching with me. I've done this maybe once and it was a good time.
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30 minutes ago, cerberus1 said:
Did you ask the previous finder why they moved it ? If not, and there's no more to the log, isn't "didn't agree" your opinion ?
Similar to a few, we've found enough caches out in the open, that we placed em off-trail (fitting the rating...) and emailed the CO.
If we were there earlier and taking new folks out to learn the hobby, we'll simply move it back to where we found it.
- The other 2/3rds (FTF monster) had many caches seen as originally intended.
A lot of low D/T caches have cache creep...
This is why I do my best to place the cache in "immovable" locations.
I've noticed the ones with the least amount of "cache creep" are the ones that are tethered to the location.
Micros and smalls tend to "creep" more. Magnetic caches move ALL OVER THE PLACE.
It seems like I always need to choose locations that have one obvious hiding place.
As for T ratings, I try to follow the website's guidelines. Most of my caches can't be easily accessed from a wheelchair, so I tend to go 1.5 as a minimum.
After reading all of these replies, I have the urge to go to all my caches and make sure they're in the "right spot."
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My goals when I go Geocaching are:
1.) Find a cache, any cache. (LPCs, trails, cemeteries, urban, etc.)
2.) Don't get discouraged when I can't find a cache (there's always a reasonable explanation).
3.) Make the experience enjoyable for the next finder
What good feelings do I get when I go Geocaching?
1.) The feeling of accomplishment when I find a cache
2.) The feeling of being a part of a global movement/game/experience
3.) The feeling of being a detective/wizard when I interact with a cache
4.) Knowing that I got up and did something today that I enjoy
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1 hour ago, The Jester said:
If you want to really make it a challenge, go for a micro ... and paint it blue...
Talk about an EVIL hide!
I read in the news about the astronaut who dove down to the deepest accessible area on the ocean floor.
Who knows, perhaps our diving technology will improve and sunken shipwrecks will become Wherigos.
A really neat Earthcache would be the volcanic vents on the ocean floor.
I couldn't imagine placing physical containers in shipwrecks, WAY too dangerous/unethical in some cases.
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1 hour ago, The Jester said:
You could try a floating cache with a really long anchor cable...
Find an anchor long enough, anything is possible.
Challenge accepted!
I could make it a gadget cache too while I'm at it
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3 minutes ago, Isonzo Karst said:
It's not land , it's a spot that's furthest from any land ~ the oceanic point of inaccessibility :-) by definition, there is no "island close by. NOAA Point Nemo
Trying to shoehorn it into a cache design would be unrelated to hiding caches for people to find, or even virtual locations for people to visit - it's a trophy location. (This is why the guidelines require that a cache owner have visited and used a gps device to generate coords for locations that are part of geocaches. )
Well, at least one could theoretically hide a cache 2,688 km away from Point Nemo and claim those bragging rights
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I recently learned of "Point Nemo," which is the most remote location on the planet.
I wonder if anyone has thought of or has placed a cache here before.
The location is in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, so it would have to be a Wherigo.
Or, find an island close by to place a physical container
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13 hours ago, L0ne.R said:
Depends on how often my cache gets a find. If it generally gets 2 finds a month then it doesn’t get any logs for 2 months, that’s often a sign that it may be missing. Many people don’t like to log a DNF or won’t log a DNF. So if it goes silent, I go check. In my experience 80% of the time the cache has gone missing.
I have one cache, over 10 years old, that still gets found on average once a month. I check it twice a year. In the Spring after the snow melt, and in the Fall.
I check to see that it’s still there, and in the right spot. I take out junk swag, then wipe down the inside of the container of leaves, stones and dirt that may have accumulated. I might add a fresh logbook if the old one is starting too look beat up. And a pencil if the one in the cache has gone missing.
The closer the cache the more I check, sometimes daily. If you can, why not? It can be a fun part of the day. When you’re new at hiding it helps to ensure that the container holds up, keeps the contents dry, and you picked a good hiding spot. And it’s fun to see who’s signed the log.
That's a good idea. I do have a lot of fun reading the logbooks.
My hypocritical gripe is that no one writes comments in the logbooks (I blame the "microspew", and I write comments maybe 50% of the time
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I'll at least write what I've done or added/subtracted to the cache.
Funny story about junk swag.
I found this clear lock-n-lock container in the woods, and someone (must have been a teenager/early 20s') put a VAPE in the cache!
Along with a ketchup packet and a peppermint candy.
Not to mention, I was caching with underage family members (*facepalm*)
I promptly threw those items in the trash, and definitely "traded up" that swag.
It was a good laugh, though.
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8 hours ago, Isonzo Karst said:
Plan is a maintenance visit on multi-caches every year or two. People won't hunt them if there are no recent finds or OM logs.
On others, not paying much attention to date of last find. A year or more is not uncommon. Just getting to one, the longest seems to be around 10 years. Another around every 7 years; hidden March 2005, visited by me April 2011 and then again April 2018. 2 finds in the last 6 years. Likely the next time I get there, I'll pull it.
My caches generally not at risk for casual finders. I lose them to fire and flood mostly, and hide ammo cans. They do rust out. The 10 year one rusted out. Logs mentioned it and I replaced.
I think this is the norm, based on reading some of the logs of the older caches I've found (hidden before 2008).
I've lost one to flood and rust, too. Luckily, I've only had one muggled cache (only had 1 find).
There were several years where I didn't log any new finds on the website, but I'd check on local caches around me during walks and add swag. I'd write down in the logbook that I visited, though.
I'm thrilled that I have more time to actually FIND caches, along with hiding new ones.
This hobby was one that I realized was an ACTUAL hobby that I had, not something I just "did."
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3 hours ago, Isonzo Karst said:
On the side topic of getting to the original poster's profile, I too assume a name change. These forums now link to Geocaching.com by building a URL from the username, rather than the more stable userid (number) or guid. When you click the link from inside the quote pane, the userid appears briefly - 3469577.
I wonder if the username here will change if ryan logs out and in again? I assume yes, but not sure really.
Yep, that was it. I signed out and now it's fixed!
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This is a question for cache owners:
How long do you let a cache go without any "new" finds before you do a "checkup" on it? (Assuming no DNFs have been logged)
I'll find myself driving by my cache locations when I run errands, and I'll find myself wanting to go to the cache just to "see how it's doing."
My newer caches are still in the "honeymoon" phase of being discovered.
Every time someone finds the cache, I feel less of a need to "see how it's doing."
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One of my first active non-PMO caches is going on 9 years old, and its withstood a lot (replacement container, log change, rough elements, etc.)
I recently hid a PMO cache, one that I invested money in, so I felt the need to make it PMO.
My rationale is if I can create the cache for pennies (or free), it'll be accessible to everyone.
If I spend multiple dollars to create or order a custom container, then it becomes PMO. (unless it's an ammo can on top of a mountain, then I'll be desperate for ANYONE to find it lol)
I've noticed that the caches around me that get muggled are due to construction and groundskeeping.
It's important to consider how much foot traffic the area gets, and the likelihood of the cache getting "accidentally" discovered.
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41 minutes ago, cerberus1 said:
I used to really like night caching.
The two scariest caches we've done were simple, level trails at night.
Now that tourists are moving in instead of visiting on weekends, many of our game lands (where most is done) have developments all around them.
Hunters have had run-ins while night hunting, and they use green or red light. We still predator hunt at night too.
Most we know caching use a standard white-light LED, and much brighter.
A couple years ago a forum thread had a few saying they use 500 lumen lights for caching. We max at 120.
- Get a couple people moving bright lights across someone's bedroom window around midnight isn't a good way to make friends...
We're seeing a couple groups caching at night after events.
Most logs seem to say they had a good time, but many aren't even near the woods anymore.
But we went along on one (a cemetery) that had a sign out front saying it was closed, and went home.
Many parks are closed dusk to dawn, but we almost attended two that have been accessed at night by these groups.
Add in that a few had beer in the mix too... well, no thanks...
Yeah that thought has crossed my mind a few times. Last "recommended at night" cache led me to a neat dead-end away from houses. The cache was a micro, so it took us a few minutes to look for it. The main challenge was getting through the overgrown weeds.
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I've been looking through the "topics" page for a current "Nightcaching" thread, but I haven't found one.
Does anyone still go nightcaching? There are several caches around me that are "24/7" and "recommended at night," but I don't know if these necessarily count as nightcaches.
It would be nice to find trails or areas accessible at night that involve using reflectors and headlamps.
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I've read a couple threads about Covid-19 and caching, and it got me to thinking:
With all of this talk of social distancing and PPE, would there be a legitimate case for cachers to create virtual caches?
What are your thoughts?
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As a cacher and cacheowner, I'm fine with a date and signature in any paper form.
Whether that's in the original logbook or a piece of paper they added to the logbook.
There is a sense of "paying it forward" when another cacher adds more log strips to a full logbook.
Now if they wrote on the inside of the container with sharpie, I'd delete their log
We fellow cachers need to look out for each other. We're all one big community.
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Protect Signal
in General geocaching topics
Posted
Ligado seems to be using 5G for their system. Would this mean that standalone GPS receivers be rendered obsolete?
Would GPS on smartphones not be affected if they're on the 5G network?
There are some remote areas that can't access cell networks.
I can't imagine that the GPS bandwidth would be narrowed.