j robin
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Posts posted by j robin
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I agree that the rolling of the log when it's evil cold is torture, but I really enjoy finding them. odds are, the cache will still be there than if it was an altoids tin. they make for clever hiding spots that wouldn't be an option otherwise. I prefer a nano on a fire hydrant to a 35mm in a light pole anyday. stealthier to grab too.
I don't MIND doing them, but prefer other sizes.
The BIGGEST issue I have with nanos are the following...
1) Trying to roll that logbook up (especially in the winter)
2) Those stupid magents that always fall off then you can't find it so you can't place it back in the same spot cuz it's no longer magnetic.
So it isn't the "finding" part of a nano cache that is so much the problem but dealing with the issues that a nano sized container creates then?
TGC
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Hi!
After playing around a little bit I've found some more things to discuss ;-)
1. New Map: As far as I've seen it doesn't necessarily show ALL the caches if you zoom out too far. Tried with some power trails and it then seems to only show every 2nd cache (or so) if you're zooming out. Just check the ET Highway and if you're zooming out to 50 miles you don't even see a single cache out of this trail. Additionally hovering over the cache symbol only seems to give you some pop up box at at resolution of 2 Miles and below.
2. Favorites: Thought about this new feature for some more time and I'm still not exactly happy with how it is implemented ;-) Just think about the following: You do have 2 caches. One with 10 finds and the other with 100 finds. The first cache gets 5 votes and the 2nd gets 10 votes. But which cache is better? In my eyes it should be the first one as it got a rate of 50% vs. 10% for the other. So I would more like to see THIS being reflected in the lists. This exactly is the reason why I don't care about these kind of lists ;-) I would prefer giving a cache a grade like at school instead of simply adding single votes regardless the number of logs...
Bye,
Christian
favorites bug me. there are great caches that few people are going to learn about. when we log it, as if we liked it. that's all. would a rating convince me NOT to do a cache. maybe if it had terrain issues or the CO was a butt. who's going to rate a light pole as a favorite unless it's in her favorite mall? still, they have their place, just like guardrails. go by the log & word of mouth. it's worked well so far...
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"Why are you here?
You've been redirected to this page because the site has noticed some unusual activity.
You may start using the site after one minute has passed and you have shown that you are human."
Wont let me do anything......... have to keep waiting 60secs...... then again...... then again...... no other programs running only IE8
Same here - happens on IE, Firefox and Flock
can't search ANYthing via my phone on any android apps. couldn't log finds & was even unable to find my own hides. please don't say this is a way to have people get Groundspeak's app because it's not the best out there & those better are free.
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Maybe they Cant Find The Final
No, because it was a traditional cache and they all found it. :/
That's the piece of the puzzle you left out. Since it sounds like more than one posted CFTF, then I would guess it's Co First To Find.
I've seen it here as CFTF & CoFTF.
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I wonder if there's an upward limit? Could someone log the same cache, say, a thousand times? I know it would be seen quickly (hopefully), but would they, at least temporarily, have an additional one-thousand finds showing?
Yes
whoa!
I learned something new today.
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I've always wondered why people geocache, for me I personally like the places they take me, and the sense of accomplishment I get when I find that one really creative/devilishly hard geocache.
I'm going to assume that these would be the reasons why people would geocache...
1. To take you to places you have never been to.
2. Competition of trying to get a high find count then others.
3. Enjoyment of hiding caches
4. Time to spend with others, social activity, this is why there are so many "events".
5. Time by yourself to get away from other people.
6. The sense of accomplishment after finishing a hard challenge.
7. Solving the puzzle caches.
8. A way to get out of the house and exercise.
9. The thrill of being "sneaky" right under the noses of muggles, who have no idea what you are doing.
Which of these apply to you?
because they're there...
...and 1...........and 8.
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I find it very interesting that the original poster has never hidden or found a cache. Although a review of all his forum posts shows he has claimed to find some he has never bothered to log.
Sounds like someone who just wants to stir up everything about a subject that has been discussed ad nauseum and probably received several dead horse comments over the years.
I wonder if it is the return or that guy who got banned awhile ago?
Nice stalking err, I mean detective work.
This is a zero find/zero hide account. I guess you can't say for sure if they're trying to stir the pot. But it certainly is a dead horse subject.
LOVE the stalking comment! I too, am a stalker detective. it's an unappreciated art. -
I looked hard and it wasn't anywhere I looked. I've found other caches big and little so I've got experience. I just thought I'd let you know I put a new micro/nano/pico on the ground where your cache shoulda been. Logged automatically from my combination mp3/DVD player - geo-catch thing - cell-phone using a app. So their. lol. j/k.
(Is there anybody, I didn't tick off?)
me! I LOVE it! now if I could just find my marbles I might find a cache or two...
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...and it's all I could ask for.
Thing is, and it depends on the circumstances (difficulty of hide etc), I wouldn't necessarily see 2 DNFs as meaning there is a problem.
Depends on the wording of the DNF logs I guess.
I had 2 DNFs in a row (might have been 3) on one of our caches but it was fine. I did however give the last DNFer a further hint and he went back next day and found it. If I hadn't it would have been sitting there perfectly happy with 2 or 3 DNFs on it.
As a cacher I watch caches I couldn't find (on the watch list) and see what happens. After a few weeks they either accumulate a few more DNFs and the CO goes and takes a look, or they are found soon after and i'll go back and have another go.
No point sitting worrying about it, and if the CO is not one to respond to emails then all you can do is watch, and wait
thanks. sounds like you understand both sides & it's appreciated. I actually check in on my two DNFs more often than I get to go out to cache. nothing yet but I have my doubts about the one I'm pretty much whining about. it's in a horrible place, though not far from my neighborhood. it's behind an abandoned Burger King in a so-so area that has enough trash to fill a couple of dumpsters. no needles but booze bottles, cans & assorted yuckies. I went because I'll take any opportunity to see something new in the area (moved less than 2 years ago from out-of-state). not an area I'd recommend for a senior or someone with kids, but that's just me. I just think I'll write it off as a "didn't find & don't care to look again", if there were such a listing. as a newbie, hints would be appreciated, but ANY reply would be nice when you try to contact the CO directly. even a "buzz off or look harder" would be appreciated more than silence.
TO ALL: remember, everyone was a newbie at one time or another...and it's a game, for fun.
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My bag is gaining items with experience. Scissors, string and sticky tape are useful if you find a cache in need of a bit of repair. Gloves are essential to protect your hands in those awful places. Scissors also for trimming back nettles! Anthistamine cream for stings. And if you set out for a cache and dash on a nice day do make sure you have a waterproof as I returned twice like a drowned rat! My latest aquisition is a mirror on an extendable handle found in 99c stores...pound stores in UK. Usefull for looking behind fences.
the mirror is an EXCELLENT idea. use them when working on cars. wish I'd thought about it before. thanks!
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so what about people who aren't maintaining their caches? I've emailed an owner twice after 2 DNFs on his cache with no response. really bugs me. I'm not the only DNF recently, just THE most recent. I'm new & all but I'm thinking he should either check it or archive it. verdict?
I must have misheard - I thought you said there had been 2 DNFs and you've emailed the owner twice & want him to check or archive. Must get my hearing checked.
yes...if he's not going to give advice or at least RESPOND politely. I took the time to research, to look, to look again & even to clean up some of the trash the CO obviously ignored when he placed the cache (it's in a notorious dump spot) and last checked the cache (when it was having camo issues). he was within a mile or so of the cache within weeks of the second DNF. did he check on it? if he did, post a log telling the DNFs they were off & it's still there. how else will we learn? I know where he was because I did my research. I looked up where HE'S been looking/logging, and it happened to be my first find just down the SAME road from his.
cacher stalker? maybe. more interested in logging own finds than maintaining owns? maybe.
Official word goes something like this...
As the cache owner, you are also responsible for physically checking your cache periodically, and especially when someone reports a problem with the cache (missing, damaged, wet, etc.). You may temporarily disable your cache to let others know not to hunt for it until you have a chance to fix the problem. This feature is to allow you a reasonable time – normally a few weeks – in which to arrange a visit to your cache. In the event that a cache is not being properly maintained, or has been temporarily disabled for an extended period of time, we may archive the listing.
...and it's all I could ask for.
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I had a traumatic out house experience
now there is one I never heard before.
she doesnt know how to use the 3 sea shells
Now I'm curious... why would she use 3 sea shells in an outhouse?
I think it's a reference to the movie "Demolition Man," where he didn't know how to use the 3 sea shells in the restrooms of the future.
talk about a spoiler.
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To answer your question about why I deleted one of the DNFs, its because I wrote a PM to the cacher pointing out that it seemed like his description didn't match the general vicinity of gz and to offer a personal hint. I doing so I thought I was being supportive of a new cacher. The cacher wrote back to me indicating that the DNF he posted was in error -- it pertained to a completely different cache. I agree -- I could have posted a note explaining all this, but that seemed like serving up a bit of public humiliation. I felt it would be more graceful to delete a DNF that was in error (by the cacher's own statement).
I do intend to check whether the cache is still there. It may well be gone, but that wasn't my point. My point is that I think it's a bit odd for someone with little or no experience finding geocaches to assume that it isn't there simply because they didn't find it. The low number of finds (all concentrated within a week or so of publication) *may* reflect the location of the cache -- it's about a 20 minute walk from parking and there are no easy caches nearby (just *very* tough one -- coupled with extraordinarily hot/humid/rainy weather through the summer.
The problem with being a new cacher is...you don't know what you don't know. It takes experience to really learn how to search well and to learn how things are hidden. Also, a cacher writing a missing note is TRYING to be helpful to the Cache Owner. They MAY (probably) be wrong but they are trying to be helpful with their note.
Agreed on all points.
thank you. well said.
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so what about people who aren't maintaining their caches? I've emailed an owner twice after 2 DNFs on his cache with no response. really bugs me. I'm not the only DNF recently, just THE most recent. I'm new & all but I'm thinking he should either check it or archive it. verdict?
I must have misheard - I thought you said there had been 2 DNFs and you've emailed the owner twice & want him to check or archive. Must get my hearing checked.
yes...if he's not going to give advice or at least RESPOND politely. I took the time to research, to look, to look again & even to clean up some of the trash the CO obviously ignored when he placed the cache (it's in a notorious dump spot) and last checked the cache (when it was having camo issues). he was within a mile or so of the cache within weeks of the second DNF. did he check on it? if he did, post a log telling the DNFs they were off & it's still there. how else will we learn? I know where he was because I did my research. I looked up where HE'S been looking/logging, and it happened to be my first find just down the SAME road from his.
cacher stalker? maybe. more interested in logging own finds than maintaining owns? maybe.
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Food for thought for finds in the city:
http://www.factsfacts.com/images/LightPoleCache.jpg
I found 2 this way within a quarter mile of each other.
I believe a guy hid a light pole cache that's one of my DNRs. asked him to clarify spot but he won't reply. don;t give up hope. as you see more & more it gets easier & easier. and yes, this is coming from another newbie. main thing is TRY TO HAVE FUN. not always easy to do when you're hot, dirty, bloody & cacheless. a sense of humor is so totally necessary if you're going to be doing this.
if you're enjoying yourself, don't quit!
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What has really annoyed me is that there are two consecutive DNFs on one of my caches. The first one was by a cacher with only 7 finds who said that he was sure the cache was missing. His description of the area didn't match the location of the cache. I contacted him privately and was told that he had posted to the wrong page (!). No offer to delete it, but just a an offer to "say nice things in the log" when he finds one of my other caches. I have since taken the liberty of deleting the erroneous log. Then yesterday I had a DNF from a cacher with 0 finds who said "There were severe rains recently. Maybe it washed away? ". Given the location and that even experienced cachers have found the GPS signal to be flaky near gz, I really doubt that is the case.
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Sorry for venting but I sure wish people would have a bit more humility about their caching skills.
First, a question, did you verify the cache was still there? You had five finds the first week and none in the following seven weeks. As unlikely as it may seem, that second person may be right. I know noobs (and I am one) can often be wrong, but...sometimes they are right.
Second, why delete DNF's? What I've seen and liked by cache owners is they will post a note in response to a DNF. In the case of the first one, you could write that the person's description doesn't match the GZ and suggest, in a nice way, they double check the coordinates they entered. For the second DNF, a note saying the GZ is not in a wash area (if that is the case) might be an appropriate response.
Final thought...There is a learning curve to being a cacher, just as there is to being a cache owner. I have a great amount of appreciation to cache owners who are understanding and kind to the new kids as they learn. I've become a big fan of a couple of CO's just because of how they handle DNF's.
I am also a newbie. As time's gone on, I've learned about GPS zapping out at ground zero (my first DNF I blamed on power lines). I've also learned that a DNF is usually a DNF when the cache's last 3-5 logs say DNF. My first DNF, I received some help from a fellow cacher & learned it's easy to overlook when conditions bite. My third DNF taught me I'm better at this than I thought (the cache really WAS gone). DNFs #2 & 3 belong to the same cache. Never a reply from the owner re: the DNFs. Have sent two emails asking if he plans on checking on it or if he has any hints in case I'm just having a blonde moment. No reply. Now what?
My true DNF was archived almost immediately. That CO even suggested I try my hand at hiding (oh the ideas swimming in my head). This other seems to have a very active CO when it comes to hides & finds. He semi-recently posted a bitter sounding log regarding missing camo that makes me wonder if he's not one of the disgruntled ones. What do you do when a CO goes AWOL for a month?
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Oh no... here we go again.
I have to say that as one of those people who was disabled when I started caching, and also was not very financially stable back then, it took us a REALLY long time to find 100 caches. Then after I started working again I worked 70+ hours a week (and still work almost that much). Although I have the privilege of having a flexible schedule, and the privilege of good health, and the privilege of having enough money to pay for gas, I know that this is not true for others.
Also, I am not blessed with children, but I imagine that when you have small ones that doing a ton of caches becomes not as easy.
Not to mention, there are people who are quite choosy about the caches they find, and so they cache discerningly.
There are just too many variations to make this feasible, too many exceptions to the rule. One of the best caches I've ever found was hidden by someone with only 7 finds. I've found fairly lame hides from cachers with thousands of finds and many hides. We have a hider in our area who has several thousand finds and over 800 hides who doesn't maintain a lot of them. It's just too hard to tell.
What I think instead is a good solution, is to step up the amount of Geocaching 101 events, and group caching education trips, so then new folks can *decide* if they want to learn more about placing quality hides, rather than be *forced* to find 100 caches (which honestly, if those 100 finds are all LPCs... how would that mean anything?) first.
Geocaching has enough rules. If a rule is necessary, sure, that's one thing, but I don't think this is necessary.
Edited to add some more:
Besides, what constitutes a quality hide is subjective. What you may think is the "wrong" container, someone else may love.
Also, I think this makes caching more exclusive to those folks with more money, time and health; which is not fair. Caching should be open to everyone. Not all of us are IT directors who have the privilege of finding 1400 caches in our first year. Just think about that... if anything this sport/game/hobby needs less elitism and competition, and this will inspire more.
so what about people who aren't maintaining their caches? I've emailed an owner twice after 2 DNFs on his cache with no response. really bugs me. I'm not the only DNF recently, just THE most recent. I'm new & all but I'm thinking he should either check it or archive it. verdict?
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getting a little off topic here, aren't we? I understand including the gun, although I won't carry mine out caching, even if alone. too many variables. I used to take a small .38 with me when biking in the boonies alone (especially near the US/Mexico border). many times was glad I had it, tho never used it. too old for that now. take a man now instead. scary biker looking man. works great. less weight in my bag too.
yesterday I wish I had heavy gloves & pruners with me. have many deep battlescars now from the trail that really wasn't a trail...but that's another story.
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Flashlight, pen, water, .45 auto, snacks, TBs, wasp spray (very useful in TX), knife, lazer range finder (for earthcaches), TP, hand wipes, small hand towel.
LOVE the .45 auto idea! definitely a Texan.
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I'm a newbie but so far these have helped me...
zip ties of varying sizes & colors
Swiss army knife with pliers
fine-tip colored Sharpies (for damp logs)
bug repellent (in my car but swipes are good too)
bags to pack out trash
rubber gloves (had to use once)
WATER!
bandana
extra reading glasses with Transitions lenses
swag bag
mace (seriously)
small flashlight (mini-Mag-light or small LED light)
my gps is my phone...which is also my camera. I recommend to everyone they bring a camera. if you don't find the cache, you can still enjoy the experience. since I'm still REALLY new at this & lately have had a pretty crappy streak, I suggest you bring a friend with a sense of humor & adventure that DOESN'T need glasses...but what do I know? happy hunting!
note that my hunts have all been in-city. haven't ranged that far yet.
This is a zero find/zero hide account. I guess you can't say for sure if they're trying to stir the pot. But it certainly is a dead horse subject.
LOVE the stalking comment! I too, am a 
Archival of E.T. Highway Series
in General geocaching topics
Posted
about the alien head runs...will they continue to stand alone?