DizzyPair

Winning this competition is much, much easier than judging and choosing the next winner. It has been great to see all the photos being submitted, and there is such a mixture, we hardly knew where to start. We created a shortlist of the ones that most appealed to us. They are….in no order….. DrDick&Vick..... Leather Tor bridge Ivanidea..... Batty Moss Viaduct aliandtone..... GC76FC Three Locks (Bucks) - Grand Union Series Haggis Hunter..... The Red Woods rickardclan..... Lidcutt Valley 2 Guanajuato..... Castlehead, Keswick *Mouse*..... The Chirk Aquaduct and Viaduct Susiemerlin1..... for persistence And this months WINNER is aliandtone

A couple of years ago when Mrs Dizzy was away on Brownie Holiday, I went caching on my own and found 123 in the one day. Starting off at 02.00 with the Chiltern 100 and after a short rest at the hotel in the late afternoon, went out again and found some more, finishing at about 22.00. Probably not a record but who cares? I had a good time and found lots.

We are very pleased to see the very good entries that have so far been submitted. 10 days left so let's have some more!

Thanks very much to maiawalli for choosing our photo of 'Scratchy Bottom' as the winner of the March competition. The theme for your April photos is BRIDGES. Any type of Bridge, even a log over a stream. The rules are the same as those used in previous months..... 1) The photo must be cache related and to do with a specific UK cache, caching series or caching trip - please include a link to the cache or the GC.... code so we can see where the picture relates to. 2) Two photos per caching team or cacher. (Maybe 3 if you really have an extra pic that's great!) 3) A new thread is started each month, with the OP stating these rules. 4) The winner each month is decided by the winner from the previous month - the new winner starting the thread for the subsequent month. They may set a theme* if they wish. 5) Photos should be recent. Higher credit will be given to photos taken in the current month. 6) The competition runs from the 1st of the month, until a date specified in the OP by the previous months winner. This should give sufficient time for the winner (or other person if necessary) to start the new thread. If you haven't already uploaded a photo, a good tip might be to upload to one of your log entries (it can just be 'post a note'). Then, display the photo and copy the URL to provide a link to the post. If it's not actually relevant to the cache you've used, delete the note and the photo - the URL will still work. On this forum, add a reply and click the small green tree icon above the text box and paste in your URL.

Corfe Castle - A Virtual Tour (Dorset)

Scratchy Bottom!! GC2PX86 Our 2nd FTF of the day.

We got fed up trying to sharpen blunt pencils in the field, so we bought a desktop pencil sharpener (just like the teacher had). We carry a pencil case full of sharpened pencils of different lengths, so when we come to a cache with a blunt pencil, we just swap pencils, and sharpen the blunt one at home, ready for swapping next time.

If we get to the coordinates and it's obvious that the cache is in this sort of area, we walk away, log a DNF and state the reason why we did not search.

MERRY CHRISTMAS We have been out and found one cache to fill in our caching calendar. Then it's work this afternoon!!

We agree with what MBFace said…..At least the Cache Owners are doing something so that both the owners of the missing trackables and people seeking the cache know what is or isn’t in the box. It’s a shame that one particular cache has been singled out, and the Cache Owners criticised, when this situation of missing trackables is getting to be all too common.

Well, we got a surprise to see ourselves “quoted” here. Also we are not too sure of the objective or reason for the Topic. At first, it seemed simple….A TB has gone missing - We were the last ones to log it, so were half expecting a question such as “Did you definitely put Bigfoot TB in that cache?” But when we saw what had been quoted, we feel compelled to explain ourselves. “Nov 3. …….However, logs in the log book do not account for all trackables listed online. We decided not to leave anything just in case they are going missing.” The logs in the logbook did not tally with the movement of trackables because some people don’t write in the logbook what they have taken/ left, and some put trackables in their bag/pocket etc, forgetting about them, and then ‘finding’ them later on. Also, in October, 2 separate cachers logged in the logbook, but did not log on line. One of these “names” does not have a geocaching.com account that we can find. Prior to our next trip to the cache, there were some late movements of trackables and we concluded that they were not being stolen, so we visited on “Nov 11……..Left Bigfoot TB” We cannot comment on the quoted logs from others. But….We do have a couple of questions. Has the cache owner been consulted and are they aware of this discussion? It is not this particular cache that is a problem, but the influx of new cachers who take trackables and have no idea of how to log their movement, or those that give up caching and still have the trackables in their possession. And don’t forget the more experienced cachers who still need reminding to “log that coin.”

We think the Difficulty and Terrain numbers make people aware of what they may encounter before they go and seek a cache. If you see it is T4, then expect to use your arms to get to the cache, as well as your feet/legs….No equipment needed. If you see T4.5, then expect the same but it will likely be a bit more dangerous and/or challenging…..No equipment needed. In both these cases, you should be able to get to the cache without equipment, but there is nothing stopping you from using some. e.g. T4.5 up a tree. Some people will be confident enough to climb up without any equipment, but others who are more fearful might prefer to use a harness with a sling, just in case they slip off a branch. Someone mentioned something about “adventurers” earlier. These T4 & 5 caches should be an adventure. It is not a test to see who is bravest or the most stupid. To get to a T5 cache you should use some sort of equipment. This might be a harness and rope or you might need a descender, and an ascender. You might need 2 or 3 ropes. Caches in trees can be easy or hard, and some trees are not easy to climb. If the trunk is bare of branches for the first 5, 10, or 15 metres, then you cannot just climb up. The easiest way is to get a rope over a suitable branch. Think about how you can get the climbing rope over a branch 10 metres high. Usually a pilot line is used. This can be easy to install or there may be many smaller branches close together etc which hamper getting it up. This could increase the difficulty rating. So a cache high in a tree could vary from T4 to T5. The difficulty can be affected by how easy it is to get your hands on the cache. If it is very close to the trunk of the tree then it might be D1 or D2. But what if it’s on the end of a thinner branch a long way from the trunk, then you will have to climb along this to get the cache. That could be D3, to D5 If a cache is on a cliff and the only way to it is by using a rope then it should be a T5. If you can abseil down to it and then go all the way to the bottom, then a D2 would be about right. But take a similar cache, same height, but it is not possible to go all the way down, and you have to go back up, then the D rating should be higher, 3, 4, or 5. We have 2 caches on old railway bridges. One of them you can walk onto the top of the bridge and abseil down to the cache =D2 T5 The other, you can only get to by ascending to the cache, and then descending back to the ground. This is obviously more difficult. =D5 T5. Many T5 caches in this country are also rated as D5. This is not very accurate. We have found a few T5 caches in different countries and suggest that one way to determine the Difficulty and Terrain combinations is with experience. Go out and seek those T5 caches and you will soon see that they are not all D5 T5. Some are easy, some are hard, and some are almost impossible. Take a look at http://geo.b44.de/ which is a map based site that shows just about every T4 to T5 cache in mainland Europe. You will also see that whereas most of the UK T5 caches show no photos, the caches in Europe are almost all accompanied by photos, so you see people enjoying their adventure. You will also see that the Difficulty Ratings are much lower than if the same cache was placed in this country.

We have seen this several times before. The interesting thing is that it only happens with micros and usually 35mm film pots. Never seen someone leave a regular in this situation. If it happened on one of our caches we would delete the log and go and do some CITO. We would rather see a DNF log so that we can sort things out ourselves.

When I found that 'finding' a pile of sticks was getting to be monotonous, I had a think about how to improve the caching experience. About the same time, we were doing a Series of caches and came across a Cache-U-Nutter cache called "LOOKOUT". With encouragement from Mrs Dizzy I found the cache even though I was scared. But....Once I was safe on the ground the feeling of achievement and satisfaction is much much more than going out for the day and finding a ring that you immediately forget. Find an "Extreme" cache and you'll think about it for a while and straight away research your next one. So......I put the words "Extreme Geocaching" into the search engine and into Youtube and also looked at a lot of German T5 caches on Geocaching.com. The Germans are keen to put up photos of their escapades and it was from these photos that I saw what equipment I would need. From the photos I could also see how the equipment is used. A year later and my basic kit is a 10.5mm rope, Grigi, Ascender, Harness, Carabiners. and Slings. I also have some items to get the rope up into trees. I went off into the woods a few times just to practice with the kit, and started off very low and then as I became more proficient, going higher, and getting more confident each time. Although I had no 'formal' training on the equipment, it is simple to use, you just have to be methodical and always have a safety back-up in place. I did attend a course at the local climbing wall which was good as it gave me some safety information. A year later and we have found 46 T5 caches and not one dangerous moment.

We do not agree. Go and check the paper log. If their name is not there, write to them explaining that to 'find' a cache the log must be signed. Also ask them to change their log to a 'DNF'. If they don't do it after a few days, then delete it for them. We have a cache that is up a tree. Someone wrote a 'found' and said they saw the cache, but could not reach it. We asked them to change their log to a dNF. They did so.

Thanks a lot Gary...Excellent.

Thanks Gary. It works for us.

Maybe people have looked for it but are too ashamed or embarrassed to log a DNF.

I have had a 60Cx for a few years now. If you have the gps mode set to "Normal", you will get about the same accuracy as a Vista HCx which is what Pauline uses. If you set the gps mode on the 60Cx to "Battery Saver", the accuracy will be much worse...+/- 15metres. Not sure if you set the radius for the beeps and alarms. If we are travelling in the car or moving fast, then it beeps when we are further away than if we had been walking slowly. Maybe it's the amount of warning time you need related to the speed you are going at. Anyway, it always beeps at some point.

We are also from Dorset, and are willing to help if we can. Some people often ask for help if they are looking for, but cannot find a cache. (They PAF or Phone a Friend). We don't do this for various reasons. If we can't find a cache then we post a DNF. We might pay a return visit, or me might not, it depends on the cache location and how interesting it was. As cache owners, we have placed caches for people to find. Some are very easy and some will be a bit of a challenge. If anyone asks us for a hint, then we give it. When we first started caching we asked for help on how to solve puzzle caches a few times. Now, if we cannot solve it ourselves within a short time, then we just add it to the ignore list. So, if you want some help, just let us know.

There is more to this than you think. Besides the model name or whatever, you should also consider the size of the screen. The larger the screen the more of the map you will be able to see. We have a Garmin Vista HCx and a Garmin GPSmap 60Cx, both with Garmin topo mapping. If you have poor eyesight, this could affect your choice. The information is much easier to read on the 60Cx. The buttons on the 60 Cx are easier to use. To 'find' a waypoint you only have to press the button. On the Vista HCx you have to press and hold the button. The Vista HCx always gets a fix faster than the 60Cx. The rubber covering has come off the Vista HCx and we have glued it back on with evo-stick. The 60 Cx is older and shows less signs of wear and tear. So, it might be best to have a hands on with whatever you can before deciding.

We have just tried out the K9 Crew macro for Satmap and it works a treat. Just as the Wetherseekers have said. We are chuffed that we can put caches into the Satmap. THANK YOU K9 Crew

I dropped my 60Cx gps, breaking the battery cover. I emailed customer services asking where I could get a replacement from. They emailed back the same day and said that you cannot buy battery covers as they are not accessories, but they would send me a new one in the post. FREE They posted it out the same day. Could not ask for more.

I have not found the cache that Muppetmel mentions nor have I met her. What I cannot understand is why, when people are seeking a cache and they find that they are in an area that they feel so negative about due to litter, do they persist in the hunt and then log a "find". If they are so annoyed about the rubbish then why stay there in an unpleasant place sifting through the rubbish to claim a "find"???? The "find" is more important than the rubbish. Also, I was surprised to read that people who work very close by, and so must be familiar with the litter, have gone to the place to get the "find". We put caches on our "ignore list" if they are in places that we know we will not like. We do not like litter or similar and in the past when we have realised where the cache is hidden we have walked away, logging a DNF with the reason we did not search for the cache. Finally, I admire the way that Muppetmel has reacted to the very nasty logs. It would been more civil to have sent a private email.

Thanks very much for this link. We are quite illiterate when it comes to HTML and such like. Now we have the opportunity to upgrade our cache pages. We have even worked out that we should tick the HTML box when editing the cache page!! This is so easy.