martlakes

Of course Ben Nevis CAN be a 5* depending on the weather and route chosen. Even the tourist track will require proper hill walking gear and some sense of how to use it - if you want to do things correctly. Yes you can do it in flip flops if you want, but ... So the system suggests that a 10 mile, 4000' ascent up a rocky mountain isn't 5* but hiring a rowing boat on Windermere for half an hour is? Or taking a torch for a small 20' cave is 5* cos you need equipment? It's all a bit strange really. Free climb a hard rock route - only 3* cos no gear needed! I know, why not read the cache page and see what sort of challenge is involved - now there's an idea!

Last chance in the next couple of days to catch the morning moment. Yet to see any snow ones! We finally had a couple of inches in Kendal last night and woke to a white scene. I know I can't win (!) but thought I'd share a couple of mine from the last couple of weeks. There's been some great mornings and I've seen a few good sunrises. Keep em coming! http://coord.info/GC26TGK Lady Syke. A beautiful misty morning with inversions in the valleys and estuaries. Sun burning off the fog on the Leven estuary. http://coord.info/GC1HP9B Drawing Balloons in Barrow A great sunrise along Duke Street in Barrow, past a church to the Town Hall. http://coord.info/GC1JFG4 Coniston Picture Panorama The sun was just coming up and turning the Coniston fells red. It was a frosty morning and the sheep were hungry so came over to the gate to see if I was the farmer with some food!

Don't think I've tried uploading any logs recently - not since trip to Isle of Man. Maps and things seemed speedier, so seemed to be ok until the iOS update. The thread on the iPhone suggestion page has been responded to by a lackey and they are trying to fix it asap. Technology is great if it works!

I'd echo the same problem: I upgraded to iOS 4.2 this afternoon and this causes a major problem with the Geo App. When you try to navigate to the cache, instead of using the cache's co-ords it tries to navigate to N00 00.000 W000 00.000, ie. the equator. The map is zoomed all the way out to show this. You can work around this by zooming in until you can tap on the cache icon and navigate to it as you would a waypoint. But it's not handy! Geo App was fine before upgrading to iOS 4.2 on my iPhone 4. M

I upgraded to iOS 4.2 this afternoon and this causes a major problem with the Geo App. When you try to navigate to the cache, instead of using the cache's co-ords it tries to navigate to N00 00.000 W000 00.000, ie. the equator. The map is zoomed all the way out to show this. You can work around this by zooming in until you can tap on the cache icon and navigate to it as you would a waypoint. But it's not handy! So, if you haven't yet upgraded, I would wait until this is sorted as it's a quite annoying fault. Until iOS 4.2 the latest Geo App was doing fine. More info is available in the Tech Forum but if you read this before upgrading, it will save you some hassle. M

Some good pics being posted. A quick poem to inspire you: Listen to the Exhortation of the Dawn! Look to this Day! For it is Life, the very Life of Life. In its brief course lie all the Verities and Realities of your Existence. The Bliss of Growth, The Glory of Action, The Splendor of Beauty; For Yesterday is but a Dream, And To-morrow is only a Vision; But To-day well lived makes Every Yesterday a Dream of Happiness, And every Tomorrow a Vision of Hope. Look well therefore to this Day! Such is the Salutation of the Dawn! Kalidasa* *widely regarded as the greatest poet and dramatist in the Sanskrit language.

I presume you didn't quite manage to canoe all the way to the hands!

So beautiful how the sun is glinting off that hi-viz jacket, really catching the autumnal orange hue! (going to be hard to beat!)

Thanks to Keehotee for judging last month's competition ... and picking my pic! Please get your photos posted to this thread on or before the 30th November. The rules are similar to 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. *** Just to be different, I thought we might have a theme this month. Despite the clocks changing it's still dark until quite late, so the theme for this month is sunrises and early morning light. I've noticed some really good ones recently with a great mix of clouds and sunlight streaming through. So, a good excuse to get out just a bit early and see if you can capture the moment on the way to your first cache of the day. Maybe dramatic clouds, or a quiet misty scene, or even an inversion with a valley full of fog. The first rays of light catching beads of dew on a spider web, or glinting off some water, or a fiery orb just cutting the horizon of black factory roofs. Yes, you can still enter any other good caching pics but ones meeting the theme will have more weight in the judging. Have fun!

Goodness gracious - we've won! Freya has a thing about standing on trigs so we've quite a few similar pics, but with more of her in the shot usually! I was standing a bit lower so the 'picture' was much like reality - my view filled with boots! What makes me grin is the neat creases in her trousers, tucked in to the chunky looking boots! Indeed, it's been a lovely autumn, although a few lost their leaves a bit early cos of the strong winds. Anyway, plenty of other good pics this month, looking forward to some more in November. I'll get the topic going shortly. Happy snapping! Martlakes & Freya

Freya on Black Crag trig point, Coniston and Langdale fells behind. It was a stunningly clear day and Black Crag is a brilliant view point for the hills. Black Crag Had a trip to the Isle of Man and ascended Snafell to see the Six Kingdoms from Happy Humphrey's cache. Showers to the west but glorious over to the Lakes. Saw Ireland, Scotland, England, Wales, Mann, and the deep of Poseidon, since we're probably not pure of heart enough to see the kindom of heaven! Six Kingdoms

Okay, here's a few from this month. First two were cache maintenance trips, first on Hutton Roof. Stone balancing has become popular and we added the three smaller stones to this raised slab. Hutton Roof Invitation or guard dog? Spidle Woods Two from an early morning trip to Coniston. This is Yew Tree Tarn just below Holme Fell Mist on the surface as it was a cold night. Sun just hitting the trees. Reeds in the perfectly still water:

Trying hard not to post in this thread again but ... is so funny! This is exactly what those who would like more than "." as a log or "sent from my mobile" are going on about. Exactly how much 'community spirit' do you think "." creates? If you read the Groundspeak getting started pages, it also says something about 'write about your experience online'. No one has suggested that War&Peace is required, or that anyone should attend a creative writing course, despite all these exaggerations from those who think "." is ok. All that's required requested is a couple of words - something that shows you actually took 5 seconds to acknowledge your visit, rather than just a completely irrelevant, boring, selfish, pasted, unthoughtful load of ...... (add any other words you like) Had a 4 word log on one of mine in June: "Nice view, trashy contents". This is a great log! From someone with 5 finds, it says quite a lot: they enjoyed the view, so the cache worked; they probably expected 'treasure' so were disappointed by the contents (entirely fair enough). So, now after 4 words I know (can assume) a little bit about them, their experience, the state of the cache, etc. If I meet them I'll have something to chat about, or I could even send them an email welcoming them to the mad hobby and apologising for the normal crud found in caches. Wow, all that from just 4 words - see how easy it is! It's not hard to 'write' a log that says the merest something about the cache or your experience. Not having enough time is the poorest excuse when 3 or 4 words would do. Anyone who logs with "." or just "sent from my mobile" either doesn't know how the app works, or is just entirely self-centred and not playing the game how it should be played. Again, exactly how many caches does anyone think would be out there is the only feedback the setter got was "." Go on : everyone try and write at least 4 words on every log - it's that easy! (Of course, thankfully, most people do write good logs.) PS. while I'm here, anyone who writes TFTC as an insult is just slightly crazy and ought to come up with something else as it's just confusing. If you mean, "only write TFTC" on rubbish caches, well perhaps, but just a hint more honesty might help. Saying thanks when you don't mean it is just daft.

True, they do this though by having a six month string of Needs Maintenance logs, loads of 'its wet' logs, eventually a Needs Archiving log, followed later by a reviewer note asking for action or at least a response. If through all of that there is no reply or sign of life, inc an account that's not logged on for months and months, then I'd say it's easy enough to know they have abandoned it. In the above circumstances, listing on another site isn't much of a problem cos it isn't being maintained on that one either! Do everyone a favour and remove the pile of saggy horribleness! Yes, there are some issues about checking that it really has been abandoned etc, but not too hard to do, and all the owner has to do is respond to an email or cache note. Locals would have a much better feel for the situation anyway. I would see this approach only for those caches that the owners have disappeared and no response is forthcoming over months. Normal archiving is still down to active players to remove their box, but maybe if it's checked 6 months later and it's still there, remind them with an email. Don't know all the details but sure it could be worked out, especially for those clearly abandoned and wet soggy messes. Definitely something that GAGB might be good for co-ordinating I would think.

Deci wrote: I wrote: Yes, it's 'our' issue but I don't think Groundspeak can entirely look the other way - corporate social and ethical responsibility and all that! . I think the key bit that Groundspeak need to get involved in is providing information. How is anyone supposed to know that a cache has been archived due to abandonment unless reviewers make a list and tell someone? I've spotted abandonment on a couple of local caches in the past, and acted: GC18FYX but unless I'm watching a cache I won't know it's been archived, especially if it's one I've found. Information is needed for people to act. Groundspeak have the information: QED. (If there's some other way of doing it, fine, but I don't know what that would be.)

I've said before that archiving of caches is geocaching's dark secret which most are happy to ignore. Delisting an abandoned cache doesn't do anything except create litter. In many ways it's nothing to do with Groundspeak - it's the responsibility of the cache owner, however, it would be much better to have a system in place to clear up the mess from our hobby. The owner has obviously already failed in their responsibility, so it's not really acceptable to just delist it and either a) pretend that the owner will now go out and get the box, or just ignore the issue as "we're just a cache listing site". I think an answer would be for local cachers to volunteer to be part of a network available to the reviewers, so when they have to delist a box, they notify the network, and then 1 month, 3 months, 6 months? later someone then goes and picks up the box. If it's still there it's obviously been abandoned by the owner, so it's not theft. Until some system is in place for clearing up abandoned caches, the claims of CITO ring rather hollow. We also need a CITOCO (cache in, trash out, cache out) option and there are plenty of local/regional caching groups who could be involved in this. With the vast increase in caches, and presumably a similar increase in abandoned caches, this is a problem that is getting worse. It's not Groundspeaks job to clear up abandoned caches but I think they should enable a system so that the geocaching community can solve the problem - notifying volunteers in regional groups of a list of abandoned caches each month would allow the geolitter to be collected.

A bit of processing is surely ok - it's what photographers have always done from B&W days, cropping, playing with the exposure etc. I process nearly all of mine, but usually only a small amount which takes just a few seconds, and improves the lighting levels a bit. Just making the best of a 'good' thing! If it's over done, then you can usually tell, and if the judge doesn't like the heavily processed look, they can always pick another. The canal boat one is a great pic, but doesn't look like I'd imagine it would look if I stood there - it has a touch of Hollywood disaster movie look to it! Again, not a criticism as it's a striking pic and very dramatic - but you either like the look or you don't. (And of course, sometimes nature does do a look that you wouldn't believe unless you were there.) When I first looked at it I thought it was of some horrific canal boat smash up!!

A gentle email may well be a good idea. One point of deleting a log would be to educate the influx that the aim of the game isn't to just do your thing in selfish isolation but to reach out to your fellow game players and acknowledge they exist and went to the trouble of hiding a cache, and that at least some sort of a log is required to play the game properly. The aim of the game isn't just to find cache - it's more than that. I don't care if it's a short log, it can even smell of paste and have some cut marks around the edge, but '.' is just rude and the 'sent from ...' is much the same. Just imagine if everyone logged caches with '.' - how many people would continue to hide caches? I think the 'sent from...' logs are because folk don't understand the app. I actually sent one myself the other day by accidentally pressing the wrong button before having written anything. I did, of course, go and edit it when I got home. The app could be better designed from this pov. (By the way, I'd rather have a short cut&paste log than a long rambling cut&paste job. Looks like an interesting paragraph, then you realise its exactly the same.) Copy and paste (inc. on iPhone4) should presumably be useful for anyone who struggles to write a log. Craft something short, then just paste it in. But I don't believe most people have any problems, just have odd attitudes - it would be nice to say Ta. To be honest, most people do and rubbish logs aren't that common, and generally just get ignored by me.

Who says I haven't already got this sorted!!

Not sure I'll bother cos luckily I've already won a 'holiday' in the Lakes!

How come Route 6 also comes through Lancaster & Kendal if it's going to York?! Think your cache description might need a slight amendment! The only problem with cycle caches is how to stop them being drive-bys IMHO. Obviously setting it like yours on an off-road section works great for peds or cyclists, but there's a lot of National Cycle Route that's just road with a few signs added. Generally, cycle caching is great fun so I don't have a problem with a series. Maybe not limit it to the NCN though as there are lots of other tracks/bridleways around. Maybe call it Cycle Crazies, or at least something with cycle in?

The Turtles are indeed pretty good - found 30+ of them on our first Legend trip on the Lancashire/Yorkshire moors recently and they are a nice size and all were dry. Only one wasn't happy, not sure if it had been trampled, burnt, or eaten:

Thanks for that Chris - managed to sort it! (Using a Mac so had to specify TextEdit to open the script) Now all working and nice to be able see parking spots at a glance and relate them to the cache. Truly a very useful script - thanks Edge!

In very simple terms can someone explain how to edit the script as I'd like to get the additional waypoints shown and I've no idea how to do this. Apologies for being thick!

Is MiniG riding a hippo?! I know I've already entered a couple but here's another which came out rather well: iPhone4 again