PeakFault

I love the rain. You never feel more alive than when you're out walking/caching in the wind and rain (as long as you're wrapped up of course!)

Ha that is amazing! Who puts a shower head in a cache for goodness sake?!! Bless him! Again, who does that!??

I'm sure this will have been done in the past but I'm curious What is the most random/strange/rubbish thing you have seen in a cache. For me it has to be a 3 amp fuse. Whilst caching with my daughter and nephew we found a cache. My nephew, who is 6, didnt want anything else that was in the cache except the 3A fuse! Personally I couldn't figure out who the hell thinks leaving an amp is acceptable but I guess thats for another thread!!!

Yeah that sounds like a lot of fun! I must admit I've not really come across any 'unusual' cache containers so far but I havent found that many caches yet really. I'm pleased I have got a series of my own caches out there and people are appreciating them but I must admit I'm now in the mindset of trying to come up with clever and unusual caches for future hides.

I did manage to get out on Tuesday evening funnily enough. The rest of the family were busy and I found myself with an hour to myself (which is very unusual!) I didn't fancy staying in watching TV so I headed out in the wind and rain (i actually like bad weather and being out in it!) Unfortunately I only found one (and a disappointing one at that) and had a DNF in a nearby village! But still it was great just being out looking. Those night caches you did look really great. Would like to do them I think. Will have to become a tourist in your area sometime!!

Strange that when most people work Monday to Friday and it's now pitch dark both before and after work Haha! I know! Must admit there have been a few days when I've wanted to go out after work but haven't because of it being dark etc. I thought I'd start my post with "I don't know about you, but most activity........" because if I didn't there is bound to be someone come along and argue that their caches are busy midweek for some reason!! Merely covering my back! haha!

I don't know about you, but most activity on my caches happens at the weekend. It's pretty exciting seeing the logs roll in on a Saturday and a Sunday! I'm hoping to see some more movement on my TB's as well! Oh and of course I'll be heading out to find a cache or 3 once I'm out of work at 2pm!!

Well I'm intrigued! The people who have found it seem very positive about it. Stuck it on my watch list for whenever I get to that part of the country!!

So does that mean you're a newbie trying to look like a veteran? Errrm now I'm getting confused. Where am I again?

I was in no way saying all caches need to be up hills and challenging to be good! I've found plenty of good caches that are small and have parking near them. in fact on the contrary what I was saying was yesterday i found the 1st cache I thought was pointless. And it's the kind of thing I often see 'veterans' of caching moaning about! ( it was actually meant to taken in a light hearted way!)

Yeah, I know we all like different things and thats fine! My post was partly in jest really, I just found it funny how I found myself thinking something that many people, who have been caching for years, have written on here about pointless caches!!

The reason I ask is because I found a cache yesterday and for the first time (in my short caching life!) I was left thinking 'What was the point?' After a great week in the Lakes last week where I found some great caches that required walking up some of the best hills and mountains in the country, sometimes in rainy windy conditions, the sense of achivement was brilliant. And the caches were great too, big ones with plenty of good stuff in them that my daughter appreciated and that the owners had clearly spent time and effort putting together and hauling to the top of these hills! Compare that to the test tube with no lid, with a scrappy piece of paper shoved in as a log, placed on a random 'U' bend in the road I found yesterday. Yes the view was okay I guess. I know not every cache is going to be brilliant but seriously, what is the point in some of them? *sigh* rant over.

I was on a camping forum and there was a thread called 'Anyone tried geocaching?' I spent two weeks ignoring the post as it kept rising to the top. Opened it and then got instantly interested in it! A few days later I was out caching with my daughter and then the wife joined in after that!

I just upgraded to a premium membership. The feature I'm keen to use in particular is the points along a route. Now on geocaching.com I have created a route, submitted it and it has sent the notification to my email address so al is fine and I can also view the query on geocaching.com. However wehn I go to 'Pocket Query' on my iphone app, my routes show up and the option to download them is also there. But when I click download it just says 'downloading pocket query' with the apple loading circle next to it. Am I doing something wrong? It's like it cant download the query because it's too big but i made a very small query with just 2 caches in and this is doing the same thing.

I agree with you, but bear in mind that sometimes people word posts on here in a way that comes over as a bit rude or arrogant when they didn't mean to. It's a problem of commanding the written word, and sometimes the written word isn't easy to keep under control, as I've demonstrated from time to time. Well done that you seem to have the knack of placing good caches, and I agree that it is possible without needing to experience dozens of examples of brilliant and no-so-brilliant efforts around the country. It's just harder. A few of my very early caches are still well-received six years later, so I wouldn't criticise people for having a go. But I'm sure you've seen plenty of caches that seem a bit random and ill thought-out. It's tempting for people who've suffered from lots of these to view any cacher who has enthusiasm but little experience, as being in need of a warning against throwing caches out without really thinking about the quality. Absolutely. And I'm not disagreeing that it could be annoying. But I just think being short with new people is no way to welcome them to geocaching. Maybe it is a lack of command of the written word, but I don't believe it is. I am talking about a very small minority of people here. Most people are welcoming and friendly, a few aren't, that's all.

Absolutely! As you can see from this thread, we'd all like "jammie*dodger" to hide a cache and we welcome his enthusiasm. Obviously, this doesn't mean that we can't help with a little advice though. If it means that the new guy gets a free shortcut to setting up a better cache, then it's good news all round. I'm not sure what you mean by "attitude", as everyone seems to have been most civil. But it is a forum and the OP made it clear that he wants to set up a commercial cache, thus inviting comments and opinions. If we're restricted to merely saying "hello and welcome" and offering no advice then I think you find that the forum dies quite quickly and the game loses valuable input. There is a difference between offering advice, which the majority do, and being plain rude to people. It's not just this thread by the way, it's something I've noticed on a few threads by a minority. I'm quite new myself but I've planted a series of caches already and spent a lot of effort on them and the log comments have been positive. But some clearly believe i wouldn't be 'experienced' enough to place a good cache but thankfully I haven't been put off by 'veterans' telling me what is right and wrong.

Some people really need to chill out and stop with their attitude towards new people. I get that some new people disappear after initial excitement but that doesn't mean you have to look down on people who are just starting out. It is a minority but whenever a keen newbie logs on they're so quick to shoot them down. If a box gets hidden then abandoned 3 months later then so what? Really? Yes I can see it is slightly irritating but in the grand scheme of things that matter in life..... If it impacts on you that much maybe you need to get out more (and not geocaching) If a new guy wants to hide a cache, let them hide a cache I say, encourage it, they may just be great at it.

Being new to this game I'm just wondering if I'd be right in thinking that Geocaching activity increases during school holidays and weekends? And that during school term most people work and therefore do less caching Monday - Friday? I was talking to my friend at work and we've both placed caches very recently and after an initial bit of interest (due to people wanting FTF perhaps?) the week has gone by with no one finding any of our caches. I'd just like to point out at this stage that I didn't expect people to be queueing to sign my log book. Nor am I bothered that there has been no further activity during the week! Was merely looking for an answer to my theory! Anyway 3 people are watching my cache so I have a feeling at least one of those may get it this weekend as they are off work (and possibly their kids are off school if they have kids!)

Haha we recently came across a cache that had a really great keyring in (which my 8 year old daughter traded). And, I kid you not, a fuse. As in for a plug!!! And belive it or not my 6 year old nephew who we were also with traded that! he was delighted!! I don't even know if the fuse works or not!!!

Cheers everyone for the encouraging comments! And yes I can see how placing caches can easily becoem as addictive! Love it!

Haha yes it is!! Must have checked the info page about 50 times before I finally submitted it!!

We placed our first cache yesterday. And it's been found twice already, which is great and our daughter is thrilled too. We're quite chuffed with it, I know you may not that bothered, but thought I'd share it with you anyway! (I suppose we've all been excitable newbies at some point!) We enjoy finding caches a lot, however I honestly think we're going to get just as much, if not more from planting well thought out and decent caches and putting travel bugs and coins into circulation. For me, in the short time I've spent caching, my favourite caches are ones that have a good description that educates you and/or takes you to somewhere where there is something to be appreciated. So with the caches we plant as a family will hopefully be well thought and and not planted for the sake of planting a cache. I've noticed a few sparse areas in my local area so I hope to fill these with some interesting caches as there are some amazing places that people should visit near where we live!

Please say you are a mature student, or I am going to feel very old! First year spent in a house in King Edward Square (KES, No.10), evening meals mainly from the Coral Bay on Borough Road(?), pint of bitter 50p in the Union Bar, The Smiths live at the Town Hall, the memories come flooding back Yes I'm a 'mature' student. I'm planning on going back to do a masters next year as well. I actually work in Middlesbrough now.

A bit further North than you actually I think - Middlesbrough. Polytechnic as it was then. It's probably the University of somewhere now. Ah, many happy times spent wandering the North York moors, Whitby, Robin Hoods Bay, finding the remotest pubs to avoid lectures. Indeed it is Teesside University now. I graduated from there only last year!

Don't know if I would be allowed back, might get stopped by immigration after the rather lively two years I spent at college there - mind you, it's been over 20 years now so they may have forgiven me You never know... where abouts did you go to college?