Mearth

I'm a turncoat. Birding is just more my cup of hunting tea. I have several caches in Whatcom County worth passing on. A few I will just pull and archive. Anyone want to instruct me on this adoption process? Please e-mail. Thanks Mearth

I turned a buddy onto the use of a GPS while kayaking. I showed him how to use my Legend on day one and didn't get it back until the end of the week. So, of course, he has to go out and buy a unit that's LOTS better than mine. He's intrigued by the barometer function of the Cx, but since it seems to be a new addition, I wonder how well it works and how user-friendly it is. Any feedback for him?

well, I thought I'd close it, but in my absence things have changed and now I can't figure out how.

Thanks folks! Closing thread.

When I attempt to open the page for GC6A36 (didn't want to insert a link!), a pop-up requesting permission to run ActiveX controls appears, but regardless of permission or none, the next pop-up is the IE error window and then IE shuts down. This is happening on both home and work (don't tell the boss) machines. Anybody know how to address this? Anybody using a different browser wanna try? thanks!

Thanks to all! My cache (GCV5FH) was published this morning. Thanks for your helpful input! PS. How do you guys embed links to the caches?

You know, it's this kind of thread that keeps be coming back to lurk in the forums! It is so cool to see people take so much time to help a perfect stranger set up a cache they may never see. Very cool.

From the guidelines all cache owners "agree" to by checking the boxes at the bottom of the cache submission page: Traditional Caches This is the original cache type consisting of (at a bare minimum) a container and a logbook. The cache may be filled with objects for trade. Normally you'll find a Tupperware-style container, ammo box, or bucket filled with goodies, or smaller container ("microcache") too small to contain items except for a logbook. The coordinates listed on the traditional cache page are the exact location of the cache. A container with just an object or codeword for verification, and no logbook, generally, does not qualify as a traditional cache. You gotta put a log in the cache. As you find more caches, you will be better able to rate the difficulties and have a sense of what's expected in your region. You can always go back and change the difficulty rating on your cache page if experience leads you to think you should. Seekers will offer you lots of worthwhile guidance with log notes such as the one you got.

Err...Royal Red...I did ask. And I know better than to ask if I don't want to hear people's answers. I was hoping to have some cache names thrown out there so I could "test the waters" so-to-speak. To see if my idea is really whacked. The site's been down most of the day, or I'd have searched on my own.

"If there is anything in the universe that can't stand discussion, let it crack." Tee-hee...you said "crack"

Agreed! Given that I often cache with my school-aged child, I feel this is a good common-sense guideline. I also think there is room for discussion: 1. What might be embarassing or upsetting for one parent, may not be to another. There was a cache in my area called "I hate you, too!". The cache owner is a good guy who was making a joke about the mixed emotional experience of family visits. Another local cacher had very strong feelings about the cache name and refused to seek it. 2. A "double entendre" implies the use of terms that have legitmate meanings other than the possibly provacative one. If a cache name clearly refers to the "polite" meaning, should the term be stricken from the name? 3. Regional dialects vary greatly and in the world-wide geocaching community, we could regulate ourselves into the strict use of numerical cache names in short order if we begin to sort through cache names that might be offensive to someone. For instance, I recently moved a TB called "Willy the Whale". What does that imply in England? Could you find a British parent who might find it embarassing or upsetting if their small child picked up that TB? Well, maybe the British are a bad example here, since they seem to have little trouble referencing common anatomy. But thinking of that same anatomical feature, I'm sure we could all make a list of words that have been adopted to name it, and would agree that those words have other uses unrelated to reproductive organs. Do we eliminate the use of those terms in all contexts in order to remain "family friendly"? The irony involved in finding reproductive anatomy "family hostile" is rich with conversation possiblities in itself. I am prepared to change the name of my cache in order to get it approved (vs. reviewed), but I don't care for the precedent being set. I suspect there are numerous caches out there that could be censored from one perspective or another...thus my OP.

I've recently submitted a cache with a name my area reviewer fears may be offensive to some folks. We are in the early stages of discussing the matter, so this IS NOT an effort to complain about my much-appreciated reviewers in the forums. The issue has sparked my curiousity about the prevalence of potentially "provocative" (sexually, racially, politically, etc...) nicknames for caches. Know of any in your area? I have used a term that has a couple of benign uses (relevant to my cache site), one "naughty" school-boy meaning, and apparently (unbeknownst to naive me) one derogatory meaning, depending on who is using it and in what context. Again, the disclaimer: This a a curiousity/entertainment question. My reviewer and I will hammer out our difference of opinion privately.

You're probably right. Thing is, after 50 or 60 finds, you know that a person who hunted caches A and C and appears to have skipped "B" probably failed to find it (this time). So...there you go. You know it's tougher. The stars at the top of the cache page will probably coincide with that conclusion. I could certainly be accused of failing to log DNFs. I log a DNF if: -I can see that the cache has been muggled (pieces of it strewn around, or it's "footprint" is left in the mud). -I had a noteworthy experience failing to find it, and think others may be interested or entertained by that experience -I couldn't find it and am not likely to return to the area soon By my personal "rules", I don't log a DNF until I have given up. It may take me several visits to find the cache, but I figure it's not a DNF, it's a HFY (Haven't Found it Yet). I call these "herfies". If I approach a spot full of trash with a nearby transient camp, I might poke around for 5 minutes, leave and log a DNF because I do not plan to return. But, if it's a nice tricky hide and I spend 40 futile minutes hunting, then obsess on possiblities all the way home, I call it a herfy. Since there are no limits on how long a hunt takes, I don't see a problem with this. Once I do find a herfy, I log that it required multiple trips, just in case someone cares. If the cache is truly diabolical, ie. intended to be very difficult for a cacher to find, I would probably log a DNF every time I tried just so the cache owner could get their well-earned kicks from my frustration. PS. Some folks feel that a DNF log is a dire thing to use sparingly. They claim that to do so is to be alarmist (as if implying the cache is missing when it's just your lack of geomojo) or somehow insulting to the cache owner.

FYI: Henderson's Books on Grand Ave in Bellingham has some great, large containers right now for $10. They appear to be military surplus? "Cratering 40 lb charge demolition" cannisters? They are cylindrical, about 26 inches tall, 8 inches in diameter with a screw-down gasketted lid. I soaked one in the stock tank and it's as dry as an ammo can inside. The owner had just one on the sidewalk the other day, but mentioned that he has several more available. I'd love to hunt one of these. I intend to hide one. Just waiting for that perfect location...

Merriam-Webster: 1 a : to come upon often accidentally : ENCOUNTER b : to meet with (a particular reception) 2 a : to come upon by searching or effort I tend to fall into Criminal's camp on this matter. If I find the cache, I log a find. Sometimes the cache is in horrible condition (in several pieces scattered around). Once, the log book was impossible to remove from the cache (having been crammed in there initially, and re-crammed many times since). These are caches I have found. I sign my party in (usually me, me and my kid, me and my pal and my kid) on the log, or leave a functional piece of paper as a temporary log if the original is full or soaked. If I hike for a couple miles and stand right on top of the cache many times in the course of 2 hours of hunting in the snow and still don't find the beggar, I DID NOT FIND IT. If I hunt and hunt and find a couple mangled McToys and a golf ball, I can assume there was once a cache nearby that is no longer around, which is why I DID NOT FIND it. It's a common verb with a very simple definition. I don't understand the claim of confusion. I don't want to care. I confess that I do. It cheapens the sport, somehow. I am most proud of finds that required mutiple trips, several hours of grunting and peering, pathetic begging for hints from intractable nudists (still haven't found that one, but I will...). I really shouldn't care if others are willing to alter reality to fit their wants. But I do. That being said, I think that .5 C makes a good point...new cachers follow the example of previous finders. I actually left a golf ball in the second cache I found. So, I think it's great to see this issue being discussed in the forums along with trading up and CITO. One stray can turn into the pied piper pretty easily.

This is a great idea! I might steal it, since you are a continent away.... If I do steal it, I will opt for the series of individual caches. I like multis, but I burn out after about 4 stages and if driving is involved, it's way too easy to get sidetracked by other caches and never quite finish. If you can put all the stages on one long, beautiful trail, then I think the MM would be worth considering.

Extremely cool! But now I have a long list of weird looking places to visit just to satisfy my curiousity. Thanks SL!

Sad Bits of Wisdom on a Wednesday Morning. Good name for a tavern band.

I am a conservationist and an environmentalist, and much like those who have already posted, this view has not been developed from the inside of my townhouse. I wholeheartedly endorse all efforts to maintain open spaces that allow the critters of the earth to follow their nature. I also believe that I am just another one of those critters so my footprint is no more offensive than a bear track. Given that my species' habitat is just as threatened as any, I choose to step lightly and encourage others to do so. I have run across very few caches (have only found about 120) that conflict with these beliefs, otherwise, I wouldn't play. I recently met a couple at a dinner party who had heard about geocaching. It had been presented to them as a Walmart-culture pasttime consisting of glad-ware in the DNR forests chased down by whoopin' Jerry Springer fans in mud-covered 4X4s. They were a bit shocked that I not only play, but admit it. Oddly, it's only been in these forums that I have seen evidence to support their view. I have not seen a single mullet on the trail, and most caches in my area reflect taste, forethought and sensitivity. Where these weird perceptions are born is a mystery to me. I'm sure I unknowingly have a few of them myself. It is true that it only takes a few cases of bad behavior to get the whole sport judged in this way. That seems to be human nature.

Bleak winter efforts Coastal mists trudging homeward Again, DNF

I think I would better understand this perspective if someone would talk about their thinking behind this much-referenced principle. I would be interested to have some words put to it. Insisting that folks are failing to see the principle of the matter is inadequate...it would be helpful to define your principle. I do not understand why accessing geocaches "should" be cost-free. I mean, it's a groovy benefit that most caches are freely available, but what unique quality does geocaching have that sets it apart from other outdoor sports and makes it philisophically incompatible with access fees?

Ummmm....DUH! Chocolate.

REI makes breathable rain pants that are very light weight and zip from hip to ankle. This is very helpful in the spring and fall when you want to wear shorts, but can see those black cumulus clouds in the distance. Go ahead and wear shorts under them and use the zippers to create as much or little ventilation as the changing conditions require. With a pair of lightweight poly-pros under them, I remain quite cozy in the snow. I've spent a lot of time on beaches (sand, barnacles, shell shards) and also done some heavy gardening in mine and they have held up well. I bought my current pair 3 years ago for $40 on the outlet site. They also come in petites, which is a big bonus for shorties who don't sew. Nothing worse than wading thigh-deep through the salal in blue jeans around here. Puts a quick end to your adventure.

Right on! I consider a $40 cache to be a great deal. I can't go to a two hour concert for less. Two trips to the movies with my kid costs more than that. And all the cachers who visit the cache share in that value. Appreciative logs are worth a lot to me, compared to a plain ol' "TNLNSL". That's just me. If you like film canisters under rocks behind guardrails, place more. If you like stocked ammo cans 3 miles down the trail, place those. Place the kind of cache you most like to find. Think of it as a gift to your caching family. Would you give your favorite auntie a cross-threaded peanut butter jar covered in electrical tape, full of dollar-store barrettes, wrapped in a dead holly bush in front of an insurance office?

Oh wow....! I LOVE an obscure and useful link. When working with odd-shaped objects, I have been frustrated with GG's need for clamping. It can't be beat for sticking to flat objects together. I use 2-part epoxy for most projects, but it needs pretty good surface to surface contact to last and heaven help the person who gets it on their fingers when working with paper/foil/fabrics. Talk about a Candid Camera moment... Anybody have experience with good ol Krazy Glue and the elements?