HkrChris

I would think that most of the land managers for national parks and historical locations would prefer virtuals to physical caches, which can't or shouldn't even be placed at many very cool places, and would support them if asked. Geocaching for me has always been about the interesting people I meet and the special places it takes me, rather than the trinkets I collect. I think scouring a museum for information about an historical figure is more of a "find" than a park and grab micro any day. It certainly requires more effort and thought on the finder's behalf to find and send in the required answers for a virtual than it does to scribble your name on a cache log hidden on the guardrail of a stripmall parking lot. I am glad virtuals are grandfathered in, and I truly hope at some point they bring them back, maybe with different guidelines for placement...but for me the value is there, and I will seek out the virtuals whenever I have the opportunity. My two cents...

I would like to reserve 2 please!

5 for me please! Thanks! HkrChris

"Illegal" and "Risky" are two totally different things. For the good of geocaching everywhere, any placement that requires illegal activity to retrieve should be archived. Note that I said REQUIRES illegal activity! If there are less obvious legal means to retrieve, especially if that is part of the challenge, then it should be noted on the cache page that there is a legal way to retrieve it (even if it leaves it to the cacher to figure it out).

Of course, just doing "cache and dash" in between fast food stops is probably NOT what the doctor ordered!!

I have a lanyard that I never leave my car without...it has a compass, pen, and car door key (I added that after spending 2 hours waiting for help after locking my keys and cellphone into my car). Throw in a second lanyard with a flashlight if it is anywhere near dusk and that, with my GPS, cellphone and PDA, is my basic gear. But when I step off the pavement I have at least my waist pack with me...snacks, first aid, flashlight, swag, and waterbottles. And for anything that constitutes a "hike" of any length and I am ready to deal with unexpected delays...more water, waterproof layer, map, etc. Doing search and rescue I have seen very experienced people get caught unprepared...a mile may not seem like much until you are injured or get turned around in the wrong direction because you have dead batteries in your GPS!