The_Incredibles_

Love your cache idea. No, multis are definately not as popular. There may be a number of people interested, but they haven't quite got to it yet. I have a multi which I put alot of work into that's not found very often, but the people that do are pleased they did it. I have a traditional which basically I tossed under a log and it's found all the time. On weekends, sometimes 5x a day, it's crazy. There's some ways to improve though. You can ask someone to edit your cache page for you. Having a very quick summary at the top will help alot, letting people know approx how many minutes/distance the whole thing will take.

Yep. Pocket queries are invaluable for me. We have 1000s in our area, it would be too ridiculous to download 1 by 1, not to mention the updating. Notifications of new caches were the only way we got our FTFs. What else? Premium member caches are find, there are more popping up in our area. I say, if you're just a really casual geocacher and are only finding 1 or 2 / week and OK downloading 1 at a time, then you can get by without it.

I bring a bag of swag along so if we get to a cache where there's nothing good...or nothing at all such as in the case of a micro...I throw the bag on the ground and the kids dive in while I sign the log.

Did you use the hint? What kind of GPS are you using? <shudder> Did you check the logs, has anybody found it recently? Little girls? My little girl is good at finding caches. She once bumped into one without a GPS. She saw something that looked funny and turned it over.

Yep, you arrive in the country where the cache is and some guy comes running up to you with an ammo can and pulls out the log for you to sign. No! A difficulty zero cache would be one where as soon as you look at the cache page, it is automatically logged as "found." You're hilarious!

Mount Douglas Park, Victoria, B.C. http://www.geocaching.com/map/beta/default.aspx?lat=48.493933&lng=-123.3449 There are at least 8 caches that are part of multi's that do not show up on the map. And at least 3 caches that are not on the map as they are in the process of being adopted. This is the park where I want to place a cache.

1282 caches within 10 miles. A blessing in many ways, but a pain if you're placing a cache.

Yep. Agreed. I use Google map all the time, I even used it for a puzzle cache once so I didn't have to drive to the spot to read the roadsign. Saved gas!

You can't make people like something. That goes for geocaching, golfing, chocolate cake etc. Either they're going to like it or not. I've got friends that will go with me, they say they like it, but they never log their finds or go on their own. I've got another friend who went as far as getting the geocaching app for her IPhone. She likes to hike, but I dare not even mention geocaching or she'll change her plans. I tried to get my mother into it, but she just doens't 'get it'. My father, on the other hand, seems to like it, but isn't obsessive, he'll go once a week and log his find too. The first cache I found I was so amazed and also hopping mad that there was this fun activity that nobody had told me about. I was hooked from day 1. I don't think couples have to do everything together. It's fine to find a caching-buddy and let your wife go to the museum, as long as everybody's happy. I knew a couple who was very happily married. They would travel together, but when they did, he would hit the golf course while she hit the beach. They would spend their evenings together and were very happy with the arrangement.

I'm not sure, there are caches there, but realistically it's too far for me to go. Thanks for all the responses. I"ve added my vote, hopefully there can be some sort of way to check coordinates without bothering the reviewer. I think there can be ways to decrease the abuse of such a feature by limiting the # of checks. However...people cheat all the time with puzzle caches anyway, getting the solutions from their friends and then making the grab. If that's what they want to do, then I say, fine, it's not like they are making $$ out of it... In meantime, I'll have to bug the reviewer more. So how would you feel if you spent 6 weeks on a 5 star puzzle only to have it broken by a group of friends using a proximity checker? Don't you work? Why make a 5 star puzzle anyway? It's only going to get found 1/month at the most and then probably 3/4 of the people just asked their friends for hints/the solution. Plus, how would you know they cheated? I don't think they'd fess up. All they'd say is thanks for the challenging puzzle.

I would suggest to stop all geocaching activities immediately! And that includes the geocaching forum. Do something different, maybe something that you used to love to do when you were younger. Wait until you can't stand it anymore, then when you're in the mood, go find a cache! As for the gas, as I can see this is a big concern, if you're going long-distances, can you go with a group? It'll probably be more fun anyway.

I'm not sure, there are caches there, but realistically it's too far for me to go. Thanks for all the responses. I"ve added my vote, hopefully there can be some sort of way to check coordinates without bothering the reviewer. I think there can be ways to decrease the abuse of such a feature by limiting the # of checks. However...people cheat all the time with puzzle caches anyway, getting the solutions from their friends and then making the grab. If that's what they want to do, then I say, fine, it's not like they are making $$ out of it... In meantime, I'll have to bug the reviewer more.

Can't you just borrow someone's dog and pretend your walking it? Or perhaps your neighbor's kid. Then you, too, can go near playgrounds.

Wah. Placing caches where I live is tough. On one hand, I just love that there are so many lovely caches to find. On the other hand, it's hard to find a good spot that doesn't have a cache in it. I feel like in a year or 2, there'll be not a single place here to put a new cache. I also would like to put caches near where I live so I can maintain them properly. To add to that, we have alot of multi and puzzle caches in our area. Which is great, I really do enjoy them. However...it's gotten to the point where I *have* to do as many puzzle/multi caches as I can otherwist there's no way I can be placing caches. Just today, I found what I thought was a really great spot, checked all the puzzle-cache and multi-finals nearby, found a good hiding spot, hid it, took a waypoint at the trailhead, edited the cache page, then promptly got it rejected. Now I have to hike and put it somewhere else and hope it doesn't get rejected again. I enjoy the fresh air and exercise, but it's trying on the blood pressure. Anybody else live in a saturated area?

It's totally possible for 2 (or 3!) people to find a cache at the same time. In our area, people rush out the door as soon as a cache is published and decend at GZ at the same time. Edited to add: I'd sure like to know where to buy pop for 50 cents/ can. Where I live, a pack of gum is now a whopping $2.

I would suggest the Magellan Explorist GC. It's a great little unit. You can go to Amazon.com, there's lots of reviews there of different GPSs.

Are you saying you actually ate candy you found in a geocache? Why, yes, that's what I said. I worked in retail and there was food on the shelves for years...the store I worked at sold pop 2 years old and chocolate from the previous Easter. You'd be surprised. I'm sure the stuff in the cache was fresher.

Found a mostly-empty pack of gum in a cache once. This one got CITOd. Found a (whole) chocolate bar and it got eaten. I was thinking about the 'no food' rule though. There certain things that we consume that are not really food that have an infinite shelf like. Like pop or candy, you know. Wouldn't it be nice to be caching and find a can of pop. Or some candy. It might just hit the spot.

One thing I found with kids is that if it's not a quick find, they lose interest. Which is OK, sometimes, if there's lots of kids there, they can play while you hunt. Having said that, when I take the kids out, I do my research ahead of time. I look for large caches (no micros), in good spots, such as along beaches or near playgrounds. I also read the logs to make sure the cache has been found recently (if not, it might be missing). We find that about 3 caches is the max we can do in 1 outing. Good to have them bring toys along, rollerblades, etc. to amuse themselves. I also bring a bag of swag in case there's 'nothing good' in the cache so they can pick something from the bag and not be disappointed. Perhaps bring a picnic lunch. I like caching so much I also schedule some time to do it alone, so I can do it my way. Oh, yeah, and for GPSs, we found the Magellen Explorist GC very accurate and not so expensive you will have a heart attack if the kids drop it off a cliff.

Did you check the date you put under date hidden?

Log your DNF. Some people own alot of caches and thus get a steady stream of emails. If the CO doesn't respond to an email, you can always email the last person who found the cache. They may be one of those COs who do not check their emails. Often other cachers are happy to give hints.

I'm not sure I understand your question. Basically, everything should be in order before it's published. You can write a note to the reviewer: please do not publish until all stages have been approved. But then they'd be doing that anyway.

Maybe I'm one of the few, but I think it's a fine idea. We consider it a bonus if we're out and the place we happen to stop for the kids to play or have dinner has a cache nearby. This has happened a couple times and it was fun. The only issues I can see is getting permission, and of course, that you can't put McDonalds in the cache pages. The only objection I would have is if there is a park or more interesting location nearby that was less than 0.1 miles away and then nobody could place a cache there because of proximity. I would suggest finding at least 20 caches before hiding any.

Does accidentally swallowing a large bug while signing a logbook count?

Unbelievable! I didn't know that sort of thing was still possible.