Beffums
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Posts posted by Beffums
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hmm, I'm assuming that both spots are possible to mark coords at? (we have a cache where the GPSr will simply flip to "lost signal" about 4-8 feet from the cache; so we said the coords were crappy and taken as close as we could get to the cache - and upped the difficulty rating)
I think, in general, it's a bad practice to take coords anywhere but at the cache site (unless it's an offset cache or in a cave or the like). However, I'm not sure if 6 feet really matters. Then again, I don't think 12 feet matters either, unless you have a MUCH better GPSr than I do! So I'm not sure what the hider gains by marking the midpoint -- people are gonna have to search both anyways.
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well, I'd say I'm likely an animal lover, but I still think it's a really cute idea. Go for it!
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I know - not ticks, but on a related note:
I think that most bugs seemed a bit more zealous than usual. Yesterday, one of my caches was apparently covered in bees!
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40 watching as of now...
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Congrats!
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I have very little experience with ticks. There aren't that many in the Colorado Rockies and even then there is very little brush and no thick weeds. Unfortunately I will be moving to Kentucky in July and will have to deal with them.
What repellants are effective?
DEET. It is the only product that I've found to make them stay away from people.
What can I use on my dogs?
Ask your vet - frontline and Advantage are what I know of, but I'm sure there are others... And, I know from having an elderly cat (16 years old and counting), that not all animals can handle every medicine, so just in case your pup has something to prevent it from using frontline...
Just in case - the flea collars you can find in most stores are not just worthless against fleas, but also worthless against ticks.
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We've covered pocket caches and multi logging events. So what does everyone think of "retirement cards"??
um, not 100% sure I know what they are, but I've gotten the impression that they are similar to pocket caches -- logging finds on archived caches. If so, I say the same for them as I do for pocket caches - no. To me, logging on an archived cache that is no longer at it's listed location (so, I'm not talking you go out, not knowing it was archived, and find the cache where the cache page said it would be), shouldn't occur. It can create confusion as to whether or not the cache is still there (at the listed coords), and can thereby affect other cachers. I see this as quite different from multiple logs on events, but know that others do not - that gray area that Fizzy Magic mentioned.
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well, I can join with everyone in saying that they are bad here too (in Indiana). I found 4 "regular" ticks and deer tick after a quick trip to a rest area cache, and learned something. I grew up in PA, so to me, you get bit by a deer tick = you go to doctor and start antibiotics (see the Propers post). Apparently, IN has no infected ticks - the doc pretty much gave me a "what the heck are you wasting my time for" look and said there is no concern for Lyme disease in the area. However, I happen to be allergic to flea bites and deer tick bites (but not normal tick bites?!), so slight downside - but the huge welt that forms is a dead give-away that I've been bitten!
So, to me, it's a good tick year - yes, there might be a lot of them, but this is the first time, ever, that I won't be freaked out about the possibility of Lyme disease (one aunt has it, and didn't get the antibiotics in time - it's miserable). (ok, I'll be honest - I'm still making hubby check my back near the welt every day; old habits die hard). I did manage to make the doc nervous when I said I got the tick bite on the way to Ohio. Apparently if we'd stopped for one of the Ohio rest areas, then I'd be on antibiotics right now.
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There is nothing I would like more than some sort of reaslistic discussion. You have 22 (I think) attended logs for an event you only attended once.
In lonesumdove's defense, I went and looked at a few of those logs. She actually wrote real logs for each temporary cache, unlike many others who attended the same event and just copied-and-pasted a generic log n times to get all their smileys. So the data supports her position that logging those caches was a part of the fun of the event.
And I think it is too bad that there was no legitimate method for getting "credit" for those finds. While I don't think they should be equivalent to cache finds, at the same time they deserve to be logged someplace. So she (and all the other cachers at the event) made the reasonable, if perhaps questionable, decision to log the event multiple times. If I were to place blame anywhere, it would be with the event organizers, who provided a bunch of temporary caches and no way to log them legitimately, leaving the attendees in an awkward position.
I don't think this issue is entirely black and white, and I am not particularly interesting in micro-managing how other people live their lives. But the impact of the devaluation of the smiley affects us all, and I think that, as a community, we need to discuss these issues and come to some consensus about what is acceptable and what is not.
For example, the community already generally agrees that entirely ficititious logs are not acceptable. We also agree that logging finds on your own caches is bad form.
But beyond that, there is a gray area. Next in line comes logging a cache as a find because you couldn't find it but you tried hard. Then comes logging a find on an archived cache on this site because you found a cache listed on another site. Then comes logging a missing cache as a find if you replace the container with a new one. Then comes logging a missing cache as a find if the owner says it is OK. Then comes logging additional finds on a cache if the owner gives you a "bonus" find for something else. Then comes logging pocket caches. Then comes logging multiple finds at an event. Then comes logging multiple finds on a cache that has moved. Finally comes logging a cache found by a group as a find for each member of the group.
We started at something clearly unacceptable, and we ended up at something most everyone accepts as permissible. Everybody draws the line someplace in that gray area; I know exactly where I have drawn mine. It's a spot where I can feel comfortable living with myself.
It seems to me that the value in this discussion in in clarifying what each spot in that gray area means. For example: I disagree with Criminal that logging multiple finds on an event is lying, but I am sufficiently uncomfortable that I won't do it for myself, and my respect for people who do it is diminished considerably. As another example: I won't log the same cache twice, even if it has moved substantially, but if other people do so it doesn't affect my respect for them.
Ah the voice of reason. This is a very well stated post; Thank you. I agree.
I agree - a VERY well stated post.
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There are some cachers who are adamantly opposed to any changes - these are the people you are trying to reason with. It's futile, as what you are proposing involves, to them, a change.
I have to 100% dissagree with you on this comment. As I've stated, if you give me a valid argument why either Pocket Cache's or Multiple event logs makes sense, I'm willing to change my opinion.
To me, one log per GC number is common sense. Too bad common sense is so scarce nowadays...
Celticwulf
I agree with you on the pocket caches - they shouldn't be logged on archived caches. So, I can't give you an argument for why it's logical to log archived caches that you didn't find. However, I would be fine with them as an temp cache at an event (if the person was placed at X coords, or if there was a puzzle to be solved to find them, or if it somehow met the rules of placing caches, but simply was a temporary placement), and am fine with multiple event logs/caches. Essentially, it comes down to a discrepancy between where some cachers draw the line and where others do.
Some think it is ONE LOG PER (PHYSICAL) CACHE
Others think it is ONE LOG PER GC#
If it is per physical cache, then events have multiple logs. If it is per gc#, then they don't. Thing is, the rules don't specify, so people choose based either on how they were taught to play the game/sport or on personal decisions.
The thing is, from reading the forums, I'll admit - I'm not even going to try to argue this one. Like I suggested to Lonesumdove - it's just more frustration than it's worth. You (celticwulf) are possibly the one cacher who argues the opposing perspective who manages to do so non-offensively, which is why I'm writing back (and thank you btw). Over all, one reason why there's a strong bias in the forums towards your perspective is that the others just get offended and stop arguing the opposing viewpoint (I personally know of several cachers who've reached that point, and a few of whom will likely scold me later tonight for bothering with this thread).
But, since you asked, to me, it's per physical cache. And, for me, that's one per physical cache with a log that you sign - so no multiple logs for a multi (hmm, I've never found one where it had multiple logs along the way... do those exist?? that would be weird). I also allow for exceptions to this - if you find a virt or a locationless (when they were on this site) or an earthcache (some of the best caches I've found to date) or ... it counts to me, even though there's no physical logbook.
Would I care if gc.com decided to split the attended logs to separate from the founds? nope. Do I care if you look at my profile and say "she didn't find 370 caches, she's only found 350-ish caches"? nope. Have I checked how many caches you've found? nope. But, when I have to decide what to log for myself, I use two rules: 1) what does the cache owner have to say and 2) what do I feel comfortable with. (and, of course, GC.com rules, but as noted above - they aren't clear on this) For me, that's one per physical cache, even if that means multiple event logs.
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When there is no guideline or rule about logging event cache finds, why should they be deleted? Just because some people don't agree with it? As of this point, they are legal except in the minds of those here who disagree with it as far as I can tell.
yes, but they (i.e., the people posting against this practice) think that their opinion is the dominant opinion, because more of them surf the forums and post in the forums. They forget that the vast majority of geocachers rarely (if ever) read the forums, and so are not going to post their opinions here. The reviewers and gc.com have to keep in mind the opinions of ALL geocachers, not just the forum posters - and I think they realize that the majority of cachers aren't posting here (and that *gasp* it's possible that other cachers have other opinions that haven't been presented here).
What's the majority opinion on this? Heck - there's not even consensus within the posters on the forums, so I feel very confident saying that some cachers feel it's a horrible practice, some think it's how they were taught to geocache, and some have no opinion whatsoever because they've never been to an event and they've never surfed the forums and they just really don't care about anyone's numbers but their own - so why WOULD they care?? Finally, I think there's a very large group of us out here who have a variety of opinions on this -- we could care less how many logs you post at an event, since it doesn't impact us (we don't care about #'s or if we do, our concept of the numbers is simply different from the other posters in this thread). BUT, we do care when you post a find on an archived cache (unless you actually found that cache, and the owner just didn't pick up the cache after archiving it/moved it to another site without moving the physical location/etc) or when you didn't find it - since that might trick me into thinking it's there and driving however far to try to find a cache that's missing. (and yes, if you read through my logs, you'll find multiple event logs for the same event - I'm not at all ashamed of them; you'll find a few logs where I did not find the cache, but the owner said to log it when they were either replacing the cache or archiving it; and you'll find a scattering of locationless/webcam/earthcache/virtuals/all the other bad ones. yup - the puritans/traditionalists probably hate me; oh well, if they want to waste their time/energy railing against a person who's never met them and likely never will? go ahead.).
Lonesumdove, for your own sake, I'd give up the argument. You'll only end up frustrating yourself as you try to point out that the rules they play by aren't the actual written rules - for a reason. That flexibility was intentionally left into the game/sport so that the game/sport could adapt and change over time to remain a vital entity. Things change. Sometimes for the better. Sometimes for the worse, but they change. There are some cachers who are adamantly opposed to any changes - these are the people you are trying to reason with. It's futile, as what you are proposing involves, to them, a change.
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just a note on using the 1/1 rating as a guide -- a 1 terrain rating should mean handicapped accessible **if it's a new cache. They changed the rating system so that a 1* terrain should be reasonably handicapped accessible (in theory wheelchair accessible, but you never know). But, caches placed before the change likely weren't updated to the new rating system.
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One other thought - you said it was a small teddy bear -- you might want to consider putting it in a ziplock bag. Depending on where it travels, it might find it's way into a damp area, and, well - to be honest, not all caches are spotless inside!
leaves, dirt, etc find their way into caches, and if you'd like your teddy bear to stay relatively nice, you might want to give him/her some protection.Depending on your "goal" for your travel bug, you might also want to give it a mission sheet (on the TB page for you bug, you can click "print bug sheet" and it will print the entire page, OR, you can just type up something your self - whatever you'd prefer). The more specific your goal and the more you want it to stick to that goal, the more important it is to warn finders of what the bear is trying to do. A lot of my TB's have the goal of "to move around and go to caches" -- I'm a bit lax on giving them info sheets.
However, I've found that my TB's with tags move a lot faster than my ones without them - even if the goal is identical. -
Sincerest thanks to all you kind people for your suggestions and the depth of your advice.
There is so much info to consider, I'd like to close this topic, but can anyone advise how all the threads can be saved.?
I would like to email everyone personally but.......????, Anyway I will keep you informed on future moves.
If you want to close the thread, as the OP, you should be able to click on a close thread option at the bottom of the posts.
Also, something to consider (before you close the thread!): if you seriously are looking for a doss-house (I think the closest we have here is a homeless shelter), you'll be mostly restricted to the major cities. We simply rarely have them in smaller towns and wilderness areas. Another option are hostels, which are cheap lodging, but not free. Again, mostly in larger cities, but you'll find a little more spread on these. However, we have MANY fewer than you'll find in most other countries. So, one option that you might want to think about, if you are planning on coming for the outdoors, and if you are focusing on good-weather areas... Do you own a tent? Campgrounds for tents tend to be fairly inexpensive, and most have some form of bathrooms. A one-person tent should easily fit on a bike, etc etc. It would at least let you have some fairly inexpensive nights out in the great outdoors, so that your budget isn't blown paying for hostels, motels, and hotels.
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If you found the listing for a cache and it has been disabled for a year (or more), would you posting something asking about it? Would you post a needs archived, something else, or nothing at all?
Yes, I realize there may be special circumstances in some cases (such as the area is closed for forest fire for example) that are beyond the cache owners control. However, assuming none of those exist, How long should people expect to keep a cache disabled?
If there was a fire I'd expect the area to be closed for quite some time. The guidelines say something about "a few weeks" so a cache disabled due to a fire should really be archived. Once the area recovers a new cache can be placed.
I apologize for a slight tangent here, but I was just wondering. If the owner opted to archive the cache due to some longer-term issue (in this example, a forest fire), and then, after however long, was able to replace the cache in the exact same location (or at least, close enough that no new coords were needed), would they need to list it as a new cache? I thought there was an option to un-archive a cache if the situation called for it?
In answer to the OP's question, I think it depends on the reviewer and the cache. Around here, we have very few disabled caches, but for whatever reason, there are a couple that have been disabled for a long time. Last fall, a couple of other reviewers were helping out in Indiana, and they archived many of the long-term disabled caches. On those occasion, the phrase "a few weeks" was often mentioned (in response to Blue Deuce's comment - we don't have many snowed in mountain passes in Indiana).
If you read the guidelines, I believe the phrase a few weeks will pop up there too."Cache Maintenance
The cache owner will assume all responsibility of their cache listings.
The responsibility of your listing includes quality control of posts to the cache page. Delete any logs that appear to be bogus, counterfeit, off topic, or not within the stated requirements.
As the cache owner, you are also responsible for physically checking your cache periodically, and especially when someone reports a problem with the cache (missing, damaged, wet, etc.). You may temporarily disable your cache to let others know not to hunt for it until you have a chance to fix the problem. This feature is to allow you a reasonable time – normally a few weeks – in which to arrange a visit to your cache. In the event that a cache is not being properly maintained, or has been temporarily disabled for an extended period of time, we may archive or transfer the listing. "
(sorry - don't know how to do the nifty "quote" feature for quotes from outside of the current topic. oh, and I added the bold, just to make it easier to find the part I meant)
Based on your description, it seems like a long time. Are there any notes on the caches from the owners explaining why the long delay?
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Does anyone have a Nuvi 350? Can this be used for geocaching? I don't see where it gives the longitude and latitudes.
Thanks-
My guess is that there is some way to enter lat and long, and if so, then yes, technically you could use it. According to Garmin, you should be able to enter up to 500 Waypoints into it - somehow... But, do you really need the ability to show DVD clips while hiking in the woods? I agree with crodad -- I'd hesitate to take an $800 GPSr into the woods, or even into the suburbs, with me. You can find much cheaper GPSr's that will do everything you need for caching. If you haven't bought the Nuvi yet, and don't mind the cost, check out the 60 and 76 series (ex., Garmin GPSMAP 60CSx) -- they do all of the on road mapping/navigating, but they also work VERY well for caching. They're just more expensive than I'm willing to pay, but they're a LOT cheaper than the Nuvi. (no MP3 capabilities though...)
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Our next ECO event will be on June 17th in Princeton, IN. Reiki Angel has graciously offer to be the hostess for the event - a pot luck lunch at a local park. All are welcome to attend - you do not need to be a member to come. For details, check out the event cache page:
(sorry about the typo in the event cache page name.)
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I've been working in Eville the past few weeks on the corner of 1st & Diamond (sorry if you drive thruogh there!) I want to get some caches in the area, but can't seen to make time! "Four Cache" Seems to be the closest, but i always get there before opening, and have to work the rest of the day! Maybe one day I'll hit this town in one good trip!
TLC should be near as well, and also has no opening hours issues. And, I think at least one Beavis and Butthead cache is really close to there - just north of Diamond in the parking lot to the west of 1st.
Finally, if you get a break... Go to Uhlhorn Street (on first, just south of Diamond), and park by animal control. You'll see the starting point for the Greenway passage at the end of the little parking lot. There is one of my Goldilocks caches right at the start of the trail, and then if you follow the trail to Garvin park (about 1/2 mi to 3/4 mi), you'll find about 7 or 8 caches along the way. Easy paved path to walk along, none of the caches involve bushwhacking, though some do require walking across the grass.
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As others have said - try not to stress about the swag contents. They'll go up and down in quality. Some will trade down, some will trade even, and then someone will come along, and replenish the cache (or at least do some substantial trading up). Keep in mind too, that my idea of a trade up for an item and yours might be different. It's up to you about replacing the swag. We'll periodically go out an add new swag to our caches, but generally that's only if we were checking on the cache anyway.
I'm learning that the more caches we (myself and JAPTKD) hide, the longer the lag time between check-ups unless there's a DNF or two. I can't imagine how cachers with 100+ hides keep track of them all! (we have about 30 between the two of us). Generally we try to check each cache every month or two, sooner if there's a DNF. Some get checked more (one was at the end of our driveway - so easy to check, others are in muggle-intense locations, so harder to time the checking). We have a few clusters of caches, so if we go to check on "Blue Light", we'll tend to check all 8 that we have along the same trail. JAPTKD likes to hide nanos in the city, so those get checked more frequently - every 6 finds or so. I like to hide lock-n-lock's and ammo cans -- they get checked after floods (we're RIGHT along the Ohio River) or if the logs suggest they need it. JAPTKD likes to hide 4 and 5 star difficulty caches - he'll let a few DNF's accrue before worrying about a cache unless we're right near it. I like to hide 1 and 2 star difficulty caches -- 1 DNF, even from a newbie!, will get me to the cache ASAP. For any of the caches, "log is full" "log is wet" "cache is wet" etc , will get one or both of us out to the cache within a day or two. So far, we've only had 2 of those logs though.
My sense is that the more caches you have, the less likely you are to go check on the cache unless either a) a log said there was a problem,
a DNF was logged, or c) it's just been far too long since anyone logged it (especially if your local cachers avoid DNF's like the plague). With JAPTKD's first cache, we would check it once a week. We just wanted to protect it I guess. The last cache I placed, we've yet to check it (about 2 months). With our caches, the biggest cache takes the least maintenance, the nanos take the most. My multi-cache seems to have a squirrel intent on stealling stage 2, so I'm out checking it a lot. Size, type of hide, and quality of container are all going to influence when you *need* to check on the cache - logs will let you know when you might want to update swag. If you start seeing a string of "TN, Left ____, ____, and ____" -- your cache is likely low on good swag. -
Another program that works well (free to start, and then either a minimal fee to register, or else nag screens, but still free to use) is GSAK - Geocaching Swiss Army Knife. For the Legend, GSAK works very well - we've not had any issues with it. We've never used EasyGPS, so not sure if there are pros/cons for one over the other.
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Log it? and place it?
Thanks
Chaos Team - welcome - from a fellow southern tip of Indiana cacher.
Yup - log it and place it. To log it, go to the TB's page (you can click on it's name on the cache's webpage, or you can go to "track travel Bugs" (left side of all geocaching.com pages), then type in the TB # (on the dogtag) in the box in the top right corner.
From the TB's webpage, in the top right corner, you'll find "found it? Log it!" - click on that, and fill in the drop down boxes and add your message. (to "find" a TB, you *must* leave a message - even if it's just a . it won't let you leave the log field blank).
Once you log that you retrieved it from the cache, it will take the TB off of the cache's webpage and will put it in your "inventory". Then, when you find a new cache and leave the TB there, when you log your find, it will have a box at the bottom where you can highlight the TB and "drop" it in the cache.
If you have any problems, feel free to send me an e-mail -- I'll try to explain it better.
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Cool,
I keep hoping someone will take one of mine to another country. One of mine just went to Alaska! That is pretty neat to me.
Hang in there, and keep up hope. TB's make it in and out of the country with time. In fact, get a few more and release them too. The more you have out there, the greater the likelihood one or more will leave the country!
yup - I keep trying to convince my husband to buy a TB tag and hook it to me, since his TB's go to all sorts of cool places. They have missions like "to move around" or "to move around quickly". And they go to London, Malta, Egypt, Aruba, um, where else? Me, I've made it to Canada, Mexico, and England. So, I'm thinking if I have a TB tag attached to me...
Seriously though, JAPTKD's "oldest" tag was released in September 2005, and he's already had ones go to all of those places. I've found TB tags here from Germany, Japan, ... so, they do move - especially if the goal doesn't prevent that.
Oh - if you're placing more in the hopes that they will travel that far, keep in mind the hitch-hiker chosen. TB's that can pass easily through airport security are much more likely to make it to other countries. I've seen some that could have more problems than others (random gadgets that would be hard to identify and look really mechanical are gonna get your bag searched more than keychains and toys).
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My global bell was scooped up over a month ago ... few weeks went by, I emailed the few people that had gone to the new cache to ask if they saw my travel bugger. One wrote back that he had it, but hasn't had a chance to log it yet. Well, that was like 3 weeks ago (at least) and he still hasn't logged it. Nobody can be that busy, that they have time to punch in coords, drive to a chache, walk to the cache, but is too busy to log the bug find?
Am I just being overly impatient, or what? This person is NO newb either, which makes me go
If you want to know who it is, just PM me, if you can help or whatever. Any input is highly appreciated.
sigh - I feel your pain. I have three TB's in a race, one got picked up April 1st. On April 20th (according to gmail) I e-mailed a cacher who'd been to the cache and logged "took TB" but not which one, and low and behold - they had the TB. "we'll log it right now!" yup, still sitting in the cache in south carolina that it hasn't been in for a month. I'm actually fine with not putting it back into caches - sometimes these things happen. We've been sitting on two WJTB's for a month, since, um, we moved, and they are in one of three boxes - all at the bottom of the to be unpacked stack and um... But, we *did* manage to log that we'd found them. ok, time to go unpack some more so that maybe we can find those WJTBs
However, I've found that my TB's with tags move a lot faster than my ones without them - even if the goal is identical.
If you read the guidelines, I believe the phrase a few weeks will pop up there too.
Who Is Watching My Cache?
in How do I...?
Posted
I do the same. I also will watchlist ones that are really close to my caches (less than a mile). Then, if I see that they're getting muggled, I know to go check mine as well if I'm not seeing logs (or, if I see the logs are wet, I know to check my ziplocks and can offer to swap out theirs on the trip if I know the owner). And, I watchlist ones on my "I really wanna find this someday" list, and ones by friends and family, and ... (I'm really glad for the longer watchlist for premium members!!)