Runaround

Thanks to anyone who has ever hidden a cache. Thanks to anyone who has ever written a nice log. Thanks to anyone who has ever helped a newbie cacher learn the ropes. Thanks to anyone who has ever performed any type of CITO. Thanks to anyone who has bothered to hunt even one cache and had some fun while you were doing it. Thanks to anyone who has ever given even one minute of their free time to help the hobby in any way. You know who you are and we appreciate what you do.

I'm a volunteer with the Cleveland Metroparks geocaching program and my stats are probably the exact type the OP is complaining about. For that matter, so are the stats for all the CMP volunteers. We spend our time looking for places to hide "official" CMP caches. Our goal is to always have a high quality experience. Cachers who want to own a cache in the CMP's need a permit. A volunteer checks out every single location in advance to make sure the area is safe and that threatened plant and animal species will not be hurt by the cache. We perform maintenance on all the CMP caches on behalf of the parks. The CMP's hosts a major cache event every summer attended by several hundred cachers, some traveling hundreds of miles to attend. The volunteers do a large percentage of the heavy lifting to make sure everyone has a good time. In return, most of us do not get to participate in the event itself. We also help with 3-4 "intro to geocaching" classes each year to help new cachers learn the hobby. We also represent the CMP's at local community events where the organizer wants a geocaching booth/display/instructor to help get the word out on the hobby. In summary, the volunteers typically average 30 hours per year apiece to make geocaching better in the CMP's. But the OP is right, my arbitrary hides to finds ratio is not good. Shame on me for not giving back. Edit: clarification

Wait a minute, I thought everyone was allowed to play the game the way they wanted? The cache owners want to play by sending spoilers. Adding the note would force them to do something they don't want to do and to play the game your way, namely ignore your request. If you don't like a spoiler, don't read it. I think someone in another thread mentioned the importance of doing their homework before seeking a cache and filtering out a spoiler that ruins the hunt certainly falls into that category. The parsing of my post one sentence at a time can now commence.

Did you miss the part about personal use? As soon as you give it away it's not for your personal use.

To bad you don't live in NE Ohio. The Cleveland Metroparks largest geocaching event of the year is in a few weeks and for a number of the volunteers, 20 hours is easy. A lot of work has already been done but we also have the pre-event set-up meeting, the day of the event itself, and the post-event clean-up to take care of. Do any of the land management organizations in your area have an active geocaching program? If yes, give them a call and see if they can use some help.

(1) I prefer what it was. (2) I have the right to be disappointed by what it has become. (3) "Nature is what we were put on earth to rise above." - Rose Sayer (The African Queen), (4) Goodie for you (5) I've done homework all my life, I geocache to get away from that stuff. Best post I've seen in a long time.

Whether I reply or not depends on the subject of the initial email, who sent it, and whether they asked a legitimate question but I don't feel automatically compelled to respond to every unsolicited message I receive. For example, I had 41 emails today offering various "services" but I'm happy with my mortgage, the size and functionality of a certain part of my anatomy, and I'm sorry, but the former Nigerian Finance Minister is just going to have to find someone with more free time. I also had 2 snail mails from Citibank (hooray, I'm pre-approved) and Defenders of Wildlife (they need me to complete a petition). If I email a friend or a family member, I expect a response. The same goes for co-workers on work-related topics. However, if I send a largely anonymous email through GC.com, I don't necessarily expect a reply. If they reply, great. If they don't, life goes on.

I'm a geocaching volunteer for the Cleveland Metroparks in addition to volunteering for other programs. This has given me many chances to discuss various issues with the park rangers. They admit to routinely citing people for being in the parks after hours although I've yet to hear of a cacher being cited. You can plead ignorance but the fine is still $200 plus court costs. Having your vehicle towed is just a bonus.

Nope. We do the burning river dance.

You'll probably have more luck on www.geochums.com. That's where most of the NE Ohio cachers lurk.

As an avid birdwatcher this topic comes up from time to time in birding discussion boards. In a few cases, hunters and anglers have been openly confrontational to birders for using "their" land. IIRC, there was even a discussion on this board last year about a hunter leaving a threatening note in a cache and another cache on the receiving end of a shotgun blast. It only takes a small number of people to create a problem for everyone. I enjoy birding and hiking in these areas. In order to help maintain them, I support the area by buying hunting and fishing licenses even though I do neither. I also buy a duck stamp, partly as a collectible, partly for the admission to NWR's, and partly to help support those areas that are good for birds. I carry all 3 in my birding field bag. This has helped me out on more than one occasion. Most recently I was harassed by a guy checking for deer sign prior to hunting season. The dope didn't know how to resond when I flashed my hunting license. All that said, I don't mind that a few areas are closed to caches. There are plenty of other good areas out there.

I have a collapsible aluminum hiking stick from Leki. I never have to worry about getting it in a small car and it fits in my carry-on when traveling.

Same here. Good caches get long logs. Dull caches get a "Found it. TNLN". I'm not brave enough to log DPM.

And yet, someone, somewhere, will argue that the cache is not rated properly.

This won't work as long as cache owners can delete logs.

This thread reminds me why I have 800 caches on my ignore list.

My top 3 caches were all hidden by the same cacher who had 0 finds and 3 hides at the time. All 3 caches involved well stocked ammo cans in interesting areas with scenic hikes. What was that foolish newbie thinking???? On the other side, I have dozens of caches on my ignore list that were hidden by cachers who have been doing this for several years and have hundreds, if not thousands, of finds. And yet they hide LPC's at Wally World or key cases on drain pipes behind a building next to the trash dumpsters. Cachers who hide great caches just have an instinct for it. Cachers who hide bad caches can get better with experience, but they can never seem to become the hiders of great caches.

I have the same one. I found it at the local auto parts store.

I'm starting to see this in the caches I maintain for the Cleveland Metroparks. Someone recently glued one of these pages into the logbook. Since nobody signed the back of the page, I just tore it out.

I'm looking at this from the cache hunters point of view, not the owners. My free time for caching is limited. When deciding on which caches to hunt, a cache that has a large number of watchers will get my attention. Usually the logs on these caches are full of accolades. I'd likely be inclined to go for that cache. If I saw a cache with a large number of people ignoring it, I'd likely pass on it as well.

I met a cacher on the trail who offered me a card with tracking numbers for about 25 different coins. I politely declined and explained that I wouldn't want the icon for a coin unless I actually found the coin in a cache and moved it to another cache. He told me that I didn't "understand" the point of geocoins?!?!?

Runaround's caching rule number 12 is to never stick my hands where I can't see them. I always have a small telescoping inspection mirror in my bag.

I've flown 3 times since the changes, including the day the arrests were made in the UK, and I haven't had a problem with my GPSr or any of my electronics. Put it in your carry on. Interesting sidebar..... I work for Energizer and we're starting to hear some rumblings that TSA is considering a limit on the number of batteries you can have in your carry-on or checked luggage. There is no word yet on what the limit might be, if any. Many of my co-workers have a legitimate business reason to carry a large number of batteries (i.e. customer samples). I've flown with as many as 4 dozen on a single trip. This could put a crimp on some of our business practices. Depending on how low the number is, it could also be an issue for the everyday cacher who travels. It could be worse. I have a friend who is a sales engineer for a firm that makes wire harnesses. He's always getting pulled aside for the extra inspection when he has prototypes in his bag.

I like the idea. Very good caches tend to have a lot of "watchers". I wonder if poorly executed caches would attract a large number of "ignorers".

OP needs to learn the first rule of holes. When you find yourself in one, stop digging. Also.... In before the lock.