Keelmann And Cici

It's a liars cache. They lied about the date. Simple.

What part of the reviewers answer are you confused about? Caches have to be 0.1 miles (161 meters) apart, and your new placement is 150 feet from either a puzzle cache, or the last stage of a multi-cache, so it's been suspended for being too close. You'll need to move it. Best bet is try to identify what cache is causing the issue by solving nearby puzzle caches and checking locations, and move your cache so it no longer has the proximity problem. Good luck!

FTF means First to Find, not first to log online. The person who signs first is it.

Agreed. If the landowner says no, then forget it.

My understanding is they can be placed in an existing pipe, but can't be buried. I suspect those that were 'pushed' into the ground were approved before the rule, or the reviewer didn't realize the circumstance.

No, a cache can't be buried at all.

If it's actually a park, you should be able to find it under your local Parks &Recreation organization, then find out their policy, if any, on geocaching. If it's a rest area, that would normally fall under your state department of transportation.

That is quite some sense of entitlement there.

Not sure about the new iphone, but I hear it's similar in quality to the droid. What I've found is that it's not as accurate, and suffers from bounce way more than something like a Garmin.

Best bet is to open a conversation with your reviewer, tell him/her what you'd like to do, and make sure it's ok. As was pointed out, previous caches do NOT guarantee acceptance of a new cache. And I definitely don't suggest simply omitting info. It can hurt your reputation with Groundspeak and with other cachers. There's good reasons for the guidelines.

I'm not that experienced, but I just don't worry about what other people do.

Ok, let's say they allow exceptions. Who decides what's an appropriate exception, and what's not? A rule that is applied universally is fair. It can be silly, but it's fair. A rule applied subjectively is always perceived as not fair. Simple.

I solve this kind of issue for myself in a very simple way, I don't look at other people's stats. I'm happy with my finds, my adventures, and now my hides. If other people want to power cache, good for them, go for it, doesn't interfere with my enjoyment in the slightest.

Loved caching in Vegas. Still like the one in front of Bill's Gambling Hall the best. :-)

You can definitely start with a phone, many people have hundreds of finds using one. I'd say start with regular size caches, not micros or nanos, they can be frustrating. Also, look at the difficulty rating before you go after a cache. Start with 1, 1 1/2, or 2 star difficulty, harder ones can be tricky. Lastly, remember any GPS, phone or otherwise, is only an approximation. They can bounce around, and depending on the accuracy of the GPS of the person who placed the cache, once you get within about 30 feet, best thing to do is put the phone down, and start the hunt. That's when it gets fun. Look for any obvious landmarks, anything out of place, a suspicious pile of sticks is often a dead giveaway. You'll probably find a lot of good caches to go after in local parks, so I'd check there. Good luck!

These "rules" have been discussed before. I tend to view them as instructions for cache finders rather than formal rules. Their ultimate origin were the instructions Dave Ulmer posted for people who found his first cache. You may tend to view them that way, but your base argument is there's no rule that says you have to sign the logbook. There it is, labeled "rule". You may choose to follow them, not follow them, argue against them, but I'm afraid the stance "there is no rule" is provably false. But to each his own. I'm a fair new cache hider, and I don't worry about matching a log book to online finds. If I do run across someone who didn't sign for some reason, I'd email and ask for proof of find, and if there is none, I'd remove the log. I consider that my responsibility as cache owner. I also make sure a pen is in the cache on each maintenance visit. But if the finder can provide some evidence of a find, I'm ok with that.

You can find it here: http://www.geocaching.com/seek/default.aspx Links to the cache note. Also, if you haven't read it, the listing guidelines linked from that page, and the "how to hide a geocache" document are critical, and a huge help when starting out.

Did you check the other caching sites?

I leave comments on the general practice to others, but I do think taking the cache and replacing with a pre signed cache crosses a bad line. I don't think there's ever a justification to take a cache that doesn't belong to you.

As a still relatively new cacher, and even newer cache owner, my favorite logs are the ones that say something about the cache, or the experience finding it. Like you, when I started, I saw lots of "TFTC" entries, so I started with that. Now I try to say something about the cache, the location, or the day. After all, the log is the only reward the cache owner gets, so I try to make it a good one.

I agree with this. I would say just a series of normal caches. Don't try to promote something, but caches that tell a story about the location are perfectly fine. If each one tells something unique about the park and it's history, you can certainly lead up to the final cache near the center. And as for your question about secrecy, I don't think a press story about it hurts at all. Positive press for geocaching is something that's good for everybody. Also, look into the cache in, trash out idea. My mother was involved in park development for much of her adult life, so I have great respect for parks, and I love the concept that cachers can not only avoid causing any environmental harm, but we can actually leave the environment better than we found it. I think you've got a great idea, good luck with it!

You find junk, as most people don't trade up. I try to improve the swag in any cache I visit, and I try to get my caches stocked with decent stuff. Nothing huge, or worth a ton of money, just things that someone might be happy to pick up. It's part of the hobby in my opinion. So far, I've never picked up anything myself. My nieces and nephews have picked up a small toy or two, and I traded something I thought was a higher quality item each time, and always drop something in any cache with room.

I'm a relative newbie, but in my opinion, a 5x5 should be fiendishly difficult to find, so I think even the hints you've already provided may be too much. Although I didn't think you could put a 5 for terrain unless some equipment was needed.

A bug spray with deet works. I use a lemon/eucalyptus spray that works really well, and doesn't smell quite so bad. Target carries it.

What I've found is that many aren't simple, straightforward "here's the question" type of things. Generally, most resolve to GPS coordinates, so your puzzle is in figuring out how what the CO has presented relates to the numbers. This may be seemingly unrelated text, it may be images, or any number of other things. I've brought up a couple that I was left scratching my head and saying "I don't even see where the heck the puzzle is", but there's always a solution. Keep trying!