Kathi & the Grouch

I am one who has been "FTF after publishing" and indeed it is a little disappointing to have rushed out with high expectations only to find out that someone not playing by the same rules signed the book ahead of you. In my case, the local FTF Hound found out about the cache early and signed the book before the cache was published. (The cache was placed as one in a series done to promote regional forestry organizations and they listed the cache on their organization's web site prior to its GC.com listing.) After a brief pout while standing over the cache, I had a good laugh. It certainly was fitting that the one who beat me to the cache was 'the hound'. I mentally tipped my hat to him. He was sly enough to watch the organization's web site for the info. But I still consider MY log a legitimate ftf on that one TOO. As others have mentioned, the FTF is really a personal count. It doesn't hurt anyone for me to claim it. I think there CAN be more than one FTF -- ie: First to Find with no notification (this could be a muggle) First to Find WITH notification (this could be your milestone friend) First to Find after the cache is publicly announced (like the "hound" in my story above) First to Find after the cache is listed on a geo-centric web site (not necessarily gc.com) First to Find after the cache is listed on GC.com (the definition most GC.com'ers use) All the above assume you signed the logbook. In MY way of thinking, there could also be FTF's who don't sign the log book, and to me, these are also legitimate IN THEIR OWN WAY: First to Find UNABLE to sign log (a raccoon) First to Find UNWILLING to sign log (geocacher who sees the cache on the trestle over the water but NO WAY is going to go get it) First to Find NEGLECTED to sign log (muggle coming, gotta scoot) First to Find DECLINED to sign log (wanted to leave it for the next guy) First to Find FORGOT to sign log (so overwhelmed by the FTF prize, forgot even to rehide the cache) ....(etc)... I'm sure there are some great stories out there! Of course, most GC.com'ers only recognize the "first to find" in one or two of the scenarios above, so if you brag publicly about your FTF's you will look foolish if you claim an FTF for the other scenarios. (Not to mention, you invite angst, potential flaming, and apparently, bodily harm!) Bottom line is, I still enjoyed my early morning hike for the forestry cache! It was great being outside that early and I got to experience the ambience of the local woods in a way that I otherwise would not have. You didn't mention if the FTF (after your friend) made a stink about not getting their name on the first page. I suspect it wasn't too much of an issue for them. And I bet they enjoyed the hunt.

I've been fascinated by nature ever since I was very young -- especially the tiny things most people tend to overlook: bugs, mosses & lichens, baby mushrooms, thiings like that. What I have noticed, since I started geocaching, is I now look at the "bigger picture" of the environment, noticing things on a grander scale. For instance, I never realized there were different "moods" to different types of woods; geocaching taught me that a pine forest looks, feels, sounds, and smells completely different than one with mostly oak and birch trees. Even the dirt is different. I notice how the trees in a certain area all seem to be a similar age, or type... I count the different varieties of tiny wildflowers I see on the trails... or I see a dried mushroom growing on the side of a fallen tree and reflect on the fact that this mushroom, and the many tiny insects living on & in it, would never have a chance to live if it weren't for the dying of the tree. It makes me very philosophical. Often, especially when I'm out in the woods alone on a cache hunt, I get overwhelmed at the awesome beauty and rightness of everything. It's impossible to adequately describe the feeling, it's so profound. Do you remember that scene in the original "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" story, where the Grinch's heart expands with emotion? That's what it feels like. I get a rush of awe and wonder and gratitude and joy. It's such a *big* feeling... I just can't describe it. When work or daily life starts to get stressful, a quiet walk in the woods is a great balm for my spirit. Geocaching has put me back in touch with what it feels like to be one with nature. I like to include little nature stories in my online cache logs, making note of the various flora and fauna I met along the way. It's my way of saying thanks to the cache owner for bringing me to the area, and at the same time, my private tribute to the beauty and bounty of our natural environment. Kathi (of K&tG)

I'm answering this because I can't stand to see a question sit in the "getting started" forum without getting any response Here's a link to a brief explanation of the .aspx file format: http://www.fileinfo.net/extension/aspx I'm not a techie --- but it sounds to me like the phone is saving the download in the wrong format, or with an incorrect file extension. Can you manually change the .aspx file extension (in the name of the file) to .gpx, and trick the program into opening the file? Sometimes I can do that on my computer, although I've only done it with stuff that is totally unrelated to geocaching. I don't know if it would work for CacheMate. Have you tried emailing the CacheMate developer? Or -- I wonder if anyone in the GPS Units & Software forum could help. Hope you get it figured out. I can just imagine how frustrated you're feeling!

Ha! You know what they say about one person's trash being another person's treasure... It's funny that in this relatively short thread, there are 2 different people mentioning that they remove shells as trash. I have pretty high swag standards and I've left several shells over the past several months. I think most shells are very pretty. Much more interesting than a McToy, even if the toy was new! Recently, I traded for a fairly simple shell, which I took home and plopped into my little salt-water fish tank. Immediately, one of my marine hermit crabs abandoned the shell he was living in & took over the one from the cache!

Those stamps are just the coolest thing I've seen in a long time! I'm going to get a bunch made up for a local blues festival that I founded. While I'm at it, I'll probably get some others made for the family, for fun. They'll love it! I can't wait... thanks, hermit crabs, for the tip!

I will echo the "Don't be afraid to be generous" advice. When I find a cache that's low on loot, or has a disappointing array of items (broken or trashy), I usually do a little volunteer re-stocking. If I see a broken toy or something that's icky or disappointing, I'll remove it and replace it with something cheap but still nice, like a polished glass gemstone or some colorful stickers. I think of it as cache "CITO" (trash removal)! I always carry a bunch of neat little toys and doo-dads for leaving in caches. Some things I pick up in the bargain bin at the stationery store or craft store, some things come from our home junk drawer (GOOD junk, like marbles, old coins, sea shells, etc.) and some little things I find at yard sales for a nickle or a dime but they're nice, like little figurines or nice keychains. I also carry some more valuable items like CDs of music, batteries, handy tools, etc., in case the cache has something really nice that I want to take home. I have my trinkets organized in large gallon-size freezer bags inside my backpack: Kid stuff (cheap); Kid stuff (not so cheap); Adult stuff (insect wipes, batteries & tools are some things that appeal more to adults); and the Top Drawer stuff ($5-10 items). This makes it easy to do a quick trade if the mosquitos are bad or muggles are coming! Anything paper (coupons, stickers, etc) should be enclosed in a plastic baggie to prevent it from getting soggy and moldy. This also applies to fluffy things (like little stuffed animals) and jewelry (such as lapel pins and necklaces). I carry extra snack-size ziplock baggies in my pack for use as needed. By the way, coupons are okay as long as they are for something FREE & that you don't have to buy anything in order to get it -- basically, they're like a gift certificate. I work for a company that makes gourmet olive oil, and they gave me some coupons for 1 free bottle of their olive oil. These come in handy for adult swag, especially when the cache container is small. In general, I find that the more difficult caches often have more interesting stuff. The 1/1's tend to collect broken McToys since they are the easiest for kids to do.

Here are some of the sites I have bookmarked. (Some of these may be more useful as you gain more experience.) Get coordinates for an address Terraserver.com Degrees Converter USPS Zip Code Lookup Prime Suspect's Geocaching Lexicon Coordinate Distance Calculator Tharagleb's tips for solving puzzle caches Guidelines for placing a cache TXGA Cache docs, logbooks, etc. templates

Welcome & happy caching to you! Having grown up in an outdoorsy family I took to geocaching like a duck to water... (LOL, I really did NOT plan that pun!) Grouch, on the other hand, comes from "city-folk" -- never did much of anything outdoors until he met me! He's still a little squeamish about bugs & dirt but he's warming up to it. I feel it's my duty to make up for his deprived childhood! Don't forget... Descriptive cache logs are a wonderful way to "give back" to the person who placed the cache. I always try to relate our experiences & adventures in finding the cache. A small paragraph at minimum is my rule of thumb. It's also nice to be able to look back at some of our past logs, and re-live the fun!

Grouch and I always carry LOTS of trash bags in our packs. Although, I'm more of a do-gooder than he is so mostly it's me picking up the trash. He also has a much lower tolerance for yucky stuff than I do, LOL! This past weekend I CITO'd some *used* dog baggies at the local park. :) ( Now, I ask you, WHY would someone go to the effort of properly cleaning up after their dog and then throw the filled baggie on the side of the trail?! Yeesh! )

This is where I got mine: Thomas Distributing (no connection to them, just a happy customer -- I found them when I was doing research on digi-cam battery performance a couple years ago; they were highly recommended by the engineers who had published the performance tests on the web site I found) They always seem to have good deals (and freebies!) and the rep I talked to on the phone was very helpful. He pointed out a couple of things I did not know about NiMH: - DON'T DROP THEM or knock them around as that can cause damage and the battery will fail. (The company provides great little plastic storage cases free with every order, or at least they did when I ordered mine) -- and by the way, I can vouch for the fact that dropping causes battery failure! - DON'T MIX batteries of different strengths (2000's with 2300's for instance) - DON'T MIX batteries of different charge levels (ie: make sure that all batteries placed in the same appliance are charged to the same level) -- it's a good idea to keep "sets" of batteries together and charge them/use them as a set. - Don't let the positive/negative ends of the batteries touch each other when you are storing/carrying them, apparently it can cause them to discharge (the little plastic cases are wonderful for this!) --- Like others, I did not have the best experience with 1800's. The newer, more powerful NiMHs have been great for me, though. And like others have mentioned, you should NOT use rechargeables in your flashlights or home smoke detectors. Safety equipment is too important to have fail during an emergency! >>> OttoLund, you should call the company linked above and talk to the rep about what charger is best for your needs & budget. They were very courteous and helpful and did not try to over-sell me, which I appreciated. EDIT: Here is a link to a page about NiMH care and feeding: NiMH Battery Care I will add one more note -- that when people say they didn't have a good experience with rechargeables, I believe most of the time it's due to poor quality (or early technology) chargers, or improper battery care. The latest charger models really ARE a whole different breed.

Mr. Tupper was a resident of Shirley, Massachusetts. To my knowledge, there are no registered geocaches in Shirley... although I am working on one...

I will add my (admittedly newbie) 2 cents.... [Camo, I know my comments are beyond what you asked, but I thought it might be worthwhile to mention some of these things for the benefit of other newbies like me who might be reading this.] As noted above, you can always email the hider and ask for their guidance. You should abide by their preference, even if you disagree. I also agree that if you can't positively ID it as the cache, you shouldn't count it. Personally, I see absolutely nothing wrong with counting a find as a Find if your inability to log was due to a cache "malfunction" or a weather-related problem like icing up, neither of which you, the finder, have any control over. I do agree that it's great if you can go back later and sign the actual logbook. I would ask myself: What is the cache hider's goal in regards to my find? Think about it.... there aren't too many cache hiders whose purpose is to see if you can open the cache box! Really, now.... If the goal is to bring me there and get me to find the cache, then as long as I make a reasonable attempt to sign the log, I think it counts. On the other hand, if I DON'T make a reasonable attempt, it DOESN'T count, and thus deserves a Note or a DNF. For instance, if I were to attempt a 4- or 5-star cache and decide not to climb up/down the side of a cliff to reach the cache because it looks too dangerous, its a definite DNF, because I DID NOT GET TO THE CACHE. Even if I can see it, it doesn't count, because I assume the hider's intention was to have finders climb the rock face. If I choose not to do so, then I didn't earn the smiley, and I should either read the cache description better next time or think twice about going for difficult caches. Some examples of NOT making a reasonable attempt (ie: *NO* SMILEY): 1) The cache is 10 feet up a tree and I can see it but I didn't feel like climbing the tree. (Note or DNF) 2) I didn't want to reach into the hollow log because there was mud or spider webs or other icky stuff. (DNF) 3) I decided not to attempt a dangerous feat --like rock climbing, scuba diving, walking out on that old train trestle over the gorge, etc. (DNF) 4) I "know" where the cache is hidden but I couldn't find parking nearby. (Note) 5) I "know" where the cache is hidden but there were muggles there so I couldn't log it. (Note) 6) I "know" where the cache was hidden but it's missing. (DNF) REPEAT: The above examples 1-6 should NOT count as a find, in my opinion.

Hi Mindy, welcome to the obsession! I don't have any kids but thinking back to when I was that age (a LOOOOONNNNG time ago!) I remember it was really important for me to always have something to do. With that thought in mind, if you & the boys ever get stuck indoors due to weather when you really want to be out hunting, maybe you could challenge them to make their own "signature items" to leave in caches. A sig item is kind-of like a calling card. Other cachers love to find those and it does give the "creative types" a way to add their personal touch to the game/sport of geocaching. If you browse through the posts here or in the Geocaching Topics area, you should be able to find a thread that shows examples. (I will look around and see if I can locate one of those forum post threads... hang on....) Edit: Some links to postings about signature items: http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=118980 http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=102687 http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=65370 http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php...topic=63438&hl= I like the little beaded thingies, shrinky-dinks, wooden coins (handmade using wooden disks bought at craft store), and stuff like that. Not expensive, but obvious that someone put some time & effort into making them

I believe that in order to meet the requirements for ANY type of cache, it needs to have some kind of a physical logbook for people to physically sign when they find it. The logbook can be as simple as a strip of paper (common for micros) but it MUST be there, otherwise your cache will not be approved by the reviewer. At least, that's my understanding of the current 'rules'. Zack and Gummi's suggestions for making it a Multi sound like the most plausible to me. You'll need to have a physical container & log, and even though the tag doesn't have that capability, it can still serve as the first stage of a multi. I'm not quite sure how the difficulty rating would work, though. A high-tech hunt sounds like a fun idea to me, and I think the local cachers would have a go at it.

This link gives a definition (scroll down, it's in alpha. order) http://home.earthlink.net/~prime.suspect/geolex/ You'll also find it helpful for a lot of the other terminology tossed around on these forums. Edited to add: There are no dumb questions!

YES, YES, YES -- look at the guidelines before hiding your cache. Also, spend a couple days (or better yet, weeks) browsing through the Getting Started forum as well as the Geocaching Topics forum -- you will learn countless invaluable tips and tricks, as well as the inside scoop on what causes a cache to be considered "lame" or otherwise unworthy... or likely to be "muggled". One point that seems especially pertinent for you, as a person who travels a lot, is to make sure to place your caches in a location where you can visit them on a regular basis, in order to keep them well-maintained. It's recommended that your caches be located in a place that you could get to within a few days if necessary -- just in case there are maintenance issues that need quick attention. Keep in mind that children and families tend to go for "easy" rated caches (1-2 stars). If you'd prefer your coins to go to adults (no guarantees, of course), then you may want to place them in caches that are a little more difficult (2-3 stars) I wish I lived closer to Michigan... I would love a chance at finding some of your coins! Welcome and happy caching!

Sax, I think you make a very insightful point. Although we are newbies at geocaching and still in the gung-ho phase we *have* experienced the "starting to get bored with this" phenomenon at a Renaissance fair that we attend here in Massachusetts. To the new fair-goer, it is unique, amazing and highly entertaining. But after you've been there half a dozen times you know what to expect and it seems less worth the drive and the (not inconsiderable) expense. We get around the ennui by bringing newbies with us now. We get to see it through their eyes and it lets us relive a lot of the original pleasure. For anyone who's starting to get tired/bored/unimpressed, I suggest spending some time recruiting new geocachers. Or team up with some young-uns for a clever micro hunt, night cache or other difficult hide where you can act as mentor. (Don't be too quick to provide the solution if they can't find it; remember, part of the fun is in the challenge.)

To reiterate.... If the coupon is for something ENTIRELY FREE, NO STRINGS ATTACHED, it's ACCEPTABLE. (People don't think of it as a coupon but rather as a trade item with a specific value.) On the other hand, ANY kind of a "discount" (including "buy one, get one free" and "free ____ with purchase of ____") is NOT free because you have to spend something to get something. Those are NOT ACCEPTABLE. Also, I think most people would say NO to "free consultation" offers - those are really just a sales tactic. Reminds me of the "listen to our time-share pitch and get a free set of luggage/camera/trip to Florida/whatever" solicitations I get in the mail. No, thanks, I don't care to subject myself to any sales pressure to "earn" my supposedly free gift. REPEAT: If it's not entirely free it is commercial advertising, which is a no-no. (Just an opinion, of course... but from reading the forums it seems most people agree with this.)

Murphy's Laws for Travel Bugs: If you head out to a cache in order to pick up a particular bug or coin, by the time you get there it will be gone. The greater your travelbug's goals, the more likely it will be to (pick one): - immediately be picked up by a new cacher who will then lose interest for the sport - get claimed by a child who can't bear to part with it, and whose parents can't bear to spoil their kid's fun by making them put it back - get placed in a bug hotel with a dozen other bugs that are more visually appealing, thus ending up a virtual wallflower for the next nine months

Bless you, Tansau, for posting in the general forums first... I don't read the GPS/software forum very much and I might never have known! :D

Personally, I'd consider a "Free Item" coupon to be as good as (probably better than) most of the swag we've come across in our first few months in this sport/game/hobby/obsession! Especially coffee, my favorite food group! Seriously, as long as there is no requirement for someone to spend any money to get the product, it fits the rules of being non-commercial, in my opinion. (By this I mean, no "buy one get one" or "dollar off" coupons. It has to be totally free.) I do some work for a company that produces gourmet olive oils, and my client has asked me to give out freebie coupons to my family and friends. I have left a few in caches where I think most of the visitors would be adults. NOTE, I do *not* use it as a trade item, but rather as an extra "leave". (The value of my particular coupon is up to $10 depending on what product the bearer uses it for, so it's often the most valuable item in the cache!) If the coffee product on your coupon is only available in certain stores or locations it might be helpful to include a note to that effect, if the coupon doesn't already have that info on it. And I second Night Stalker's note about wetness. You might want to enclose the coupon in a baggie just to be safe.

In order to see the "http" link button, you have to use the Add Reply function rather than enter a "Fast Reply" from the bottom of the thread. EDIT: Or else, click the "more options" button under the Fast Reply text field.

Just curious.... Does anyone routinely bring pets OTHER than dogs along with them on the hunt?

I google-searched but didn't find a topic title about this in the last 18 months. If you know of one, please reference and PMP (pardon my post). This past weekend, I had my strongest experience yet of the infamous geocaching "Force"! Here's the note I wrote in our personal favorites bookmark list: We hadn't even read the cache description on this one! Got it from a TITLE, and we're not even from the local area, lol! So....... What's your best "The Force Was With Me" story?

We were having the same problem... Gave GPSr to sister-in-law for Christmas and took her out caching over this weekend to show her how to use it. She's totally hooked [] and wanted to sign up for Premium but we couldn't get to the page. I have a PayPal account but we were afraid using that would add a year to our (K&tG) premium account and not activate hers. We ended up sending a msg to Jeremy but I don't know what the outcome was yet -- haven't talked to sister-in-law -- or even if Jeremy had a chance to read the message. (I did suggest we post a note in the GC web site forum but she only has excruciatingly slow dial-up and Grouch doesn't "do" forums so he told her to message.) So.... no answer for you, but some empathy at least.