WebChimp

Also a valid method.

Rosebud gave pretty good advice. If you are totally clueless on a puzzle,chances are some others have been as well. There's a good chance an email to the CO, describing what you've done to this point and asking for a starting point, will be well received. If its a cypher or code, Google the terms "yellowpipe" and "cypher". That will get you to the hallowed YellowPipe cypher tools, which are invaluable. If that doesn't m work, try Sharkey's Vigenere cypher page. (Google is your friend.) Puzzle caches can be a real education. Extremely wicked puzzle caches can take more effort than the actual cache is worth, but there's some pride to be found in finding the solution and signing the log sheet. If you enjoy puzzles, have fun and go for it. If they make your head hurt, ignore them and find something you like better.

Looks like I may be in St Louis a couple of days soon, and need to know if there are any must-do caches in the area? I will be on the west side. Any suggestions?

The game, as well as the underlying technology, has changed over time. Receivers are better, and satellites now send a more accurate signal. Yes, we have micros in the woods, and power trails, but we also frequently have more creative hides in some still surprising places. Years ago, a high find-number probably represented a lot of experience with many caches and miles under foot. Today, a high find-number may represent the ability to afford the gasoline and the availability of power trails. We have a lot more sophisticated caching tools today than we did when I started caching in 2005. The bottom line is, things change. Everything changes. Football is not the same as it was 40 years ago. Cars get 30 MPG vs 13 MPG. Eggs are no longer 45 cents per dozen. It's a long list, but you get the idea. Geocaching changes too. Five years from now, it will be different from what it is today, at least to some degree, and today's newbies will opine over the loss of the good old days (i.e., today). The basics of the game, though, are the same. Read the cache listing, decide if you want to find it, look for it, sign the log, note the find or DNF on line. Today, just like back then, we get to decide how we play the game. If you're having fun with it, stay plugged in, go caching when you can, and enjoy life. If you're not enjoying it, re-think how you approach the game, and if you can't resolve to adapt to the change that's already occurred, find some other way to have fun, since it will never go back to how it once was. Above all, remember it's a game, and don't take it too seriously.

And me, as well. Each person has to do what's best for him or her, so if it's time for CH to lay INATN aside in order to live life as he needs to, well, so be it. I do wish the code would be available, via some arrangement, so others could carry on the work. I sure miss the maps feature.

Dave, thanks for the contributions INATN made over the years. I used the site, and thoroughly enjoyed it. Thanks for everything, INATN will be missed.

My goodness. DNF means "I didn't find it", which has nothing to do if it's there or not. We don't have an acronym for "Didn't find it altough I might find out later it's there and I just didn't find it."

In Mississippi, 1,000 finds gets a gold ammo can presented by a local caching group. Later milestones also get ammo cans, color determined by local preference.

Going for FTF doesn't necessarily equate to reckless behavior. Lots of folks try for FTF by just getting in the car and heading that way. They plan on getting the edge by leaving for GZ earlier than other cachers, or by being in closer proximity to GZ when the cache is published. If someone engages in reckless behavior in order to get there first, that's not a reflection on going for FTF, it's a reflection on their poor judgment.

We have a similar situation here. One day last week was on the road 15 hours, drove 346 miles, and got 55 caches. Those were scattered out over numerous counties in Alabama.

We have a similar situation here. One day last week was on the road 15 hours, drove 346 miles, and got 55 caches. Those were scattered out over numerous counties in Alabama.

Around here, cold weather is the best time to go caching. No mosquitoes or ticks, and the snakes are all asleep. Last night it got down to 19 F, and four of us made a 30 mile trip to pick up six new caches in a nearby town. Scoring six FTFs by flashlight, in 19 degree weather, was more fun than doing it at noon in 35 degree weather. Besides, when it's really cold like that, the night sky out in the country is really clear and filled with bright stars. Orion was particularly brilliant last night. Get out the wool socks, the gloves, and the balaclava, and hit the trail.

I've only got two answers: geocaching, and surveying. Both are truthful answers. If the inquisitive person looks less than stable, or potentially confrontational, I just look them in eye and say "surveying", and turn back to what I'm doing. That always satisfies them, since few of them know how surveying is done, and they assume if you're surveying, you somehow have the authority of the dominant social order in your corner. In truth, I'm surveying the area for possible cache locations. Just be matter of fact, look like you belong, and they'll go back to what they were doing. It helps to wear work clothes as you cache. If the inquisitive person is just being inquisitive, I tell them "geocaching". If the cache is placed with permission (aren't they all?), then there can be no issue of substance. A friendly smile and a brief explanation is usually all it takes to allay concerns. Since there's a good chance other cachers will encounter the same neighbor, setting a positive tone for what we're doing is important. Lying about our activity creates suspicion, and can bring undesired consequences. If the inquirer doesn't grasp the situation, it's easy enough to glance at your watch, tell them you enjoyed visiting with them, and excuse yourself. You can always return to the site at a later time, if you wish.

If I have that info, fine. If not, that's fine, too. Omitting the container description raises the difficulty rating, so you have a trade off; less info = harder cache, more info = less difficult cache.

Two things I'd recommend: 1. When your GPS says you're within seven-ten feet of the cache, put the GPS away and use your eyes. A sk ypourself "Where would I place a cache here?", and start looking. 2. If your GPS is "bouncing", i,e., giving you a lot of different readings, put it down and wait two minutes. Let it rest, and then pick it up and try again. You should have a better reading on distance. This really helps when under heavy tree cover.

Jen, your account at www.DeepSouthGC.Net has been activated. Thanks for registering. You'll find a lot of local cachers at Deep South, with local caching info. Call us anytime, and we'll be glad to help out.

Geocaching is far from being one-dimensional. Much like your local public library, geocaching has something for everyone. If romance and fiction aren't your cup of tea, head for the card catalog and find Plato's "Republic" or Wells' "History of Western Civilization". If you don't like parking lot caches, use your Pocket Query feature to filter out the 1/1 caches and see only the ones that will be more demanding. With nearly a million active caches online, and new ones being approved daily, you'll never run out of the caches you like. Geocaching is what you make of it. If you have a preference on what to hunt, don't hesitate to hunt only that style of hide. And, should you ever want a change of pace, you can always pick up a lamp skirt on the way to the next 5/5.

((Warning: Following Moderator's lead.)) Ticket items? Really? I used to be a Beaver, and a good old Beaver, too. SR-739. ((Please resume your regularly scheduled discussion.))

Still in. Scoutmaster, Troop 45, Council 691.

A couple of years ago, I was feeling around under a walking path bridge when I found a magnetic container with a new log sheet. The info on the log was not consistent with what I was looking for, so we knew we had not found what we were looking for. We found the container we were seeking about 20' away. I later contacted the fellow who owned the first container we had found (his contact in was on the log sheet), and he said he had placed it while planning a multi-stage cache, and he never got the hide published. The container had been forgotten. He went back and picked it up.

Some are, some aren't. I enjoy writing puzzle caches, and I enjoy reading the logs that are written by those who find them. In most cases, the logs for the puzzle caches, though fewer in number, tell a better story than those for my non-puzzle hides.

Without getting into some of the other questions raised here, unless the hider got permission from the post office, it's not permitted. Post office boxes are in a public arena, but are still private property of the postal service.

Ignore them. They will tire of their antics when they do not get a response, and they'll move on to something else.

We've had TB thieves around here before. Several local caches had all their TBs disappear. This happened in other communities around our state before and after it happened here. This practice stopped after about a year of on again, off again disappearances. Most likely your TB thief will stop when his antics don't draw attention.

Membership still has its privileges.