honeychile

I have to take medicine at certain times; I also have a humpty-dumpty ankle put together with screws, plates, and pins. This makes planning essential in my geocaching trips. So if the round trip hunt is more than a mile or two, I really appreciate knowing that in advance so that I can plan accordingly. That's even more important now that I have found most of the local caches and am making trips to unfamiliar places. -honeychile- '*+.,_,.+*'`'*+.,_A joyful heart is good medicine!_,.+*'`'*+.,_,.+*'`

I have to take medicine at certain times; I also have a humpty-dumpty ankle put together with screws, plates, and pins. This makes planning essential in my geocaching trips. So if the round trip hunt is more than a mile or two, I really appreciate knowing that in advance so that I can plan accordingly. That's even more important now that I have found most of the local caches and am making trips to unfamiliar places. -honeychile- '*+.,_,.+*'`'*+.,_A joyful heart is good medicine!_,.+*'`'*+.,_,.+*'`

Check out this page for the info you're seeking. -honeychile- '*+.,_,.+*'`'*+.,_A joyful heart is good medicine!_,.+*'`'*+.,_,.+*'`

I go for the (hopefully) cool stuff that's not too pricey. In our area, $2 is about tops on most of the cache loot pieces, although occasionally you'll see something really nice. Sometimes I include "mom" sort of things -- like individually packed wetwipes which are great if you've run into pine tar or just need a refreshing way to wipe the sweat from the brow. Tiny individual bottles of water are also nice in the summer, although these would not be appropriate where they might freeze. Usually they are traded out right away, but I put them in a ziploc in case they sit there for a while. I'm making buttons right now as cache loot. I figure they would look cool at a geocaching meeting or stuck on a hat or backpack or just collected (I have a dozen designs or more). You can see them by clicking here. These are remarkably inexpensive to make and are well-received. -honeychile- '*+.,_,.+*'`'*+.,_A joyful heart is good medicine!_,.+*'`'*+.,_,.+*'`

Lamest: 1/2 a pack of M&M's, business card Coolest: a real silver dollar Coolest thing I've left: I'd really like to have some of those nice geocoins, but they are way out of my financial league. So I make 2.5" buttons (the pin-on kind). It's fun to come up with different designs. They seemed to be well-liked because they're usually traded quickly. Here's a photo. The real thing is more high res than this. -honeychile- '*+.,_,.+*'`'*+.,_A joyful heart is good medicine!_,.+*'`'*+.,_,.+*'`

Lamest: 1/2 a pack of M&M's, business card Coolest: a real silver dollar Coolest thing I've left: I'd really like to have some of those nice geocoins, but they are way out of my financial league. So I make 2.5" buttons (the pin-on kind). It's fun to come up with different designs. They seemed to be well-liked because they're usually traded quickly. Here's a photo. The real thing is more high res than this. -honeychile- '*+.,_,.+*'`'*+.,_A joyful heart is good medicine!_,.+*'`'*+.,_,.+*'`

Are we on the same planet? "Those who do, know I would not cheat." Dude, you DID cheat. You claimed credit for caches you didn't find and uploaded phony photos to support the fraudulent claims. This isn't "disparaging" talk; it isn't something subjective open to various intepretations; it's a statement of fact. No one has to bash your character -- you've presented it to us pre-bashed at your own hands. "Character" isn't limited to what we do in big, public, important situations; character is also who we are and what we do in small, seemingly unimportant situations, sometimes when we think no one is looking. By the way, referring one of the folks you cheated to the death notice of a well-loved geocacher is inappropriate. Most things pale when compared to death; that doesn't mean what you did was right or less important. That was a really cheap shot. There are still quite a few phony photos and logs out there with your name on them - getting rid of those will add some credence to the genuineness of your apology. -honeychile- '*+.,_,.+*'`'*+.,_A joyful heart is good medicine!_,.+*'`'*+.,_,.+*'`

Some of you may not understand PC well enough to comprehend what MrGigabyte had to say, so I'm offering the following translation. quote:I have just been alerted to this thread by some very disparaging emails for some fellow cachers. I would like to offer a an explanation here if I may. TRANSLATION: Oops. I got caught. quote:I was aware of these photos. However, the talents of a creator of these images are considerably beyond the skills that I possess. He is a graphic artist who has growing interest in caching. He is also, a graphic artist with my firm. TRANSLATION: It wasn't cheating; it was art. quote:While I am aware of these images, and take full responsibility, I was not really all that concerned at the time. The logs were made with my knowledge, but felt no harm would be done. TRANSLATION: I have no integrity, but I'm not that worried about it and you shouldn't be either. quote:To any locationless cache owners and other cahers in general who are offended, I offer my apologies. TRANSLATION: Oopsie poopsie. Now I understand that the world won't stop turning because someone lied and cheated in a game. I also understand that he sold his integrity pretty darn cheap. But good grief, this wasn't an accident or some single bad decision. He lied and cheated many times over an extended period and involved someone "who has a growing interest in caching" -- huh? What exactly are you teaching this person? It makes me think of a recent article in the "That's Outrageous" section of the Readers Digest where students were caught using canned term papers and they (and their parents) put so much pressure on the principal that he tried to force the teacher to give them credit for the purchased papers. Maybe we need a "That's Outrageous" section here. MrGigabyte, if you're sincere in your apology, then I hope you will be deleting all the phony logs. That, at least, can be done quickly, which is more than I can say for the damage to your reputation. (I have this image of Gomer Pyle shaking his finger saying, "Fer shame, fer shame, fer shame!) Geocaching is so cool. It bums me out when one of us isn't. -honeychile- '*+.,_,.+*'`'*+.,_A joyful heart is good medicine!_,.+*'`'*+.,_,.+*'`

When I read the title of this thread, I thought, "oh good grief -- what kind of dangerous stuff are they putting in caches now?" Tee hee. -honeychile- '*+.,_,.+*'`'*+.,_A joyful heart is good medicine!_,.+*'`'*+.,_,.+*'`

When I read the title of this thread, I thought, "oh good grief -- what kind of dangerous stuff are they putting in caches now?" Tee hee. -honeychile- '*+.,_,.+*'`'*+.,_A joyful heart is good medicine!_,.+*'`'*+.,_,.+*'`

...sad news indeed. I'm so sorry to hear, even though I had not had the privilege of meeting Bec. Paradise is a better place for her presence, and we are all poorer for her death. -honeychile- '*+.,_,.+*'`'*+.,_A joyful heart is good medicine!_,.+*'`'*+.,_,.+*'`

I'm posting this poll on behalf of a geocaching friend of mine, at her request. She wants to post a Bible trivia cache. The questions used to determine the coordinates are from the Bible, using it as literature. Consider the following: * The description does not endorse the Christian faith, but asks simple trivia questions that might appear on Jeopardy! or Trivial Pursuit under the category "Bible Trivia" * There is nothing in the cache description encouraging the seeker to study the Bible, go to church, or making any judgments about anything or anyone. * The answers to the questions are readily available to anyone of any faith as the Bible is available in any library or online in many places. * There are no links to any religious sites, nor any inflammatory language. * The contents of the cache itself do not contain any religious items. There has been a question that the cache may be "commercial" in nature and that it may promote a religious agenda. My friend claims she has no agenda. She has hidden a sports trivia cache which has been very popular in our area, and is simply trying to post another interesting trivia cache. What do you say? Please vote below. And please, let's not debate religion, first amendment rights, or anything else inflammatory. By the way, and this is not intended to be a "suck up" speech, but please remember that geocaching.com is not a democracy. It is a monarchy and Jeremy is king. We forget this sometimes because he is a benign ruler of this gentle kingdom, and he kindly permits us the privilege of discussing these issues and making our feelings known; he often listens to us,too, hence this request for your opnion. -honeychile- '*+.,_,.+*'`'*+.,_A joyful heart is good medicine!_,.+*'`'*+.,_,.+*'`

I've seen two snakes this year, both trying their best to get away from me. One was in the river as Bartacus and I were fording it on a Three-Hour-Tour quest. It was one of those, "hey look, there goes a snake!" kind of things. The other was on the way back from Great Big Rock, and it was nowhere near the cache, just a big black snake making his way across the path. In fact, I had to chase him down to get his photo! -honeychile- '*+.,_,.+*'`'*+.,_A joyful heart is good medicine!_,.+*'`'*+.,_,.+*'`

It's "foot in the door time" for us in North Carolina. Now's not the time to bellyache about the restrictions. Now's the time to put our best foot forward and cache wisely in state parks, observing the regulations to the nth degree. I believe every one of their concerns is valid, although probably not to the degree they are fearful of. Here are my comments, for what they're worth. SPUR TRAILS: Before I had actual experience, I would've pooh-pooh'ed their "spur trail" concern. But after conducting maintenance on caches of mine that are only a couple of months old, I'm a believer. There are two in particular that were hidden in thick brush -- now that are almost visible from 100' feet away because of cachers thrashing through the brush to get there. And I'm not blaming them because these were "off trail" caches...it's just that caching has put them on their own little trail! Personally, I believe by using artful camouflague and clever thinking, it is entirely possible to put small caches within a few steps of the trail, defusing the concern about spur trails. And there are many trails in NC parks that are challenging all by themselves -- no need to develop a separate trail, but use what is already there. INAPPROPRIATE ITEMS: Again, I have to agree that I've come across very inappropriate items in caches (half a pack of m&m's comes to mind). I generally trash them out and replace them with better loot. SENSITIVE NATURAL OR CULTURAL AREAS: I concede there are such places; I also concede there are those among us who would not respect these places were rules not in place. DANGEROUS LOCATIONS: Yes, sometimes caches are placed in dangerous locations. Sometimes that's part of the fun. But since taxpayers are the ones who ultimately foot the bill for litigation due to injury, I agree that caches in state parks should be as safe as is reasonably possible. I also agree that placement of a cache is an invitation -- it is reasonable that park staff be aware of cache locations and have veto power over their placement. None of the requirements for caches seemed overly restrictive to me. The $25 fee for 3 months makes me wince a little, but I can see this evolving into an annual fee for a cache which rotates position every 3 months. All in all, I'm pleased. I'll probably be placing a cache very soon (if not this weekend...I just happen to have one ready) and I'll let you know how it goes. Keep 'Caching! -honeychile- '*+.,_,.+*'`'*+.,_A joyful heart is good medicine!_,.+*'`'*+.,_,.+*'`

I got a copy of the directive. It is dated June 26, 2002, from Philip K. McKnelly with the subject of "Geocaching Policy." My OCR didn't too well with this, so I'm keying it in from scratch; please give me a break on the discovery of typos The opening description of geocaching is something you are all familiar with it, but I wanted you to have the entire text of the directive. * * * This staff directive is to establish a policy to manage geocaching. Geocaching (GPS Stash, GeoStash) involves the placement of a container with various items within it in a specific location and then posting the Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) coordinates to a website. Visitors to the website then attempt to locate this container using the GPS. This activity started soon after the U.S. Department of Defense turned off the selective availability of the GPS signals in May 2000. This improved the accuracy of most recreational GPS units to 10-20 meters. Contents of the container can be anything and typically involves the exchange of items. Another aspect of this activity is virtual caching. This does not involve the actual placement of a cache; rather, coordinates are provided for a specific location where there is a unique natural feature, park sign, etc. Geocaches have been placed in our state paks without the approval of park staff. These placements have resulted in the following concerns: * Caches have been placed in sensitive natural or cultural areas. * Caches may contain inappropriate or dangerous items. (One park cache contained prescription drugs.) * Caches have lead to the creation of spur trails resulting in resource damage and the possibility of visitors leaving established trails and becoming lost. * Caches may be placed in dangerous or inappropriate areas such as on a cliff or underwater. * The location of a cache may invite the public into an area we do not inspect for hazards. In consideration of the above concerns it has been decided to manage geocaching through the use of the special activity permit procedure on a trial basis. If this activity is found to have a negative impact on the park resources or presents public safety issues the park superintendent may ban geocaching from specific park areas or the entire park. The following conditions are to be addressed when issuing a geocaching special activity permit: * Virtual caches should be encouraged in lieu of physical caches. * The $25 permit fee is to be waived for virtual caches. * The persona applying for the permit shall provide a valid address and telephone number. * The cache placement location, including GPS coordinates, must be stated on the permit and approved by the park superintendent to minimize undesirable impacts to cultural and natural resources as well as minimize hazards to the public. * A specific time period when a cache may be left in place shall be designated to minimize the creation of spur trails. At the end of the designated time period the cache is to be removed and the web site posting retired by the permit holder. The actual time period the cache is permitted to be in place will be determined by the park superintendent, not to exceed three months. * Caches may not be buried, nor may vegetation or stones be disturbed when selecting cache locations. * Cache containers are to be transparent and have some form of latch or other closure to deter wildlife. * Contents of the cache are subject to inspection by park staff at any time; park staff will have the authority to remove any items deemed unacceptable. Examples include food, medications of any type, pornography, weapons of any type, etc. A log book is encouraged in lieu of exchange items. * All cache website postings must request the cache searchers to leave a note on their vehicle dashboard identifying the operator as being a geocachers (sic). Orienteering groups in parks currently do this for safety reasons. Geocaches and any contents that are removed by park staff are to be documents in a case incident report. Park staff should periodically review the geocachings websites to monitor caches placed within the park. This staff directive is effective immediately. * * * That's the end of the directive. I'll post my comments separately to avoid confusion. -honeychile- '*+.,_,.+*'`'*+.,_A joyful heart is good medicine!_,.+*'`'*+.,_,.+*'`

I got a copy of the directive. It is dated June 26, 2002, from Philip K. McKnelly with the subject of "Geocaching Policy." My OCR didn't too well with this, so I'm keying it in from scratch; please give me a break on the discovery of typos The opening description of geocaching is something you are all familiar with it, but I wanted you to have the entire text of the directive. * * * This staff directive is to establish a policy to manage geocaching. Geocaching (GPS Stash, GeoStash) involves the placement of a container with various items within it in a specific location and then posting the Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) coordinates to a website. Visitors to the website then attempt to locate this container using the GPS. This activity started soon after the U.S. Department of Defense turned off the selective availability of the GPS signals in May 2000. This improved the accuracy of most recreational GPS units to 10-20 meters. Contents of the container can be anything and typically involves the exchange of items. Another aspect of this activity is virtual caching. This does not involve the actual placement of a cache; rather, coordinates are provided for a specific location where there is a unique natural feature, park sign, etc. Geocaches have been placed in our state paks without the approval of park staff. These placements have resulted in the following concerns: * Caches have been placed in sensitive natural or cultural areas. * Caches may contain inappropriate or dangerous items. (One park cache contained prescription drugs.) * Caches have lead to the creation of spur trails resulting in resource damage and the possibility of visitors leaving established trails and becoming lost. * Caches may be placed in dangerous or inappropriate areas such as on a cliff or underwater. * The location of a cache may invite the public into an area we do not inspect for hazards. In consideration of the above concerns it has been decided to manage geocaching through the use of the special activity permit procedure on a trial basis. If this activity is found to have a negative impact on the park resources or presents public safety issues the park superintendent may ban geocaching from specific park areas or the entire park. The following conditions are to be addressed when issuing a geocaching special activity permit: * Virtual caches should be encouraged in lieu of physical caches. * The $25 permit fee is to be waived for virtual caches. * The persona applying for the permit shall provide a valid address and telephone number. * The cache placement location, including GPS coordinates, must be stated on the permit and approved by the park superintendent to minimize undesirable impacts to cultural and natural resources as well as minimize hazards to the public. * A specific time period when a cache may be left in place shall be designated to minimize the creation of spur trails. At the end of the designated time period the cache is to be removed and the web site posting retired by the permit holder. The actual time period the cache is permitted to be in place will be determined by the park superintendent, not to exceed three months. * Caches may not be buried, nor may vegetation or stones be disturbed when selecting cache locations. * Cache containers are to be transparent and have some form of latch or other closure to deter wildlife. * Contents of the cache are subject to inspection by park staff at any time; park staff will have the authority to remove any items deemed unacceptable. Examples include food, medications of any type, pornography, weapons of any type, etc. A log book is encouraged in lieu of exchange items. * All cache website postings must request the cache searchers to leave a note on their vehicle dashboard identifying the operator as being a geocachers (sic). Orienteering groups in parks currently do this for safety reasons. Geocaches and any contents that are removed by park staff are to be documents in a case incident report. Park staff should periodically review the geocachings websites to monitor caches placed within the park. This staff directive is effective immediately. * * * That's the end of the directive. I'll post my comments separately to avoid confusion. -honeychile- '*+.,_,.+*'`'*+.,_A joyful heart is good medicine!_,.+*'`'*+.,_,.+*'`

Bartacus, if you'd lay off the frozen burritos, this wouldn't be a problem for ya! Sheesh. -honeychile- '*+.,_,.+*'`'*+.,_A joyful heart is good medicine!_,.+*'`'*+.,_,.+*'`

Bartacus, if you'd lay off the frozen burritos, this wouldn't be a problem for ya! Sheesh. -honeychile- '*+.,_,.+*'`'*+.,_A joyful heart is good medicine!_,.+*'`'*+.,_,.+*'`

. . . when you know what zanfel is and consider it a bargain. -honeychile- -- '*+.,_,.+*'`'*+.,_A joyful heart is good medicine!_,.+*'`'*+.,_,.+*'`

. . . when you know what zanfel is and consider it a bargain. -honeychile- -- '*+.,_,.+*'`'*+.,_A joyful heart is good medicine!_,.+*'`'*+.,_,.+*'`

I ordered a hand carved sassafrass "wood spirit" walking stick (after looking at a jillion of them on line). You can see it here. I liked this guy's carving style and appreciated his experience in carving wood on his other auctions. Then after that, found another one I liked just as much. Well, shoot, I could have one for Monday Wednesday Friday and Sunday and another for Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday , so I ordered it, too. It's here. This one is made from a saguaro cactus rib. I visited Tucson last year (the seller lives there) and was so intrigued by the cacti. And it even has a BEE on it and so lightweight. Golly, had to have that one. There are a lot of hiking sticks on eBay, some for reasonable prices, and plenty that would be worth having. eBay's search engine is fairly sophisticated -- you can search for (walking,hiking) (stick,staff,stave) and be pretty sure you're seeing what's available. Good luck! -honeychile- -- '*+.,_,.+*'`'*+.,_A joyful heart is good medicine!_,.+*'`'*+.,_,.+*'` [This message was edited by honeychile on July 11, 2002 at 05:43 PM.]

I ordered a hand carved sassafrass "wood spirit" walking stick (after looking at a jillion of them on line). You can see it here. I liked this guy's carving style and appreciated his experience in carving wood on his other auctions. Then after that, found another one I liked just as much. Well, shoot, I could have one for Monday Wednesday Friday and Sunday and another for Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday , so I ordered it, too. It's here. This one is made from a saguaro cactus rib. I visited Tucson last year (the seller lives there) and was so intrigued by the cacti. And it even has a BEE on it and so lightweight. Golly, had to have that one. There are a lot of hiking sticks on eBay, some for reasonable prices, and plenty that would be worth having. eBay's search engine is fairly sophisticated -- you can search for (walking,hiking) (stick,staff,stave) and be pretty sure you're seeing what's available. Good luck! -honeychile- -- '*+.,_,.+*'`'*+.,_A joyful heart is good medicine!_,.+*'`'*+.,_,.+*'` [This message was edited by honeychile on July 11, 2002 at 05:43 PM.]

Golly, I think the whole thread has been interesting. No one seemed to get too bent, several viewpoints were discussed, much humor displayed, there was a minimum of name-calling, and almost no blood spilt. A good time was had by all! I, too, was curious about why cyarnell didn't log his find, disappointing as it was for him, and wrote to him privately to encourage him to go ahead and log it. I hope he'll do it and chalk this initial episode up to experience. Keep 'Caching, -honeychile- -- '*+.,_,.+*'`'*+.,_A joyful heart is good medicine!_,.+*'`'*+.,_,.+*'`

Geocaching as a sport/hobby includes the concept of seeking the cache, and voluntarily cleaning up as we go. It's already a wholesome thing and doesn't need to be whitewashed. I feel separate trash caches in close proximity to other caches confuse things and encourage double-dipping on the cache point system. It also begs the question of why trash caches are necessary if all geocachers cache in/trash out anyway. In lieu of separate trash caches, how about promotional 1-day trash/cache events? This would be a definite photo opportunity for media and officials alike. It would demonstrate first-hand what we're all about. I believe a photo in the morning paper of a trailer load of trash being collected, loaded up, and carted off would be more compelling than a log book. Many hands working together could make a very visible difference in a large area. A well-organized event could also educate beginners and introduce park officials (and others) to real geocaching. -honeychile- -- '*+.,_,.+*'`'*+.,_A joyful heart is good medicine!_,.+*'`'*+.,_,.+*'`

Personally, if I saw a themed cache with inspirational materials in it, I'd be thrilled and head right for it. I would enjoy picking up contemporary Christian music, videos, books, and possibly other things. And I don't consider tracts the same as travel brochures, although I don't think they're tradable cache loot, either. But as someone who considers faith important, I also recognize the importance of being honest and giving others a choice. It smacks of deceit to fill a cache with ONLY religious materials and not let the seekers know it's a themed cache. It makes me think of my husband's most memorable Christmas, when he was 13. He opened up his large gift package looking for a toy and found a coat instead. It wasn't that he didn't need a coat, but the disappointment was terrific. When I open up a cache, it's always like Christmas to me. And when I pack one, I want to include all different kinds of things that will delight the finder. As a Christian, I want to share my faith, but as a practical matter, there are more effective ways. I saw a cache not too long ago called "what women want" and right up front everyone knew it was a themed cache with girly things in it (nail polish, cologne, and so forth). Thus any manly men (Hanz, Franz, and company) could elect to seek out another cache if the contents of this one mattered one way or another. Letting folks know up front that a cache has a certain theme transcends whether faith-based materials are appropriate in a cache -- it wings itself directly to the real point in question which is not freedom to stock a cache as we please, but courtesy toward the finder. Even God lets us know the deal up front and gives us a choice. IMHO caches stocked primarily with items pertaining to a certain faith, should offer "truth in advertising" to those who will seek it out. -honeychile- -- '*+.,_,.+*'`'*+.,_A joyful heart is good medicine!_,.+*'`'*+.,_,.+*'` [This message was edited by honeychile on June 24, 2002 at 07:54 PM.]