WVangler
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Posts posted by WVangler
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There are about a dozen waymarks in my whole state. I may be exaggerating but NOBODY does Waymarking here. So it is lame to create waymarks that nobody finds. For me, it is a lot more fun to participate in an activity that others are participating in. I could take up underwater horseshoes too. But why?
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Uhoh. Doesn't work w/o flash? That sucks for the mobile users. I guess I'll have to look at it later. That is, if I remember later. Too bad I can't just look now w/o flash.
Yep. That was a sacrifice I had to make in order to shape it using the format I did. It is worth that. Mobile phones will eventually catch up to the fluidity within our flash based brains, just give them time. Static sites will be artifacts some day.
Non-flash does not mean 'static'. You could implement your entire site with dynamic HTML and CSS. More work yes, but it can be done.
I'd argue the opposite - eventually, flash will die as everything goes HTML5 and the capabilities and frameworks become available to easily match its capabilities.
Whoa, dude, you are either being too literal or giving me too much credit. My definition of static is far more abstract than whatever web design textbooks might say. Just going with what I've got. I could do a lot of things I suppose, but I'm not an IT guy nor a detail oriented engineering type. The format as is works for me and that's good enough. I'm paid $0 for my time doing this. Just having fun.
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Looks great!
We need more geocaching magazines. Choices are good!
Or you could send your stories to add to the 250+ already published in The Online Geocacher!
Just, you know, sayin'.
You've got to admit that this guy's format sure is slick, anyway. But Online Geocacher has Sioneva.
She's one of our secret weapons! She brings in both readers and contributors.
I do like the look of Following The Arrow, it's just very slow to load and page. They're putting a lot more work into making it purty than we are, we pretty much post the stories and a picture or two. I'm a huge fan, especially when doing something for free, of the KISS concept!
Anyhoo, the more the merrier, I hope they make it.
The content of Following The Arrow is intended to be different and should target a slightly different audience.
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Uhoh. Doesn't work w/o flash? That sucks for the mobile users. I guess I'll have to look at it later. That is, if I remember later. Too bad I can't just look now w/o flash.
Yep. That was a sacrifice I had to make in order to shape it using the format I did. It is worth that. Mobile phones will eventually catch up to the fluidity within our flash based brains, just give them time. Static sites will be artifacts some day.
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As of now it will be quarterly. Again, I hope to have a ton more content in the future and hopefully a lot more cosmopolitan.
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We are considering a fall geocaching trip to do the West Virginia Geocoin Challenge. We have our Playbook and see that the area needing to be covered is quite extensive. Would welcome suggestions as to the best place(s) to stay in order to be as centrally located as possible. Or would it be best to complete one area (farthest from home in CT), then move northeast to another hotel? Thanks! Alphadog from CT
It would be way easier to do it as per your second suggestion. You could stay in Charleston, head SE one day then swing sw and back up US 119 (4 lane) to Charleston. The Huntington (western) area caches have a lot better roads but within easy reach of Charleston. Once you've cleaned up the southern half of the state you could move HQ to Morgantown or Clarksburg. Then jet over to the panhandle on your way home and finish the thing at Harper's Ferry before heading north.
If you have enough days, one of the caches is in Spencer (where I live and I'm the only active geocacher in the whole county). I also have a geotrail there called the Black Walnut Geotrail. It is 10 caches (park and grabs) that will take about 4 hrs or so to complete and you get a geocoin. Just throwing it out there if you wanted to double up your geocoinage for the trip. I also have a coupon for 25% off a bed & breakfast in Spencer that was given to me just for geocachers - if interested. It is not really a good location for a "home base" to squirt out to all the ExploreWV Geocoin Challenge caches since there are no 4-lane roads into town. If you've never traveled in WV before, beware...our roads are VERY curvy. The way the crow flies is double in mileage regarding feet/tires on the ground.
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Hope this is not considered spam, the moderators are free to delete or let me know if so. But just wanted to let everyone know about a new online caching magazine I've created called Following The Arrow. The first (quarterly) issue is really small...just gauging and generating interest. I hope that it will be appealing to a lot of you and generate some new interest in the game from others. What I'm shooting for is an edgier, more informal content. Very very little "how to" or news and way more "what for" and "why". A place to showcase more artistic photography and even artwork related to the game or inspired by the game/obsession. I want to shine the headlamp into the darker corners of Geocaching - essays about unique or challenging caches. Extreme caching. Maybe even about breaking the rules (or at least pushing them to the edge). The e-zine platform gives a lot of flexibility and ease for this type of thing.
So anyhow, check it out and let your friends know.
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Not sure if this is what you are looking for or not. I know one or two people who completed it The Lost Treasure of the Confederates
Not really, I'm not looking for specific caches. I have been wanting to do Lost Treasure myself, I've done some other tunnel caching in Charlotte personally. I'm also not looking to plagiarize off of other people's stuff. I am looking for volunteers who like to write and want to submit some exclusive stuff.
My "project" is actually a publication that I think at least a few people will like because it is a niche thing. Every geocaching communication out there is broad, inclusive, family-friendly, happy daisies and buttercups, that kind of thing. What I'm working on is more like a skateboarding magazine. Less fanny packs and more rock climbing shoes. Something to appeal to younger audiences and those more interested in the 20 mile hikes and hanging from ropes. Stories from people who think that a cache isn't worth a favorite point unless you had an adrenaline rush. Uncensored rants and artistic urban photographic eye candy. It will offend some and scintillate others. I posted it in this forum because it likely has more visitors that get off the pavement and experience a different level of geocaching.
This may not ever take off and fly at all, but I have a vision and wanted to see where I could go with it over the next couple of months before squashing the idea.
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I'm uneasy about posting this because I figure I will get blasted for spamming, but I'm working on a project and I need some essays about geocaching. Specifically, short but edgy essays with casual language with topics about the darker corners of the sport such as specific lonely caches and the planning/hunt and what went wrong, details about the adventure for an extreme cache, etc. Absolutely no essays about "how to" or those dripping with geekery. Marinate a few paragraphs in awesomeness and serve them on a few artistic photos.
If this is too spammy, let me know and I will delete it or the mods can delete it. I've asked specific individuals to help me out over the past few months and everyone has been willing in theory, I have yet to get much in the results department. If you want more details just contact me and we can hash that out (contact me via my profile or wvangler1@yahoo.com).
Thanks folks.
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A handful of pics of mine...
In the Dolly Sods Wilderness, WV
Chimney Top, WV
Summit of Mt. Elbert, Colorado (14,433')
Descending Mt. Elbert overlooking Leadville, CO
Breakfast
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Just to clarify, do not stereotype all of West Virginia as participating in "temp cache" frenzies as was indicated in an earlier post. This particular event in question is the only one I've heard of that does this. I am one of only 3 or 4 people to host any events in central/southern WV in the past 4 years and I have not yet ever attended an event that involved temporary caches of any kind, let alone a question of how to "log them". Event caches are rare in WV and temp caches even more so.
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Additional links:
Monongahela National Forest on Wilderness (links to Roaring Plains and Dolly Sods at bottom)
There are dozens on dozens of other sites concerning the Sods. There was a recent piece in Backpacker magazine as well.
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Copy and pasting this post that I put on our WV caching board (MAGPI):
So once again we find ourselves (myself really) at a crossroads. I'm not giving up hope on this event concept just yet. For those unfamiliar with it, in 2009 I hosted an event in the Dolly Sods Wilderness Area in Tucker County, WV called Sojourn in the Sods. This area has the best collection of backcountry trails and geocaches in all of WV (in my opinion) and possibly the best in the mid-Atlantic. It is a rugged, relentless area though with many miles of trails and bushwhacking (for some caches that is). The original event was for any interested geocachers to get together and go backpacking. Set up camp a mile or two from the trailhead and enjoy a meet and greet in WV's most beautiful setting...and do a little caching if you so desire
.At the first event the only attendees were myself, PilotJ and Crew. Since PilotJ broke his toe on the stream crossing to Lion's Head cache earlier in the day he was not able to do the backpack. So I ended up backpacking in solo. On the morning after the event the heavens crashed down upon me in the form of a huge thunderstorm so I decided to bail out. This past year I set out to gauge interest once again and like the first run through, there were no takers. Did I mention though that I'm not giving up? So without an event last year I decided to day hike the Roaring Plains and do all the caches there in one day. LucyAmberAlex of Charleston accompanied me on the hike and we ended up doing 24 miles in a single day...which I would not recommend to the average Joe. We started at 7 am and didn't make it out until midnight. I would prefer an event that was far more laid back that involved just some time chilling around a campfire and visiting. I have the perfect campsite in mind within very reasonable distance to the geocaches Red Creek Plains, South of South Prong, Pancake Rocks, Boars Nest and Bushwhacker's View. Camp Cody is also a reasonably short hike from this site, especially along the canyon rim trail. Those willing to take the ultimate plunge into madness can make the trek to Thunder on the Mountain (but only if ye be men of valor) or even through hike to Flatrock Run Waterfall cache and down to that trailhead (we can leave a car there). Also...there is a fair chance that a new earthcache could show up out there
So with some new blood on MAGPI and with renewed enthusiasm I'm asking once again if there are any interested people in doing this event? Could those of you familiar with other mid-Atlantic area messageboards (i.e., SW Penn., MD, DC, NoVA, etc.) post there to gauge interest? I just finished listening to last week's Geocaching Podcast where they interviewed the host of a similar type backpacking event on North Manitou Island in Michigan where they have great turnout every year and the host said it is the greatest event in the world that he wouldn't trade for anything.
For those of you that are interested, I am very flexible on times and days so give me your suggestions.
Addendum: Dolly Sods Wilderness Area is located just outside of Canaan Valley, WV (mapquest "Laneville, WV"). It is about 180 miles from Washington DC, 150 miles from Pittsburgh, etc. Let's put it this way...I own a camp about 1/8 of a mile from the Red Creek Trailhead into the Wilderness Area so I'm up there a good bit. I RARELY EVER see a vehicle at the trailheads with West Virginia tags. On a busy weekend I may see 2 dozen cars at a trailhead and 22 of them are from Ohio, Penn., DC, New Jersey, Maryland, New York and Virginia. So I know the rest of you jokers are coming here to backpack anyway so lets have an event!
Just to entice you...here are a few pics from the area:
Here is a pic of me near the Camp Cody cache. I found this cache on Aug. 6 of last year and the log prior to mine was in November of '09. There were cachers from the Baltimore area going for the cache at the exact same time that I was there and we logged it together.
Early fog rising near Boar's Nest cache
Me signing the log at Bushwhacker's view
Pancake Rocks cache...
Me at Lion's Head cache...
If anyone wants to email me directly to RSVP/suggest a date, you can contact me at wvangler1@yahoo.com or you can reply to this thread. I will check it periodically.
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I just had my gadget cache published today (GC2M3HJ - WV Widgets) that requires the finder to use household items to make it through each stage. I got my inspiration from GC1M90Y - Gadgets at Deckers Creek (also in WV and the state's most favorited cache to date). Doing a simple search on the website shows a couple of gadget caches in a series in Ontario and Michigan, what looks to be a couple in Germany and Sweden.
I really dig these kinds of multi/mystery caches that require special tools to make it from stage to stage. I know of some traditionals that require special tools, but the total package gadget multi's are more complex because you have to figure out which one of the tools works each stage. I'm posting this because I'd like to know of more of these types of caches - especially those in North America - that I might be able to go find some day.
Thanks
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Milton - Army Surplus store on the hill just east of the intersection from the interstate to Rt. 60
Parkersburg - Army Surplus store off the Emerson Ave. exit
Richwood - Army Surplus store on the east side of town right on the main road
Gander Mtn sometimes has them, but they want about 14 times what they're worth. There is an army surplus place in Sandyville, but he also asks way too much for them (something like $15 for a 9mm can). In Spencer there is a hardware story right near the Dairy Queen that usually has a couple in stock (but these are my personal supply ha ha).
If you are a member of a non-profit and you can swing it, the state and federal surplus in Dunbar has them. But you can't get in there to get anything unless you are a member of a VFD, etc.
If you ever find other sources, let us know on the MAGPI board as well. It sucks that the biggest city in the state doesn't have ANYTHING (no ammo cans, no Starbucks [at least not one you can actually get to without paying a parking fee], no Old Navy, no Pep Boys, only one Wal-Mart for 300,000 Wal-Mart shoppers, etc.) It'd be a great place to open up a freaking business.
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You are under no obligation to use all of your favorite points.
I have 276 left can I sell them on E-Bay ?
Who would want them? Seriously. If you need more favorite points because more than 10% of your finds are worthy of "favorite" status then you must live in geocache heaven. 1 point per 10 finds seriously devalues these things in my opinion. 1 per 30 may even be too much.
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There are physical caches at Harpers Ferry National Historic Park and at New River National River in West Virginia. Just sayin'. Both of these caches are 'owned' by ExploreWV which is administered by a state agency (The WV Division of Education and the Arts) so no doubt that had some sway in getting them approved by the NPS.
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FYI,
The challenge kicked off last weekend at the state capitol. This is an amazing program in that unlike how most state's sanction/endorse geocaching in State Parks, this time the state is pushing geocaching across a variety of sites (i.e., tourism hotspots, historic markers, museums) and there will be many more seasonal programs coming from this state geocaching program. It is ran by the WV Department of Education and the Arts, the WV Division of Tourism and the WV Division of Culture and History.
At the kickoff events there were attendees from West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland and New Jersey. I estimated that there were almost 200 people at the Charleston event alone. The Morgantown area kickoff event is this Saturday for those of you in the Penn./MD area.
Here is a WV Public Radio Story on the Geotrail...
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Just became addicted to geocaching and was wondering how many people in the berkeley county area or any groups in the area
There are lots of Martinsburg area cachers. There is a facebook page for "Mountain State Geocaching Society" which is a group of eastern panhandle cachers. Also check out MAGPI (www.magpi.us) which has cachers from across WV including the panhandle as well as the area/out of state groups like NoVa and Maryland Geocaching Society. The best thing you can do is attend events and get to know the area cachers like WVTim and Grammy, WVKiwi, etc. They will put you in the loop real quick.
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Bump - They still need a few hiders to help out, but they are proceeding on.
Everyone needs to check out the official kickoff event page...
ExploreWV Geocoin Challenge Kickoff Event(s)
Signal the Frog
will be present at both the Charleston and Morgantown events!!! Also, a backpack of goodies will be given away to geocachers in attendance. What more do you need to know. This is big stuff.I also heard that they are going to try to set up a booth at Geowoodstock in 2011.
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The cacher Corfmania is from Severna Park, MD and posted a will attend log and KJCachers is from Warrenton, VA and is planning to come. You can check with them.
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A Gameboy Micro!
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Hiked 28 miles in the Dolly Sods Wilderness Area in Tucker County, West Virginia for 4 geocaches...all in one day. The above pic is near the "Camp Cody" cache. The craziest thing happened at this cache. This cache was published in 2008. Since then there have only been 2 finds logged on it. We actually did this hike last Friday - on a weekday for crying out loud. At the trailhead we were the only car parked there when we went in and when we got to within a mile of this cache two other backpackers happened upon us from one of the other trails. You guessed it, they were geocachers and headed toward the same cache. Is that serendipity or what?
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will be present at both the Charleston and Morgantown events!!! Also, a backpack of goodies will be given away to geocachers in attendance. What more do you need to know. This is big stuff.
Im tired of TFTC logs.
in General geocaching topics
Posted
About a year ago I decided to never again put "TFTC" in my log even if it was at the tail end of a 10 paragraph log. I too am sick of the short logs. Almost all of my hides are unique, creative or take a lot of time to finish the cache. I have one cache that requires a 12 mile hike and at the end you find a 4' long ammo can. I personally paid $30 for the container, hiked out there lugging this thing along and placed it. Then I'm thanked with a "Nice hike, TFTC" log. Do the finders think I put out that effort for that kind of validation?
In Charlotte, NC there is a cache mocking these loggers that is called "YWFTC" and asks that finders write crappy acronyms and three word logs.