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Of my three hides one is adopted and the other two are on a very popular, cache heavy, hiking trail system. My adopted cache is placed in a nature reserve near a highway rest stop. After my new container was stolen I started to wonder if the land manager (a local college) may have caught wind of it and removed it. After a few phone calls I found the right person and was informed they were okay with the cache being there, and the lady actually seemed interested in the game. With the two caches on the hiking trails I just assumed they were permitted to be there because of all the others. Now I'm starting to second guess that. My instinct tells me it's probably okay but not having direct permission is starting to bug me. I just sent out an email inquiring about permission. Hopefully I won't have to hike up the mountain to get my caches out of there

I found a Letterbox a while back at this cache. The Letterbox and Geocache were both in the same spot. I couldn't really get a good look at the stamps in the book because it was soaking wet and molding. The container was a camo taped sleeve which was clearly not up for being outside. Today I looked through my previous logs and reading my log for this cache again sparked my interest in Letterboxing. I just made a Letterboxing account and am going to get started on creating a stamp. I think it's a really cool game. I keep a Moleskine notebook on me at all times and I like the idea of filling the pages with stamps from others. It seems both games go hand in hand but I can see how those not in the know would think the stamp is a tradeable item and take it. Hopefully new cachers will see this sticky and learn more about the game.

I recently bought a UTG tactical messenger bag (closely resembles the Maxpedition bags) from Amazon.com for $32 and so far it's been a great bag. I used to use a standard backpack but two problems arose: 1. Trapping sweat to my back 2. Having to drop the bag to access compartments. With the messenger bag I can easily slide it around and get to all my stuff. It's especially useful when you're in thick brush or an otherwise cramped area and need to access your gear. There's no hydration pack but there is a large compartment made especially to hold a large water container, with straps to secure it. Also there's a heavy duty clip on the shoulder strap to attach keys or your pen. Probably the biggest advantage to this bag for me is having the MOLLE system, which is a series of straps that can receive additional pouches so you can add more storage. For long hikes I take my entire bag and for short walks or for caching in urban areas I detach a 5" x 7" pouch and I'm good to go.

I was taking my dog for a walk last week in the downtown section of our city and as always, scouting for a new place to hide a cache. We walked under a pedestrian bridge that connects two buildings with H shaped steel beams supporting it. Behind the beams closest to one of the buildings there was a good spot to place a small container or micro so I stepped back there and found someone had already placed a cache.....a homeless cache! Stuffed in the crevice of one beam there was a bedroll and in the other beam a pair of sneakers, a couple empty coffee cups, napkins, various pamphlets, grocery bags, etc. It was a pretty good spot to setup as the bridge provided cover and it was pretty secluded for being in a busy part of the city. I didn't hang around very long though, I can imagine how upset someone would be if they suspected their things were being messed with.

As someone fairly new to the game I've learned that this isn't always the case. It seems plenty of caches are placed without permission from the landowner and can lead to situations like yours. A while back I was going for a park and grab near my house and was confronted by hotel security. They were more curious than hostile so it wasn't a big deal but I can see how curiosity can quickly escalate to hostility depending on what the location is.

I actually ran into my first set of geocachers over the weekend. I said hello as I passed and the guy recognized me from a previous profile pic and asked if I was geocaching. Turns out he and his companion are very, very active in the area and are responsible for a lot of the hides I now have the pleasure of finding.

Even though we're complete strangers I'm sorry to hear about your marital problems. My wife and I have had some rough patches recently and it got as close as it can get to us splitting up....it's a terrible feeling. She thinks geocaching and video games are stupid yet they're things I enjoy. It really sucks when your heart and soul belittles your interests and expects you to be okay with it. My hope for you is that your family can return to the way it used to be, and if that's not in the cards, I hope your spark for geocaching returns soon. Take care.

I see it! Nice job with the camo. I've been experimenting with different camo styles lately on some of my containers. I must say preparing a cache hide is becoming a game within itself!

Ricky Bobby's wisdom knows no bounds. When I saw that movie, I thought that was a stupid statement. But then I got thinking about it in the caching context. FTF is a race.... If you're not the first, you're just the last person to sign the log. On a different tack, that Michael Phelps sure is a medal hog ain't he? He should have left some medals for the other swimmers. No doubt, the entire movie is pretty dumb but I can't help but laugh at Will Ferrell. That guy is hilarious. There aren't but a handful of really active geocachers in my area so the FTF "race" is pretty easy going. I've gotten three in the last few weeks and they were all by chance. One after work on my way home, the other two in the same day on a pre-planned caching hike. I happened to figure out a puzzle cache the night before and that morning a new traditional popped up in my email. I think it's a fun, light-hearted competition but in no way do I take it seriously. Getting upset over others "hogging" them all is a waste of energy and focus if you ask me.

There's a seller on Amazon.com (can't recall the name) that sells coinage from countries outside the US in lots of 50. Each bag is around $6 and comes with a decent drawstring pouch. I bought two a few weeks ago and have been using them for swag. A lot of people enjoying finding foreign currency and more importantly it doesn't take up much room in my bag. Something else I've been doing lately is going to the Goodwill and buying books to place in caches. You can get paperbacks for $1, hard covers for $2. If you can stand to browse through the shelves you may find some old, unique books that would be good trade items....that is if you don't keep them for yourself! Other than that I buy carabiners, emergency whistles, ponchos, sudoku puzzle books, things like that. Toys for kids, useful things of an outdoors nature for adults.

Ricky Bobby's wisdom knows no bounds.

Coming from a VA native this is sad news. I can understand VDOT wanting to ban caches on guardrails for safety/liability concerns but banning them at rest areas seems extreme. At least my rest area cache cannot be touched. J.H. Phillips Wayside (along highway 29) borders a nature reserve owned by Randolph College, who gave me permission for the cache I adopted. So, if you're passing through central VA this can be a safe haven for traveling geocachers.

In a thread identical to this one I enlisted a more experienced geocacher for help with a difficult puzzle I had been struggling with. We emailed back and forth a few times, and although she didn't immediately give me the answer eventually she gave me the conclusion with step by step instructions. I was stoked to finally have the coordinates but the whole time walking the trail to the hide I was bummed because it felt cheap. There was no sense of accomplishment. So, I decided from that point on unless I can figure it out on my own, or with extra clues from the CO I would avoid asking for direct help. Since then I've solved quite a few, some using methods revealed in niraD's very helpful post.

Well said. Fun is the key word. I personally don't care if some people obsess over numbers and try to hit as many easy park and grabs as they can. As long as they're enjoying themselves and playing responsibly I say good for them.

For a bag, I suggest the UTG messenger bag. From what I've read it's comparable to the more expensive Maxpedition line that's featured in the Groundspeak shop. I picked up mine for $33 on Amazon. I've had it for a couple weeks and so far I'm very pleased. It has plenty of space for day hikes and geocaching related items, and on top of that there are multiple MOLLE straps for additional storage. I've already added an additional pouch and still have room for a couple more. As for other supplies, I've purchased a few items from Groundspeak but mostly I buy supplies from Amazon or Wal-Mart.

Looks like you've made a lot of progress since you posted the thread about your TMNT containers. Nice job on them all, but I have to ask, where's Chewie?! If I had to pick one out the R2D2 container is my favorite.

You're welcome to come on down!

One of my containers was stolen a while back so I prepared a cell-phone sized drybox as a replacement. Before I left my house I made sure I had everything in order....except for a pen that would fit in the container! I had plenty of normal ink pens in my car so I chopped the end off of one and taped the hole shut. Years of watching MacGuyver as a kid finally paid off.

I recently bought a 4-pack of travel bug dog tags and will be leaving one as a FTF prize in a cache I'm currently setting up. In another recently posted cache I left a small baggie with a micro container and naval lapel pin. Both of those items were purchased in lots so my cost was a couple bucks.

The problem with keeping a watchful eye is that you can miss some of the other natural beauty that you are walking through. Also, I have found that asphalt pathes are fairly good because it is quite easy to see what you are going to step on. That's a big one that I failed to mention. I feel like I spend a little too much time watching my footing as it is, and that's while wearing hiking boots or shoes!

I think it would be cool but I'm sticking with shoes/boots. I'm sure my feet could handle it, they're pretty calloused from years of playing outside barefoot as a kid and also walking to the mailbox barefoot along gravel/paved driveways. I'm sticking with shoes because I've seen so much broken glass along trails, especially primitive trails with plenty of leaf cover that I would be too anxious of puncturing my feet. I understand that keeping a watchful eye is the easy way to avoid hazards but my hikes would be slowed down tremendously. Maybe if I see a nice patch of moss I'll remove my shoes and get a feel for nature's carpet

My usual handle for online services (Xbox LIVE, Instagram) is StrictlyDigital. When I signed up for geocaching that name didn't seem to click very well with the subject at hand. So, I started out with my initials and birth year (JK_81) and then shortened it to just my initials. I prefer an anonymous name but I'm okay with using my real initials. I don't see anything wrong with using your real name, Jake. Even though I like my usual handle I see the wisdom in my choice every time I find a micro. When the scrap of paper is an inch wide or less, there's a world of difference between "JK" and "StrictlyDigital"

One of my hides that I adopted has a family tree going - Lazaraus > Cherokee Bill > JK_81. I felt it was only right to give proper respect to those who handled the location before me.

Keep an eye out for new caches in your area, you may see someone post an event. One of the more active cachers in my area is having a CITO event in September. It'll be a good chance to help out the community and also meet and greet with fellow cachers.

Never being a fan of Harry Potter (I actually fell asleep in the theatre...my wife wasn't pleased ) I had never heard of the term "muggle" until I started caching. It's a little silly to me but I get why it's used and it doesn't bother me. Also, I just want to confirm that once I started caching I gained magical powers. I now have the uncanny ability to walk through every spider web in the forest. I haven't found a good use for it yet but once I do it's going to be awesome