Bluejaytoo

I'm running Geobeagle on my Droid Eris and I love it. Just go to the app store, download it (it's free) and it'll install itself in about a minute.

Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?

I've been asked by a small corporate office up the street to put together a team building exercise for them as part of their two-day retreat next month. They are too small to afford the Playtime folks, and my own organization owns 10 Garmin eTrex units that we can use, so they came to me. Just last weekend I did a history-themed event for a local college campus, and (dare I say) I'm the project manager for the Allegheny GeoTrail. So I have a little bit of experience in organized events, but I was wondering what sort of ideas might be out there for a 3-hour corporate-oriented exercise for an office of around 25 people.

Bob, I heard about that cache of yours! Nothing wrong with making them work for their coins, though... Incidentally, here's what the backside of all the coins will look like:

Keystone, you've got mail! Hello, I'm the project manager for this monstrous undertaking. Caches are being hidden as I write this. We've instructed those doing the hides to request a delayed publish date (October 1). Meanwhile, yes, this is one huge geotrail! It will cover 10 counties, spanning 200 miles across northwestern Pennsylvania, into north-central Pennsylvania. New caches will be added to it on a regular basis, into next year. We are budgeted to support up to 200 caches, total, over the 10 counties. You'll need a (free) passport to verify your finds, and the big prize is your own geocoin from each of the 10 counties, including a grand 11th coin representing all the counties, if you do them all. More info here

Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?

Ayep: http://greatcanadianmint.com/

I have some nice samples from them, but their literature doesn't mention anything about geocoins.

Another vote for the XJ Cherokee. They are plentiful, affordable, and get better mileage than a Wrangler, in spite of their larger size. They are the lightest 4x4 in their class. They can easily and cheaply be modified, due to their solid axles front and back. Due to their light weight, the 4.0 version has power out the wazoo. This one has the Limited package: power windows, power leather heated seats, power locks, Inifinity Sound System, air, cruise, limited slip. Superlift/ProComp suspension with 3" lift and 31" Bridgestone Revos. Tow points front & rear. No brush guard, winch, or skid plates (I like to keep it light). I have no idea what I'll replace it with, aside from another used XJ. I'm torn between the FJ Cruiser, XTerra, or H3; or maybe that goofy 4-door Wranger (they could just revive the XJ, for cryin' out loud).

Yep, I love seeing the occasional DNF; it tells me I've done my job. I have one cache that a few folks have ignored my warnings and tried to access it from a pretty dangerous approach. Some actually made it, some wised up and reconsidered. My ultimate dream is to hide a cache that results in a year's worth of DNF logs, with an occasional note posted by me: "Yes, it's still there." For that I would leave a very valuable FTF prize.

I believe there is a virtual cache there. I was on the phone with the Mother Ship just the other day, talking to the marketing guy. He noted while we were talking that someone had just shown up to claim their find.

3" poison ivy scar on the right ankle from last summer. Never had a poison ivy reaction before in my life. That's all there is, since all the tick bite wounds have healed.

I'd cut it down and turn it into a stump cache! No, wait; I already did that. Dooryard?

Thanks. Yes, it's real, and it's hardwood; fresh hardwood. I think it's cherry. I cut the tree down myself (it was sickly), then dug a trench around the root system, and hacked away with a chainsaw. Lemme tell ya, I got some good practice sharpening the chain! For the hole, I started out by drilling four holes with a large boring bit, then finished it off with the trusty Poulan. It's about 8" deep and accomodates 4" PVC.

Here's my contribution. I made this one for my girlfriend's recent event. She hung decoy pine cones in the tree to throw them off. Several of them put their hands right on it before realizing it was the container. At the end of the event we gave it away to one of the winners.

Yeah, baby! Now there's a Wallyworld cache worth doing! I never woulda guessed that right behind all that mess was an area so beautiful. I kept thinking to myself, "Ya know, if I had to work here, this is the spot I'd escape to whenever I had a lunch break..."

Lately, I don't take anything from caches, because they're mostly loaded up with crap. But I will always put something in; in my case, my signature item. It is always my goal to leave a cache better off than how I found it. Pay it forward, I say! My goal in hiding new caches is to make the hide as difficult as possible, and make the FTF prize as valuable as possible. I really do want to see a mad dash to find my new caches, but only by those who are willing to pay the price to get the prize.

I used to sell those, many moons ago when I worked at Radio Shack. It's fun to put a coin against the glass and watch the arc go nuts. I put one of these in my Beer Well cache as a FTF prize, because 1881 is when they struck beer. I think coins are great, especially when they have a lot of value or perceived value.

I have the eTrex Summit. Are you trying to give me another excuse to upgrade to the Vista C?

Ok, in my quest to go totally paperless, I've decided I need to get some good map software, either for my PDA or my laptop. After a visit to the local Staples, I'm confused by the 5 or 6 choices I have. I'd like to have street-level maps, topo maps, and the ability to plug in a set of coordinates and get a resulting map. It'd be really cool if I could find something that would interface with Cachemate or GSAK. Any suggestions?

This is exactly why I want to place a cache there. We don't have nearly enough 5-star caches in this area. My cache partner and I purposely seek them out; this is the kind of cache we would personally pursue. By placing the cache outside the cave and offering it as a side trip, it dilutes the difficulty level. The cache description would include dire warnings and examples of the types of injuries and catastrophies that could result from not being properly prepared. (I only expect one or two finds per year.) This particular cave is not pristine. It is a typical fracture cave that has been visited many times over many decades (usually by kids with flashlights and no protective gear). Most of the activity it has seen was during the 1960s and '70s; the grafitti on the walls of the main room are testament to this. There are enough out of the way crawl spaces that I think I can find a spot that is likely not to be muggled. My biggest concern would be, as you said, from cavers themselves. Many of them tend to be a bit overzealous, which is unfortunate and tends to be counter to their cause. But this cave is so unique in other ways (historically) that I believe it is a shame to keep it a secret. The coordinates for the cave itself would not be published; in order to get them, seekers would have to venture a good bit on foot, via a multi-stage hunt. In other words, they must earn their privilege to see the cave. I have considered the safety factor, but I don't believe this to be any more dangerous than requiring a rock face rappel or a SCUBA dive, noting in the description that specialized equipment is required. I can't speak for the OP of this thread, or any other caves. You are certainly correct in many, if not most, cases. But there are cases where caves can make great geocaches.

I'm using a Tungsten E, Cachemate, GSAK, with the aluminum case. Well, I was, until it died and now I have another used one on the way that I won on eBay last night... But my question to everyone here who's paperless: What do you do for maps? I still have to print out paper maps because my eTrex Summit doesn't have mapping, and I have yet to find the right map software for the PDA. Do y'all use mapping GPS receivers?

I love caching from my bike! I even have a handlebar mount for my eTrex Summit. Have to turn the compass off, though, cuz the bike hardware interferes with it...

This is something I've been struggling over for some time now. I have a cave within a couple miles of my house, and I've been dying to hide a cache there. I'm a former NSS member, so I know their views on caves and caches. Since this cave is considered one of the biggest unmapped caves in Pennsylvania, I think they would frown upon me hiding a cache there. But locals know about it, and it has been used as a party spot off and on over the years. What makes me want to hide a cache there is that the cave has a bit of fascinating history behind it, and that would follow the theme of all my caches. Frankly I think my city should use it as a tourist destination. There is no simple way to get to this location without trespassing, so I want to make it a difficult multi that forces cachers to approach from the proper direction. That and I have a deep desire to place some really challenging caches around here. I have no interest in hiding the final cache in the main room of this cave, but rather in one of the dark recesses that requires a bit of crawling and squeezing, for the sake of protecting it from muggles, and for the sake of creating a true challenge. I would make this clear on the cache listing, as well as a list of equipment that should be used, proper bat etiquette, and a dire warning as to the safety issues involved. I want this to be something of a holy grail quest. I do not want to approach the local NSS chapter for their input; I know they will be against it. But this cave probably gets more visits from non-cachers than it ever will from cachers, so I can't see our sport as having any kind of adverse impact on it.

Sumterville? That's where my parents live! I'll have to look for some of your caches next time I'm down there. I suspect the reason you don't have any problems with your local LEOs is, they're all too busy out there setting up speed traps! A few months ago, I contacted one of our local police chiefs, and asked him for some suggestions on what geocachers should look for regarding meth labs (it's a problem here in the woods). To this day, I've heard nothing from him; nada, zip.