Jump to content

etarace

Members
  • Posts

    207
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by etarace

  1. Yes, but the overwhelming majority are mobile enough. And then of course it becomes a question of do the mobility impaired deserve to dodge traffic in a store parking lot, for a cache I personally disagree should even be allowed (private property without permission) or walk 10 feet from parking in a nice public park? So I looked where the OP is from, and I'm from your State, and have driven through the Binghamton area a few hundred times. I've even cached there a few times. So does there need to be 80 micros off your Main Street? What if there were only the 10 or so you found? Then I'd be more inclined to support the "they have their place" angle that I've heard a thousand times. Are there any Vargseld caches left in Greater Binghamton? He was a college kid, and I'm quite sure he moved away. You'll never be disappointed at one of his. Vargseld is still here and active. The player/account now goes by SPC-173. I believe it is maintained by his family, and him when he comes through town. I have seen some of his conversations/comments about placement. And while he is not as polite about it as I would be, I think I share his sentiments (mostly). I hope to get a couple actual finds in the woods that do NOT require sliding on my butt down a cliff before I go after one of his so that I have a better idea of what I should be looking for (I believe this is sort of what is called "developing a geo-sense"). But I do look forward to going to some of his. There are some gorgeous places around here. As for 80 micros being overkill... I see a lot of comments in these that say something like "number 19 of 47 we did on this blustery day"... WHY are you doing 47 caches in a day? What are you possibly enjoying? Did you stop and have Chinese food at that one? Did you grab a movie at this one? Did you even notice the huge pretty patch of buttercups growing near this one? But, for my purposes, I am glad the 80 are out there. I will do three or so, here and there. I've done maybe 10 of them in the past month that I have been geocaching. At this rate I have 7 months worth of easy ones whenever myself or my husband feel the urge to go out for one (for reasons already covered). If you're doing 47 of them, or all 80+ of them in a single day for the sake of "scoring a point in a geeky internet game" then... do a Vargseld instead. Less gas used, more photos taken.
  2. How do park and grab micros confirm accurate gps coords any better than non-park-and-grabs? I thought most park-and-grabs ARE traditional caches. Sorry (newbie) by "traditional" I mean the "regular/ammo can" size hide in a beautiful location in nature. My terminology is off being new. Yes.... park and grabs are "technically" actually "traditional" caches. When I had said "traditional" I suppose I meant "in the traditional spirit of bringing a person to a beautiful location"... but perhaps I am wrong. Thank you for the heads up on my use of that word. They confirm coords in that they are usually ONLY in one spot, and often with little obscuring factors such as trees. If I can go to the closed down A&P parking lot and find the cache on the lamp post with my gps.. my gps is pretty okay! When I go to the woods I generally just start "looking" rule when I get around 50 feet of it. ... The finds in parking lots help confirm to me that I am indeed within around 50 feet or so of the cache.
  3. I know they are looked down upon with scorn, but us newbies like them for a couple reasons. Park and grab micros. These do two things for us: 1 - confirm accurate gps coords and 2 - boost our confidence. I love the idea of "traditional" caches, with the concept being "it's more about the journey/scenery than the find" placing the cache in a lovely location that I might not otherwise have gone to. And honestly, I have SEARCHED for more traditional caches than for park and grabs... but I have FOUND more of the micros in parking lots. I am by no means going after numbers. The "main street" of my town and a nearby paved path park have something close to 80 micros you can nab in an afternoon if you are so inclined. I have went after only a handful of them. I do not always log a DNF on the traditional woodland caches that I did not find. I chalk this up to my inexperience, and always go back again to try. But I do write a note, thanking the CO for taking me to such a beautiful place. However, after a few attempts and not finding one, I check if there is a micro nearby when I am stopping for Chinese or going to the grocery store. It helps me to confirm that my gps is accurate, and it keeps me in the game. Another thing the park and grabs do for my situation, is gets my Beloved Husband out searching with me. Due to my inexperience, some of these are sometimes even difficult. He feels all awesome and manly to have "helped" me, and it is a great step towards encouraging him to be even more active and going out to help me find some of the real ones. And while I will agree that the players who only go after the park and grab micros and just pad their count are really missing out on what is actually GREAT about this game, I do see the micros as having a very good purpose. It keeps people in the game. And that's pretty awesome.
  4. Try some park and grab micros. This can help test your gps. I am inspired to start a post.
  5. Oh my gosh!! My interest got peaked in a very similar way to your story! I was walking my dog in a park and SHE found the geocache! Obviously, I am brand spanking new as well. And my dog has not been nearly so helpful in my attempts since joining. The cache my dog found is not "obviously" listed on the website, but I somewhat suspect it is part of a multi, that I plan to do next week. If this does not pan out for me, I will return to the forums to see if the sleuths here can figure it out, considering how amazingly helpful they have been on your accidental find.
  6. Darick, THANK YOU! What a lovely idea! I am brand new to geocaching, and on my day off tomorrow I had planned to go out searching and to leave - first aid kits, dog-doo-doo/trash bags and nitrile gloves, and any odd items that strike my fancy at the grabber game or dollar store. My first "find" was by accident, my dog found it at a state park (and I was very sad to not have a pencil, and none in the case to log I had been there, and from thousands of miles away at that!). I have invited a doggy-date-friend with the intention of finding for tomorrow at a well known park. There will be photos and credit to you for the CITO tags. You very well deserve it!! I sense many who are inclined towards this hiking experience of "geocaching" would rather take trash out, and encourage it, ... your little tags are just great. No recondite film/test-strip-can needed. Just band a note. Photos to follow of my very fist INTENTIONAL find. Leave only footprints, take only photos... and trash... And, of course, Make the world a happier place!
×
×
  • Create New...